A Suitable Notebook For Recording?

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Hello

So I imagine you get this question a lot, although a brief use of the search feature revealed that if you did, I didn't know exactly how to search for it beyond the obvious keywords, but for a variety of reasons, I'm switching from a desktop to a notebook fairly soon (next six to nine months), and I was initially just going to buy a cheap netbook or something, because I don't game at all, so something basic would've been fine.

But! I've been getting into recording more and more lately and am getting ready to commit a serious effort to actual, genuine recording and not just laying rough tracks down, and I don't know how big a deal this will be. Like... to what extent does this need to determine the type of computer I buy? I'm unsure of how powerful I really NEED a computer to be to function well for this. Before I jump into anything, I wanted to get some feedback on what I should look into as far as specs and brands go. I don't want to go overboard and spend more than I have to, but at the same time, I don't want to get something underpowered and regret it later.

So does anyone have any suggestions? I'd be using an external USB audio interface. At the moment, I'm using FL8, and I think it'll either be that or maybe, possibly, Sonar 8 for the foreseeable future. As far as my needs, I need to record electric/acoustic guitar, bass, and vocals into the computer, and use a MIDI controller for keyboard/drum/other misc. sounds. I don't know how many tracks I'd need to use, but probably generally between five and ten. These are some questions I see people here ask commonly so I thought I'd lay it on the table.

I guess the abridged version is this: How cheap a laptop can I get and still have a nice recording platform that won't become sorely dated while I'm in the kitchen making a sandwich?

Thanks!
 
i was actually about to make this same thread,

im looking into getting a mac laptop of some sort, and also pro tools. that's basically all the specs ive got, i dont know what is what as far as computer specs and what not are concerned. i just want something that will run, continue to be useful for a couple of years with minimal amount of upgrading, and most importantly; record.

what would be the best place to start? ive heard the smaller mac notebooks dont have the best reputation for reliability so probably a larger more heavy duty model would be the best?

what pro tools 'package' would i get, as a (somewhat) newcomer to the program that won't leave me in the dark and unable to do something when i'm trying to do work?

im lost......:(
 
Well to the OP it depends on the type you want PC or Mac.

If you want PC....first off "and this is just my personal experence" STAY AWAY from Acer!!! Ive gone through 4 in the past 2 yrs 2 which had Monitors fail and 2 had the HDD fail.

Now something not to powerfull would be anything in the 500-600 range with Windows XP.....as for Ones with Vista you need 600-1000 price range, because we all know Vista robbs power.

Personally and this is just speaking for me.....every one is different.. I have had GREAT experence with IBM "now Lenovo" Ive had a IBM T42 "my main Recording Laptop" for 6yrs and its still going strong....Ive even soaked it in Mountian Dew TWICE!! "by accadent of course" And just clean it off and it start right back up.

Sonys are Good too.....now see alot of people havent had good experence with Compaq but I actully have had fine experence or HP.

But take it from me stay away from Acer and Gateway.

Performance wise
If you are using Windows XP anything above 1GB of RAM
Vista anything above 2 or 3GB of RAM

and Processors now adays arnt even a disscussion anymore there getting so fast....whats to talk about??? If my old Centrino can handle recording 22 Channels of audio im sure anything above that will be just fine.

As for MAC I cant speak for them But from what Ive seen and read....anything of theres is great except for there 512mb and 1GB RAM models "I think thats there lowest end models."?
 
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My two cents (AUD):P

I went all out and got a high end HP, and it's brilliant! Take a look at the "Recommended" specs on some of the leading recording software companies (note: recommended, not required) before you make a decision. Also, consider the 64-bit versions for windows OS, these have many advantages, which you can find in other threads; use the search box!
hope that helps!
 
Thanks for all the help! For the record, I am looking to buy a PC, just because I'm on a budget, and it seems that getting an equivalently powered Mac ends up being more expensive.

I'll look at the recommended specs for some of the DAWs I'm considering, and check out some HP/Sony/other notebooks with 64-bit OSs. From the sounds of it, anything with a large HDD, a solid CPU, and lots of RAM will do, especially since the sound card/audio interface will be external. I wasn't sure if it was like computers meant for video/graphical editing where the software demanded a lot of specialty equipment and very high-end specs.
 
If you want PC....first off "and this is just my personal experence" STAY AWAY from Acer!!! Ive gone through 4 in the past 2 yrs 2 which had Monitors fail and 2 had the HDD fail.

To be fair, computer hard drives suck universally, and laptop drives in particular. Having lost four hard drives last year, I just want to drive home the point that using a recent hard drive (built in the past three or four years) without keeping regular backups is suicide. :)


As for MAC I cant speak for them But from what Ive seen and read....anything of theres is great except for there 512mb and 1GB RAM models "I think thats there lowest end models."?

Apple hasn't sold a computer with 512 megs since late 2007, give or take. :) Apple laptops start at 2 GB now. The only thing you can still buy in a 1 GB configuration is the Mini.
 
Thanks for all the help! For the record, I am looking to buy a PC, just because I'm on a budget, and it seems that getting an equivalently powered Mac ends up being more expensive.

