Buying hubby a laptop for Christmas - NEED HELP PLEASE

Dragonflyluvr

New member
Hi!

My husband has been a musician for roughly 20 yrs now. It’s been my goal for years to set him up with a new laptop and recording program so can record his music as a 1 man band. He’s VERY specific about his sound (I’m sure everyone is) but he is to a flaw. He plays mostly metal and loves to tune down...he also dabbles in to some classic rock here and there and would probably like to have some synth or electronic add ons maybe? We tried setting him up years ago with pro tools and a desktop that was supposed to have all required RAM and whatnot but for whatever reason the program never loaded and he gave up :(. He NEEDS this in his life. I have about $800 to spend and have been looking at some laptop options. Mostly Dell windows 10. 8gb RAM and 1TB. I’m thibking that’s enough to start. Any input is really appreciated :) can I add some special external speakers maybe? He’ll be using his ax-fx with the laptop. Should I buy the new protools or is there another affordable program that’s better suited for him.

Thanks so much!!
 
Hi there,
I wouldn't recommend ProTools for a bunch of reasons (despite using it) but the main one is simply the cost.
If there's a chance that it'll be set aside and forgotten, that's a hell of an expense.

Put the money into hardware and suggest Reaper as the recording software.
It's pretty capable and free to use. If your conscious hurts you can pay a modest fee for it.

Monitor speakers, since you mentioned them, would be a much better place to put cash.
Something like JBL LSR 305 get good all round reviews but won't hurt the wallet too much.
If it all goes south, at least they have resale value. :)

Hope that's helpful.
 
The JBL LSR305s showed on sale somewhere today (Musicians Friend? Guitar Center?) for $99 each. Is the Axe-FX usable as an audio interface?

The 8G/iT laptop should be fine.
 
The great news, he has a wonderful wife that supports his endeavors and wants to buy him a great gift that suits him perfectly. The bad news, unless he has done his own research and told you exactly what he wants you could spend your money and miss the mark. That being said I will put in my 2 cents. First although a lot of people use them successfully I am not a fan of laptops for my main recording station. There are many reasons not to by a laptop and really only two {portability, and foot print} to buy one. If portability is an issue the the laptop is the way to go. Dell XPS computers are decent, I use an XPS tower and I think they make some laptops that are comparable spec wise. They should work. I did upgrade my sound card and added an additional hard drive but I think it would have been okay without them. Reaper is a good program and has worked well for me. Whichever way you go if he is new to the recording aspect he will spend a fair amount of time learning how to record and mix. More people than will admit spend more of their time engineering their own sessions and working out bugs in their systems than they do playing and creating new music. Having the ability to record your own music brings many advantages but usually not without some headaches. There are many people on this forum that use laptops, hopefully they will chime in with information that will be more helpful Best of luck.
 
I have two laptops and a Dell xps tower all running pro tools 12* and I agree protools may be too much for your purpose. I use my laptops only for location recording or recording practices/jam sessions and I limit track count etc. The biggest problem with using a laptop is the single hard drive that almost all budget laptops have, I use a 500 gb solid state drive in one and the fastest 750gb spinner I could find in the other. I fried a 5400 rpm spinner trying to use it for recording-its just to much work. I would recommend something with a decent size ssd drive then look at any of the two channel interface packages available on sale all over right now as all of them come with "LE" or "Light" versions of various recording software (DAW) that can get anyone started quickly. Once started then he will have something basic to use while trying "trial" versions of different recording software as almost all of them are available as free sometimes limited use downloads. Its pretty impossible to predict what each person will find works for them.as has been mentioned Reaper is very popular and one of the best things about it is the website has video links to teach how to do everything
 
DRAGONFLY!! Whatever else you do get him the $149 MAGIX software Samplitude Pro X 3. The recording part itself is normally 4 x that and there are loads of extras.

YOU ONLY HAVE THE REST OF TODAY!!! I shall now go and find the link if anyone has it handier, BUTT IN!

(then I shall come back and read the rest of the post) Samplitude ProX 3 Suite + Extras - $149 for only a few days!

Dave.
 
Ok, I have had a look, yes, that laptop should be fine. I am typing on a 6yr old HP i3 g6 and that has handle 20 tracks of Cubase no sweat.

I know nothing of the AXeFX save I know OF it, will find out more. It might well be an 'interface' but it might not have low enough latency for your husbands needs, as someone else said, it is virtually impossible to give advice to a third party once removed!

Monitor speakers? Yes but if he is into H Metal I bet he has a serious hi fi setup? That can be used.

Dave.
 
Fractal Audio Axe-FX Ultra |

That unit gets a good review but it not an interface in the usual sense. It has an A/D, D/A converter in it but only interfaces via 'S/PDIF' RCA connectors. This means it must connect to another interface so equipped and unfortunately, S/PDIF is not as common on interfaces as it once was. Neither is MIDI and the AXFX is well equipped there and it would be a pity not to be able to use it.

