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Gearing up a PC

post #1 of 5
2/9/12 at 5:42pm
Thread Starter 

I'm sure these types questions have been asked countless times before, and I apologize beforehand for any redundancy. I don't claim to know much about audio devices and hardware -- I verily lack experience in this area. 

 

I'm currently trying to gear up a PC (running Windows XP) for producing music. I own nil but a set of Bose around-ear headphones, and as they are starting to get worn I am looking for a better replacement. I use FL studio XXL as my main DAW, and solely use plug-ins. I haven't had any problems with my current sound card (other than some clipping at times), though it's just out-of-the-box, and is fairly cheap. 

 

I've been looking at the DENON AH-D2000 (I honestly have no idea how these match up to the 5k, or even 7k) as they are a good price, though I'm sure there are a lot of other headphones on the market in this price range. I'd prefer something more expensive (if it serves me better), and hopefully something more durable if anyone has suggestions. 

 

The HeadRoom Total BitHead looks promising, though I can't say I know exactly what it does. Would I need something more along the lines of a DAC, instead? And would purchasing this override my sound card, or is it necessary to upgrade both? I've heard someone else say that the M-Audio Audiophile 24/96 is a decent entry level card, but can anyone clarify how much this would improve the quality of production? 

 

I'm looking to spend around a combined total of 1,000 USD, although I think I can go a bit higher than that. What are some of the best buys I can make within that budget? For anyone wondering, I'm only an aspiring producer, and still a bit of an amateur. I plan to begin selling my music, and I would like a good place to start.

 

Thanks in advance for any opinions or suggestions. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

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post #2 of 5
2/9/12 at 9:34pm

Why do you want to spend more than you need to spend?

 

Anyways, I'd look at something suited to monitoring (and honestly, that should mean speakers). The Denon aren't terrible, but they're not the most accurate or flat thing to ever come out of Japan (okay, technically China). Look at Sony, AKG, maybe Sennheiser too. 

 

What sound card do you have? Specifically.

 

 

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post #3 of 5
2/10/12 at 4:51am
For that kind of money, I say invest in a nearfield monitoring speaker setup. Say 400 each for active stereo speakers and sub respectively, remaining $200 to spend on measuring equipment like a measurement mic. Then some unknown amount of money on room treatment. Then measure your system‘s performance with something like DRC-FIR and generate correction filters. If that's a bit too technical you could budget rather more than $200 for a hardware correction system like the Behringer DEQ2496. Monitoring for stereo mixes will always be more accurate on an actual stereo system than on headphones. Well, unless you get a Smyth Realizer.
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post #4 of 5
2/10/12 at 8:13am
Thread Starter 

I'm using 'Realtek High Definition Audio', although I think it may be a chip and not an actual sound card.

 

Monitoring speakers sound like a good idea. Is three standard for a desktop? I wouldn't be able to use them all the time, as I live in close proximity with others, but it would be nice to have something to refer to.

 

I believe there may be unused speakers in my house (which were once part of a sound system), I'll see if those still exist later. Are there speakers specifically designed for this, or would any old sound system work for now? I'm more worried about getting similar results on headphones.

 

Room treatment won't really be an option for me since I only plan to use this room to start out, until I can get a bigger budget anyways. 

 

 


Edited by CosmicDeejay - 2/10/12 at 8:17am
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post #5 of 5
2/10/12 at 12:51pm


Headphones cannot re-create speakers; even with the best HTRF. It's a different set of constraints. And yes, you want speakers that are designed for nearfield monitoring, not just "any old thing." 

Quote:
Originally Posted by CosmicDeejay View Post

I'm using 'Realtek High Definition Audio', although I think it may be a chip and not an actual sound card.

 

Monitoring speakers sound like a good idea. Is three standard for a desktop? I wouldn't be able to use them all the time, as I live in close proximity with others, but it would be nice to have something to refer to.

 

I believe there may be unused speakers in my house (which were once part of a sound system), I'll see if those still exist later. Are there speakers specifically designed for this, or would any old sound system work for now? I'm more worried about getting similar results on headphones.

 

Room treatment won't really be an option for me since I only plan to use this room to start out, until I can get a bigger budget anyways. 

 

 



 

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