Computer / Software

Your PC may well be the nerve-centre of your studio, so keeping it in top condition is worth a bit of effort. Read on for the SOS guide to inner and outer PC cleanliness.

While Mac users continue to wait in anticipation for new Mac hardware and software, we explore a really neat application you might not realise you even own, which lets you create your own MIDI- and audio-based visual performances.

If you ever have to re-install all your software after a PC upgrade, there are tricks that can save you a lot of time, and also help you to be more organised in the future. PC Notes rounds them up, as well as keeping you up to date on Vista compatibility for musicians.

In your recent article 'Specifying and Building A Dual-core Desktop PC' (printed in SOS February 2007), the RAM chosen was specified for 1.9V. The selected Intel motherboard specifies 1.8V only. Why did this not result in failure to boot up?

With little new from Apple for musicians and audio engineers at the recent Macworld and NAMM shows, announcements from other manufacturers will allow Macbook Pro owners to take advantage of more sophisticated audio and DSP hardware while on the road.

As a PC user, one job you're almost sure to have to do at some point is a clean install of Windows, whether because you've built your own PC, as outlined in last month's issue, have suffered a serious crash, or have decided to change to a new OS. Here's what you need to know...

More Vista-related musings, advice on 'boot management' for multi-partition setups and the usual handy tips — all in this month's PC Notes.

We take another look at running Windows on Intel Macs and consider how Apple's latest acquisition will affect their professional video and audio software.

If you haven't yet taken the dual-core plunge, there's an alternative to either buying an off-the-shelf mainstream model that may not be quite right for music or paying a premium for a custom-assembled music PC: choose the components and build your own.

After a long wait, the new Windows Vista OS is actually on the horizon — so should we all be rushing to upgrade?

We take the opportunity of a New Year issue to look back at the 12 months that saw Apple's transition to Intel processors, and to welcome in the new Core 2 Duo-based MacBook Pros and Xeon-based Xserves.

Direct X plug-in support has been dropped from Steinberg's Cubase 4 sequencing software — so what do you do if you have projects that use such plug-ins and you want to upgrade to the latest Cubase? PC Musician offers some solutions, as well as rounding up the latest PC news and information.

With the new Mac Pro offering increased internal data storage, we investigate whether using the software RAID functionality built into OS X has any benefits for audio applications.

Carillon's new TI series sees them incorporating affordable, no-nonsense music PCs into their familiar rackmount cases.

With 64-bit quad-core processing in every model and the ability to run both Mac OS X and Windows, is the Mac Pro the computer all musicians have been waiting for?

Many of us feel compelled to regularly change our PCs in line with the demands of the latest software. But, depending on our requirements, an older PC may still be more than capable of doing a great job, as PC Musician discovers this month.

From rogue Firewire controller chips to Windows XP Media Center Edition, the strangest things can cause problems with PC audio...

I'm getting a Core 2 Duo PC with a pair of 250GB Seagate 7200 SATA II hard drives, and I want to know the best way to set...

The new high-end and mid-range iMacs look interesting for musicians, offering Core 2 Duo processors and rather attractive prices. Apple Notes takes a look at the spec.

The Altiverb convolving reverb plug-in arrived on the PC platform earlier this year. We find out how it stands up to the convolution competition, as well as bringing you the usual crop of PC news and tips.

It was all happening at this year's Apple Developer Conference, where an Intel-based Power Mac replacement and a new Xserve were showcased and Apple Notes was in the audience for the first demonstration of Tiger's spotty successor, Leopard...