So, my first PowerMac G4 machine, the 800MHz SP QuickSilver, is going to be my next project.
I always loved the G4 and G3 Mac designs, and the QuickSilver is no exception. I also love PowerPC hardware, it really has its own characteristic, even if they aren't supported anymore.
Now, my vintage computer collecting is just for fun, but I really want to use my collection as well, instead of it collecting dust on a shelve. I was thinking about photo editing, but since I'll be getting a MDD tomorrow that most likely has more processing power, I scrapped the idea and will see if I can get the MDD up for that task. That left me thinking for a bit, but then I got it: This will be my audio editing PC.
-The task: Audio editing
I edit audio for videos, livestream radio broadcasts (prerecorded shows and little jingles), and audio capturing from physical formats (tape and vinyl). Such tasks do not require massive processing power, and I'm pretty sure the QuickSilver will do it just fine. The software of choice would be a mix of Audacity and Garageband. Audacity recently quit PPC support, but Audacity's current version suits my needs and then some, for many years to come. It can export to 192KHz/24-bit lossless at most, which is more than plenty. The old version of Garageband is still plenty useful as well.
-Hardware upgrades
Since I plan to upgrade the MDD's GPU to a Radeon 9600 or 9800, the QS will receive the MDD's GPU if it's a 64MB card. It's still better than the QS' 32MB card, which is kind of sluggish under Leopard, which is the OS I want to run. It'll receive a SATA card and most likely will get a 500GB or even 1TB drive, whatever I can get my hands on. It will not need much space, as most audio will be offloaded to my music drive which is external. Still, being able to archive some of the audio on the QS' hard drive would be nice. RAM is currently at 1.25GB (2x 1GB 1x 256MB), which will probably see a small upgrade to max out the RAM, as soon as I find a 512MB PC133 stick for cheap, like at the thrift. It has no priority. Most importantly is the audio part. It will need a sound card, specifically one that has 24-bit recording capabilities. Just for editing and archiving sake, I want to be able to capture vinyl, tape, and microphone recordings in 24-bit/96KHz. I might get a soundcard, I might get an entire module, whatever comes along the way most affordable.
-Case restoration and repairs
The case has some scratching and scuffs, as seen in these pictures (not the front though), but I think I can camouflage it at the least by giving it a good polish job. I will also remove the handles in order to clean out the nicotine dust stuck behind them. The rest of the case will also be cleaned out. I will need to replace the big 120mm case fan, as it had a cracked fanblade. I might also look for more silent fans to replace the others, because I don't want it to be audible on microphone recordings. Quite silent would be good enough, I suppose.
I can't wait to use it for this feature, along with the MDD for photo editing!
I always loved the G4 and G3 Mac designs, and the QuickSilver is no exception. I also love PowerPC hardware, it really has its own characteristic, even if they aren't supported anymore.
Now, my vintage computer collecting is just for fun, but I really want to use my collection as well, instead of it collecting dust on a shelve. I was thinking about photo editing, but since I'll be getting a MDD tomorrow that most likely has more processing power, I scrapped the idea and will see if I can get the MDD up for that task. That left me thinking for a bit, but then I got it: This will be my audio editing PC.
-The task: Audio editing
I edit audio for videos, livestream radio broadcasts (prerecorded shows and little jingles), and audio capturing from physical formats (tape and vinyl). Such tasks do not require massive processing power, and I'm pretty sure the QuickSilver will do it just fine. The software of choice would be a mix of Audacity and Garageband. Audacity recently quit PPC support, but Audacity's current version suits my needs and then some, for many years to come. It can export to 192KHz/24-bit lossless at most, which is more than plenty. The old version of Garageband is still plenty useful as well.
-Hardware upgrades
Since I plan to upgrade the MDD's GPU to a Radeon 9600 or 9800, the QS will receive the MDD's GPU if it's a 64MB card. It's still better than the QS' 32MB card, which is kind of sluggish under Leopard, which is the OS I want to run. It'll receive a SATA card and most likely will get a 500GB or even 1TB drive, whatever I can get my hands on. It will not need much space, as most audio will be offloaded to my music drive which is external. Still, being able to archive some of the audio on the QS' hard drive would be nice. RAM is currently at 1.25GB (2x 1GB 1x 256MB), which will probably see a small upgrade to max out the RAM, as soon as I find a 512MB PC133 stick for cheap, like at the thrift. It has no priority. Most importantly is the audio part. It will need a sound card, specifically one that has 24-bit recording capabilities. Just for editing and archiving sake, I want to be able to capture vinyl, tape, and microphone recordings in 24-bit/96KHz. I might get a soundcard, I might get an entire module, whatever comes along the way most affordable.
-Case restoration and repairs
The case has some scratching and scuffs, as seen in these pictures (not the front though), but I think I can camouflage it at the least by giving it a good polish job. I will also remove the handles in order to clean out the nicotine dust stuck behind them. The rest of the case will also be cleaned out. I will need to replace the big 120mm case fan, as it had a cracked fanblade. I might also look for more silent fans to replace the others, because I don't want it to be audible on microphone recordings. Quite silent would be good enough, I suppose.
I can't wait to use it for this feature, along with the MDD for photo editing!
