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Quieting Your G5?
metajunkie wants to take a bite out of this issue: "I recently set up an at-home recording studio with a DP G5 and a ProTools mBox. Problem is, I can't record (like, say, a voice over) anywhere near the computer because when the cooling fans kick in, it comes in way too loud over the mic. I can't move the computer into another room, and while I'm tempted to throw a blanket over the thing, I don't think that'll help. Does anyone know a place that sells a silencer box for the G5 or some good DIY way to cut out the noise?"
You don't need all that G5 power for recording. On my G4 laptop I can go into energy saver in system preferences and set the processor performance to 'Reduced'. That burns less power, creates less heat and the fans don't turn on. You may be able to do the same on your desktop.
Also, if you have a lot of junk software on the machine burning CPU cycles it's going to create more heat and more noise. Shut down power-hungry apps.
I just bought a G5 about a month ago, and I have to say it's one of the quietest boxes I've ever owned. The only time the fans were really loud was when I removed the case; they seem to be able to sense air flow, and adjust their speed accordingly. But when the case is closed and the inner plastic shielding is propertly in place, everything is hunky dory, i.e.: QUIET.
This is an odd question. I've never used ProTools, but I have had no problem at all with fan noise while recording voice overs in Final Cut Pro.
That being said, here are a few notes that should help you.
The G5's fans are very nicely fine-tuned to CPU usage and temperature. The more heavily you use your G5, the louder they are.
So you might be able to solve this problem by minimizing usage. Quit your email program, your web browser, and any other programs you have open. Many of them burn CPU cycles even when they appear to be doing nothing. Quit every program other than Protools.
I don't know much about ProTools itself - I use Final Cut Pro and After Effects - so this is just general advice. If you're playing tracks through your headphones that you don't need for the voiceover, turn them off. If ProTools has a draft playback mode to minimize CPU usage, turn it on.
If you don't already have it there, put your PowerMac G5 under your desk. It sure looks pretty on top of it, but it will make a lot less noise if it's even a little further from your microphone. In an extreme case, you might want to run long cables to it and store it in a more distant part of the room.
If you are running a lot of programs on your system, quit everything but ProTools while doing the voice over, and tell it to play a bare minimum of tracks through the headset.
Put your microphone on a stand and make sure it's close to your face. Get one of those absurd looking anti-poppers (someone at Guitar Center or similar stores can find one for you). Then make sure you're using the bare minimum recorrding volume needed to get a strong signal from your voice.
Put your PowerMac G5 in back of your microphone. Most microphones are pretty directional. If yours is not, get a shotgun mic designed to pick up mainly what's in front of it.
I've never had any trouble recording from Final Cut Pro's voice over tool, but it's possible that is less CPU intensive than Protools. If ProTools is the CPU hog, you might want to use your copy of Final Cut (Final Cut Express is just $299) to record the song and then transfer the audio track to Protools. Final Cut is not the be all and end all of audio, but you can certainly lay out other audio tracks and play them into your headphones.
Hope this helps.
D
"I can't move the computer into another room"
Is the reason for this simply that cables are too short? It may seem a little unprofessional but why not buy an extension cable for your monitor and keyboard so that you can move away from the computer?
The only real solution is to record in a separate room. Run the mic into the shower, you'll get some nice reverb effects. ;)
...
Depending on the quality of recordings he's looking for, this may not do it. A directional microphone will still pick up what bounces off the walls (much more than you would imagine).
If you've got the money you may want to try something like this
Have you tried Linux yet?
You should attempt to move the computer as far away from your recording area as possible to reduce noise. My room in South Carolina would serve nicely.
--riney
Rather than trying to quieten each individual component, this guy made a surrounding box which has a sound baffle so that everything is silenced.
He does seem to consider the importance of airflow as well, since what point is there in putting your shiny new G5 in a soundproof box if it cooks itself?
