Audacity Forum

I'm looking for a $60 PC with hopes of using it and Audacity and becoming a working voice actor.

I've been surprised at how many clean used and refurbed computers there are available online which are simply old and can be had for less than $100!

Some come with operating systems already installed, others don't. Some have Windows XP others have Windows 7. Some have NO operating system installed. All are around the same price +/- $10 -$20.

Now, I'm trying to determine which Windows OS version to focus on.

Windows XP (32 or 64 bit) or Windows 7?

I'd intend to devote this computer to recording and editing V.O. work and only that.

I'm technically challenged, financially challenged and mentally challenged but this is my starting point and I believe I've made a good start by purchasing an MXL 2001 large diaphragm condenser mic and a Blue Icicle USB interface (which has 48v Phantom Power).

Now, I'm trying to make a smart computer decision so that I won't need to spend another penny on computer hardware until I'm generating revenue from doing voice overs to upgrade my equipment.

Should I go with XP Pro or Home?

32 or 64 bit?

Or should I look for a computer with Windows 7 (32 or 64 bit?)

The minimum/recommended Audacity system requirements for an XP 32 bit system are less than for a Win 7 system, which means less complexity and lower cost, I'd guess. Also, I've read that if history repeats itself, Microsoft may stop supporting Windows XP on or after it's 10th anniversary of introduction, which would be 2014! If this happens am I just asking for trouble by investing in an XP rig?

What I really want is a trouble free, no muss, no fuss, reliable and completely professional sounding system that won't cost me anything to maintain and which will be ready to work with from Day One until the day I upgrade.

I hope I've stated my question well enough for the audio/technical gurus among you to help me out.

Thanks in advance!

We are composing a book segment called Tips and Techniques for Spoken Word Recording.

Having a good voice and a quiet, echo free room are far more important than selecting a microphone or computer. A crappy track cannot be fixed in post production. We can't take the dog barking out later and we can't help you if your mouth likes to click and pop while you talk.

Do not record in the kitchen. That's deadly.

What I really want is a trouble free, no muss, no fuss, reliable and completely professional sounding system that won't cost me anything to maintain and which will be ready to work with from Day One until the day I upgrade.

You know you're describing a Mac, right? Just wonderin'.

..am I just asking for trouble by investing in an XP rig?

My Rolodex/Personal Database runs on Microsoft DOS 6.2 Circa August 1995. Still.

All "no longer supported" means is that the company will no longer offer patches, corrections and upgrades to the program. More troubling for Windows, it also means some of the evil virus and trojan patches will stop. This may not bother you if your computer isn't connected to the internet, although delivering your work may be interesting if it's not.

Are you doing voice work now in somebody else's studio and you want to strike out on your own? One other popular option is a successful author decides to produce their own audiobook.

Koz

kozikowski wrote:We are composing a book segment called Tips and Techniques for Spoken Word Recording.

Having a good voice and a quiet, echo free room are far more important than selecting a microphone or computer. A crappy track cannot be fixed in post production. We can't take the dog barking out later and we can't help you if your mouth likes to click and pop while you talk.

Do not record in the kitchen. That's deadly.

That's awesome! I'll be able to get all my questions answered here even after I resolve my computer/Audacity needs issues!

What I really want is a trouble free, no muss, no fuss, reliable and completely professional sounding system that won't cost me anything to maintain and which will be ready to work with from Day One until the day I upgrade.

You know you're describing a Mac, right? Just wonderin'.

..am I just asking for trouble by investing in an XP rig?

Yeah, I know. Macs may be just too good. So good, in fact, that I haven't found many which seem to fit the bill AND my budget.

My Rolodex/Personal Database runs on Microsoft DOS 6.2 Circa August 1995. Still.

All "no longer supported" means is that the company will no longer offer patches, corrections and upgrades to the program. More troubling for Windows, it also means some of the evil virus and trojan patches will stop. This may not bother you if your computer isn't connected to the internet, although delivering your work may be interesting if it's not.

Phew! That's a relief. I thought they'd just ignore you when you had a problem or something. LOLOL And, as far as sending the client their finished recordings without risking viruses and such, I figure I'd just hook it up to the Ethernet cable when I needed to email them the mp3 file. Seeing as how I'm new to V.O. I say this hoping it proves to be the right way to go.

Are you doing voice work now in somebody else's studio and you want to strike out on your own? One other popular option is a successful author decides to produce their own audiobook.

Koz

No, I have been clinically depressed/anxious and unable to work for more than 10 years and though I'm grateful for the SSDI check I get, I'm tired of most everything about living the poverty lifestyle and if everything I've read about V.O. is true, I look forward to being able to do the work from home and do it when my condition doesn't prevent it.

And when I read your advice about recording in a quiet, echo-free space, I thought to myself, "whoa, there...one challenge at a time!" LOLOL

In keeping with my necessary theme of frugality AND professional quality sound as I aquire the tools of my soon to be trade, I've been looking at acoustic blankets draped over/behind/around me while sitting in a closet as well as Auralex foam-lined boxes in which I'd place the mic stand, small light source and myself, with a blanket over my head and/or draped behind me to deaden the ambient noise and keep out extraneous sound.

But, back to the computer, here's an example of a prospective computer. Would it work well wth Audacity? Do you r des anyone else know of any existing problems with this model? Does it have the minimum requrements you'd look for in a computer to be used as I've outlined here?

By the way, thanks for your reply.

Greg

Oops, forgot to post this link to the computer I referred to towards the end of my second post.

