SOUND ON SOUND

[Demious]

I've been working on my computer for almost 3 years now, components from serious brands, 5GHz CPU, 32GB 3200MHz RAM, Quantum Interface over Thunderbolt, pretty fast SSD drives for Software and recording and this PC seems powerful enough. I can easily run a 120+ track virtual mixer and I can throw around plugins as much as I like and the performance meter doesnt reach over 50%. I install according to the specified procedures for the software I use, I've been trying to fix things with settings and I'm running the most stable configuration I've been able to find, but still I'm constantly battling 'instability bugs'...

What do I mean with that, bugs for which support always ends up telling me:"We cant reproduce it on our end." Bugs that prevent me from continuing in the same worksheet, so I have to import tracks into a new worksheet, have to do everything that wasnt imported properly again (half the time automation isnt imported, of imported correctly and that in itself is one of the instability bugs). Once everything is imported in a new worksheet, the bugs are often solved, but after a day's work, new bugs arise and the next day I most likely can move everything to a new worksheet again.

And I've heard the stories, if you want a PC to run stable, you need a PC that is build and tuned for audio recording by a specialist. And we all know, there are many more people who call themselves a specialist, than that there are people who can actually build a stable audio recording PC. The country where I live, I found 3 companies that claim to build stable PCs audio recording, but from 2 I already know that these arent people you want to do business with and even if they can build a stable system, I know from experience how they do business and I already got burned too many times.

But how about a Mac Pro? I've worked with a Mac 20 years ago, then was said a Mac is better, but that was all about the processing power. But PCs have become a lot stronger, multi-core CPU, etc and What I hear about Apple, last few years, it seems they lost their edge. I read plenty of forum posts where Apple users also talk about what I'd call instability bugs.

How does the stability of a Mac Pro compare to the stability of a specialized PC, when we're talking about 'random instability bugs'? I need to do my work, I just cant be troubleshooting and emailing with support all day long, like I've been doing for way too long.

I would love to hear some opinions from people who have experience in this matter.

[blinddrew]

I've had a few issues with my new PC (mostly due to working with old hardware) but that's now stable. My last PC was pretty much rock solid until it got overwhelmed.
I use a Mac at work (well, up until the last year) and my experience is that they're no more or less stable or reliable than a PC.
Others may have different opinions but you only have to look at the Mac and PC sub-forums to see that there's fun and games in both camps.

[Frank Rideau]

Just reading your description of your instability bugs, are you sure they are related to the instability of your PC/Windows and are not related to the software you are using? From what you say it is not obvious with the problem you are actually describing.

Getting out of the Apple store with a new Mac Pro, I doubt it won't need it's part of tuning and configuring to be up to specs for what you need and you will have to deal with a complete new world of Apple "standards" and connectors.

I think you should continue to investigate what's wrong with your configuration before throwing in the towel with the PC.

[Dave Rowles]

I use a MacBook Pro. I've never had to change a single setting for it to work nearly flawlessly with audio. That said I have had problems now and then. Back when I used a windows PC for music I re-installed the OS every 6 months or so, and that kept bugs at bay. This was back in Windows 98/XP days.

Basically, if you look after the PC and keep it for audio ONLY, you shouldn't have problems, but my windows experience is pre-windows 10, so can't really comment fully.

[CS70]

but still I'm constantly battling 'instability bugs'...

That sounds very odd, and smells of intermittent hardware issues (such as RAM problems or electrical gremlins). Or thermal throttling, which depends not on the PC but on where you place it. If the airflow isn't good, you can kill the most powerful computer in ten minutes of heavy use.

And I've heard the stories, if you want a PC to run stable, you need a PC that is build and tuned for audio recording by a specialist.

Not really. A PC is pretty stable. I've used PCs day in day out since circa 1993 and can pretty much guarantee that.

If you're talking about music... if you want to squeeze the last bit of performance from a specific combination and you're working at the very edge of its capabilities, you need to have the computer well configured not to experience occasionally drops in instantaneous response. But crashes.. no.

But how about a Mac Pro?

Dunno. There's something obviously wrong on your side, so simply changing to any computer might well cure it. Or not, depending on what's the reason. If it's unstable electrical current, say, a new computer won't change a thing.

I could guess that a PC with Windows is slightly harder to configure - mostly because most PC come pre-configured for power saving rather than... power. And there's just more cruff that people install without realizing why they're doing it and what it does.

That said, people tend to conflate a powerful (music) PC with a powerful CPU. But in that context the capabilities of the machine are determined by its weakest component, not the strongest. As an analogy, take a super powerful sports car and mount bicycle tires on it. You won't go neither fast nor far.