1: ideal siuation
If in any way possible AT ALL... i would either place your computing station , or your vocal area in a seperate room (a closet will do just fine), this is by far the best solution for a multitude of reasons... in all honesty you want a recording booth (large closet) with padding (bubble wrap works well, foam, etc...). If that isnt possible, you can do the inverse (a very small computing room with the main room being the recording environment.
2: A strong possibility ... or an extension to your monitor cable from behind the closet/divider to a monitor on the other side (in the main room)... wireless keyboards and mice are very helpfull for this.
Place the machine in a closet or place a large and strong divider in your main room... extend a KVM
3: Remote access ... or you can use open source VNC to remotly connect).
extend only the audio cables needed from the box behind a closet/divider... and use a seperete computer (a laptop is best) to remotly access your G5... since wireless will work with this connection... your laptop can roam wherever you want, and you can control your session as if connected localy. (apples RDP
4: if there is no other way
If you cannot in any way place the box into a closet or a seperete room, then you can build a computer box. I dont recomend this because it can be dangerous to your computer. Basicly create or buy a large box big enough to fit your G5 inside. Create TWO large holes in it (2 inch diameter). Before placing the computer inside, youll want to pad the walls of your new case with carpetting, foam, bubble wrap, cloth or some other sound absorbant material... once complete use one hole to route all your cables through minding the power cable not to be to close to any aound cables (with the mbox, the mbox should be OUTSIDE of the box, connected by the USB cable), once your cables are routed... seal the hole as best as you can with more cloth if possible. For the second hole you can leave it as is... however it's purpose as a ventilation is not well suited to the G5 and should truly be accompanied by a Fan (on the inside of the case) blowing out air through a tube.... which most people fit to go out of their window.
Many tweaks on this setup have been done depending on the needs of the environment... some people put a real AC inside their computer-box, others simply run their machines in the box, but when not recording, open the front of it. I personaly recomend getting the computer into a seperete room somehow. even if its just a small closet.
YMMV
--Idiots, Every single one of YOU, A flaming mass of conglomerated morons, hey wait a second, isnt that how RAID works?
Have you opened up your G5? It is (fairly) common for people to put their G5's together incorrectly. A slight mis-alignment of all the sound-related parts can cause the fans to run amok.
Check out the gCab . It's huge and expensive, but man, does it cut down the sound. I'm using one with an older Shuttle cube, and the noise level has gone from maddening to a mere whisper. The iMac next to it is a lot louder.
This was sorta covered back in A Practical Approach to Shushing your PC, especially in the many replies.
These guys make sound deadening boxes for AV people.
I was going to use the last of my mod points on some other posts in this story that gave some really good tips. At least until I saw this post.
Nothing personal, because I'm sure your comments were made with the best of intentions, and in the PC/non-G5 computing world they'd be great suggestions. However, I would not do any of the "standard tricks" with a G5. Here's why:
Apple has done a serious amount of engineering with the cooling in the G5s. Nine fans, 21 temperature sensors and four "thermal zones". Not to mention those gigantor heatsinks. Replacing their fans, or going so far as to run them at different voltages (and thus speeds), may well cause the opposite effect you're looking for. Mac OS X may end up running the fans much more often to keep the ambient case temperature in the zones you've "played with" at their target temperature(s).
You can get a brief overview of their cooling design here: http://www.apple.com/powermac/design.html
Are you still in the original warranty, or did you add AppleCare? If either of those is true, you may not want to start mucking around with the cooling system components. If I were you, I'd check the warranty/AppleCare legalese very closely first to make sure that you're not voiding those agreements -- especially if you end up damaging your system.
Here's what I would suggest instead:
- Close all unnecessary background programs (fewer programs == less CPU usage == less waste heat == less fan noise) when you are recording your voice overs.
- The type of recording discussed in the parent article won't need remotely near the power of the G5. Because of this, it may also help to go into the Energy Saver system preference panel and switch to the "reduced performance" power profile. This should reduce the need for the fans. When you're done recording, switch back to Automatic or Highest.
- Keep discs out of your superdrive when recording. That drive, when it has a disc in there spinning around, can be loud.
