Problem: Logic Pro / Kontakt - Running and recording from separate computers

[aiamaj]

I hope I can explain my issues well enough to understand and I hope this is the right forum. If not, I apologize in advance. I've been searching around for ideas and/or answers to my problem and haven't really found much that explains my specific issue.
I am trying to record some of my own piano pieces through Logic Pro, but am having an issue with playability.

My main machine is a macbook pro (the latest aluminum unibody) with 4GB RAM. This is where I have Logic Pro running.

I purchased Sampletekk's White Grand samples to use through Kontakt since I was displeased with Apple's piano samples. I have a Yamaha YDP-140 that I am using to play through a matching Yamaha USB MIDI controller connected directly to the macbook.

When loading the white grand in Kontakt as a stand-alone (live) play, I get a lot of delay and missed notes. It acts as though my laptop isn't able to load them fast enough, especially when I have a lot of sustain. It's even worse when I try to play it through Logic by loading Kontakt through the plug-ins.

Ok, that is frustrating enough that my laptop isn't enough power to play the white grand samples.

So my idea was to build a dedicated and fairly beefy desktop PC that I can use to run the white grand through Kontakt. If I can build (or buy) a dual or quad core machine that has 4-8GB RAM, I hope that should be plenty to run the White Grand samples in stand-alone mode and get good playback.

However, I'd still like to use Logic on my macbook as my audio workstation. I'd also like to be able to use the symphony orchestra samples that I have purchased for Logic (Apple's Symphony Orchestra Jam Pack), which would need to be recorded with my digi-piano through MIDI connected to my macbook.

So...my dilema...How do I use my macbook to record the audio produced from the dedicated PC used for the White Grand? I was hoping for a pure digital solution to avoid as much noise as possible (I want a very clean recording), but in thinking through this, it appears I'll need to run the PC through a mixer that is connected to the macbook. I have a Peavey PV6USB mixer that I can use, but I've been hesitant to use this because it's just one more component that could potentially introduce noise into the recording. I also don't like the idea of going from digital to analog to digital (Kontakt PC->PVC6USB->Logic MacBook).

Finally, my question...given my components and desired results, what is your recommended setup for this?

Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!

 

[c7sus]

Use a digital output card in the PC, like a Lynx AES 16 or similar, and route that digital output into the macbook. But you'll need a hardware interface for the mac that will accept AES.

 

[aiamaj]

Thank you for your response. I did a little research on your suggestion with much excitment and well...I was a bit turned off by the price. $700 for the Lynx AES card + $60 for cables + ~$130 for an AES-to-Firewire box...all in addition to purchasing/building a new PC to support the White Grand samples. That is a bit too much for me, unfortunately. While this does seem to be the best solution for what I have described as my desired setup, can anyone suggest a different approach? How to get good performance and recording from 1 computer possibly? Any additional setups that could be just as good but not as much of a price shock?
Again, I do appreciate the response and I would definitely go with that approach if the cost was a bit lower. But alas...the budget is too tight for that kind of equipment.