Audio Production Software and Computer Hardware Specs

Looking to invest in an audio production software or Digital Audio Workstation program? Then you better take a long hard look at your computer hardware first. While meeting the "basic requirements" might be just fine for other software programs, audio production software can be very taxing on the CPU, take a great deal of hard drive space and crowd out even well-endowed RAM and L2 caches, and might be muted completely on an insufficient or incompatible sound card. Also, most audio production software and digital audio workstation programs are only available on certain platforms. This is common knowledge now for most with experience using a PC or Mac, but tends to be forgotten when involving audio and other digital media.

The basic system requirements typically look something like this:

• Platform: Microsoft Windows XP or Windows Vista
• Processor: 800 MHz processor
• Disc Space Required: 200 MB hard-disk space for program installation
• RAM required: 256 MB RAM
• Sound Card Required: Windows-compatible sound card
• Installation Support Required: DVD-ROM drive

However, for optimal results and latency-free functionality, the requirements would look something like this:

• Platform: Microsoft Windows XP or Windows Vista
• Processor: 1-1.5GHz processor
• Disc Space: 200 MB for initial installation, 1GB+ for additional effect, instrument and sample libraries, and more for additional add-ons.
• RAM Required: 1-2GB
• Sound Card Required: Windows-compatible (ASIO driver support recommended)
• Installation Support Required: DVD-ROM drive

This will vary only slightly for Mac-based programs, but should follow the same logic: take the basic requirements and double them (for disc space, quadruple). If your computer's hardware specs don't quite meet the formula, you have two choices: seek a lighter program or upgrade your hardware specs for optimal performance and results.

Many audio production software and digital audio workstation manufacturers have begun to include recommended specs to improve user experience and to ensure that the program's potential is being actualized. Another resource that should be considered before purchasing a desired program is whether there are incompatibility issues that exist beyond the initial hardware specs necessary for installation and basic operation. These are often discussed in manufacturer press releases, blogs and forums and are generally corrected with driver or program updates.

At TopTenREVIEWS We Do the Research So You Don’t Have To.™