So do you need to include a graphics card when building a powerful music production computer? One for running large orchestral sample libraries with several plug-in effects happening on a digital audio workstation (DAW)?
The short answer is that it’s not an absolute necessity to have a GPU for your music production computer, especially if you’ll be using your computer for lighter tasks, such as concert music writing, or guitar rock songwriting or the like. But if you’re doing professional music production for multi-media, and using tons of sample library tracks and plug-ins, a GPU does help keep your workflow efficient. It allows you to have multiple monitors for your DAW & plug-ins, and it can keep the compute burden from such monitors local, so your CPU, RAM and motherboard aren’t burdened by graphics processing.
Reasons for getting a GPU for your music production computer
Offloading processing burden
Modern DAW’s running dozens of plug-ins on a modern music production computer, especially ones running large orchestral sample libraries, or the equivalent, are CPU and RAM intensive. Indeed it’s not unheard of to even get dedicated PCI cards that hold several SSD’s for faster read speeds, for the purpose of efficiently streaming these orchestral samples.
So the first reason to get a dedicated GPU for your music production computer is to offload any graphics processing away from your motherboard and main processor, so that they can exclusively handle music production related tasks.
Using multiple monitors
For those with tight schedules in music production, using multiple monitors with your DAW is a tool for efficiency. You can have your main DAW view, with the sequencer and track stems on your front monitor, and have plug-ins pulled up on a secondary monitor to the side, etc. Basically no window is hiding behind another on your monitors, so there is no need to hunt around for the window you’re looking for in the moment.
This is where a GPU can be helpful. Not only can it come with multiple ports for multiple monitors, but again, it will use its internal RAM to keep everything on your monitors going so as not to burden your main system, allowing it to stay focused on music processing tasks.
Music for video
These days, when writing music for a movie or show, your computer is powerful enough to have the entire movie in your DAW. But you can imagine the graphics/processing related strain, on your PC, of having a movie going alongside your normal DAW functions.
I loaded up a period drama clip in my old DAW computer the other day, just to score it for a YouTube video I’ll be making about using a chamber ensemble to score movies. Here is the companion article I’ve already written, giving pointers on using a small set of players for scoring (click the link to go to the article).
I’m not going to lie, even when using a movie program (Shot Cut) to reduce the size of the clip down significantly, just having the movie playing on screen caused a significant lag in my DAW graphics. Something as simple as making a note on the piano roll shorter or longer, via my mouse, felt lagged and overburdened.
Hence I’m in the middle of building a new computer, mostly for re-recording my concert music mock-ups for hyper-realism, but perhaps for the extra benefit of being able to efficiently score video clips as well. See my article, Best Computer for Orchestral Composing, for more on that.
So if you’re scoring to picture regularly, you might seriously consider a GPU, not only to be able to have the movie on one monitor, and your DAW on another, etc., but just to make things run smoother.
Plug-ins are starting to use GPUs
Some audio plug-ins, like those from GPU Audio, and something in the works with Vienna Symphonic Library, are being developed to run on your GPU to reduce the compute burden on your CPU, basically making your system even more powerful.
Reasons not to get a GPU for your music production computer
Concert music writing
It’s not necessary to have a GPU for your music production computer to write and produce well crafted music. I’ve written three symphonies, other orchestral pieces, lots of chamber music, and back in the old days, even a few small movie scores. Some of these pieces have won compositional awards. I’ve never had a dedicated GPU for any of my computers to run my DAW (I use Digital Performer).
Mind you, my set up wasn’t the best for scoring to picture, as stated above, but it was perfectly fine for writing concert music.
Energy efficiency
GPU’s will add power usage to your computer. So if you’re like me, and will sit at your DAW all day for days or weeks at a time, when working on a project, you could be burning cash that could be going towards a new reverb plug-in or the like! Especially if you’re in a place with expensive electricity, like California, or some European Union countries.
When GPU’s are working at full steam, they can be pulling anywhere from 50 to 350W. These are gaming numbers with intense graphics being generated at quick frame rates. Obviously music production likely won’t get near this level of power consumption. But say you have a movie playing along with your DAW and you’re using two or three monitors. It’s perfectly conceivable that the power draw could be half or more what an intense game could pull.
Let’s say you worked 10 hours a day in that scenario and the average wattage increase from having a GPU was 150W. For summertime rates in my area of California, where power is up to 30 cents per kWh, we’re talking an extra 45 cents per day, or an extra 10 bucks per month, assuming you’re working 6 days per week.
Again you may be already locked into that scenario because your job is music production for visual media. But if you’re just writing concert music then you might be able to save a few dollars by not having a GPU (or going for one that’s not a power hungry machine).
Quietness
A GPU will not only be drawing more power, but part of that power will be converted to waste heat, meaning your fans will be going more often and at higher rotation rates.
Personally, I just hear the tunes in my head, and often have a space heater running next to me, or a TV playing news shows, while I’m working at my DAW. So I don’t mind noise while entering ideas into my sequencer. But this can be annoying when trying to do a final mix of your music. Or trying to get a good mix off the bat.
Again, if you’re going for as final a product as you can get, while in the idea entry phase of your work, due to the need for quick turnaround, i.e. all movie and show music production, then maybe you want things as quiet as possible as you work. Now, as I’ve already discussed, maybe not having a GPU is not an option for you, but purchasing one that’s not as power hungry might be a good move.
Next Up
Thanks for checking out my article, Do You Need a Graphics Card for a Music Production Computer? Next check out my blog for more music production related articles involving classical music and orchestral sample libraries. Or take a look below for suggested articles…