- Get a good directional mic and don't have your G5 tower in front of the mic, where you'll be sitting to do the recording.
Having said all that, you may have something else going on that's causing the noise in your machine. I vaguely recall something about a batch of power supplies in earlier G5s that (I think) Apple will replace under warranty/AppleCare because of excess noise/hum. Maybe you could look into that, as well.
And just to put all my comments in more context, I also have a G5 (dual 2GHz), an Mbox and have used ProTools for voice overs. My G5 is dead silent, and always has been. When I'm sitting at my desk, I literally hear more fan noise from other people's machines down the hallway than I have ever heard from something inside my office, including my G5.
I can't recall, since getting my G5 last October, ever hearing the fans kick into a high speed (and this includes the times I've had FCP4, ProTools, Cinema4D, DVD Studio Pro, Photoshop and LiveType all running at once). And on the recording side, for reference, I've been using a Shure KSM27 mic.
In studios, the Macs are usually on the other side of a glass partition, i.e. in the mixing room with the engineers and producers. But you don't necessarily have this luxury, unless you have someone else to hit 'record' for you.
I have a similar setup, only I'm using a PowerBook; however, my roommate's PC is the loudest thing in the world, and we had to figure this problem out, since we both record in the living room.
So here's a few tips:
1) Don't even bother trying to use room mikes in the same room with the G5. You might as well just mike the G5 itself. If you need to do room miking, you're gonna need to haul the G5 out of the room and get somebody else to engineer. Period.
2) If you're doing vocal takes, try not to use bi-directional mikes -- stick with your basic Shure-style unidirectional. Keep the G5 out of the line of audio -- you want it > 180 degrees from where the mike is pointing, i.e. you.
3) Put it under the desk. Even better, go down to Wal-Mart and pick up some of that mattress padding foam cheap. Put the G5 under the desk and Velcro the padding foam around it like a curtain (not too close, obviously, as you need air flow). You'll find that the noise won't entirely disappear...but it'll be close enough for government work.
As long as you're flying solo, you're never going to get a silent room to work in. But that's okay -- I do pretty well with my setup, and line noise isn't really a problem.
Hope that helps.
Josh Ellis
Creative Lead
Mperia.com
Fan speed on Apple machines are controlled by Apple. There is no way to choose "Two fans at 1/2 speed" instead of "one fan at full speed".
Also, Apple has a huge amount of case fans in the G5. They are supposed to run at very low RPM. I believe they have already made the decision to go with "two fans at 1/2 speed":I realize that's marketing speak, but unless a whole bunch of new stuff has come out about Apple's heat management on G5s, we still need to treat it like a black box. Do you read me now?
There are no trails. There are no trees out here.
If you are actually serious about professional quality, you probably want the microphone in an isolated chamber anyway, otherwise you will lose a take every time your thermostat turns on your house's furnace and/or air conditioning. A G5 fan is nothing compared to the constant drone of your home's ventilation.
If you like to sit at the computer as you record, perhaps the way to go would be one of those Wireless keyboard and mouse sets that Apple sells.
Information wants to be anthropomorphized.
I've recorded a lot. In pro, semi pro settings and in converted barns. Especially when doing voices, you want a SILENT room. A little acoustic padding on the walls, but perhaps not. I've taken dead rooms (too dead) and hung maple plaques up to liven it a little bit.
But machines with fans go OUTSIDE, even if temporarily. I've tossed a laptop out of a room because the DISK was non-silent.
That might mean you rig up a closet as a voice room (you can even leave the clothes in it). It might mean you run the mac in the hall for 5 minutes while you record.
But no fans near mics. And no deep mods to your case. A dual processor 1GHz machine in a tight space needs lots of airflow.
It's the mBox.
Yeah, you heard me. The mBox. The inputs on those pieces of crap are so noisy you have to use a separate pre-amp if you want any kind of range. Seriously, I own one, THEY SUCK.
