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Digital Music Expert Erik Hawkins Uses AMD Athlon™ XP Processor-Based Systems To Enhance Creativity

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Erik Hawkins

January 28, 2003

"An AMD Athlon™ XP processor-based system is a great choice for music professionals and enthusiasts. - Erik Hawkins"

Through his work, music producer Erik Hawkins is exposed to many hardware and software choices, which shapes his personal choices. For his work in the studio and on stage, Hawkins has chosen an AMD Athlon™ XP processor-based system.

Hawkins is also the author of Studio-in-a-Box, a book on the evolution of the PC into a powerful musical tool that can produce studio-quality music without requiring a room full of expensive hardware.

“My goal was to educate consumers and give them the tools to make wise purchases,” Hawkins said. “I was reviewing audio interfaces and audio processing cards and had the opportunity test an AMD Athlon XP processor-based machine. We really put that computer through its paces and it passed with flying colors. It really screamed, running as smoothly as anything I’ve used.”

The evolution of the PC, from a simple sequencer that controlled external sound modules, to a powerful music composition ally capable of replacing what used to be an entire studio full of equipment, opens the door to new musical creativity.

“With the right computer, such as one powered by an AMD Athlon XP processor, practically everything you need to make music can be combined in a single machine - synthesizers, drums, sample loops, vocal and guitar tracks,” Hawkins said. “You can add effects like echo, delay and reverb or create effects no one has heard before. All this performance enables the end user to be creative in a way that was never before possible.”

Microprocessor performance is critical to producing professional-sounding music on a PC, according to Hawkins. The processor allocates tasks, which can affect the timing of the digital audio signals and introduce delays that can cause music tracks to sound too slow or too fast.

“For example, all tracks in a multi-track recording session must play back precisely, relative to one another,” he said. “A single millisecond delay of one note can dramatically alter the musicality of a performance. I have encountered no such timing problems with AMD Athlon XP processors.”

Hawkins also considers the AMD Athlon XP processor-based systems to be a great value. “I find that the AMD Athlon XP processor-based system is very reliable and stable—and the price-to-performance advantage with AMD processors is significant,” he said.

Hawkins, a self described “gear-head,” has created the ideal venue for his personality: playing live music and remixes at venues throughout California, on the Web at www.muzicali.com and providing product demonstrations at trade shows using music software programs and several computers.

“I have an AMD Athlon XP processor-based computer that is synchronized with several other computers and sound modules,” he said. “I generate synthetic sounds and play back samples, all in real-time, on the fly. Producers have been doing this in the studio for years. The difference is that we’re doing it live on stage.”

“A few years ago, I would not have risked doing something like this on stage,” said Hawkins. “If my computer crashed in the middle of a performance, I’d be in big trouble. But with AMD Athlon XP processor-based systems, I don’t have much to worry about anymore.”

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