# Looking at a Visiondaw



## reddognoyz (Jan 20, 2015)

I swore I'd never work with a pc again. Guess what?? I think I am going to get a visiondaw build as a slave. 

I'm currently running most of my VI's off of my desktop of my Mac pro (mid 2112 2 x 2.66 GHz 6-Core Intel Xeon) with a few things on my aging 2008 Macpro 8 core. I want to offload most of my template onto a powerful slave. Running 90% Kontakt some Samplemodeling, Engine, Spectrasonics, a very few Play instruments, none of the new Hollywood series.


Is this overkill? I had spec'ed a system with a Intel Xeon E5-1650 v2 - Six-Core 3.5GHz Server-Class Processor and Jay Asher proclamed that it looked like it would "kick serious ass" 

Not sure if I am overdoing it here. I'm running a large template, but not huge, and scoring pretty big, but not layer upon layer. Making tv tracks. whattayathink??


VisionDAW Xeon E5 v2 Server-Class Workstation (VC602S-PRO)
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Customizations:
Cases: 4UC-17 - 4U Rackmount Chassis - BLACK 19"(W) x 17.5"(D) x 7"(H)
Processor: E5-2690v2 - Intel Xeon E5-2690 v2 - Ten-Core 3.0GHz Server-Class Processor **
Memory: 64ER16-4.16 - 64GB DDR3 1600MHz Registered ECC Server Memory Modules (4 x 16GB) **
Main OS Drive Options: SSD120MAIN - 120GB SATA II Solid State Drive (SSD) Main Drive
1st Hard Drive Options: SSD1TB - 1TB Performance SATA III Solid State Drive (SSD)
2nd Hard Drive Options: SSD1TB - 1TB Performance SATA III Solid State Drive (SSD)
3rd Hard Drive Options: SSD1TB - 1TB Performance SATA III Solid State Drive (SSD)
RAID Configuration: NORAIDCONFiG - No RAID Array Setup Necessary
Optical Drive: DVDRW - 24x DVD+/-RW Double Layer Optical Drive
Pro Audio LAN Solutions: VIENNA-INSTALL - I already own the Vienna software to install
Front Panel Connections: FP-USB - Front Panel USB Access
Network Adapter: Int10GBE.2 - Integrated DUAL 10GbE Ethernet Adapters
Video Card: NVIDIA210 - NVIDIA GeForce 210, 1GB, PCI-Express, DVI + VGA Video Card
Operating System: WIN7PRO64 - Microsoft® Windows® 7 Professional x64 Edition
System Restore: VSR - VisionDAW System Restore
Warranty: VDAW-WAR1 - One Year Limited Warranty


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## Mr. Anxiety (Jan 20, 2015)

That will certainly kick some ass. I don't think you can go wrong with a powerful machine. 

And VisionDAW is the best! World class PC builders IMO. Their machines are so optimized for music that you definitely get what you pay for.

Best of luck,

Mr A


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## reddognoyz (Jan 20, 2015)

Thanks Mr A


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## iaink (Jan 20, 2015)

Mr. Anxiety @ Tue Jan 20 said:


> And VisionDAW is the best! World class PC builders IMO.



Agreed. They are excellent.


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## dtonthept (Jan 20, 2015)

Hi Stuart,

That system does indeed look pretty rad. Do you mind if I ask something a bit off topic?

Basically, how have you found switching between PC and Mac? I'm looking at switching over to PC from Mac at the moment and am really interested in people's experiences. Hmmm... Might have to go start a thread about that one...

Anyways, yep, that system will raaawwwwwwk!

D


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## olajideparis (Jan 20, 2015)

I am going to be writing a very long blog post on my experience switching from mac and logic to PC and Cubase. In a nutshell it was a nightmare but I am glad I did it.


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## j_kranz (Jan 20, 2015)

I can't recommend VisionDAW enough... they are fantastic and incredibly helpful anytime I've had to get any type of support. You'll be happy with that machine!


