I'm planning to record classical piano (probably just two tracks), and I'm thinking about using my laptop (Win 98SE, 128M RAM, 10G HD) as the recorder. I actually just inherited this laptop; I'm much more familiar with desktop PCs. Anyway, I have three questions:
1. Is a PCMCIA card like a PCI card? In other words, is the VXPocket a way around the configuration and latency problems that may pop up with USB interfaces like Quattro, Duo, Extigy, Tascam US 428, etc? Yes, MOTU and FireWire are alternatives, but they're pricey; I don't have Firewire inputs on my laptop (or PC). Is there any downside to the VXPocket?
2. If I come in to the soundcard with a SPDIF (digital) signal, does it matter whether the sound card is a fancy VXPocket or a lowly SB Extigy? I understand that the Extigy has less competent A/D converters and noisier analog inputs, but aren't its SPDIF inputs just as good as a VXpocket's or Quattro's or whatever?
3. I worry that I'll spend $500 on something like the VX pocket, only to buy a stand-alone hard disk recorder three years from now, when my laptop's hardware will seem lame. (On the other hand, I love editing waveforms on my desktop PC; unfortunately, the PC is two floors up from the piano.) Is a laptop a bad idea if one intends to record long-term?
Thanks!
1. Is a PCMCIA card like a PCI card? In other words, is the VXPocket a way around the configuration and latency problems that may pop up with USB interfaces like Quattro, Duo, Extigy, Tascam US 428, etc? Yes, MOTU and FireWire are alternatives, but they're pricey; I don't have Firewire inputs on my laptop (or PC). Is there any downside to the VXPocket?
2. If I come in to the soundcard with a SPDIF (digital) signal, does it matter whether the sound card is a fancy VXPocket or a lowly SB Extigy? I understand that the Extigy has less competent A/D converters and noisier analog inputs, but aren't its SPDIF inputs just as good as a VXpocket's or Quattro's or whatever?
3. I worry that I'll spend $500 on something like the VX pocket, only to buy a stand-alone hard disk recorder three years from now, when my laptop's hardware will seem lame. (On the other hand, I love editing waveforms on my desktop PC; unfortunately, the PC is two floors up from the piano.) Is a laptop a bad idea if one intends to record long-term?
Thanks!