Recommend minimum system for sound editing

[bigboxes]

Can someone recommend me the minimum parts for this purpose. I build custom PCs for a living, but don't know a lot about what would be considered "essential" for serious sound editing. Also, the client wants front inputs. I have an Audigy 2 ZS with the front panel, but I know that is really not desired for this type of application.

Any thoughts?

tia ~bb

 

[Dkcode]

I wouldnt know but if no one posts try posting here: www.tranceaddict.com/forums

Theres alot of bedroom music producers here and im sure them will be pleased to recommend you something usefull.

 

[Concillian]

It depends on what file sizes he uses and how fast he wants it to be.

It's just like any other data manipulation (video editing, photo editing)... you need lots of RAM to fit your workable files into and reasonable CPU power for the transforms you do to your work in progress.

'minimum' is bounded by how slow he is willing to deal with. You can do sound editing on a P3 1 GHz and 128 MB RAM, but I wouldn't want to.

Personally I'd just put together a reasonable budget PC, S754 Sempron or low end P4 + tons of RAM. Slow CPU can be dealt with a LOT easier than not enough RAM. Just dealing with minimal sound editing in converting some of my fathers vinyl to CD a couple years ago -- things that took like 5 minutes with 256MB and a 1300 MHz Athlon took less than 30 seconds with 512MB and the same processor.

Try to find the filesizes he's dealing with. Make sure you can at least fit what he's working with into RAM.

 

[ProviaFan]

Sounds like a church... (in general they seem to spend way too much on most stuff but think that us tech guys can get quad Opteron + SCSI RAID performance out of a $350 Dell special)

Is this recording, post processing (EQ, compression / normalize, noise gate, etc.), and burning to CD - like one would need in that sort of environment, or is this for a home musician that will be running soft synths, multitrack recording, etc.? Any idea why they want front inputs? That's a bit asinine to ask for in this type of setup, at least for someone who plans to do this seriously.