[gmbydmit]

Yes -- all this "don't run internet and music software together" seems to be bunkum to me.  It might have made a difference in 486 days but even on my old (dead) 2002-era processor I was just about okay.

yeah, I think once while reacording with Sonar I think either McAfee or Windows downloaded an update and Sonar froze up...so, I think that's probably mostly why you're 'not supposed to' use the same computer for both... if in that exact moment - musical genius is flowing and all of a sudden your machine craps out....whoa!..

(I've now been told I'm having this machine taken away... oh no!... and get to buy a quad-core CPU and motherboard to install in my old case .)

dude!, my heart is out to you, it's gotta be rough having to get a new quad core and all....but somehow, I think you will muttle through! LOL  

[vindrums]

   In my experience I think we have the same problems now as we did in the old days when it comes to having a music computer....it isn't really the being on the internet that's the problem...it's having anti virus software running! And you can't be on the internet without having anti virus software. Now, we can turn it off when we run our music stuff, and hopefully there's nothing just waiting for the antivirus to be shut off. I would agree some programs are smaller and less hurtful to computer processes, but the main three antivirus softwares are huge and will mess with music and especially the speed. I suppose it depends on what you're running and other factors. From my experience, the antivirus iseems to be working to find code in the billions of lines of music.....those numbers for that reverb are all a little too silmilar..is it a virus???... I don't know if that's true, it's just the impression I get from setting up home studios.
   Personally, I don't want my music computer and stuff to change..I want it to be like hardware!...every three years or so there are factors that require a reinstall, do-over or an update. Why? Because, to stay on the internet things are rewritten all the time (in the land of windoz)...browsers are changed and updated, and operating systems are updated. The parent company decides to quit giving critical updates to last years system......Virus and malware updated every day....A music computer that is never on line seems to last the longest with the least trouble. Mine is over ten.....plenty of speed, does what I need.....but if I put it on the net, it would be killed in weeks.
vince

[pljones]

And you can't be on the internet without having anti virus software.

I've been on the net one way or another since the early nineties, never run a firewall on my computer, never run background antivirus software and never had a problem.
1.  Use a dedicated firewall - either a gateway server or on your ADSL box.
2.  Don't download except from trusted sources -- preferably where you can read the source and compile it yourself.
3.  Run any virus checker as a one off against downloads (Firefox seems to insist on doing this... till then I never bothered due to 2).
4.  Know what all the processes (not applications) running on your PC are; as I type, I have 32 processes running in task manager.

Nothing can break into your PC without you providing a way in.  I won't run background software that I don't trust and I simply don't trust any company selling software on the basis that "there are dark forces out there trying to invade your PC" -- it's more bunkum.  Just don't download from untrusted sources.

The most important thing is to provide a firewall the acts like you're not there.  Last time I checked, the Windows firewall rejected packets back to the sender, indicating you exist.  A proper firewall just drops them, wasting the sender time and appearing just like any other invalid address.  Then don't open incoming ports on the firewall -- mostly you won't need any - responses to requests you make outbound don't need any.

(Also, using a good ad blocker in your browser can stop exploits and, if you're not running your browser it doesn't take up CPU.  And don't randomly accept cookies, either -- again, you're potentially telling who-knows-who that your IP address is valid; but ideally the ad blocker would be catching these up front.)

[vindrums]

   Thank you for those important points.
   But if you think there aren't large successful companies that work everyday to create and distribute malware, you're mistaken.
   The biggest place by far that I find malware auto loading is from sites that have recipes......no permission, just click site and it comes......if you don't poke at it, sometimes it acts like a cookie and won't bother you.....sometimes
But throwing this 'buncum' word around is just troubling!
Vince

[pljones]

Sorry, "FUD" would have been better.  There are good freeware AV scanners if you want them but most people get suckered in by the big names.  I'm not saying there aren't large organisations trying to take control of any machine they can -- I'm saying that you don't need to pay to stop it and you don't need to be running background processes to stop it.  You just need to avoid stepping in front of the moving car to avoid getting run over, if you see what I mean.

[Orb Vroomer]

It costs more...but apparently macs get about 1 virus per million ,compared to a pc.I've had mine 4 years (current G5,others before that.) Never ANY problems.
The other day I saw a warning - first time in 4 years. "this site is an attack site" . BIG RED WARNING BOX. It was a guy on YTs website.I don't know if HE even knows.I should alert the poor guy.I HAVE NO EXTRA SOFTWARE OR FIREWALLS.Whatever came installed & the nature of macs must have helped me.I don't know what I'm doing half the time.Must be something built in.I did just replace the power supply.& my burner seems to have failed recently,I don't know how to trouble shoot that.I'm trippin to the service center next week.Fire fox keeps needing (?) updates every couple weeks.& crashes more & more as I do that.What the......?

