anyone have a hyperthreading p4 yet?

[donkingshair]

can you run two applications simultaneously with a hyperthreading pentium 4? I track on computer, mix on an analog console, then mixdown to DAT. ( i am saving for a 1/2") I would like to be able to mix directly to my two track editor. (sound forge) I was thinking a hyperthreading cpu might let me run my sequencer and two-track editor simultaneously. I use plugs seldom and feel I have enough cpu speed and memory bandwith to handle this, just wondering if it is at all possible.

[spesimen]

hmm, you should be able to do that even without hyperthreading. the hyperthreading stuff might speed things up a bit, but when you're just recording a stereo signal, there isn't much processing going on, it's basically just grabbing data from the soundcard and sticking it on the disk.

the tricky part is making sure that the apps are playing nice with which inputs and outputs they grab, which is usually pretty configurable. it's more of an issue of how well your soundcard drivers handle it.

other 'gotchas' might be issues with the disk drive having to go crazy reading and writing all over the place at the same time, but sthat's unlikely to be a problem with a modern disk.

one thing to consider...there's really no difference between mixing directly to a two track program like soundforge or just recording two fresh tracks right into your multitracking app. actually doing it within one app will be more likely to work without a lot of fiddling around.

[donkingshair]

thanks. I've tried and cannot get both apps (vegas audio and soundforge) to run simultaneously. I thought since hyperthreading somewhat mimics dual cpu's it may be possible. I'm using 2 motu 2408 mkII's and a motu 1224 on a single pci-324 card. last time I tried it I was playing back about 18 tracks. I've have two maxtor 7200 rpm drives striped in raid 0 and a 2.0 ghz. pentium 4 with 512 megs of ddr333 Ram. I don't use plug-ins, only outboard so i beleive i have enough cpu speed and memory bandwith to effectively pull this off. The problem with just recording two more tracks into my sequencer (which I can do) is that I track at 24/48 but want to mix down to 16/44.1 to avoid any resampling or dithering.

[spesimen]

The problem with just recording two more tracks into my sequencer (which I can do) is that I track at 24/48 but want to mix down to 16/44.1 to avoid any resampling or dithering.

hmm, it's not really clear what you mean by 'the apps don't run at the same time' - like, do they open but just refuse to use the ports you've assigned? or do they insist on using the same ports, and since one app is open, the other one can't grab them?

assuming they are configured to use the proper ins and outs, i'm not familar with the MOTU stuff but part of the issue may be that the cards aren't happy with recording at one playback rate and bit depth while playing at another rate and depth. perhaps the converters are wanting to run at the same clock speed. just speculation..

although i usually track at 44/24 to avoid resampling, i prefer to mix down to the same resolution, since there is usually a bit of mastering to do anyways, it's gonna go through at least one more stage of processing. if there's any limiting or whatever to be done, i'd rather give the mastering folks as much detail and resolution as possible and let them worry about it.. are you having a perceived loss in sound quality from dithering?

anyway, if the soundcard isn't playing nice because of the different sample rates, if you really want to mix straight to 44/16 maybe your best bet is just to keep using the DAT.. with spdif you can transfer it digitally back onto the pc and not lose any bits..

[donkingshair]

I think I've finally answered my own question. Both applications do open so that means they are running simultaneously. I'm just not able to playback in the sequencer and record in the two-track editor simultaneously. seems a hyperthreading/dual cpu set up will not help in this instance. The only reason i want to do this is I find the Motu converters superior to my DAT. I do transfer digitally from the DAT to computer. I mix analog so I like to track at the highest resolution. I can't input/ouput at different resolutions with the motu. Seems to me I'd be better off just recording two more tracks at 24/44.1 into the sequencer. (the stero mix) I find resampling to be more destructive than dithering. I think using higher quality converters (motu) and giving the ME more resolution and allowing him to dither might give me better results. I guess I'll just have to give it a try. thanks.

[thedug]

You could try using nuendo. If your sequencer is vst or dx instrument complient then it will run inside nuendo. Also nuendo has midi support so you can do much of your sequencing there. If you don't need alot of the fancy features, cubase sx is nice too. I think Nuendo sounds better than vegas. The 32bit mix engine and the delay compensation are really nice.

d./