Atardecer (and all),
My host requirements are usually pretty modest, so I'm not real big on giant RAM either, but I *think* much of the RAM limit info we've heard isn't all that current. IIRC, the 2GB number, with 2K/XP or whatever, is something related to the amount which different
processes are limited to, so there may be several 2G "chunks" of memory being used simultaneously (depending on what you're running). There may even be prefs or tweaks to assign more than that, if that is indeed a current limit. I think it's also somewhat of an "application thing", so stuff which can actually use ridiculous amounts of memory, is probably written accordingly (I think Nuendo may be able to use more). Either way, with large RAM available like that, it's probably worthwhile to do a fair amount of "fishing" for DAW/RAM/pagefile tweak info on the web, to get the most out of it. (...wish I had 4G)
BTW- I think the actual
maximum memory in my head these days is about one and a half percent of an Atari 2600 cartridge, so we may
both be wrong now.
@ siforek-- I'm with many others on the >48k rate arguments. The vast differences in analog and digital hardware quality, as well as the
infinite amount of technique and knowledge to be acquired, should keep most of us busy for a while, and isn't likely to "ruin" any tracks which you'd want to use for anything later on.
Also, I've become more and more into the idea of "separating" the converters from the interface/driver part of the chain these days. With your mention of not wanting to "grow out of it" too soon, it may be an important thing for you to look into as well. I think with any decent grade of "physical" interface hardware, you'll be more likely to have the drivers or the "style" of card or connection become incompatible with host parts or software in the future. For instance, if you grabbed some decent 8x8 ADAT lightpipe boxes, and then picked out a nice (or adequate) host card, with multiple ADAT connections, for right now, the "bulk" of your system would be guaranteed to make it through to your next DAW host (or beyond). Worst case, you could just swap to a different ADAT card later on, but if you initially pick one with reputable support, you'll probably be able to keep running it for a while anyway. The ADAT "streams" are no different than any other (analog), as far as your interface is concerned, so any realtime, direct-monitoring sort of stuff your card can do, will be just the same. The lightpipe i/o idea is also quite "modular", so if you wanted to start with even a
cheap 1x1 ADAT card and a single 8x8 converter, you could add an 8x8 converter (or two), later on, as well as a fancy digital card or box to host them, plus you'd have your "old" card free for a second, backup computer, or something you could drag around for remote stuff with one of the converter boxes.
Two BTW's- If you haven't figured already, I also sort of trust PCI, but there's no reason not to go with something else. Also, the Behringer ADA8000 isn't actually as horrible as the name would imply. I track drums with one here, and it's replaced a couple other things. It's not a bad thing to have on hand regardless, and it's only around 200 bucks, so you could almost buy a pile of them for what a larger multi-analog interface would cost, and you'd be out a lot less money as the technology advances down the road. (all that stuff is obviously just my opinion)
Good luck on it!
George