Help, need efficient PC when mixing!

[haze]

i'm using a fireface800, a pc with windows xp pro, 2.4 Ghz, 2 gig memory, and a uad-1 ultrapak. i have no problem tracking 10 tracks at a time. glitch-free. but my track count rises to 24-26 including group channels and all.

ok, so of course we have around 7-8 tracks for drums. around 6 tracks for distortion guitars, 2 tracks for lead, 2 tracks for vocals, stereo track for keyboards, stereo track for acoustic guitars, etc. of course each would have to be processed separately. i find that i am unable to stick whatever processing plug in i want for every every track. i still hit the limit somehow and then need to bounce. i often would group all distortion guitars in a single stereo bus, also the acoustic guitars, and vocals, etc. i also use fx send. but still i hit the limit.

what can i do to be able to stick in 3 effects per channel in a 24 channel mix? is this even possible? i am under the impression that in po tools this is a cinch. but im on nuendo. and therefore other than the uad-1 card i have no other dsp card to help me out during mixing. i am adding a second uad-1 card but i doubt if this will solve all my problems. is there a computer setup where this kind of processing is possible without having to bounce tracks?

thanks.

 

[Cat5]

Trust me...you will run out of DSP on PT too, and sometimes a heck of a lot faster.

2.4Ghz is a bit of a low powered CPU for large projects. You'd be better off with a decent dual core based setup. These can be built inexpensively now, and allow TONS of native processing. Also, you will enjoy smoother interface and screen redraws.

Check out the entry level AMD X2 and Intel Pentium D CPUs. I have a pentium D based DAW and it is humming along sweetly. I have yet to run in to a CPU limitation.

At the end of April Intel is cutting the 900 series chips in price by 40%. This would be a great time to score a 3.4GHz dual core chip for about $315, and a Asus 955x MB for about $175.

 

[haze]

hey thanks. i made a mistake. the processor is a 2.8 ghz on an older mobo.

im not very updated when it comes to pc's. im also from a country where the latest mobos are not available. i can however spend a grand on a new box. will i be able to run 15-20 channels of say convolution plugs (like SIR for example). i use this plug as an example as they can be one of the most cpu intensive plugs and if i can run that many then im guessing other native plugs will run quite smoothly.

thanks.

 

[Paul Woodlock]

What Cat5 says... Go dual!

 

[Rahim44]

Peace,
well why don't you open up about say like 4 of your favorite reverbs or echos, or plate effects, then BUS them to a track, that way you won't put such a strain on your computer.

I just bought a Sweetwater CREATION STATION, TowerPlus 3.0 and it runs so freakin smooth I can't believe it. They configure it to music so all you have to do is just start putting in your programs etc. The drivers work well, and it's fast, it's equivelent to a G-5 2.0. I spent $1300 from the one I built myself and when I let this other guy fix it because the configuration was messed up, he messed it up even more. So now that computer is my home computer and my CREATION STATION is strictly my music audio computer. Check it out, but yes dual is the way to go, I will probably get the Creation Station Rack, those are so freakin hot, next year, I am working on getting a Dell 30 inch Monitor and I will be set.
check out sweetwater and their computers. http://www.sweetwater.com

http://www.ijmaenmt.com
http://www.soundclick.com/danoc

 

[haze]

hey thanks. unfotunately i would have to ship internationally if i go sweetwater. but i'll look into it (maybe check the specs and copy them or something).

i do bus effects. i just want to make sure that i am able to instert whatever i want when i want.

i find myself really going crazy during mixing