Processor & Memory Harmony in Electronic Music
Today, computers play a vastly major role in making music, especially within the EDM genre. Having the right components at your disposal will make the difference between a great performance or a massive technical meltdown. No relationship within your machine is more valuable and important than the one between the CPU and RAM memory. These two factors alone can completely halt the creative process of electronic music when not working in harmony.
The CPU (central processing unit) inside your computer is the main brain and function creator for the entire system. All main processes and actions for the computer to take are stored here until needed. The RAM (random access memory) recalls the information needed from the CPU, letting it know what processes should currently be running. The CPU can only run as many processes as the RAM allows, so naturally, an increase in RAM will yield more processes being rendered at the same time.
This is a very important factor for Electronic Music, as many of the computer-based plugins are very RAM heavy and can take a toll on the CPU over time. Having a great amount of memory in your computer will allow the CPU to run multiple plugins at once without lag or sacrifice in speed. As a rule of thumb, most DAW programs for music making require a minimum of 8 GB RAM now to keep up with the processing speeds of modern CPU’s. When just starting out, a 4-core CPU with 8 GB RAM is the proper configuration to understanding how your current plugins handle in relationship to one another. Over time, the ideal system to meet all needs as far as music production are concerned will include a CPU with 6 to 8 cores accompanied by a 32 GB RAM chipset.
Regardless of the genre of music you choose to make with your computer, it is always important to make sure the processor and memory harmonize well together. Doing so helps to eliminate one of the many roadblocks creatives face when transferring ideas into a digital stream for the world to hear.