Two Youtube videos for Tips to Optimize your PC For Music Production in 2023

[Mikeb]

The two Youtube videos, links below, may provide a couple of useful tips which you can try on your Windows PC to improve audio reproduction. I haven't tried them myself as yet so can't comment as to how useful or not. Some of the tips are more for studio setups but there are a couple which I already use for my music playback via a usb connected dac.

 

[bencat]

Thanks for the links but would never use a PC as a source so not too much of a help . There are some here that do and will at least get a few tips and hints . More seem to use Apple Mac as source so perhaps someone can do the same for them , that is if Apple allow anything to be done .

 

[llatpoh]

would never use a PC as a source

A Raspberry Pi 4 is a PC architecture.

 

[greybeard]

A Raspberry Pi 4 is a PC architecture.

I was about to say the same!

 

[bencat]

Ah were being pedantic this week , yes it is but has none of the additions and bloatware of what accept as a pc . In my case it has a dedicated use and quiet a large pc often used for other purposes is not a great audio environment . However you are correct .

 

[StingRay]

A Raspberry Pi 4 is a PC architecture.

Can you change the settings though?

It is hardly the same as a large PC, sitting in the living room. I used a pc in the past, glad I changed to a streamer.

 

[bencat]

You can change most things on a Pi that you can change on a large PC it just that most of us that use them do not use them in that way .

 

[llatpoh]

In my case it has a dedicated use and quiet a large pc often used for other purposes is not a great audio environment

How big or small the PC is, in and of itself, is mostly irrelevant, what matters is a PC of dedicated use as you just pointed out, optimized for the task and heavily stripped down, not only of uneeded software but of noisy power supplies, fans and uneeded peripherals. It can be successfully done on any OS, including the dreaded MS Windows.

 

[bencat]

If the size does not matter as you say the cost of running it 24/7 and the fact it is silent does make lots of difference . A Pi was bought as ready made cheap solution straight out the box . What you seem to be suggesting is more costly uses more power and requires specialist knowledge and skills to know what to remove and replace . Still think it's the same ?

 

[llatpoh]

If the size does not matter as you say the cost of running it 24/7 and the fact it is silent does make lots of difference . A Pi was bought as ready made cheap solution straight out the box . What you seem to be suggesting is more costly uses more power and requires specialist knowledge and skills to know what to remove and replace . Still think it's the same ?

My argument relates to SQ and only SQ. All I'm saying is that most PCs are capable of delivering exceptional SQ as a source when properly optimized and stripped down. I'm not making any arguments as to convenience, cost or efficiency.

 

[StingRay]

You can change most things on a Pi that you can change on a large PC it just that most of us that use them do not use them in that way .

But on a Pi do you need to change them, is it not already tailored for music streaming? PCs have so many different functions and options, I did turn quite a few things off.

 

[bencat]

Depends for a Pi on what you load on your SD card . A Pi is blank and can then have what you want it to do loaded . I load dedicated music server software which means it does that and only that . However you can set it up for lots of different things if you want to .

 

[bencat]

Pi SQ can be exceptional too and I would say equal to what you suggest doing with a full sized PC . If that is possible and easier and greener why chose the other option ?

 

[llatpoh]

Pi SQ can be exceptional too and I would say equal to what you suggest doing with a full sized PC . If that is possible and easier and greener why chose the other option ?

PI may very well be all you need, no disagreement there.

 

[StingRay]

Pi SQ can be exceptional too and I would say equal to what you suggest doing with a full sized PC . If that is possible and easier and greener why chose the other option ?

One reason why I stopped using the PC was the power consumption, almost a kw per day, my electric consumption has fallen by about 1/3.
I use an ipad instead.

I get the desktop setup but not everyone wants that in the living room, most use headphones which I don't like.

 

[Cable Monkey]

PC’s more than capable of running most music sources including Roon (with a smallish collection and no DSP) can be had for a couple of hundred all in and do everything a desktop PC can do at a minute fraction of the power consumption. A MeLE Quieter Micro PC with a tenth or eleventh gen Celeron processor has as much computational power as a seventh gen i3, a fraction of the power requirements and no fans. It fits in the palm of your hand and has four USB 3 ports, twin HDMI if you want a monitor and multi channel audio, WiFi 6 and gigabit Ethernet plus on board sound. They run Windows 11 with ease plus most flavours of Linux. 4/8gb ram and 128gb on board flash, plus the option of adding a M.2 NVME makes this an excellent way of retaining PC versatility if that is what you need without space and power considerations.

 

[Man in a van]

About six weeks (or so) ago I read a post on the slim devices forum about a thin client Fujitsu.

My curiosity was aroused and I luckily found some new in box for sale on eBay.

I bought two.

They have an Intel Celeron (R) J4105 CPU @ 1.5GHz

I upgraded the ram to 16Gb and installed a small M.2 2242 SATA SSD (512GB)

Running expense is no more than a Raspberry pi but the response time is better

Windows Remote Desktop gives me easy access when required, LMS runs smoothly, I can use my favourite usb dac (North Star Essensio).

I have been running the Qobuz Desktop direct into the dac, but LMS give me the same bit rate output.

What's not to like ?




ronnie

 

[bencat]

Thanks Ronnie and Henry . Never really thought that much about these things as i anot really that bothered about computers . They have given me something to think about and if I can find a nice cheap one will give it a go at running as my music server .

 

[bencat]

Just asking Ronnie do you need a monitor to be able to use these ? What sort of cost is the additional Ram ? Do you have a link to the one you bought or are they all gone . Thinking about having a try at this and see what happens .

 

[Man in a van]

@bencat

Hi Andrew

There are folk on slim-devices who use a thin-client, mostly with a Linux OS

I had been thinking of something like a Dell Optiplex or Lenovo Thinkcentre

The North Star Essensio needs either Windows or Mac drivers for usb connection.
They did not provide a driver after El Capitan (I think) for Mac OS and I have only a Windows 7 driver (but that works fine in compatibilty mode)
The Linux driver is pants (if it worked properly I would have stayed with a rpi for LMS)

The guy only had 10 for sale, I was suprised that they came with a Windows OS (lucky me; well, I am, as long as it keeps working)

I knew nothing about thin-clients and now I still know nothing, plus a little.

It's important to find out if one can upgrade the ram and storage (which of course adds extra cost)

Unless you have a specific use for one I would save your pennies

Keep safe

ronnie

I used a monitor for setup and after that Remote Desktop