PC, Audio Interface And Graphic Card For Reason 11

[Ralph1983]

Hello Dear Reason Users !

I' am building new PC for Reason 11. Here is the specification:

Intel Core i9-10850K
MSI MPG Z490 GAMING PRO CARBON WIFI
G.SKILL 64GB (2x32GB) 3600MHz CL18 Ripjaws V
Corsair HX850 850W 80 Plus Platinum
Fractal Design Meshify C TG
Patriot 1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe Viper VPN100 - For Reason 11, Windos 10 Pro ad others software
Seagate IRONWOLF PRO CMR 4TB 7200obr. 256MB - for the samples etc

Do you think it is a good setup ?? Is the built-in graphics card enough to work in Reason or do I need to buy graphic card?
I also wanna to buy RME Babyface Pro FS - is this a good interface?

Cheers

[jam-s]

I'd go AMD instead (more bang for your buck). https://psymedia.co.za/best-cpu-music-production/

[Billy+]

Get a cpu with the fastest single core speed you can afford.

[orthodox]

I' am building new PC for Reason 11. Here is the specification:
Do you think it is a good setup ?? Is the built-in graphics card enough to work in Reason or do I need to buy graphic card?
I also wanna to buy RME Babyface Pro FS - is this a good interface?

More than enough. I don't like overclocking platforms and brands though (things like Z490, Corsair, Patriot, G.Skill), I prefer the standard compliant ones instead. The built-in graphics is fine on Intel gen10.
Can't say anything on the Audio. I don't do recording and use the plain built-in card with digital output to the amplifier or the hdmi video output of the motherboard.

[guitfnky]

I can’t speak for integrated graphics on newer processors (I’m still on an i7), but I recently had a session recording our singer where my PC was unresponsive as a result of a dying graphics card—long story short, I had to do everything off onboard graphics and the session was rife with glitches and pops. absolutely unacceptable for any serious work.

so I’d be a little wary of going without a dedicated GPU.

but also, I’d be careful with AMD GPUs—I had my R9 390 for a few years and the last couple of them, I’d had random hardware issues (occasional crashes, error messages, etc.) that I could never really confirm were being caused by the GPU until that night when it just wouldn’t output anything.

of course, take that anecdotal stuff with a grain of salt—obviously I was/am using some less current hardware than what you’re talking about. just may be worth keeping in mind.

[Ralph1983]

thanks guys for the answers

[david1806]

Just to stick my pennies worth in - I think that is more than enough, looks like a great set-up. Good luck with it mate, let us know how you get on, be interesting to hear.....

[EnochLight]

I also wanna to buy RME Babyface Pro FS - is this a good interface?

Uhhhh - simply put - it's one of the best. I've got the second-gen Babyface Pro and it's been running non-stop, on 24/7, for roughly 5+ years now. It's also built like a tank and can easily be travelled with if you decide to take it on the road (and iOS recognizes it as a class-compliant audio device, so it's great to use with the latest generation iPads and iPhones on the go). I can't say enough good things about RME's Babyface Pro, and I know the FS just improves on it. Also, latency is some of the lowest in the industry, and the drivers are rock solid.

[Carpainter]

but also, I’d be careful with AMD GPUs—I had my R9 390 for a few years and the last couple of them, I’d had random hardware issues (occasional crashes, error messages, etc.) that I could never really confirm were being caused by the GPU until that night when it just wouldn’t output anything.

GPUs run so hot that you sometimes need to take them apart and apply fresh thermal paste, especially if they're heavily used. I once took apart a dead GPU only to find out that the thermal paste had hardened to an almost clay-like consistency.

[guitfnky]

but also, I’d be careful with AMD GPUs—I had my R9 390 for a few years and the last couple of them, I’d had random hardware issues (occasional crashes, error messages, etc.) that I could never really confirm were being caused by the GPU until that night when it just wouldn’t output anything.

GPUs run so hot that you sometimes need to take them apart and apply fresh thermal paste, especially if they're heavily used. I once took apart a dead GPU only to find out that the thermal paste had hardened to an almost clay-like consistency.

I’m not sure where you’d apply thermal paste on a GPU—had to put some on the CPU of course when I put the PC together, but I didn’t even know doing that was a thing for GPUs.

regardless, I doubt that was my problem. I rarely ever used the PC for gaming (maybe once every few months, for an hour or so). the most demanding thing it did was run Reason on a 4K monitor, occasionally render a video, and navigate some browser tabs.

[illlumen]

I also wanna to buy RME Babyface Pro FS - is this a good interface?

Uhhhh - simply put - it's one of the best. I've got the second-gen Babyface Pro and it's been running non-stop, on 24/7, for roughly 5+ years now. It's also built like a tank and can easily be travelled with if you decide to take it on the road (and iOS recognizes it as a class-compliant audio device, so it's great to use with the latest generation iPads and iPhones on the go). I can't say enough good things about RME's Babyface Pro, and I know the FS just improves on it. Also, latency is some of the lowest in the industry, and the drivers are rock solid.

