Will extra RAM solve this problem?

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derbeast
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2007/11/23 16:20:06 (permalink)

Will extra RAM solve this problem?

Hi guys,

Just getting into mixing the last few days and experincing at a good deal of drop-outs when I add a lot of effects. I'm after getting the dfh superior synth now as well and I know this can add up to 900 mb of info into the ram as well so this is also causing problems.

At the moment my spec is like this:

Dell Dim 8400
XP Pack 2
3.2 Ghz
1 GB of RAM

Can get extra 2 gb of RAM for only 100 euro so I'll prob do that money. Just wondering if RAM will completely solve this drop-out issue and how this 4 yr old computer is matching up to newer specs?

Would someone also mind telling me standard settings for changing latency and buffer size when changing from recording to mixing processes? If I got extra ram here would this solve this problem also.

Thanks so much,

D
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    RobertB
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    RE: Will extra RAM solve this problem? 2007/11/23 22:58:57 (permalink)
    D,
    I see no mention of a sound card in your specs, so I am guessing that you are using the built-in sound card.
    A pro-sumer card like the E-MU0404 or M-Audio 2496 will make a significant difference, much more thatn additional RAM.
    I am running a 2.4Ghz P4, much slower than your, with 1 Gb RAM. I use the E-MU0404 sound card. I record all of my live tracks(audio and synth) at 8 ms latency, and bump it out to 20 ms as I add effects for mixing.
    What version of the Cakewalk software are you using? Bounce or Freeze is your friend, depending on what you are using.
    Check Windows Task Manager. I f you see lots of paging, RAM will help.

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    derbeast
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    RE: Will extra RAM solve this problem? 2007/11/24 07:18:21 (permalink)
    Sorry forgot to mention the soundcard. I'm using an Echo Gina 3G which is decent enough I suppose. I can get very low latency with it alright. Just when I added the DFH superior drummer a few days ago and tried to play live through it I was getting drop-outs so thought the best thing to do would be to get more RAM. Am I correct in saying therocially this should solve the problem? I know there are many other specs to a computer but is this the one Sonar relies on the most in the prevention of drop-outs. I'm very happy with the soundcard as per latency and all that.

    Thanks,

    D
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    Beagle
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    RE: Will extra RAM solve this problem? 2007/11/24 08:05:24 (permalink)
    for softsynth problems with dropouts, more RAM might help, yes

    are you trying to run DFHS during tracking or just during mixing? if during tracking, I'd advise just using TTS-1 for drums - you don't have to have the best drum sounds during tracking. wait until your recording is over to start mixing and then use DFHS. if you're still getting dropout during mixing, increase your latency during mixing. I run mine all the way up to the maximum during mixing because I run a couple of very CPU/RAM hungry samplers and softsynths. during mixing the latency doesn't bother you.

    that, and freezing or bouncing to track as Robert mentioned above can help a lot. once you're happy with your MIDI on a track, bounce it to audio. once you're happy with FX on an audio track, Freeze it. those will save a lot of resources which will help eliminate dropout.

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    derbeast
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    RE: Will extra RAM solve this problem? 2007/11/24 09:58:28 (permalink)
    Thanks guys for the helpful advice. Beagle, do you know of any good resources for using DFH with Sonar (tips and tricks etc)? Just after getting it so still trying to get it set up properly

    Thanks,

    D
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    Beagle
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    RE: Will extra RAM solve this problem? 2007/11/24 10:58:54 (permalink)
    The only thing I know of would be the toontrack forums.
    http://www.toontrack.com/forum/

    I don't have DFHS myself, I was only speaking in terms of general softsynths. good luck

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