Desktop vs Laptop

T

Tonyjava

New member
I am just now starting to gain an interest in the PC recording thing and I needed to get a convinient PC with outstanding performance to support the equipment and the software decently. Will getting a laptop, as opposed to a desktop , limit me in any way when i start recording and all..... i definately like the laptop for the convinience of portability but at the time i am not going to compromise on quality and performance. please help and advise

any response is appreciated

n'harmony
Tone
 
Laptops are certainly powerful enough to do recording on, but your limitation will be in the most important component - the soundcard.

Without the expandablity of desktop machines, you would be limited to a USB device, maybe something like:

http://www.midiman.com/products/m-audio/duo.php

Performance-wise a properly configured desktop will blow away a notebook for recording - this may or may not matter, all depends how demanding your recording projects are - plugins, track count, speed of processing signals etc etc.
 
thx

hey emeric

thx for the site yu sent me, it sure is useful for what i wanted to know . i will look into everything and weigh my options
tone
 
I record on a laptop, so maybe I can offer some insight.

Without the expandablity of desktop machines, you would be limited to a USB device, maybe something like:

http://www.midiman.com/products/m-audio/duo.php
Click to expand...

I would recommend staying away from USB devices, just because it is the most limited connection to your PC. There are other options though: Firewire (such as the MOTU 828/896) and PCMCIA (Echo Mona/Layla, RME Hammerfall). It is true that there are a greater variety of devices available for PCI, but there are fine options that work for your laptop. I am quite happy with the Echo laptop devices.

Performance-wise a properly configured desktop will blow away a notebook for recording
Click to expand...

I have to respectfully disagree with this statement. I don't see anything lacking in a carefully configured laptop that you can get in a desktop PC.

The primary disadvantage of a laptop is expandability: not only will the laptop cost more than a comparable desktop up front, but as you expand it, it will cost more as well. I found out shortly after getting involved in recording that extra hard drive space is vital, and an external firewire hard drive is both more expensive and more of a hassle than an internal drive for a desktop. Same goes for memory or most any other item you might want to add in the future, assuming you even can add it to the laptop.

If portability is of value to you, don't be worried about your laptop's ability to do the job -- I've never had a problem working with up to 16 tracks simultaneously on mine. If it really isn't necessary though, a desktop will be more cost effective and allow a wider range of sound cards to choose from.

Oh, and there is one other disadvantage to laptops that too few people consider: I've never known anyone to have a desktop PC stolen, but I know at least 5 people personally that have had laptops stolen. After experiencing that kick in the balls once myself, I'd stay miles away from owning a laptop if portability wasn't necessary for me.
 
HEy

Crazy monkey----I have an issue. In order to take advantage of a tax write off I may have to purchase a cpu by the years end. I am interested in the realities of a laptop based recording set up. AS I have only been using my br-532 I have limited experience with cpu multitrack software(ie. my old cpu couldn't run the programs too well.) Could you provide me with a website that would show exactly what is required?

Thx--monkeys are cool
 
Crzymnky , thx for that response . that was detailed . i personally know some one who is living with that kick in the balls too. Not that i am saying anything abt the laptop performance , but i think the desktop will be better for wider expansion at a fair cost .

thx guys
Tone
 
Here is another happy laptop engineer...

...but I'll also say that a desktop will give you far more bang for buck. I love (and need) the portability of the laptop, but upgrade options are limited and expensive.

I'd only go with the laptop if you need the portability. I use mine for other business stuff, but I tell ya- messing around with your mixes while driving across the country or staying in a hotel is pretty fun. :D

Take care,
Chris
 
thx

By now i have no doubt in my mind that i will settle for a desktop , i hate to compromise quality and high performance over portability , beside i am really most likely going to be in one place. .....but thanks for the word chris ....and everyone else .... u the man!
tone
 
Re: HEy

gartulan said:
Could you provide me with a website that would show exactly what is required?
Click to expand...

Ummmm...you'd have to check the requirements of whatever hardware and software you plan to use. For example, if you wanted to use an Echo Layla Laptop with Cool Edit Pro, you'd have to look at the hardware requirements for the Layla found in the manual, available for download from http://www.echoaudio.com, and for the CEP you'd look at http://www.syntrillium.com/cep/requirements.html.

I particularly like the requirements for CEP -- it says I need 55MB of disk space. Haha! :)
 
seems like ur mind is made up. Also wanted to add my $.02.

I use both a laptop and PC. Laptop 80% of the time, PC for video and complex mixes.

This has to do at first with logistics. I travel a fair bit and the PC is in the Kitchen, not always a good place to track (sometimes it sounds great though). I have been using the PC lately alot for video stuff. Nothing special. Dell piii 700 384 ram 2 hds. I notice quality plug ins are no problem at all and HD meter staying below 10%. Very smooth.

My laptop usually can handle 20-40 tracks with about 10 plug-ins, though a spectral analyzer plug i use KILLS it. I have recorded up to 8 tracks simultaneously (haven't tried more). The HD meter is usually between 40-60%. Gets pretty high. An external hd would probably be wise.


Lastly -- a twist on portability. Usually people talk about travel, remote recording etc. . I use it too like this, but I often utilize it more in a home seeting. Meaning, I can set up shop for tracking anywhere in the apartment (or house when I move!). This is great when you want to track in rooms of different characteristics. Bathroom, large living rooms, dead closets, etc. Or if I want to mix/edit and others in the apt are home, I can do that. This has been invaluable and seems great for a home setup.

