Hello everyone,

I am in the middle of building a DAW system.  I was just wondering, why do we want a "quiet" PC.  Is it for noise bleeding into the room and hence into microphones as background noise?  Or does it have something to do with interfering with the analog recording signal input?   For instance, if I am recording sounds from an analog synth.   Or does it effects mixdowns or something?  

I am just wondering WHY we want quiet PC's.
 
Thank you and sorry for any ignorance :)

Adam

If you have a video card with a fan and computer with a fan, the computer fan usually can make noise if it is operating at the fast speed. Very noisy in fact with some, because newer computers have more to deal with, and during high activity periods, the fan will start making a lot of noise. Now with my computer I usually have it on optimal or something like that not hi-speed because for normal general computing (usually including DAW but I do not use soft synths) the fan will be quiet enough, but I found out that if I change it in the BIOS to the fastest speed, the darn thing is very noisy. For computer games that may be needed to keep the computer cool (and video card maybe not as noisy but perhaps could be) during hi-speed stressful computer use. Then a lot of people seek low-noise fans when building a computer for a DAW because the fan will be virtually noiseless even when used hi-speed. I have not needed that yet, but I know my fan in my computer will make a lot of noise if I set it in the BIOS to the max.
 
Also some computers nowadays have way more in the computer than I do, so the fans can make noise just having the computer on. Yes, even normal fan operation can be noisy for recording but if you have a noise gate (and the only time I have to think about it is when singing) then with my use, since singing usually does not have such a dynamic range from soft to loud passages, then the noise gate will not let the noise through below a certain level. Say a voice singing has dynamics of 50dB then a noise gate set to 60dB will not let noise get through if the recording is loud enough into the DAW without distorting the signal.
 
Yes, a low-noise fan would be better for any DAW actually.
 

Thanks for the reply, but the answer is WHY do we want a silent PC?   How does it effect recording music?
 
Is it for noise bleeding into the room and hence into microphones as background noise?  Or does it have something to do with interfering with the analog recording signal input?   For instance, if I am recording sounds from an analog synth.   Or does it effects mixdowns or something?  

Yes of course it is for sound made by the computer being recorded by the microphone. Many home studios have the computer in the same room as the microphones, and making your computer quiet makes life easier in that case. If you computer is in another noise isolated room, as is common in professional studios this is more of a non-issue, unless the computer is located where the recordist will be annoyed by the sound itself. If your computer is producing electrical noise, that is another issue altogether, but when most of us are talking about a "quiet computer" we are talking about sound not electrical interference.

aglewis723
Thanks for the reply, but the answer is WHY do we want a silent PC?   How does it effect recording music?

 
An even more important consideration; How does it effect listening to music?
 
best regards,
mike

Thanks for the responses everyone.  I am building my own computer, what steps should i take to make sure i have the PC as quiet as possible?   Thank you!

aglewis723
Thanks for the responses everyone.  I am building my own computer, what steps should i take to make sure i have the PC as quiet as possible?   Thank you!

If your internal components (PSU, CPU Cooler, case fans, SSD's etc...) are quiet to begin with, then you'll have a very quiet machine. I highly recommend Noctua CPU Cooler and case fans....they're almost dead silent.

I just finished my build and the loudest compnents are my 4 case fans on my Rosewill Thor V2 Case at full speed (which the loudness is barely noticeable.) I can control the speed of my fans (two control knobs located outside the case) to lower the speeds in making it quieter.  
Once you get quiet components from the get go, you can pick a case that suits your fancy/needs. 

Yeah, a sensitive condensor can and wil pick up the fan or hard drives spinning. OF course if you're micing a Marshall 1959 then don't worry over it. If you're micing soft vocals or quiet guitar... it could be a concern.
 
IMO,
 
J

Why a quiet PC?
 
Sensitive mics (if in the same room) pickup/record loud computer noise.
Loud computer noise adds to the rooms natural noise-floor... making it more difficult to monitor/mix.
Once you're accustomed to working with a quiet DAW, a loud unit is annoying/distracting. 
 
A quiet DAW is the sum of all parts.
(Buying loud components and playing them in a "quiet case" will not result in a quiet DAW.)
 
Even a budget build can be quiet...
You just have to be careful which components you select.

Go with Jim's advice on this one, he know's his stuff :)
 
Or, if you have the possibility, just put your DAW in the next room. 
Then you could have the baddest, meanest and loudest fans/components you'd want. And you will not hear it. 
I've never understood the need to have your DAW literary on your lap, anyway :)