Re: [ARSCLIST] Anti-virus on workstations?

[David Seubert <seubert@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I replied to Brandon off list, but I'll reply here too. I think the concept
of keeping a DAW isolated is an outdated one. In the days of slow
computers, we ran bare-bones systems and isolated our computers to avoid
dropped samples, bad burns etc. We even had a rule that no other programs
should be run while recording.

These days, computers are so much faster and network services so essential
that it is impossible for us to keep DAWs isolated from the network, which
usually means running some sort of antivirus software, unless you have a
Mac, where viruses are not really a problem. We still try to avoid updating
drivers unless we have to, and we are vigilant about avoiding potentially
damaging software like Kazaa or Realplayer (which are more like legally
distributed viruses anyway), but we don't have the problems of yore with
networked DAWs such as dropped samples.

Not that maintaining DAWs is trouble free, but it not the fault of the
antivirus software that I've been able to determine. It usually seems to be
conflicts between different audio programs that all interact differently
with drivers and have low level system processes that interfere with other
software. Here we don't have the luxury of separate computers for audio
work and for the work of printing labels, entering items in our databases
etc., but that would be an ideal situation.

If my DAWs were in a $100 an hour recording studio with demanding clients,
I wouldn't take chances with downtime and would probably follow Angie's
advice, but it is so essential that we have access to network services,
that we have our DAWs online just like other workstations.

David Seubert
UCSB

At 02:10 PM 7/29/2004 -0500, you wrote:
> Its been said for many years that anti-virus and DAWs don't mix.  You
> should not have anything running in the
> background on a DAW.  Especially something like an anti-virus that
> searches through your system at set periods.
> DAWs should not even be connected to the internet actually.  This is
> common practice in the pro audio world.
>
> Angie Dickinson
> Avocado Productions
> www.avocadoproductions.com
>
> ----------
> From:   Brandon Burke
> Sent:   Thursday, July 29, 2004 10:09 AM
> To:     ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject:        [ARSCLIST] Anti-virus on workstations?
>
> Good morning everyone,
>
> I'm writing to get handle on how many of you are using anti-virus software on
> your digital audio workstations?  If so, what has your experience been?  What
> software are you running?  Have you noticed any problems?  Have you heard from
> other people that have had problems using anti-virus on a DAW?
>
> Also, is there any published documentation available regarding the use of
> anti-virus on DAWs?
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Brandon Burke
>
>
>
> Brandon Burke
> Graduate Research Assistant
> Digital Library Services
> University of Texas at Austin
> Austin, TX
> phone: (512) 495-4439
> email: bburke@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
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