I have an XPS 8700 that I'd like to use for audio production... just for fun kind of, I'd like to keep up on using PCs for this purpose.

It has Win7.

1) should I update to Win10?

2) if so, its gonna take a ton of tweaking tho, right?

3) what kinds of programs to i need to run Ableton Live, and other things found on "sister site?"

Thanks a lot everyone!!

 

Welcome to PC!

1.) Absolutely

2.) More like a kilogram

3.) A RAR program to decompress files and throw in an ISO mounting program for good measure, although WIN10 'can' mount ISOs.

Welcome to the world of backward compatibility
More detailed advice to follow.....

 

Windows 11 made me switch from Mac. Absolute killer OS, and you can get around the mandatory install specs no problem. HRKgame has keys for $10.

 

First of all you start eating better because pc is much cheaper than mac in both the short and long run.

 

It does not really need that much tweaking, if you get an audio card or device with good drivers like RME.
If you want clip based get Ableton indeed, but if you like a more linear approach get reaper cubase or studio one.
I would only get shut up 10 to disable telemetry etc and tinywall to control internet access.

 

You really don't need a lot. Learn to use Chocolatey, and you're set for almost anything you need to install. I would also recommend going to Windows 10 just for better compatibility in general, lots of plugins are dropping support for Windows 7 even when it still technically works fine. And if you upgrade to W10, check out ShutUp10 and debloating for a generally better experience. Make sure to do some research first if you want to try these two, though, as some changes can give you some headaches later.

 

hey guys! same here.. may I ask why everyone prefers WIN 10 over 11? more compability?
thx in advance!

 

The "necessary" tweaking is myth. Most of the tips used for tweaking Windows are leftover from Win XP/7 days, and are total BS.

If you look at tests done on before/after performance, the vast majority of "tweaks" make next to no difference, and likely do more harm than good.

What I would suggest doing is running a simple tool that disables all the telemetry crap, and a light debloat (nothing retarded that removes Windows Apps like Clock and Calculator though).

You'll be 99% of the way there with this. Never had a driver issue in the past 15 years, but if you do, solutions are just a search away.

 

A software I would recommend for downloading on sister site is JDownloader2, which is basically a mass downloader (makes life so much easier)

- You can just paste a all the links in there at once (a lot of stuff on sister site is big and consists of many files) and with Jloader you just copy it all (select all, right click and press CRTL C) and then past it in JDownloader and press "CRTL C" and the things it will automatically do is recognize which files belong togehter, download htem, unrar them (sause most are in rar), then delete the original rarfiles
- There are 2 versions of Jdownloader you can download from their site. The one you automaticaly get when you download apparently has some addware in it. On a forum the creators link to a version that does not not have this. Apparently that site without the bloatware is https://jdownloader.org/jdownloader2
- If you download a bunch of files a download service that covers multiple hosters from sister site,you could use a service like realdebrid or alldebrid and add their info in Jdownloader so it can automatically download using those services

 

How much RAM do you have to play with?

 

if it's 4th gen Intel with 32GB ram, you can comfortably run Windows 11 if you want,
just use Ventoy usb stick bootloader to bypass all the requirements garbage

1) yes, or even Windows 11 (longer lifespan since W10 ends next year)

2) not really, if you go with official Windows 10 LTSC or wait for Windows 11 LTSC (releases within few weeks now) most garbage will be out

3) to make your life easier, Defender Remover - https://github.com/ionuttbara/windows-defender-remover
7-zip or WinRAR to extract split archives,
ISO files can be opened natively in W10/W11
if you're hardcore MacOS user, then check Microsoft PowerToys - https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys

 

Finally downloading the Warez you always desired.

 

• Windows 10 22H2
• Make certain all system & device drivers are up-to-date
• Disable all unnecessary startup & background services
• Run a system friendly DAW like Reaper 7
• Make a habit of bouncing/rendering tracks with 16GB or less of RAM (minimum 8GB, ideal 16 to 32GB)
• 6) If you gave a dedicated GPU, disable CPU graphics in BIOS if setting is allowed

• Windows 10 Optimizations and Troubleshooting (Avid)
• Optimizing Your Computer for Audio - Windows 10 (Presonus)

Note that Windows Defender in 22H2 does a good job of system protection.

To turn on/off Real-time protection at will, go to the Start Menu & scroll down to Windows Security, right-click Windows Security, select More, select Pin to Taskbar. This allows you to take your system off-line saving additional resources while working on projects/sessions. Just remember to turn Real-time protection on before going back on-line.

 

Last edited: Sep 1, 2024

Nothing more apeticer than a battle WINDOWS VS MACOS

 

1) should I update to Win10?

I would Upgrade to Win11. The LTSC IoT version is finally out.
Thats the one that won't bother you too much with the updates and other stuff.
Its the one made for ATM and things like that.
Google for Windows 11 LTSC IoT, you will find the isos.
For activating it you use MAS
https://github.com/massgravel/Microsoft-Activation-Scripts
thats just a scrip you run and it wont be killed by windows defender.
select hardware id activation (thats forever, but online) or kms activation,
that one can do offline, but only up until 2038 :p

use WUB (windows update blocker) for disabling all updates for good.
(if you would consider sticking with win7, you certainly don't 'need' updates)

if you dont like the look and feel use startallback, there is a release on the sister site

2) if so, its gonna take a ton of tweaking tho, right?

