Solid-State Mini-ITX Linux Recording Studio HOWTO

An anonymous reader submits "LinuxDevices.com has posted a project howto on building a dedicated music recording and editing computer that uses a CompactFlash card instead of a hard drive, to eliminate hard disk chatter. It uses the latest release from the Agnula (GNU/Linux Audio) project, and the newest Epia MII-12000 mini-ITX board from VIA. The method described in the article applies to embedding most any Knoppix-based Live CD onto CompactFlash boot media."

Comments

Skip the CF, use the network

[raddan]

Why use expensive, SLOW flash memory when you can run a fast ethernet connection into the room and save on a remote volume? Use SMB, NFS, AFS, whatever, and then you get as much space as you want, and it's quiet to boot.

2GB is a lot of data, but try working that in a professional studio- you can easy fill up 2GB with a half-hour of bad takes. If you're multitracking you can forget about it.

But I like the idea of lost-cost hardware. A VIA MII 12000 is more than adequate (CPU-power-wise) for even 8 simultaneous 16-bit ins and outs. What you're really going to want is a good audio card.

Hard Drive Clatter Isn't Only Issue

[Glitch010101]

I've got one of the Via EPIA Mini-ITX machines, and I can tell you from experience that although there's less moving parts, that doesn't mean it's quiet.

Noisy capacitors, often talked about as a source of insecurity (you can listen to them with a computer and "hear" the data going across), but they also emit an annoying, high-pitched squeak which varies up and down.

If you're looking for a dedicated recording system, the Via boards may not be for you! Mine is noisy enough that I'm considering hiding it (it's my mythTV box) in a cabinet! And it's got no fans!

Re:NFS?

[Lemmeoutada Collecti]

I'd guess you've not worked with serious Studio recording. 1.5 GB is nothing during a single session, during which I for one don't want any hassles trying to transfer files. Once I get the artist warmed up, I don't stop until it's right. Any break in the continuity and it's start all over time.

A single session can last from 30 minutes to several hours, during which mutliple instruments are being recorded. No compression, the lag and/or loss is intolerable on the master recording. This means fast access to the media (or good buffering), plenty of RAM, and the ability to reshoot a sequence (rewrite).

Generally, no fiddling is done during the session on the recording, just tweaking on the input chain. I personally prefer retakes as seperate files, so they can be matched better on timing. Generally, given the option, I will have a complete passage rerecorded rather than just a few notes. (No, I do not work for the RIAA labels, how'd you guess?)

The number of writes pretty much requires a highly rewritable media, and I question the slower, more limited flash usefulness in the media segment. For a boot drive, they are probably ideal, boot the studio with clean settings every time. Only problem? Linux does not have the variety of tools we use.

Re:How good is the distro

[torpor]

I picked up a copy of the Agnula CD at LAD this year in Karlsruhe, along with a couple other audio-specific LiveCD's (one from SUSE, and another whose name I can't remember, alas), and I have to say that they all ran pretty well.

I work for a pro audio equipment mfr. I was pretty impressed with these distro's ... SUSE's ran the smoothest on my hardware from first boot, but once I got it running Agnula was more interesting. It had more stuff bundled on-board, from the scientific/academic sound-hacking with PD/Max and Supercollider, to a grass-roots collection of LADSPA plugins ... once I'd found my way around /usr/share, I spent the good part of an evening hacking around with synthesis and sound production ...

Definitely worth downloading and spending a few hours investigating, if you're a sound/synth geek. (I am, so consider the bias...)