How to Build a Protools DAW Computer
Protools is one of those most renowned DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) programs. Some of the best-known state-of-the-art recording studios and leading musicians use Protools. However, Protools is also an effective DAW for the basic home recording studio. It offers many features such as MIDI recording and multichannel recording. In order to run Protools, you must have a solid computer to run the software as it has fairly significant system demands.
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Things You'll Need
- 2 Ghz+ processor
- 2 Gigs+ of RAM (recommended)
- Large hard drive
- Studio monitors
- High-end sound card
- Quiet system fans
Instructions
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Purchase a high-end processor. Most new processors today will be able to run Protools efficiently. Look for a processor of 2.0 Ghz or higher for the best performance.
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2
Purchase at least 1GB of RAM as this is the minimum RAM requirement. However, 2GB or higher is recommended for the best performance according to Berklee Music, a leading music school. Running Protools with additional virtual instruments and plug-ins can cause a great burden on a system's RAM usage. When there is not enough RAM available, Protools can experience latency and choppy playback during recordings.
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Purchase a large hard drive for your Protools projects. You will need at least 3.8GB of free hard drive space to install Protools itself. Plus saving recordings as WAV files for your projects can quickly take up a significant amount of hard drive space--sometimes up to several gigabytes per project. It is also effective to purchase a fast hard drive of at least 7200 RPM or more.
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Purchase a good sound card with MIDI, 1/4-inch and microphone inputs. Look for a sound card that has preamps to allow for additional signal boosting and volume control. Sound cards for recording should have at least a 24 bit-rate. Depending on the type of recording you are doing, you can also use a multitrack recording interface such as a PreSonus FireWire, Line 6 UX8 or M-Audio MobilePre.
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Purchase ultra-quiet computer fans. If you have really loud computer fans, the low-end frequencies can be picked up on microphone recordings. Look for fans that specifically mention low dB.
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Purchase studio monitoring speakers. It is very important during the recording process that you have high-quality monitor speakers that allow you to hear everything in the mix. If you have poor speakers, you may finalize a recording that you later find out has errors when it is heard on other speakers.
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Purchase additional recording hardware such as a mixer or MIDI controller. For most effective control over your recordings, MIDI controllers can help in simplifying the process of programming virtual instruments. Mixers also can allow for a more hands-on approach for mixing your recordings in real time.
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References
- Photo Credit audio cables image by NiDerLander from Fotolia.com