A decent AI at $100 or so is the Alesis i02 Express and that has S/PDIF and MIDI. My top reccy would be the Native Instruments KA6 but thick end of $300.

Dave.
 
I have two laptops and a Dell xps tower all running pro tools 12* and I agree protools may be too much for your purpose. I use my laptops only for location recording or recording practices/jam sessions and I limit track count etc. The biggest problem with using a laptop is the single hard drive that almost all budget laptops have, I use a 500 gb solid state drive in one and the fastest 750gb spinner I could find in the other. I fried a 5400 rpm spinner trying to use it for recording-its just to much work. I would recommend something with a decent size ssd drive then look at any of the two channel interface packages available on sale all over right now as all of them come with "LE" or "Light" versions of various recording software (DAW) that can get anyone started quickly. Once started then he will have something basic to use while trying "trial" versions of different recording software as almost all of them are available as free sometimes limited use downloads. Its pretty impossible to predict what each person will find works for them.as has been mentioned Reaper is very popular and one of the best things about it is the website has video links to teach how to do everything

Thank you for your input!!!! ?
 
DRAGONFLY!! Whatever else you do get him the $149 MAGIX software Samplitude Pro X 3. The recording part itself is normally 4 x that and there are loads of extras.

YOU ONLY HAVE THE REST OF TODAY!!! I shall now go and find the link if anyone has it handier, BUTT IN!

(then I shall come back and read the rest of the post) Samplitude ProX 3 Suite + Extras - $149 for only a few days!

Dave.


Hold that thought...I respect the fact that Dave (EC833) is enthusiastic about samplitude but I have to jump in and say my vote is for Reaper which as Steen mentioned is totally free to use uncrippled forever if you so choose not to pay for it and at $60 "not on sale" if you feel like supporting the cause it is a freekin steal...Rather than me ( who has never used samplitude) try and argue the reasons Reaper is a superior choice for the recording software side of the home DAW HERE's a link to several Reaper converts from Samplitude saying why they switched to Reaper ...pretty compelling....conversely there are people who say Samplitude "sounds better" or has some features lacking in Reaper.....
 
Hold that thought...I respect the fact that Dave (EC833) is enthusiastic about samplitude but I have to jump in and say my vote is for Reaper which as Steen mentioned is totally free to use uncrippled forever if you so choose not to pay for it and at $60 "not on sale" if you feel like supporting the cause it is a freekin steal...Rather than me ( who has never used samplitude) try and argue the reasons Reaper is a superior choice for the recording software side of the home DAW HERE's a link to several Reaper converts from Samplitude saying why they switched to Reaper ...pretty compelling....conversely there are people who say Samplitude "sounds better" or has some features lacking in Reaper.....

Why not get both? I have had both for several years and paid for Reaper (agree, it IS steal and a no-brainer to at least try) . The only timeI fire Reaper up is to help a noob here! Then it takes me a while to sort it and so I almost always wait for a Reapophile to come in.

I cannot comment on the facilities in Reaper, it is vast I know but Sam has Spectral Layers, Celodyne and you get Sound Forge. Really, to get TWO such fantastic pieces of audio software for around $200 is just to good to miss.

Yes, I 'grew up' (son in reality) with Samplitude from way back with a £9.99 version of MAGIX Music Studio (98se version so a bit clunky on XP!) so other DAWS seem 'difficult' by comparison but I have Cubase Ell 6, never use, Sonar Ess X1, never EVER use. Adobe Audition 1.5, handy sometimes and of course Audacity, used like Reaper, only for the edification of noobs!

There is no downside to multiple DAWs. Just like to add (Joe deficiency here!) The demo of Sampitudes(s) are not "crippled". They are fully working 30day trials. In fact Sam Pro X Silver is totally free and not crippled, just limited to 8 tracks. I have never found a better MP3 (and other formats) encoder than Sams.

Dave.
 
Though I think it is awesome that Dragonflyluvr went so far as to come here and educate herself on a recording setup, in thinking this through, I think the best advice we can give her is that she leaves the selection process up to her husband. We all know how goofy the buying process is and all the kool aid, shiny objects , specifications and data that gets dumped down our throats in the selection process. It's the kind of a thing you want to do on your own. I know I would not my wife choosing my DAW hardware or software.

Here's my suggestion... Go find picture of a DAW system like the one below. print it out and put it in an envelope with the $800. Get a nice size box, put the envelope in it and fill the box with some heavy stuff so it has some weight...Merry Christmas you lucky bastard! Good Luck Dragonflyluvr!

Mery Christmas.jpg
 
Excellent idea TAE but maybe the Anaxophile's husband would not spend the money on a DAW?

In anycase and "I know you think I would say this anyway...!" but, Samplitude IS really easy to get started with. You get suggestions for 'arrangements' at start up and even if you pick the wrong one it still records. Sam has one of the best meters I have seen in any DAW (even in the bog S Silver and I bet Prox3 covers ALL the bases? Luffs and all that swaddling) .