How does the stability of a Mac Pro compare to the stability of a specialized PC, when we're talking about 'random instability bugs'? I need to do my work, I just cant be troubleshooting and emailing with support all day long, like I've been doing for way too long.

There are no "random stability bugs", unless as said there's hardware faults or thermal throttling involved or you have in some way screwed up the operating system environment in a serious manner.

Of course there are incompatibilities between certain components, so if you have assembled components at random, you may be seeing the result. In that case, not all is lost, but the game is then to do detective work and find out what is causing the trouble.

But it's quite rare nowadays and once again, what it does is more affecting the performance envelope rather than generate crashes.

If you're unwilling to play detective then, yes, then a pre-packaged different computer could work fine.

[The Red Bladder]

And I've heard the stories, if you want a PC to run stable, you need a PC that is build and tuned for audio recording by a specialist.

Here in the UK, that would be Scan Computers who do specialist film, TV, Gaming and audio PCs.

I run various audio programmes on PCs ranging from bonkers workstations loaded with multiple SSDs down to grotty laptops from Asus. No problems with any of them!

What you have not told us is what software you are running and what plugins you have added. That is probably where the problems are to be found.

[Arpangel]

What you have not told us is what software you are running and what plugins you have added. That is probably where the problems are to be found.

Absolutely, I’ve had very few issues with any of my systems, but when I have, more often than not, it’s been a troublesome plugin.
These issues are easy to sort out too, process of elimination, be good to know exactly what software you’re using, and exactly what issues have arisen, with what?

[Mike Stranks]

No reason at all why a modern Windows PC shouldn't be fine with audio work. There are plenty of people here who are professionals who use Windows PCs all the time without computer infrastructure or OS-related problems.

[fatbenelton]

It may be a hangover from PC’s initially having problems with thunderbolt? Microsoft didn’t support certain features initially. Prob long sorted but might need a tweak somewhere?
FWIW using Quantum2/Quantum 4848 on a 2015 Macbook pro without issues. Not caning it though!

[uselessoldman]

Lets start off with the obvious, YOUR PC is not causing these issues its the software DAW, drivers plugins your using. You said NOTHING that would lead me to say, your PC has faults and needs a service/upgrade/rebuild.

AS for SSD. why are you not using M2 as your boot drive? My 10 yr old FX8350 is running on a Gigabyte 990x motherboard with Adata M2 and its absolutely ROCK SOLID fast and does EVERYTHING I throw at it, in 4k (dual screen), although I do have a Vega 64 card in it. I use SSD for VSTs dlls some Kontakt libraries and Sound banks.

What I have found is some audio manufacturers release VERY BAD DRIVERS you cannot blame your system for that. Windows 10 is ABSOLUTELY fine and solid for music you have the whole planet screaming at Microsoft when they screwed up a few years back and they fixed it in days. Yet how many still run Windows 7 cos something they use does not have WIndows 10 drivers cos the manufacturer REFUSES to support that specific product anymore???? Yamaha 01x comes to mind, cos I own one of them and REFUSE to buy anything lese with their name on it.

[Mike Stranks]

Lets start off with the obvious, YOUR PC is not causing these issues its the software DAW, drivers plugins your using. You said NOTHING that would lead me to say, your PC has faults and needs a service/upgrade/rebuild.

AS for SSD. why are you not using M2 as your boot drive? My 10 yr old FX8350 is running on a Gigabyte 990x motherboard with Adata M2 and its absolutely ROCK SOLID fast and does EVERYTHING I throw at it, in 4k (dual screen), although I do have a Vega 64 card in it. I use SSD for VSTs dlls some Kontakt libraries and Sound banks.

What I have found is some audio manufacturers release VERY BAD DRIVERS you cannot blame your system for that. Windows 10 is ABSOLUTELY fine and solid for music you have the whole planet screaming at Microsoft when they screwed up a few years back and they fixed it in days. Yet how many still run Windows 7 cos something they use does not have WIndows 10 drivers cos the manufacturer REFUSES to support that specific product anymore???? Yamaha 01x comes to mind, cos I own one of them and REFUSE to buy anything lese with their name on it.

A word to the wise...

You use uppercase a lot (CAPITALS) to make a point... That's considered 'bad form' and generally denotes 'shouting'.

The forum has facilities to emphasise words or phrases with bold or italics or underlines.

Up above the 'Smilies' at the top of your post as you type you'll see the 'B'. 'I' and 'U'. symbols... Type normally then highlight the required text to emphasise and click on the required icon... job done...

:)

[CS70]

Lets start off with the obvious

Hei, all good but maybe cool to be a little gentler? I mean the OP is asking for help, not be scolded. :D