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## dtonthept (Jan 20, 2015)

olajideparis @ Tue Jan 20 said:


> I am going to be writing a very long blog post on my experience switching from mac and logic to PC and Cubase. In a nutshell it was a nightmare but I am glad I did it.



That sounds exactly like what I'm imagining on all fronts! Please let us know when your blog is up, I'll read it with tremendous interest


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## reddognoyz (Jan 20, 2015)

dtonthept @ Tue Jan 20 said:


> Hi Stuart,
> 
> That system does indeed look pretty rad. Do you mind if I ask something a bit off topic?
> 
> ...



In 2008 I was working with 3 windows xp pc slaves (and one mac slave). It was a powerful setup but a real pita to manage and keep in time. I was returning all the audio via light pipe to 2408's no strain on my Daw mac, but recall was hard to manage with all the different computers and timing was something I had to manage all the time. I also am a Mac guy from the beginning and fumble with pc's. So I bought the most robust Mac I could buy and used my old daw Mac as a slave, upgraded to VEP and ditched my aging and cantankerous pc's.
All the timing and recall/restore issues basically went away. The price was performance. I was running more vi's on my daw Mac and I've been dancing around the performance ever since. I thought the new Mac pro was going to be the panacea, doesn't look like it is though. I spoke with Jay Asher, and he said "dude, get a pc" and pointed me to a couple of the premier of music machine builders. They ain't cheap, but it looks like the way to go for sample playback. I don't think I'll be switching my daw computer to a pc, but this sounds like the way to go for a slave.


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## stonzthro (Jan 20, 2015)

PC slaves are great! I actually built 2 myself last year for about the price of a bare bones Vision DAW. I'm not very win oriented, but there are enough people on this board who are willing to help, and enough threads that you can do it yourself if you want to. I've been considering upgrading the MOBOs to access more RAM lately though.

At any rate, it is possible to build yourself, but for just plug and play I bet VisionDAW is a great solution.


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## chibear (Jan 20, 2015)

Great Specs! Just as a reality check I'd suggest you price the individual components and see how much you are paying for assembly and the VisionDAW name. There seems to be nothing very complicated about the build so a lot of $$ could potentially be saved by either building yourself or having it done locally.


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## edhamilton (Jan 20, 2015)

I have one of those beasts. It's laughed at anything I've thrown out it.

I listed it for sale in the forum a while back as I seldom need the horsepower these days.
But it was worth every penny as the project I was working when I ordered it was massive. 
Vision daw worked right out of the box. no issues ever.


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## ryanstrong (Jan 20, 2015)

+1 vision daw is awesome, great customer service, first slave was a breeze to set up.


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## jemu999 (Jan 21, 2015)

I prefer not to work on a pc… I just love mac. But, I recently built a PC slave, and it works perfectly. 

I definitely recommend at least looking into building it yourself, or purchasing used. Last year it cost me about 2k for the build. Same specs PCs were selling for about $3200. This year I bought the exact same computer to use as a 2nd slave, and I paid $750 for it on EBAY!


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## Dan Selby (Jan 21, 2015)

Hi Stuart,

I'm going to buck the trend here and say *DON'T* build it yourself (if you were being tempted). And I'm saying this as someone who has built countless PCs for myself and others over the years (my first build was a 386dx in 1991!)

Self-building is fine if it's not a mission critical box that earns you money and it will certainly be cheaper. A lot of the time, it will also be fine even if that is the case...

...but you are rolling the dice.

On my last DAW upgrade I had an absolute nightmare with constant blue screens once I started pushing it hard in Cubase. It cost me weeks (it wasn't any of the obvious culprits) and in the end I needed the help and kindness of a DAW builder who I had bought a lot of parts from over the years. It ended up being a really esoteric fault in a particular batch of memory controllers on the memory sticks that only showed up in the particular maxed out configuration of memory that I had opted for. Tracking down that type of fault is really hard.

What you get when you pay the premium for a top DAW builder is:

1. They will (or should) soak test that mother for 24+hours on the bench, doing the type of tasks that WE need the machine to do.

