CPU issue? =/

[bryan_kilco]

Ok, been recording vocal tryouts for my band lately, here's my deal:

Profire 2626
SM57 on guits, bass direct out of head to Profire, kick mic and a single overhead mic for cymbals/toms/snare.

Computer used was my older Dell Inspiron laptop, since it has firewire.

Recorded about 2 hours of practice. Everything was fine at first, but the last 2 songs or so, something bad happened. The recording is all distorted and warbly. It seems like what happens when my CPU can't handle a shitload of VSTs, but there was only 6 tracks recording simultaneously with barely any VSTs loaded.

This isn't a huge deal for the purpose intended (recording just to hear the vocal tryouts up-close and personal, and to practice mixing live). Yet, I don't want this to happen again in the future on, say, a great drum take. And this has never happened to me before WHILE recording.

Any thoughts?

 

[sprack]

Did the system get really hot toward the end? If it does the CPU has a thermal monitor that will force the CPU into power management regardless of what you're doing.

 

[bryan_kilco]

You mean the computer itself? It is sort of a POS but at the moment it's the only computer we have with firewire port, unfortunately. I can't say for sure. I've tracked this way before without any issues. I'll have to check out the HD space left since the session was like 6+ GB, and like I said, that computer is like 4 years old and has seen its fair share of use/abuse. Maybe I should just start tracking everything to my portable external HD?

Now that I think about it, right around the same point as this issue came up, our PA started getting really weird....cutting in and out, white noise...never heard anything like it. The room we jam in is sorta fucked for power outlets, too. There's one outlet nearby that we plug PA, one amp, computer, interface into a power strip....and run an extension cord from another room for 2 other amps. The room itself has lots of (ground?) noise.

 

[sprack]

You may want to get a small UPS to run it on, just to act as a buffer.