Introduction
When choosing a computer for a home recording studio, it is worth spending most of the time on the processor, RAM, and hard drives. It is these components that are most actively used by programs for working with sound. Another essential component is a sound card, but its choice depends on the task at hand: recording vocals, acoustic or electronic instruments, mixing, or live performances. The most important properties of this computer are the absence of noise that can damage sound recordings and reliability since the computer should not fail at a crucial moment.
Computer Type
It is imperative to create an understanding of the aims of the computer. Sound recording and working with music have many different functions: from recording podcasts and broadcasts, developing soundtracks for films to a full recording of acoustic instruments or an orchestra. In any case, when the required options go beyond simple single-track recording, the computer must quickly handle the Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), a highly resource-intensive program (Miyara, 2017). In addition to the software itself, the processor is also forced to handle plugins, virtual synthesizers of sounds, various samplers, and many mastering effects applied to each track: compressor, gate, limiter, equalizer, and many others.
Virtual instruments place a heavy load on RAM. The motherboard is responsible for the speed and stability of the system and should also have a large number of ports in case of many purposes of the computer in the studio. It is possible to save money from the entire computer configuration only on a video card since the graphic load in the case of mixing music tracks is minimal. Only in the case of an integrated graphics core, the processor will need to replace it with a full-fledged video card since the graphics core will take over part of the RAM (Liang et al., 2021). On the other hand, an external video card creates unnecessary noise but opens up the possibility of connecting multiple monitors, which is a highly recommended option in a large studio (Kalliris et al., 2019). The computer case is also essential, as it can neutralize all unnecessary noise, provide the necessary cooling, which will preserve both the performance of the parts and their durability. In durable memory, SSDs look preferable due to the lack of noise and higher speed and reliability, and it should also be paid attention to the power supply and cooler, which are responsible for the safety of the entire PC configuration.
Parts Identification
I chose the Intel Core i7-1195G7 processor (12MB cache, up to 5.00 GHz) for its high clock speed to handle most recording tasks. I chose the GIGABYTE Z390 UD motherboard for many RAM slots and good compatibility with the above processor. The GTX 1060 6 GB graphics card was chosen for its low cost and characteristics, which are pretty enough for music editing. The Fractal Design Meshify case was selected for its superior sound insulation performance. The EVGA 750BQ is a suitable 750 Watt PSU with good energy efficiency. RAM for most tasks of this kind requires at least 16 GB; therefore, the most profitable option would be Crucial 16 GB DDR4, a proven and promising brand on the market. As a ROM, it is needed to choose an SSD with a volume of at least 200 GB, which is the minimum for any DAW, a large number of plugins, and the system itself. Ideally, it is necessary to take 512 GB as music libraries tend to take up much space. In this case, the best choice would be XPG Gammix 512 GB. The main characteristics when choosing a monitor are the presence of an IPS matrix for better response and high resolution. It is often required to have several monitors for musical editing, but in this case, the focus will be on one, to which in the future it can be added either the same or a smaller one. LG 24MK430H 23.8 is suitable for this assembly since it has all the above parameters and a low price. A sound card, in this case, is one of the essential elements of a computer, and it is needed to choose external ones. A professional but still relatively inexpensive option is the Focusrite Scarlett Solo, which offers phantom power, minimal latency, and reasonable sample rates. The mouse and keyboard functionality is not critical, but the presence of additional buttons on the mouse allows working more quickly and intuitively; in this regard, the Redragon S101 Wired Keyboard and Mouse Combo set is suitable. Finally, the necessary wiring includes an HDMI cable for the monitor and three USB cables for a mouse, keyboard, and sound card. The rest of the equipment, such as headphones and a microphone, is already specific to each specific purpose; therefore, it is described in the particular configuration section. Table 1 shows the prices for the specified components.
Table 1. Computer Parts List
Configuration Detail
Since this computer assembly assumes work with sound, it is worth clarifying the recommended models of headphones, microphone, and speakers, as the most common and mandatory additional components. The Shure SM-58 is a classic and ideal low-cost microphone solution that can record vocals, podcasts, and more. The JBL 305P MKII active studio monitors in the amount of two, together with the equal frequency distribution in the Sennheiser HD 200 Pro headphones, is a professional solution for sound extraction and work with it.
The configuration of a computer for professional work with sound is a relatively budget solution compared to gaming models and computers sharpened for working with graphics or mining. One of the most expensive components is a video card, which is not critical in the described configuration. Another thing is that an impressive part of the budget is spent on additional musical equipment, which has a wide range of prices depending on the goals and quality. Nevertheless, this paper describes an assembly that allows solving most problems at a professional level, second only to ultra-fast, expensive studio equipment.
References
Kalliris, G., Dimoulas, C. A., & Matsiola, M. (2019). Media management, sound editing and mixing. In Foundations in Sound Design for Linear Media (pp. 82-112). London: Routledge.
Liang, C. C., Huang, C. C., & Liou, C. F. (2021). The impact of hardware buffer size settings on digital audio production: The model example of the Avid pro tools digital audio workstation. In Smart Design, Science & Technology: Proceedings of the IEEE 6th International Conference on Applied System Innovation (ICASI 2020), 2020, Taitung, Taiwan (p. 40). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
Miyara, F. (2017). Digital Audio Editing. In Software-Based Acoustical Measurements (pp. 167-186). New York, NY: Springer, Cham.