2. If anything doesn't check out right, they have all the components on hand, plus other brand equivalents, to swap out every component in the box until it is sorted... while you are still in your studio working with your current setup, none the wiser.

3. If anything does go wrong with the machine a month or two in, again, you get to call them up and have them fix it or replace it pronto.

I have an inkling into your schedule and I would imagine the premium you will pay Visiondaw (or another top builder) is well worth it for you. Think of it like your studio or liability insurance - you'll save money if you don't pay it, you'll probably never need it, but...

Cheers,

Dan


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## reddognoyz (Jan 21, 2015)

Dan Selby @ Wed Jan 21 said:


> Hi Stuart,
> 
> I'm going to buck the trend here and say *DON'T* build it yourself (if you were being tempted). And I'm saying this as someone who has built countless PCs for myself and others over the years (my first build was a 386dx in 1991!)
> 
> ...



Thanks Dan! My feeling exactly. Not tempted even a little. You are paying Visiondaw for their experience, support and R&D. well worth it IMHO


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## reddognoyz (Jan 21, 2015)

...or I might get this instead of that Visiondaw. : )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?x-yt-cl=84359240&feature=player_embedded&x-yt-ts=1421782837&v=MB8KSbKgjDo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?x-yt-cl=8 ... B8KSbKgjDo)


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## jemu999 (Jan 22, 2015)

Im not sure what the cost or specific specs are on the visiondaw computer you are interested in… but can you add more RAM in the future?

If the investment is large, I would at least like the ability to upgrade to 128gb ram.. as more and more software are requiring more ram.

Anyhow, just my 2 cents! 
Best of luck!


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## reddognoyz (Jan 22, 2015)

yes I believe more ram is easy to add but I will double check


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## Ozymandias (Jan 22, 2015)

Dan Selby @ Wed Jan 21 said:


> Self-building is fine if it's not a mission critical box that earns you money



Funnily enough, the "mission critical" thing is the reason I built my own. If it breaks down, I need to know what went into it and how it was set up, so that I can fix the problem ASAP.

Meanwhile, what's the score with a commercial DAW if/when this happens? Tinker with it yourself and risk voiding the warranty? Send it in for repairs and hide from your clients? >8o


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## reddognoyz (Jan 22, 2015)

visiondaw will tunnel in to fix. If it breaks...well if any of my computers break I'm a little screwed.


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## Daryl (Jan 22, 2015)

Ozymandias @ Thu Jan 22 said:


> Meanwhile, what's the score with a commercial DAW if/when this happens? Tinker with it yourself and risk voiding the warranty? Send it in for repairs and hide from your clients? >8o


That's easy. Use the spare one instead. :wink: 

D


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## JohnG (Jan 22, 2015)

VisionDAW has used Citrus software several times to "take over" my PCs and work on them.

They are not VisionDAW PCs, so they charge an hourly fee to do it but they are 100% worth it.


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## Ozymandias (Jan 22, 2015)

Daryl @ Thu Jan 22 said:


> Ozymandias @ Thu Jan 22 said:
> 
> 
> > Meanwhile, what's the score with a commercial DAW if/when this happens? Tinker with it yourself and risk voiding the warranty? Send it in for repairs and hide from your clients? >8o
> ...



Don't come here with your common sense and foresight. :lol:

Still, I have to wonder how many people's spare is an actual spare and not their "old rig".


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## Daryl (Jan 22, 2015)

Ozymandias @ Thu Jan 22 said:


> Daryl @ Thu Jan 22 said:
> 
> 
> > Ozymandias @ Thu Jan 22 said:
> ...


HAHA. Yes, I think you're right. However, that's one of the advantages of not having to get a Mac. One can get 3 equally well specced computers for the price of one Mac Pro.

D


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## jononotbono (Sep 4, 2018)

Is there a U.K. equivalent to Vision DAW?


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## reddognoyz (Sep 4, 2018)

I'm not sure, but vision daw offers great support over the internet, they will tunnel in to your computer.


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