Topic: getting away from a noisy computer

[tropova]

Just to share a little trick -

If you don't have or can't use something like the Tranzport but have a reasonably quiet PC (laptop, usually) in addition to whatever beefy and probably noisy PC you use for actual recording, you can factor out the primary PC's noise by setting up a little local area network (all you need is a router and a couple cables).  Run the quiet pc as a slave to the main PC by hanging the noisy beast at the end of a long ethernet cable and using a free remote control program like UltraVNC (http://ultravnc.sourceforge.net/) to control the keyboard of the main PC.  This way all you have next to you as you record is a quiet little laptop; the big noisy beast can be 30 feet away, in another room in my case.  Whatever appears on the screen of your main PC also appears on the one at your side, so it's just like sitting at the beast's keyboard, only quieter.

This presumes two computers, of course, but if you do happen to have access to a quiet laptop and a noisy desktop, as was my situation, this works beautifully.  Particularly if you can't use the Tranzport wireless controller b/c there is not yet a driver for your favorite tracking software or you don't have the dough. 

One caution: my first concept was to do a little wireless LAN, since I have a wireless router, but the cycling/polling of the wireless card disrupted my audio continuity while tracking.  Didn't work.  Don't bother.

HTH
Edward

[TNJazz]

Wait, so you're tracking to the laptop or you're tracking to the big box over VNC?

I'm struggling with this a little in my studio space at the moment.  I have a fileserver that runs an Athlon 1.1 and even though I've got nice Antec fans in there, it's REALLY loud.

Had it in a closet originally, but it generates a ton of heat and I had to leave the closet door open most of the time or it would turn into an oven in there!

Someone on recording.org posted a link to a manufacturer that builds custom "quiet cases".  That may be the next route I take.

Dirk

I will say VNC is a great thing though.  Really saved me last night at the show.  I got there and for some reason I was missing a driver that was backed up on my fileserver!  Hit my bog box with VNC (as it runs the server) and went through the network to place the file on my FTP site.  Then pulled it down quick with an FTP client and I was up and running with about 20 minutes to spare!

[tropova]

Hey Dirk -
You're tracking off the big box, but controlling it via VNC Viewer running on a laptop that you keep near you while recording.  The big box is as far away as you want it to be on the end of an ethernet cable and in my case a Firewire cable, since that's how I interface to my sound module, a Yamaha i88x. 

In my case, I have my equipment rack (preamp, Firewire interface), my mikes, the laptop and the router all in the studio.  The big noisy PC, actually a gigantic Vaio laptop, is outside the studio on the other side of some double doors where I can't hear it.  It's linked in via a) a long Firewire cable that goes into my Yamaha i88x firewire interface box, and b) an ethernet cable that takes it to the router.  I plug my laptop into the router, fire up VNC, and link the two PCs in a Windows workgroup.  Off to the races.

I should draw a picture of this....

Edward

[TNJazz]

Oh, ok.  I see what you're doing now.  It's kind of like having an ADAT BRC controller then? 

I have a friend who has a studio in his house where he does all his own recordings.  When it's just him, he goes into the iso booth and brings the BRC in with him so he can control the ADATs from the booth.

So you actually have all the mics and pres in front of you, and you're running a long cable length into the other room from there, right?

My only complaint with VNC is the refresh rate is a little slow, but I guess if you're just clicking the record button it probably works great!

Cool idea, and one I may try in my own setup once I move my noisy fileserver!
Dirk

[tropova]

So you actually have all the mics and pres in front of you, and you're running a long cable length into the other room from there, right?

That's right.  Since all my other gear is silent, I have the pre, the i88x, the mikes etc. right by me--it's the noisy beast that I ask to leave the room.  Nicely.   

[JasonR]

Good idea, there.  You can even go so far as go buy a Thin Client that runs Windows CE or embedded XP, and connect to a WinXP/2000/2003 system running RDP.  The thin client could have no moving parts at all (no fans, no drives!) and really keep your operating environment quiet for the recording.

I use these successfully, though the purpose was lower TCO by removing PCs from the environment, not noise saving which was just a benefit.  http://www.pc.ibm.com/us/neoware/eon.html

Naturally DIY solutions abound.  Linux has a mature RDP client that I've used extensively as well.  The LTSP project has tons of info on Linuxy solutions.

- Jason

[tropova]

Wow, cool little box.  Looks like the updated version of what IBM and Oracle were hawking as the "Net PC" in the early days.  Went nowhere then, but here it is again.

The Dell laptop (Latitude X300) I use as my remote controller is actually damned quiet.  I have an old Toshiba tablet PC I was going to use for this but the hard drive makes just enough noise to be a problem with an open mike.  The Dell is as close to silent as you can get for a full PC.  I guess the next PC I buy I will try to find one that's beefy enough to be the main recording box and also quiet enough.  The main reason I use my Vaio honker is it's a 2.8 ghz machine loaded with RAM...and I wasn't particularly using it for anything else.  Works great as my recording box now that I've figured out how to keep my distance from it.

[TNJazz]

The company I used to work for has been using Neoware and WinTerms in the field since 1997.  Back then people tripped out on thin clients - I can't tell you how many times I had to explain what they were - and to some pretty PC savvy folks!

Great ideas for studio recording, definitely.
Dirk