Music Production Computer Terms Explained

Finding the right Carillon music production computer can mean working through a lot of specifications and technical terminology. If you've ever looked at computer specifications and wondered what half of it actually means, don't worry, you're certainly not alone!

Computer technicians tend to use technical terms every day, so they can forget that they aren't always obvious to everyone else. When you're choosing a music production PC or DAW computer, things like latency, buffer settings, virtual instruments and CPU performance can make a big difference to which system is right for you.

Below we've explained some of the terms you'll come across throughout the Carillon website in straightforward language, so you can make a more informed choice when configuring your music production computer.

Low Latency

Also known as: Low latency performance, responsive performance, small buffer settings

Latency is the time it takes for your computer to process audio and send it to your audio interface and speakers or headphones.

For example, when you press a key on a MIDI keyboard to play a virtual instrument, there is a very small delay between pressing the key and hearing the sound. The lower the latency, the more immediate and responsive the system feels.

Low latency is particularly important when recording, playing virtual instruments and monitoring audio while producing music.

What is a buffer setting?

Your audio interface controls latency through its buffer size. The buffer determines how much time your computer has to process the audio before it needs to send it to the audio interface.

Typical buffer settings include:

32, 64, 128, 256 and 512 samples

You may also see latency displayed as a time measurement in milliseconds, such as 2ms, 4ms or 11ms.

A smaller buffer gives you lower latency and a more responsive system, but it also gives your computer less time to process the audio. This means the CPU has to work harder and, with a demanding project, you may eventually experience clicks, pops or audio dropouts.

A larger buffer gives the computer more time to process the audio, which can be useful when mixing large projects with lots of effects and virtual instruments, but increases latency.

How important is the computer?

The performance of your music production PC has a major influence on how well you can work at low latency, particularly with large projects containing many tracks, effects and virtual instruments.

Your audio interface is also important, especially when working at very low buffer settings. A good audio interface with efficient drivers can make a significant difference to low latency performance.

We therefore recommend using good-quality professional audio interfaces with our systems. For particularly demanding low latency applications, RME USB, PCIe and Thunderbolt interfaces are excellent options.

DAW

Also known as: Digital Audio Workstation, host, sequencer

DAW stands for Digital Audio Workstation.

Your DAW is the main piece of music production software you use to record, edit, arrange, mix and produce music. It is effectively the centre of your studio and where you will spend most of your time working.

Popular DAWs include:

• Cubase
• Pro Tools
• Ableton Live
• Reaper
• Studio One
• Sonar

When we refer to a DAW computer or DAW PC, we're talking about a computer designed to run this type of music production software efficiently.

Different DAWs can place different demands on your computer, so the best music production computer for you will depend partly on the software you use and the type of projects you create.

Virtual Instruments

Also known as: VST instruments, VSTi, software instruments, sample libraries, software synths

Virtual instruments are software versions of musical instruments that run inside your DAW.

They allow you to play instruments such as pianos, drums, strings, orchestras, synthesizers and many other sounds without needing the physical instrument itself.

You normally play them using a MIDI keyboard, MIDI controller or MIDI notes programmed into your DAW.

For example, you could load a virtual piano into Cubase and play it from your MIDI keyboard. The computer processes the virtual instrument and sends the resulting audio through your audio interface.

Virtual instruments and your computer

Virtual instruments can be particularly demanding on a music production PC, especially large sample-based instruments and orchestral libraries.

Some virtual instruments load large amounts of samples into RAM, while others place more demand on the CPU. Large projects can therefore require substantial amounts of RAM, CPU processing power and fast NVMe SSD storage.

This is particularly important if you're working with:

• Large orchestral sample libraries
• Film, TV and game scoring
• Large Kontakt libraries
• Multiple software synthesizers
• High track-count projects
• Large numbers of simultaneous virtual instruments

This is one of the reasons we offer different levels of Carillon music production computers, allowing you to choose the right combination of CPU performance, RAM and storage for the way you actually make music.