Brand New PC

Hey everyone, please forgive me if this information is posted somewhere. I must be blind if it is. I have funding to build (from the ground up) a 48 track recorder. I have used and am quite happy with Reaper and the Tascam M1600 for 16 tracks but have never tried 4 of them at once. Here are my questions: I see the recommended hardware specs on the reaper main page, but that doesn't tell me "recommended" for this level of use. If I were to go to dell.com or whatever and build a PC, what hardware would you suggest for 48 tracks of simultaneous recording? (Don't get hung up on "dell"... I'm just making an example.) Next, has anyone set up a 48 track rig using reaper? If so, what IO hardware are you using? Many thanks! G

i think your main requirements are going to be: decent disk performance (multi-disk raid?), some sort of industrial-grade (pci based?) audio io (something that supports stacked multiple cards like a delta 1010? make sure you're clocking them off a single clock source!), and an effective backup solution. plus enough cpu to load it up with effects, and a couple of gigantic monitors so you can see what you're doing.

Thanks guys, good information. Let me add something very specific: You both mention "decent disk performance" and "top-quality" parts. I was looking for a more precise answer. What specifications (brand, speed, type, specs) do I need for "decent disk performance" for 48 tracks of live capture? And, does anyone have any direct experience with how much CPU speed/RAM is needed to do effects on that many tracks simultaneously? I don't want to over-buy by getting the extreme leading edge of components unless necessary. I just wanna do it right. Thanks...G

Build your own...