i7 Builds - Specs and Results

[cruisemates]

Okay - FULL DISCLOSURE...

Buying from eBay can be risky. Picture every little thing that could go wrong, like some builder gets his little brother to package your beautiful newbuild, and so he just puts it in a cardboard box - with NO packing material, and sends it that way. So the box falls apart and it arrives with the cases broken, drives fallen out and disconnected, missing manuals and disks, etc.

The box was ripped open just because there was nothing inside of it but air. There was not one shred of packing material - or any documentation, etc. There was supposed to be a copy of win 7 Pro 64-bit. It is installed in the puter, but there's no disk and no registration product number.

Anywho - I am shocked and amazed that I pulled it together, but within hours set it up, with my brand new Digi 003 console, downloaded PT 10.3, installed the drivers for the 003 and 11Rack.

And freakin' Deacon - the thing started right up with my very first session and it already sounds better than my old 8.05 setup with the Digi002. Un-freakin-unbelievable.

The upgrade is worth it boys & goyims, I don't know if it is 10, the 003 or what, but this just sounds better, even just on playback. I haven't even recorded anything yet.

It could be the newer plugins, better response time in pre-loading files, or a different algorithm, but its a marked improvement. And the new ProTools just seems easier to use. It knew I wanted the 003 in charge (no fights like in 8.05), but it still opened the 11R.

By the way - did I tell you my new trick if something is not working - go to control panel and make sure it is enabled. This works.

Anyway - right now I am transferring old files from my old external Firewire drives to the Internal Sata 1-TB drives (2 of them). I also have the SSD for the OS and it was big enough to hold Windows, Protools and all the drivers for 003 and Eleven-R.

Next I start loaded Sampletank, The Fishman Midi pickup with all its plugins, etc. Havin' me a ball. BTW: I also finally got Addicted Drums figured out. Sometimes you just need to read the manuals and stick with it. I have it so my Alesis SR-16 can trigger any drum set in Addictive, and they sound BIG. Bottom line, I didn't have a single setback, No hardware incompatibilities, etc. I all just did what itr should. Of course, I guess it helps that I have been using PT for over 1o years now, so I know the procedure.

Life is good - except 4 the nuncimpoop who packed up my new computer. It works but it should be in better shape.

PS: I will be selling my Digi002 and the old DAW for real cheap in the near future.

[Shan]

Originally Posted by cruisemates

The box was ripped open just because there was nothing inside of it but air. There was not one shred of packing material - or any documentation, etc. There was supposed to be a copy of win 7 Pro 64-bit. It is installed in the puter, but there's no disk and no registration product number.

I hope you're going to get them to replace the case. If not, at the very least, leave a low rating with a comment of the poor packing and damage on their ebay page to thwart others. I myself wouldn't let them get away with it.

Shane

[albee1952]

Originally Posted by Shan

I hope you're going to get them to replace the case. If not, at the very least, leave a low rating with a comment of the poor packing and damage on their ebay page to thwart others. I myself wouldn't let them get away with it.

Shane

Yikes. Agreed. Although, you can pack things right and still get hosed by the shipper like I did. I shipped a rig to a fellow DUCster a few months ago and used the original case box and packing, but it got dropped on a corner, which of course, sheered off the entire face plate. Fortunately I had another of the same case so I shipped the whole faceplate from that(not sure what to do with the rest of it now) Anyway, hope the seller does the right thing

[CME]

And just fwiw pro tools 9 and later does have a different mix engine. So that is probably part of what your hearing. But the biggest part is probably the different converters in the 003.

[mykhal c]

WHOA!!! they moved the house!!!

[TOM@METRO]

Originally Posted by mykhal c

WHOA!!! they moved the house!!!

There goes the neighborhood!

[The Weed]

With 11 out - and on my computer - and with AAX64 plug-ins, is there a DVerb3 test or is the DVerb2 test still valid?

Thanks,

[cruisemates]

Just to follow up (sorry, the holidays are crazy at my house). The owner of the computer generously agreed to refund $200 to my PayPal, part of which I am using to get the computer checked out.

I found out the box he sent me for Win7, although the disc was only for 32-bit, the product number was also good for the 64-bit system installed on the system.

So far, I am finding that the new plugins with 10 (they may have come with 9, I don't know), like the British NEQ, the Blue Tubes Nomad limiter and the Nomad BlueVerb are fantastic upgrades.

They have a real organic, vintage sound, almost analog. They are such an improvement over the 7-band EQ, the D-verb and the EF-76 limiters which I used to use all the time.

I do love the SSD. Every reboot is fast (I had forgotten that reboots can be required pretty often in PT, like if your computer goes to sleep and it loses contact with the firewire).

In the long run - I am glad I went with Windows (saved money), glad I upgraded to 10 (and I hear 11 is even better), and glad I got the fastest system I could justify buying, with the SSD. I was surprised that even just 250 GB is big enough for your OS and all of my outside programs like Sampletank, Addictive Drums, Fishman Tripleplay, Melodyne, etc.

[CME]

Glad you're liking it. However you might want to read the optimizations sticky. You should disable sleep. Bad news for pro tools. There are probably some other steps that will help performance be even better.

[cruisemates]

Yes, you are really right. When I built my first DAW I printed out the optimization page and made sure it was perfect (I had to - every little thing counted, video ram, etc). With this one everything is still working so sweet I forgot to double-check the optimizations.

But HEY - now I remember why, I just went to that link in the first post in this thread, and it's a dead link. Where it says this:

MORE...AVID's Windows Guide - Windows 7 Optimizations and Troubleshooting

I think this is the right link: http://avid.force.com/pkb/articles/e...oting/en349411