Dell-OptiPlex-170L-Pentium-4-3-0-Ghz-2-GB-80-GB-CDROM

Hey, maybe those ebay refurb computer vendors should advertise here on the Audacity forum to reach guys like me who are looking for a second computer to devote to their V.O. business and who are trying to save $$ by using Audacity for their recording/editing needs.

Don't rush out to spend your $60 all at once - check the local press, adverts in corner shops and ask around - it's not uncommon for old, near obsolete, but still working PCs to be given away free to a good home

On old or low powered hardware XP or Linux* are likely to run much better than Windows 7 or 8.
(* On an old machine, Ubuntu, which is one of the most popular Linux distributions, will probably not run significantly better than Win 7, but there are lightweight versions of Linux that are much less demanding on computer resources).

XP may be a good choice if you are familiar with it. It won't suddenly stop working when Microsoft discontinue support, but there will be no updates and increasingly you'll find that modern programs won't run on it (as software developers cease support for XP).

If you can manage without Internet (or e-mail) on this machine, then security becomes much less of a problem, but remember that viruses can still get to your computer if you use a USB stick in this computer and an infected computer.

If you get a machine with any version of Windows I'd highly recommend that you get one that comes with a Windows installation disk because at some point you are very likely to need to do a fresh install.

greghall00 wrote:Hey, maybe those ebay refurb computer vendors should advertise here on the Audacity forum

Any commercial advertising on this forum would require agreement from the Audacity team. We take a strong line on not allowing unauthorised advertising (spam) so as to keep the forum a friendly and helpful resource for Audacity users.

We are not able to offer specific advice about which computer to buy, so I've removed the e-bay links from your previous posts.

steve wrote:Don't rush out to spend your $60 all at once - check the local press, adverts in corner shops and ask around - it's not uncommon for old, near obsolete, but still working PCs to be given away free to a good home

On old or low powered hardware XP or Linux* are likely to run much better than Windows 7 or 8.
(* On an old machine, Ubuntu, which is one of the most popular Linux distributions, will probably not run significantly better than Win 7, but there are lightweight versions of Linux that are much less demanding on computer resources).

XP may be a good choice if you are familiar with it. It won't suddenly stop working when Microsoft discontinue support, but there will be no updates and increasingly you'll find that modern programs won't run on it (as software developers cease support for XP).

If you can manage without Internet (or e-mail) on this machine, then security becomes much less of a problem, but remember that viruses can still get to your computer if you use a USB stick in this computer and an infected computer.

If you get a machine with any version of Windows I'd highly recommend that you get one that comes with a Windows installation disk because at some point you are very likely to need to do a fresh install.

So, you'd recocommend a Windows XP machine just as long as it has an instalation disk and try to snag a local freebie.

I think I understand.

But George Whittam the "Mr. Goodwrench" of V.O. at East-West Audio Body Shop and now, Edge Studios, said that a tech challenged person like myself should stay away from Linux whatever I do.

And I take it that as long as it has at least Audacity minimums (or even better, the recommended) RAM and Processing Speed
that I'll be good to go with Audacity, right?

What about CD or DVD burning? Necessary?

What about HDD? Necessary? What size?

Thanks, Steve.

Greg

steve wrote:

greghall00 wrote:Hey, maybe those ebay refurb computer vendors should advertise here on the Audacity forum

Any commercial advertising on this forum would require agreement from the Audacity team. We take a strong line on not allowing unauthorised advertising (spam) so as to keep the forum a friendly and helpful resource for Audacity users.

We are not able to offer specific advice about which computer to buy, so I've removed the e-bay links from your previous posts.

Of course you had to state that for my benefit because I'm new and might not know that most (all?) forums disallow SPAM.

I just thought if these hypothetical vendors bought paid advertising here it might be a win/win/win for the forum, for people like myself and for the vendors too.

Don't want to break any rules or cause any problems.

Thanks again.

Greg

I'm a Mac user and he's on Linux. I used to build Windows machines from parts but I eventually gave up the good fight and bought my first iBook used from a respected techie at work. I wore it out. After I got used to the Mac-isms, it was much easier to use than my Windows machines. I have Windows and Linux at work, so I could do direct A/B/C comparisons.

I can tell you that in any meeting of high-power creative types, the conference table is a sea of Macbook Pros. I tell them how to connect to the communications system running, of course, on Linux so they can phone home.

"When it asks you where to print, tell it this IP number and I'll go down the hall and get the printout for you."

Windows XP was one of Microsoft's worst products. They got Planet Earth hooked on it and nobody wanted to leave -- or upgrade. Particularly corporations. Not a good company strategy. Then they brought out Vista proving they had a sense of humor. Win7 I actually like. I know, right? My office machine is Win7 and for the most part, I can figure out where everything is and how to do work.

Then they brought out Win8 and I have no idea how to use that.

~~

My favorite is furniture moving pads. Your mileage may vary. Consult your local listings.

http://www.kozco.com/pictures/boothFini ... op-mic.jpg

I know people that lock themselves in a closet they've lined with quilts and blankets. That works really well except for the breathing part. I've heard some of the stuff they turn out and it's very good. You'd swear they were at Glen Glenn Sound cutting a track. No echoes and no noise.

To emphasize the room problem, we recently had to shoot a temporary track quickly as a placeholder for a television commercial. I found a quiet room and the announcer did the whole thing on the laptop microphone. That kind of thing will change with the quality of the laptop, but the room and the voice were the Big Deal. Almost any microphone would have worked.

~~

You mentioned doing Voice-Overs. Voices over what? Are you going to have to play a movie, video, or animation at the same time you announce? That can change the quality of the computer significantly.

At least $65.

Koz