If you want it to perform as fast as older windwos just switch off
security features like protected memory and stuff.
windows 11 is not slower as many are going to tell you.
its just a bit more secure and there is a price tag on everything.

just do what the gamers do and you'll be fine:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...ndows-11-a255f612-2949-4373-a566-ff6f3f474613

now when it comes to data and telemetry and stuff... you can leave it as it is, I mean apple ain't
much better either, but if you want to turn that crap off do this:
https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/enable-or-disable-windows-telemetry/

3) what kinds of programs to i need to run Ableton Live, and other things found on "sister site?"

ableton live, period.
get to know the stock plugins before wasting your time with checking plugins like the rest of us do

 

Windows 10 has less microsoft bloatware, microsoft is intending to migrate everyone to a monthly subsctiption model in baby steps.
WIndows 11 has more ads etc. more telementry gathering all your user information to train AI and to sell to data pimps and whores.

I still use windows7 for about 99% of my music stuff. I have 2 windows 10 laptops, only turn them on to make sure they still work. They are just insurance in case I just have to have a windows 10 app. Nothing so far has tempted me. There's a few Stem Ripping tools that require windows 10, thas about the only thing thats tempted me at all.

I still run Ableton 10, Reaper 7, Arturia 9 and all my vsts just fine on windows 7. for me its about getting a useable work flow and then stop fucking with it, and make music instead of playing with my computer..

Good luck, I've used Mac and Pc and Linux, prefer pc for music, Linux for tinkering with single board computers and home theater and gaming emulation. Batocera is wicked for gaming emulation.

 

This forum man... youre all absolute champs. I will read through the list, learn about different suggestions, and give a follow-up at some point. Thank you again!!!
Much, much love!!

Note: I will be using Tascam 4x4 interface for time being.

1) What does that mean? keys for Win right?
2) if I have a legit Win 11/MS 365 account, cant i legit install/run Win 10?

Debloating... there seems to be a number of options with this. Do I just run all of em? I see Debloat Sysgender, DebloatGUI, and like just Debloat. Any recommendations offhand on that?

Shutup10++, debloat, and Tinywall I understand what there functions are. Chocolatey I need to look at more. Between those I should be pretty a'ight as far as getting feet wet.

You know I wondered about that... I have 16Gb. and an i7-4770. Considering how cheap another 16 Gb is, would another 16 help? I'd imagine it would, however I know there's that point where more RAM is pointless. I am just not knowledgeable enough to know where that line is.
I also plan to switch-up to an SSD eventually.

PS I wish theyd just throw out the telemetry data like with nasa :shrug:

 

Last edited: Sep 1, 2024

I would be careful with some of the advice posted... Nothing to really gain from disabling updates or defender. You don't get any meaningful performance improvements in a modern computer, and rawdogging warez and other shit can be a costly mistake when you slip up. There are some annoyances with Defender, but you can fix that by getting a warez-friendly AV such as Kaspersky or just getting good at predicting when Defender might false positive a file. I haven't got a virus in a decade, and I run Kaspersky just to be safe. Never had performance issues to justify taking it away.

Windows also updates only once a month, a modern computer with an SSD will take less than 2 minutes to update and reboot. Security updates are super important if you are connected to the internet.

Chocolatey is a package manager, you can install almost any free software with it without worrying if you're going to the right place. If I want to install 7-zip, I can type "choco install 7zip" in the command prompt instead of googling the 7-zip page, finding the right installer (32 or 64 bit) and installing it manually. Chocolatey takes care of everything.

 

You have enough RAM to use any of the operating systems you want. Now all you have to decide then is which one you fancy. As for telemetry:-

Go here and install Spybot Anti Beacon (Free Version) it will work with 7,8,10 and 11

https://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/spybot_anti_beacon_for_windows_10.html

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Next:- If you wish to use Firefox as your browser. use this to block telemetry:-

1) Type in to the browser about:config (Make sure you don't miss out the colon)

2) click 'yes' to bypass security message

3) in the rectangle that opens up at the top, type telemetry

4) Anything you see with the option 'true' double click and change to 'false'

You can now continue using Firefox safely

 

Last edited: Sep 2, 2024

You are better off adding a PCIe x4 Gen 3 NVME (most likely using a PCIe NVMe adapter card) than adding more ram to that system. The memory controller could add round trip latency with four sticks of RAM. Would save the money towards a newer system if you decide to stay with a Windows based PC. The last i7 system I had from that same era always choked out at some point. Part of it was the ASUS motherboard which eventually killed the CPU.

For an idea of an affordable newer platform, see this post.
https://audiosex.pro/threads/minisforum-ms-a1-mini-workstation.76917/

To bad Intel couldn't do something like this when they still had the NUC lineup. I would also say the same for ASRock & their current NUC lineup.

 

Last edited: Sep 2, 2024