Now, enough trolling about the mBox, that horrible horrible toy. Tinkering around inside the G5 is a phenomenally bad idea. But there are many products that let you quiet a machine w/o oh, melting it. I can't find a link, but there're a number of thin (4mm) foam materials you can put on the inside of your case walls that have great sound dampening ability. Now, the fans are the tougher problem. I'd recommend the venting idea proposed in another post. All external, all cheap.
One last note: To save the recordings you have made, try out Sony/Sonic Foundry's Noise Reduction plug in. I've used it to remove the machine noise from my DAW and it's really, really good, especially for voice. Now, yes, it's on a PC, but it'll run FAST on any relatively new (P3 or better, Athlon) desktop.
But dump the mBox if you want to be taken seriously. I can't stand the damn thing, but it wasn't my purchasing decision...
"Life's funny sometimes." "And sometimes it isn't." --Cat's Cradle
First: I recognise that its a real pain to be away from the computer while trying to do any sort of tracks. You end up going back and forth. Truth be told, this is the best solution though. Try setting small section "punch ins" so that you can keep at a section until your happy and move the mic to a different room. Use of omni directional mics will also help.
Second. Baffles are cheap and they work great. Any good studio will have lots of free standing cubicle walls hanging around. You can pick these up for a song at any used office store. Then, either box in your CPU or your mic. The more baffles, the quieter the sound.
Right, because that's not going to alter the thermal properties of the case design.
/really/ quiet.
Sticking a lint-laced towel inside your nine-fan, four-cooling-zone, twenty-one-temperature-sensor G5 surely isn't a bright way of going about cutting back on the noise--unless when it shuts off from choking on towel lint or overheats. Then it's
Mikey-San
Karma: +Eleventy billion (mostly affected by watching Celebrity Jeopardy)
And while you're at it, don't forget to send back your G5 to Apple and build a PC from scratch so you don't void the warranty or fuck up the carefully engineered insides and cooling system with shit from Staples.
As many others have said here, don't mod the box. The key is keeping the noisy (though G5s are pretty quiet, really . . . have you looked into the power supply replacement program yet?) hardware away from the sensitive microphone(s).
Drop your cardioid and omnidirectional mics and get a good unidirectional Shure or something. Then run the mic cable (via big-time extension cableage) to another room with NO hardware in it for recording purposes.
Mikey-San
Karma: +Eleventy billion (mostly affected by watching Celebrity Jeopardy)
http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/G5/G5_noise_tips.html
Apple Computer sells the XtremeMac Xrack Pro 12U Enclosed Rack to solve the sound problem, be functional and look nice in the process.
, , , , ,
It offers many nice features,
Acoustically engineered to reduce server noise by 75%,
Heavy Duty Casters for complete portability
Engineered for positive airflow
Ideal for Audio/Video creative environments
Integrated cable management system
Built-in 6-outlet power distribution
Platinum finish, etc....
While designed for a 21" tall stack of loud Xservers, The PowerMac G5 is only 20.1" tall. It seems to have everything one could want, except possibly a low price.
Apple Computer has an exclusive on this. It is listed under Server Accessories at the Apple Store for only $1799.00
1. Make sure the case is properly closed, with the clear plastic air deflector in place.
2. Turn down the thermostat in the studio a bit.
The G5 tower is normally extremely quiet as fan-cooled computers go, and if you hear the fans spinning up it means that the processor(s) is(are) running abnormally hot. The machine is designed to draw air in through the entire front, push it though a restriction near the processor(s), and exhaust it through the entire back. The restriction causes the air to speed up momentarily, and the net result is that you get a lot of air moving over the processor(s) quickly, but entering and leaving the machine fairly slowly, which keeps the noise down.
If the clear air deflector inside the case is removed, then there's less of a restriction to direct and accelerate the air, and that would be a problem. And when the case door is opened while the machine is on, the fans speed up immediately for similar reasons. So check that you've got that deflector installed, and that the door is closed properly.
If the air in your studio is a little on the warm side (perhaps the studio is in your attic?), then it obviously won't cool the machine very effectively. Run an air conditioner, open the window, or turn down the thermostat for a few hours before recording to cool down the air in there.