BTW -- plj that 40 min. jam was very interesting. Avante guard jazzy sound,Not what I expected.I listened to about 15 min,& stopped to get other stuff done.Not enough time.Where have I heard that before ?

[vindrums]

    I agree completely! Except don't know FUD....I could guess at the first couple letters.....
     I use a free one, (pc tools av) and it works, and doesn't seem to be invasive. I stopped using those hndred dollar things after meltdowns about two or three years ago, but I have customers that no matter what you say, they refuse to use the free one, and insist on having a giant thing because it makes them feel safe. Just look how big their company is!! A free one simply can't do what this 150$ piece of goo does. Little do they know....
     One particular meltdown and the big company told me I had to buy new program even though I still had six months left on the one I bought....Are you kidding me? Your program failed to protect my computer from virus, and you want me to punt and buy again      from you     Really!?   How bout instead of that deal, I just never buy from you again, and I tell as many people as I can along the way about the way you do business!
vince

[pljones]

"Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt".  They're like the mafia in my book, just running a protection racket...

[pljones]

Oh, Orb -- I just realised I never replied to your post.  That alert: if it's what I'm thinking it is, it's not built into the Mac, it's built into Firefox and comes courtesy of Google, I believe.  By default, you'll be leaving your browsing history with Google to contribute to their analytics, I think.

Anyway, back on topic!

I've got a new home for my jams and I've updated the page with a snazzy new filter box.  Utterly pointless, though -- I wanted to do some MySQL and PHP5 coding...

http://dino.drealm.info/peter/jamming.php
^ That's the box I lost and had to replace with the quad-core.

(Mentioned it elsewhere but, sadly, the PSU died (it was from the old, 2002 PC but was a replacement from about 3 years ago) and now I've had to clamp down on outgoings till I know more about my future income...)

[pljones]

It's been a while -- pressure of work and helping my wife has meant I've not even been getting my four hours a week... but I'm on holiday and got a couple of hours playing.

20100218_0821_4243-pljones-anon (part) (stream, 4 mins)  I love the sound of the drums...  (Here they are on there own, from the end of the same jam.)

Oh... and a PC update: this is on the new PC (under WinXP still - Win7x64 and ReaNINJAM don't like each other).  Nice machine!  (And Win7-RC1 seems pretty good, too.  My wife's less impressed with the release version on her new machine, though.)

-edit-Link to edits from the jam-/edit-

[pljones]

Here's a another jam on Analogue Drums' Rock Stock.
20100709_0934_2243-pljones-manu-anon
Swinging but it is in need of a brush on the snare! Manu asked me not to play the snare and was right - the stick sound would have been wrong. But a brush would have been nice.  In addition to manu on p-bass, here we have anon using a wx-7 (if I remember correctly) wind controlled synth.

And some more of the same set.

[Orb Vroomer]

Pretty smooth plj.  All that space....ya hear every note.  Great job   

[pljones]

Thanks!

Oh, and here's just under a minute and a half from today.
20100710_0815-pljones-neimad (edit)
Rock Stock with a different snare (Mapex 14" x 8.5" Brass Master, I think).  This was the best 1m28 seconds out of a 7 minute jam - then I had to break off.  (Squeezing out the listen-able bits here..!)

[pljones]

Here's one I had to remix.  If you get problems with that link, it's on my SoundClick Music page in three parts (alex-DirtyDeed-pljones-hammondpl-bilos).

(For comparison, here's the auto-mixed version, more or less.)

The kit here is Analogue Drums Rock Stock with their Snare City Gretch snare.  Unfortunately, Analogue Drums appears to have disappeared.  Hopefully they can scrape together some cash to feed the meter and get the site back online.

The bass player is alex - I always enjoy jamming with him (assuming it's always the same person called alex...).  DirtyDeeds is one guitarist.  bilos is another guitarist.  And, uh, you guessed it, hammondpl is the organist, with even more distortion than the guitarists and hence mixed much lower.

[spottyscotty]

Here's one I had to remix.  If you get problems with that link, it's on my SoundClick Music page in three parts (alex-DirtyDeed-pljones-hammondpl-bilos).

Listening now ... at work ... very nice. Excellent when the gits and the ['I shot the sheriff'] organ join in.

Unfortunately, Analogue Drums appears to have disappeared. 

Noooooooooooo .......