Samplitude is also one of the least 'fussy' DAWs I have used. You can leave it recording (R3 v often for me) and bugger off on the web di-dah and an hour later it will not have missed a trick. Try that with Cubase? BSOD!

Dave.
 
Excellent idea TAE but maybe the Anaxophile's husband would not spend the money on a DAW?

I was actually thinking $800 is tight for a DAW budget and the lucky husband would then have the option of upping the ante a little bit to get what he really wanted...errr "needs" :o

On Samplitude we have a long time member here who has been intimately involved in Reapers progression and ongoing development "Pipelineaudio" ....though I haven't seen him here in a while.....He openly admits to certain things they really liked in Samplitude and emulated in Reaper. He also is very passionate about and emphatic on the proven scientific fact that all DAWs null the same....In the gearslutz thread I posted above on the 2nd and 3rd pages he gets into it with someone who clearly does not know who he is arguing with.....

Here's a snippet of what he said...
Pipelineaudio said:
But it has been done, over and over for more than a decade, confirming what the creators of these DAWs knew when they made them: They all sound the same. Its not an analogy, the idea that they would sound different is like saying 2+2 on an android calculator will come out different than 2+2 on an IOS calculator

Various DAW softwares have different little features and add-ons ...one may feel that one is more "intuitive" than another and that's just personal preferences subjective to that persons perspective and opinion. The myth that one DAW makes a recording sound better using identical interfaces and computer set ups has been proven over and over again to not be based upon scientific fact.
 
I think you have misunderstood me TAE? I did not for one moment suggest that DAWs sound differently! (them as knows me here will tell you I am a cynical old illegitimate and would cheerfully strangle Russ Andrews with one of his $1000 'interconnects!)

My point re Samplitude was that it is easy IMHO to get started with, unlike say, Cubase where you have to setup all those bloody 'busses'! Sonar/Cakewalk is total pain IIRC JUST to get a VSTi to speak!

Yes, I agree, we tend to push what we are familiar with but I will defend Samplitude for easy INITIAL working pretty objectively.

Dave.
 
As a computer tech who does some live recording....I'll stick in my experience...

I record 8 tracks...pulling from the direct outs of the mixing board....that goes into Reaper...the laptop is a Lenovo T500...
8 Gb RAM and 500 Gb hard drive...Core 2 Duo...the laptop was about 6-7 years old....Windows 7...
I have ZERO issues with the system...it does the job very well...I record about 2-3 gigs a month with this system...

One of the other guys brought up a point...Laptop or Desktop...unless he needs the portability...get the desktop...
You have MANY more options to upgrade...or change some components of the system...

What do you have for suppliers near where you live...???....Best Buy...I really don't consider them a good supplier...Fry's...excellent choice...lots of things to choose from...and you can get good advice from the salespeople...Micro Center...smaller operation....BUT this is who I use...and between me and my clients we buy about 30 computers a year...they have a service where you use it for two weeks...if you don;'t like it you return it no questions asked...got something different or get a refund...I don;t think Best Buy does this....

Brands...here are my choices in order....Laptops, Lenovo...Dell...HP......Desktops, Powerspec (this is Micro Centers house brand...very good units)...Dell...HP...
Now...with Windows 10...if you have a choice get Win 10 PRO rather than home...there is no real advantage to the pro other than future expandability...easier to
interface with other computers on a network...

HP and Dell...to a lesser extent...both install junk programs on their comptuers...stuff you don;t need and tends to bring in advertising...can track you on the internet...you can uninstall these programs...anything that runs in the background can degrade performance a bit...

Windows 10 includes a lot of...I forget what Microsoft calls it....I call it spyware...additional programs and services that can be uninstalled or turned off as all
these additional services use up memory and degrade performance a bit...When setting up the computer for the first time...Google around to find out which services you can turn off and how to do it....

If he does not like the start menu...little "clunky" in my opinion...google for "classic shell"...download and install it and you will have a start menu very much like
Window 7...

In terms of specifications...look for an i5 cpu...there are a number of "levels" of performance with the i5...they will be listed as i5-7500....i5-8400 etc
generally speaking the higher the number...the faster the performance...within limits...and the more cost...You do NOT need an i7...you don;t really gain any speed
and they run about $200 more than comparable i5's...

8Gb of RAM...On a desktop adding RAM is easy and pretty cheap...on a laptop adding more RAM is not quite as easy and more expensive...

Hard drive...1 TB hard drive will get you PLENTY of space....

AND...plan on getting a external USB hard drive and do backups...

That's about it....if you would like to ask questions....PM me...

Good luck...!!!
 
Steve, you have not said what interface you use to get 8 tracks into the Lenovo?

Otherwise, good stuff. I am looking at a refurbed laptop for my son who will be visiting from France next week. I have found an i5 Lenovo that looks likely at around £270. (sorry for the slight hijack Ms Dragonfly!)

Dave.
 
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