Very stable firmware, too. I really love mine. Although the price can be a little over the top for some people and situations.

[kuhliloach]

I unfortunately cannot recommend this or any Windows build for the purpose of audio. I use Windows for plenty of applications but my Macs, even old ones, are the clear winners when it comes to audio production. As an OS Windows is a bloated joke of spyware and marketing. It still has no driver after all these years that can compete with Apple's Core Audio and that's a huge embarrassment for Microsoft. The new M1 Macbook Air is a silent machine and destroys its Intel competition when it comes to audio.

[guitfnky]

I unfortunately cannot recommend this or any Windows build for the purpose of audio. I use Windows for plenty of applications but my Macs, even old ones, are the clear winners when it comes to audio production. As an OS Windows is a bloated joke of spyware and marketing. It still has no driver after all these years that can compete with Apple's Core Audio and that's a huge embarrassment for Microsoft. The new M1 Macbook Air is a silent machine and destroys its Intel competition when it comes to audio.

lol, it says you posted this in 2021 and not 2004.

most of this is wrong. the only correct part is that PCs don’t have a Microsoft-created audio driver.

which is...<***completely***> unimportant. like 100% unnecessary. almost every interface comes with ASIO drivers, and if not, ASIO4ALL covers the rest.

[kuhliloach]

2021 and you read that right. I run DAWs on both platforms and I promise you the ASIO situation totally horrendous on multiple levels. Consider these ASIO drivers are something each manufacturer has to continually keep updated for various reasons and provide endless download support for their end users until the end of time! That is a burden that totally sucks for each and every interface maker driving up their cost of doing business and if I were them I would simply drop Windows because on the Mac audio interfaces work class compliant without any hassle caused to the manufacturer or end user.

[EnochLight]

2021 and you read that right. I run DAWs on both platforms and I promise you the ASIO situation totally horrendous on multiple levels. Consider these ASIO drivers are something each manufacturer has to continually keep updated for various reasons and provide endless download support for their end users until the end of time! That is a burden that totally sucks for each and every interface maker driving up their cost of doing business and if I were them I would simply drop Windows because on the Mac audio interfaces work class compliant without any hassle caused to the manufacturer or end user.

And yet, I'm running a Windows 10 PC that I built almost 9 years ago, and the ASIO drivers that came with my RME Babyface Pro are rock solid and my system still performs admirably for its age. Look, I get that you're a Mac fan - trust me - I've got 3 iPhones in the family and 2 iPads - but Windows machines these days are NOT nearly as bad as you're suggesting.

[guitfnky]

2021 and you read that right. I run DAWs on both platforms and I promise you the ASIO situation totally horrendous on multiple levels. Consider these ASIO drivers are something each manufacturer has to continually keep updated for various reasons and provide endless download support for their end users until the end of time! That is a burden that totally sucks for each and every interface maker driving up their cost of doing business and if I were them I would simply drop Windows because on the Mac audio interfaces work class compliant without any hassle caused to the manufacturer or end user.

well I sure hope you never go into business as an audio interface manufacturer, or it’s going to be a short trip.

obviously they’re doing just fine for themselves. I highly doubt maintaining audio drivers is so time consuming that it drives up the cost in any meaningful way. to pay an extra $1,000 premium and buy a Mac just to avoid maybe an extra buck or two (or, hell, $50–why not $100?) of cost in your interface seems like a pretty poor tradeoff. there are lots of reasons to go Mac, but that’s not one of them (not a good one, anyway).

I’ve also used both. I used Macs for 10+ years, and they’re great. I use a PC now because it works just as well as either of the Macs I owned ever did, with twice the computing power, at a third of the cost.

I’m not saying anyone should buy one over the other—they’re both great, these days. and that’s precisely the point.

[Kategra]

Didn't see anything branded Apple matching PC performance, all benchmark threads showed lower performace in Reason on MAC vs Windows even for those who had boot camp.
Check ot threads like this: viewtopic.php?t=7520702

[mcatalao]

2021 and you read that right. I run DAWs on both platforms and I promise you the ASIO situation totally horrendous on multiple levels. Consider these ASIO drivers are something each manufacturer has to continually keep updated for various reasons and provide endless download support for their end users until the end of time! That is a burden that totally sucks for each and every interface maker driving up their cost of doing business and if I were them I would simply drop Windows because on the Mac audio interfaces work class compliant without any hassle caused to the manufacturer or end user.

You're not taking in account that most audio cards don't have a huge expected lifespan. My experience, apart from the most pro and better built ones, you're looking at a 5-year expected life. In those 5 years you probably have 1 big OS change, for example what happened from windows 8 to 10, and most brands support at least 2 or 3 os versions including windows 10.

