When my 13 year old PC finally dies, I plan to get one similar. I've been watching these get better and better for a couple years.
Probably a good time to jump to Linux as well.
Thanks Max!
If you get one of the MBP's with a more bangin' i7, it's a lot of computer in a small package. Doing anything significant will have the fans running robustly. I love my MBP and will be using it for a good long time! (Especially since the post-Jobs offerings from them don't really make the cut for me.) You can't use this in the same room with acoustic music. Absolute no go. MBPs are loud and that's just how it is.
These things are getting so close to being studio ready. If one wants a 'pc' dedicated to doing one thing or a couple of things only (ie. running Reaper just for recording, or for me, just running BFD with no effects, or maybe using it to kick out a midi clock, while also being able to record) these are really coming into their own.
TINY BFD!
I have an i7 in a fanless case, running OSX.
rock solid AND fast !
I read some doubts about the Mac M1 chip not supporting certain plugins. I use an Intel NUC mini pc with 8th gen i5, 16ram, 256ssd. It is completely silent.
If you wanted something silent to just capture performances then even things like the Raspberry Pis are becoming viable. Enough power to run linux with Reaper, maybe even stream the recordings straight to a network drive (think I'd prefer the comfort of recording locally then swapping the card or whatever).
There's Instructables about where people build RPI based laptops, even recycling old dead ones, rip out the motherboard, add the RPI and display controller board etc.
If you wanted something silent to just capture performances then even things like the Raspberry Pis are becoming viable. Enough power to run linux with Reaper, maybe even stream the recordings straight to a network drive (think I'd prefer the comfort of recording locally then swapping the card or whatever).
There's Instructables about where people build RPI based laptops, even recycling old dead ones, rip out the motherboard, add the RPI and display controller board etc.
I'm already using a Raspberry Pi4 with a 250GB Samsung EVO SSD, and a Behringer UMC204HD audio interface.
All these answers sound pretty low cost but I'm just going to chime in that I've been working flawlessly with an m1 mac mini and have never heard the fan go off in a year working with it, with very heavy plugins on the session too. Great little machine tbh compared to my home computer hahah but yeah, you asked "PC" so...
Oh that's cool, something I'd like to try (though being in Britain could be problematic, weather etc... ) I have the same interface so good to see that wouldn't be an issue.
Oh that's cool, something I'd like to try (though being in Britain could be problematic, weather etc... ) I have the same interface so good to see that wouldn't be an issue.
The Raspberry Pi4 rig is my "Studio B".
It is actually a very capable DAW too. I'm barely overclocking the Pi4, and able to run the UMC204HD 48/24 @ 64 samples latency with no pops or clicks. The solid aluminum case the Pi4 is in is like a big heat sink so it is 100% silent with no fans on anything.
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Glennbo
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AFAIK, there is not a version of Reaper's for Win on Arm yet ?!?!?!?
Michael
Yep, all I see for Windows is 64 bit and 32 bit.
Meanwhile back at the Linux ranch, my 4GB Raspberry Pi4 running the 64 bit version of stock Raspberry Pi OS "Bullseye" with a Behringer UMC204HD runs all day long 24/48 @ 64 samples latency.
With a gig of Tod's SM_Drums and a gig of Yamaha grand piano samples loaded and playing back, the Pi4 still has enough juice to play and record guitars and basses through virtual amps. I'm only slightly overclocked and have a solid aluminum heat sink case for 100% silent operation.
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Glennbo
Hear My Music - Click Me!!!
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Have you thought about using your phone? Or better yet ASIO interface with your phone?
You can go for a laptop and record in silent more or do it with raspberry pi + AISO interface.
With any of those options, you can import the audio post-recording.
It is exceedingly easy (in many cases) to get rid of unwanted noise these days, but surely it makes us feel better if we record clean sound even if we don't care about that FQ band in post.
I think the questions here are:
1) how much do you want to run in terms of playbacks and vst
2) What is the microphone and what are you recording? Dynamic/condenser
3) What is the room treatment and dampening?
4) Why not record in the other room with longer cables or just longer and the remote?
I'm using a 2017 HP ProDesk i7 "office slave". Some extra gig ram, SSD system disk and I let the old mechanical HD stay in. Mounted a fan less graphic card. This machine is dead silent. I got the guitar recording mic at the same distance to my DAW PC as to the guitar. Noise floor is around -65 dB and that's ambient sound from my house. Never heard the CPU/GPU/Chassi fans on this machine. Maybe not studio standard but as an amateur I'm happy with this.
This may not be helpful, but it's my story on quiet PCs for recording.
I spent money for years on noise reduction, and never achieved a result that I considered satisfactory.
What I ended up doing is putting my desktop in a closet, with plugs for all the peripherals on a wall of the room. That's really quiet.
I know it may not be convenient or possible for lots of folks, but I've had the opportunity to desgn my studio space twice, and made sure I had a suitable arrangement for closeting the noisy gear.
Yes indeed! I've added yet one more component to my Raspberry Pi Solar fARM. A 12v refrigerator/freezer full of IPAs, Belgian Ales, and Mexican Cervezas.
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Glennbo
Hear My Music - Click Me!!!
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look at an m1 macbook air. They are incredible and fanless
yes, the macbook air is Apples best value for money machine and performs really well with the M1 chip. You'd be hard pressed for the money to get anything more powerful or silent in a laptop form.
May be a tentative alpha compile for such platforms might be interesting for some...
-Michael
Yeah, I suppose there might be a test version for ARM Windows in the works. I was so impressed with how well a Raspberry Pi can run REAPER that I bought mine a dedicated UMC204HD audio interface and a dedicated Oxygen Pro Mini keyboard.
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Glennbo
Hear My Music - Click Me!!!
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Helped a buddy to build a daw pc. This was in the 00s, core 2 duo days. He bought noise isolation for all inside chassi walls. 10 mm of some rubber/foam. And of cause this isolated the whole chassi to do any thermic exchange thru the metal sides. All fans was at 100% after a couple of minutes. Noisiest daw ever.
He removed all isolation and installed a bigger "silent" chassi fan and that was significant more silent. For a couple of minutes again. All fans at 100% at the slightest cpu load. Turned out he had manage to mount all fans to blow outwards lol. No air exchange, only "vacuum". That daw never got realy quiet.
You don't necessarily need a fanless PC if you take care to put together a very quiet PC with low power fans and quiet components. You don't need absolute silence, though you do need very low ambient noise. I have a PC in my recording area a few feet away from my recording position, and I can record finger picked acoustic guitar fine. The ambient noise in the room is about 30 db. I would probably balk at intentionally recording the room sound with a distant mic, but I would use the same precaution in any home studio environment.
There are websites devoted entirely to building a "silent" PC, and also sites that will build one for you for a fee.
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Originally Posted by Newman
Is there any reason something like this wouldn't work for recording? It's apparently completely silent. In one of the reviews, someone says "You won't be producing professional sound". And so I'm wondering why not?