When I move in a few months, I will probably pony up for a dedicated pc, since hopefully I will have dedicated space. I will probably use it for running virtual synths/samplers, and doing heavy editing/mixing, video, etc. But the laptop will still be used alot for tracking, and mixing on the road.
 
Regarding the debate of Laptop vs Desktop performance - well , this IS a difference, but that difference may not matter to you.

Laptops typically have pretty wimpy video display chips, but that doesn't really matter unless you are playing 3D games. Of more significance is hard drive spped. The typical laptop uses an internal drive with a 5200 rpm speed operating through an on-board PCI compatible ATA-66 bus. A newer desktop can be easily fitted with a 120 gig IDE drive operating at ATA-100 at 7200 rpm. Still, the laptop hard drive is probably more than fast enough to handle 16 tracks, so if that's all you need to do it may not matter.


Laptop = portability

Desktop = cheaper, more flexable, more expandable, potentially more powerfull.

Only you can decide if the portability factor is worth it to you.
 
Typical laptop hd speeds are only 4200? rpm, only now are some laptops being offered with 'high performance' 5400 drives. When 5400 becomes standard-a laptop may be adequate for complex 24-44.1 stuff.

-Jett
 
ive been using ata100/7200rpm in my computer for a couple years now, i wouldn't go back to 5400 cause it makes a big difference, but with a laptop i guess you don't have a choice. I hear they're coming out with 10000rpm IDE drives soon, or maybe they already do have them. SCSI is too expensive for me.
 
my dell inspiron 8100 is a 1.2ghz with a 5400rpm Ultra-ATA HD, and 512mb RAM. I have no problem playing back a 16-track project in Sonar with all the necessary real time plug-ins.

I use the Tascam 428 USB. I almost bought the VxPocket because it is PCMCIA which is faster than USB1. I initially had the M-audio duo, but it didn't work well for me.

I ultimately decided on the 428 because of the control interface. It gives me the ability to record up to 4 tracks simultaneously and use real knobs to mix.

the argument about USB capablities is a moot point unless you are recording more than 4 tracks simultaneously since most people only monitor the mix out of a stereo pair rather than sending each instrument through its own output or submix.

even if you've got 16 tracks going out of the mains you've still be able to record 4 more simultaneous tracks because as far as your sound card is concerned, you are still only pushing 4in/2out.

Hence, unless you are recording more than 4 simultaneous tracks while playing back a bunch of tracks through individual outputs USB is not a concern.

this is not speculation, or white paper discussion, this is actual use.
 
Hard drive speed IS an issue with most laptops. Until recently, most laptop drives were indeed 4200. When I finally got a notebook with a 5400 drive I was in heaven.

Then I had another jump in performance with an external firewire 7200 rpm drive. Its a good idea to have your audio on a different drive than your system, anyway, so the performance increase was really noticeable.

And just to be stupid, I now play back my audio from a fast server over the network. Believe it or not, it works really well! Where I work and live we have a 280 gig RAID server that is mostly empty. I'm the tech guy here so...

Why not? :D

I haven't tried recording to it yet. I suspect that will get a little hairy, especially as the track counts increase.

Take care,
Chris
 
Just think about it. Anytime you cram all the hardware from a PC into a laptop something will be missing. Remeber those combo tv/vcr's - THEY SUCKED!! The laptop is a great application tool and thats it. I would strongly suggest for recording digital a stand alone PC sytem- they are cheaper and you get more bang for your buck!
 
Gee g... I think you missed one thing here... Those video/vcr combo's were essentially budget sets. Handy 2 in one systems for people that couldn't afford a BIG tv... A laptop is NOT a budget application, but a market on it's own. Every component in a laptop is designed for that purpose... I recently got a laptop, and although I haven't been recording fully on this, it's working out just as well as any other pc I've ever worked with. And as a former software engineer, that's ALOT of PC's...

A desktop pc is no more or less of an application tool than a laptop. Trust me on this, I'm smart.

As for the other points in the discussion. A laptop IS more expensive. If you don't need the portability, you don't need a laptop. If you'll just use the laptop to go out in the field and record demo's, you gotta consider this too: you're dragging along LOADS of mics, stands, pre's, a mixer, headphones, ... Is it worth the extra cost for the laptop or could you just as well take along that screen, keyboard and mouse too?

With a laptop, you'll be carrying along your extra harddrive, your mouse, and your audio interface too. The portability only comes in handy when doing like stereorecordings, or just overdubs on location, stuff like that. Or if you're living in more than one place. (I'm a student, and spent half my time with my parents/piano :) )
 
Chris Shaeffer said:


And just to be stupid, I now play back my audio from a fast server over the network. Believe it or not, it works really well! Where I work and live we have a 280 gig RAID server that is mostly empty. I'm the tech guy here so...

Why not? :D

I haven't tried recording to it yet. I suspect that will get a little hairy, especially as the track counts increase.

Take care,
Chris
Click to expand...

Actually, if you were to use Gigabit Ethernet, it would be faster than firewire, so it should be possible, even when you factor in the overhead caused by going over the network and through the server's NIC.

I've always wanted to try it. Hey, I am a geek, what can I say?

But I haven't seen a GB adapter for notebooks yet.

Linksys just came out with a more affordable GB switch, which is cool.
 
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