So the point is, if you want to instal a maudio Delta 1010 on windows 10, you'll probably have a damn fight to have it working with Asio. But my 10 y/o Raydat (that is still sold today) was installed in 3 computers, and 3 OS versions (7, 8.1, 10) has drivers for every windows version since XP and is proof that for the most long life card brands (maybe not the case for Motu legacy), drivers and user support is really good.

[guitfnky]

You're not taking in account that most audio cards don't have a huge expected lifespan. My experience, apart from the most pro and better built ones, you're looking at a 5-year expected life. In those 5 years you probably have 1 big OS change, for example what happened from windows 8 to 10, and most brands support at least 2 or 3 os versions including windows 10.

So the point is, if you want to instal a maudio Delta 1010 on windows 10, you'll probably have a damn fight to have it working with Asio. But my 10 y/o Raydat (that is still sold today) was installed in 3 computers, and 3 OS versions (7, 8.1, 10) has drivers for every windows version since XP and is proof that for the most long life card brands (maybe not the case for Motu legacy), drivers and user support is really good.

but that goes back to the hardware. as long as you’re not skimping on your interface, it should last for much longer than 5 years (I use a 10+ year old MOTU 8Pre as an optical expander to this day, and only replaced the other one as my actual interface because I wanted to stop using a slot in my PC for a firewire card). and I’ve had zero issues with Mac or PC drivers, as long as I’ve used up-to-date manufacturer drivers.

if someone’s got a budget for a Mac, but they’re going to buy a bargain bin interface, that’s just a weird combination. if it’s a budget cap thing at that point, they’d probably be better off buying a really nice interface and a mid/high level PC. chances are they’d even save a significant amount.

[mcatalao]

But that's my point.

If one goes for a good card (like your 8pre or any RME device), you'll probably have tested new drivers until today!

Ps.: I just found out the legacy 2408's and 24ad don't have drivers for Win 10. 20 year devices though and sounded amazing! I remember using them live for our group live cd. 2 24ad's together connected to an analogue Midas Heritage 48 chan mixer. Amazing sound, and it was a really fun project!!!

[guitfnky]

But that's my point.

If one goes for a good card (like your 8pre or any RME device), you'll probably have tested new drivers until today!

ah, gotcha! I misunderstood.

[zoidkirb]

I 'skimped' and picked up a first gen Scarlett 10 years ago now. Still going strong and has survived the transition from Win 7 to Win 10 (and 5 years of Windows 10 updates haven't broken it yet)

[mcatalao]

Focusrite improved a lot it's audio cards!

The pre-scarlet times are a bit groovy. I had a Focusrite Saffire pro 26 io. Lovely device, great sound, but the firewire bus died after 3 years.
I really liked it's sound and end up buying a Focusrite OctaPré (probably will end up upgrading to the ISA 828 with the adat option). The great part of having a ADAT interface is that i can keep upgrading preamps and the center of the daw remains untouched.

[zoidkirb]

Focusrite improved a lot it's audio cards!

The pre-scarlet times are a bit groovy. I had a Focusrite Saffire pro 26 io. Lovely device, great sound, but the firewire bus died after 3 years.
I really liked it's sound and end up buying a Focusrite OctaPré (probably will end up upgrading to the ISA 828 with the adat option). The great part of having a ADAT interface is that i can keep upgrading preamps and the center of the daw remains untouched.

Yeah I think the scarlet era marked a real quality shift in the cheaper product lines.
I had an m-audio unit before that and it was never quite right, and was completely abandoned when I think Avid bought them up.

I think a lot of people like me jumped onto the slightly more premium RME usb devices and never looked back, hence why they remain so respected to this day.

The adat solution is something I'd go for in the future if I went back to recording instruments and/or bands.

[mcatalao]

I think a lot of people like me jumped onto the slightly more premium RME usb devices and never looked back, hence why they remain so respected to this day.

The adat solution is something I'd go for in the future if I went back to recording instruments and/or bands.

I've had so many cards since the mid-nineties (started with DAW's in 1997 with AWE64, then a Guillemot ISIS, a second hand Motu 2408 that didn't have pre-amps, then 2 STAudio's, then a Maudio Fw-1814 (Tiny little device, great workhorse), then a Focursrite, and finally got the RAydat).

The choice for the RME Raydat, was because from all these the stablest cards were always internal. So I went for the Raydat and it's strong as a rock for the last 10 years. Mind that these cards didn't die, but i was either trying to find better solutions for recording bands and small groups, so 16 to 24 channels were important for me, so i sold lots of them. I've never had an USB audio card, they have always been internal with outboard or Firewire (wich has been a bit buggy in windows).

I was thinking about buying an usb for live work. However i still don't have much stuff live, and meanwhile i bought a Roland RD88, which also functions as a simple 2x2 audio card. It's probably enough for live stuff and for the moment, I'll keep this simple. A laptop, the RD88 and my EWI. Fun, simple stuff for live. Big and sturdy in the studio with the RME and all the crap around it!