DFHS on G4 IBOOK: will this work (BFD does!)

dry_cars · 12th July 2006, 01:15 PM

hi,

i´m on an g4 ibook (g4 1,33ghz, 512mb ram) and i really love this machine. maybe it´s outdated, but i can do all my productions on it (working with tracktion, reason and recording guitar and bass with a sansamp) and there´s no money to upgrade to a new intel mac or a pc.

i need some good drum sounds and really like to buy Drumkit From Hell Superior (just can´t afford BFD and love the mp3 demos of DFHS as well as the possibilty to have maximum control over the sound of the drumkit - this is the reason why i´m not interested in EZ-drummer because it´s lacking sound and control possibilities).
the recommended specs for DFHS say: Mac OS 10.3.9 or higher, G4 1.25 GHz with 1 Gb RAM. i will upgrade the ram soon, so i´m just filling out the recommended specs.
i´m also about to buy an usb2.0 harddisc (with 300 GB) to store the DFHS sounds.

do you think DFHS could perform quite well on my ibook, as long as i change the sample depth from 24bit to 16bit and (while writing my songs) change the velocity range from 128 to 64 or even 32?
the tracktion arrangements i´m working on are very lite - while writing and recording songs i don´t use any vst effects, no reverbs, no even eq´s or compressors.

it´s plain and simple: DFHS has just got to run in combination with my audio guitar (max. 4 tracks), bass (only 1 track) and vocals (max 2 tracks) tracks - so that i´m able to write and record my songs without the need for bouncing and freezing.
afterwards i could bounce the single DFHS tracks (for bassdrum, snare, hihat and so on) to audio, switch DFHS-VST off and start mixing the whole project with VST effects.i don´t work with edrums, keyboards etc, so there´s no reason for an extra low latency on DFHS.

unfortunately there´s no demo version of DFHS, but the DEMO of BFD 1.5 does perform quite well on my ibook (even with just 512mb ram): the cpu usage is at min. 20% - max. 25% will playing a midi-track with BFD and around 6 audio tracks at the same time.

so your advice is welcome...

thanks!

dry_cars · 12th July 2006, 09:00 PM

are there no DFHS + ibook users around?

nikki-k · 12th July 2006, 11:27 PM

Hi!
A few things...
DFHS loads completely into RAM. You control the size...by choosing the mics to use while composing (bounce later, you can choose more mics and options, allowing you to compose with less resources), compression, 16-bit, etc

DFHS requires the entire library to be present, which is ~34-35G. Be prepared to have that disk space available.

There are options to allow DFHS to run on lower spec machines. I would seriously consider hitting the Toontrack Forums (toontrack.com), and simply ask. Hit the general section, and create a thread like, "pre-sales Q's: G4 Ibook." The guys at Toontrack should chime in, and if any others have or are using that setup, they probably would as well.

Dave Swift · 13th July 2006, 06:21 AM

I don't have an ibook but I use DFHS extensively.

I think you'll be fine if you upgrade the ram, but as has been mentioned you need the hard drive space available for the entire library and you will want to use TPC mode (the 16-bit option) for compressing the samples while you are composing.

Ruudman · 13th July 2006, 12:22 PM

Yes, RAM/disk space is the ticket.
I use DFHS every day, and your machine is a beast compared to my 933 QS.

ruudman

dry_cars · 13th July 2006, 05:06 PM

thank all of you very much for your advice. i´ll just give DFHS a try on my ibook. first i will upgrade the ram and plug the usb 2.0 harddisc in (it´s got 160 GB) - i guess if DFHS works fine on Ruudman`s G4 933 it will do on my ibook as well.
thanks!

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12th July 2006, 01:15 PM	#1
dry_cars Gear interested Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 4	DFHS on G4 IBOOK: will this work (BFD does!) hi, i´m on an g4 ibook (g4 1,33ghz, 512mb ram) and i really love this machine. maybe it´s outdated, but i can do all my productions on it (working with tracktion, reason and recording guitar and bass with a sansamp) and there´s no money to upgrade to a new intel mac or a pc. i need some good drum sounds and really like to buy Drumkit From Hell Superior (just can´t afford BFD and love the mp3 demos of DFHS as well as the possibilty to have maximum control over the sound of the drumkit - this is the reason why i´m not interested in EZ-drummer because it´s lacking sound and control possibilities). the recommended specs for DFHS say: Mac OS 10.3.9 or higher, G4 1.25 GHz with 1 Gb RAM. i will upgrade the ram soon, so i´m just filling out the recommended specs. i´m also about to buy an usb2.0 harddisc (with 300 GB) to store the DFHS sounds. do you think DFHS could perform quite well on my ibook, as long as i change the sample depth from 24bit to 16bit and (while writing my songs) change the velocity range from 128 to 64 or even 32? the tracktion arrangements i´m working on are very lite - while writing and recording songs i don´t use any vst effects, no reverbs, no even eq´s or compressors. it´s plain and simple: DFHS has just got to run in combination with my audio guitar (max. 4 tracks), bass (only 1 track) and vocals (max 2 tracks) tracks - so that i´m able to write and record my songs without the need for bouncing and freezing. afterwards i could bounce the single DFHS tracks (for bassdrum, snare, hihat and so on) to audio, switch DFHS-VST off and start mixing the whole project with VST effects.i don´t work with edrums, keyboards etc, so there´s no reason for an extra low latency on DFHS. unfortunately there´s no demo version of DFHS, but the DEMO of BFD 1.5 does perform quite well on my ibook (even with just 512mb ram): the cpu usage is at min. 20% - max. 25% will playing a midi-track with BFD and around 6 audio tracks at the same time. so your advice is welcome... thanks!

12th July 2006, 11:27 PM	#3
nikki-k Gear addict Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: PDX Posts: 480	Hi! A few things... DFHS loads completely into RAM. You control the size...by choosing the mics to use while composing (bounce later, you can choose more mics and options, allowing you to compose with less resources), compression, 16-bit, etc DFHS requires the entire library to be present, which is ~34-35G. Be prepared to have that disk space available. There are options to allow DFHS to run on lower spec machines. I would seriously consider hitting the Toontrack Forums (toontrack.com), and simply ask. Hit the general section, and create a thread like, "pre-sales Q's: G4 Ibook." The guys at Toontrack should chime in, and if any others have or are using that setup, they probably would as well. __________________ nikki k

13th July 2006, 12:22 PM	#5
Ruudman Lives for gear Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Norway Posts: 2,848	Yes, RAM/disk space is the ticket. I use DFHS every day, and your machine is a beast compared to my 933 QS. ruudman __________________ Working Class Hero Visit this website of Noma Children Hospital Sokoto

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12th July 2006, 09:00 PM	#2
dry_cars Gear interested Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 4	are there no DFHS + ibook users around?

13th July 2006, 06:21 AM	#4
Dave Swift Gear nut Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 133	I don't have an ibook but I use DFHS extensively. I think you'll be fine if you upgrade the ram, but as has been mentioned you need the hard drive space available for the entire library and you will want to use TPC mode (the 16-bit option) for compressing the samples while you are composing.

13th July 2006, 05:06 PM	#6
dry_cars Gear interested Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 4	thank all of you very much for your advice. i´ll just give DFHS a try on my ibook. first i will upgrade the ram and plug the usb 2.0 harddisc in (it´s got 160 GB) - i guess if DFHS works fine on Ruudman`s G4 933 it will do on my ibook as well. thanks!