Odds are if the other machine is more than $100 cheaper, you aren't getting a machine with equivalent specs. Apple's product pricing tends to be pretty much in line with everybody else in the industry these days, within tens of dollars (unless, of course, you're planning to run Windows, in which case you have to add the cost of Windows to that :)).
 
Go Xp pro or home. Don't skimp on processor speed or memory. IF your going firewire I would make sure that you have a firewire port.
 

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Thanks for all the help! For the record, I am looking to buy a PC, just because I'm on a budget, and it seems that getting an equivalently powered Mac ends up being more expensive.

I'll look at the recommended specs for some of the DAWs I'm considering, and check out some HP/Sony/other notebooks with 64-bit OSs. From the sounds of it, anything with a large HDD, a solid CPU, and lots of RAM will do, especially since the sound card/audio interface will be external. I wasn't sure if it was like computers meant for video/graphical editing where the software demanded a lot of specialty equipment and very high-end specs.

Don't forget, the HDD must be atleast 7200rpm! Otherwise you'll get a solid 30 seconds of good recording before it starts skipping. You could go the external route however it can't be the same hookup as the external soundcard... If the soundcard is firewire, an external HDD must be USB. Goodluck!
 
A 7200RPM HDD is something I didn't think of. Why can't it be the same input as the external sound card? Does it have to do with like interfering with each other or what?

Would it be better to go USB HDD and firewire audio interface, or vice versa?
 
Rack Mount pc

I have the RME audio Fireface 800 and a octa mic 8
Plus a Alesis HD-24 that are all rack mountable which I borrow from time to time (from a pro audio shop I do repairs for ) for redundancy in recording live. what is nice everything is already patched boot and go.


The choice was easy A rack mounted PC that way I take the whole rack with me when recording live and the bottom of the rack is were I store my keyboard and mouse and my LCD monitor in a mixer bag.

Sometimes I have a Yamaha O1V96 and that will sit on top of the rack works great for me.

The computer I built for recording music in my poor excuse for a studio and or on location. This is what it is used for noting else.

Problem I can envision is that the laptop will be used for other applications and that will affect its performance as a DAW or recording device. Dedicate a computer for music and you will get better performance in the end. Last but not least keep it off the internet so you will not get unwanted crap on it that may slow it down. Viruses and other assorted crap.
 
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Well, I'm on a budget and that's not really a very realistic option for me, unfortunately!
 
if you can upgrade your existing desk top to use just in the studio,
and buy a laptop for everything else, i STRONGLY advise it,
mainly because it is a pain in the a$$ to plug all that gear in every time
you "Have an Idea" for a song. Plus the hard drive issue, expandability, etc.
 
i really love my macbook pro. it does get pricey though i'll agree.

if you ever get a mac you'll be happy
 
A few tips:

1. Generally speaking...Firewire is better than USB for external HDD & interface.

2. You'll want to have 2 hard drives. One to run your DAW & one to record your tracks to.

3. at least a 7200 rpm HDD

4. T.I. (Texas Instruments) firewire chipset is recommended by most people.

I'm sure that there are others, but that's all I can think of right now.

Oh yeah...

5. Don't spill Mountain Dew on it. :D
 
Don't forget, the HDD must be atleast 7200rpm! Otherwise you'll get a solid 30 seconds of good recording before it starts skipping.

A modern 5400 RPM laptop drive is faster than a 7200 RPM laptop drive was about 2-3 years ago. Given that people have used laptops for recording for a lot longer than the last 2-3 years, that's clearly not true. Modern 5400 RPM drives are plenty fast enough for recording.

Furthermore, in general, I'd recommend a 5400 RPM drive in laptops over a 7200 RPM drive because they are more reliable (for thermal reasons).


You could go the external route however it can't be the same hookup as the external soundcard... If the soundcard is firewire, an external HDD must be USB. Goodluck!

That's also completely and totally wrong. In fact, that's worse than wrong. USB hard drives are about the worst thing you can possibly do to your computer in terms of performance. FireWire was specifically designed to work correctly when used for audio and bulk (hard drive) I/O simultaneously on the same bus. If it doesn't work for you, there's either something wrong with your audio app (inadequate prefetch latency compensation) or you don't have enough RAM.

Unless something is massively wrong, USB will always perform worse than FireWire for hard drive purposes USB does not support true DMA; FireWire does. With USB, the CPU is doing a lot more work. This can reduce track counts, depending on what you're doing.

P.S. The only reason to have a separate hard drive for recording is the amount of storage space required. At this point, hard drives are so fast that the track counts they can achieve makes discussion of hard drive speed completely moot. It is, for all practical purposes, never the gating factor in DAW performance at this point. Even 5400 RPM 2.5" laptop drives are rated in hundreds of simultaneous audio tracks at 96 kHz/24-bit. It just doesn't matter. At all. Not for at least the last five years.
 
i really love my macbook pro. it does get pricey though i'll agree.

if you ever get a mac you'll be happy

Ditto. Just blew a load of money on a 17" macbook pro - upgraded to 3.06 Ghz processor and 7200rpm/500GB drive - like buttah. Smooooooth. Worth the $2800
 
I'm thinking of going the same route.

haven't decided on a laptop yet but I thought about the "M-Audio Mobile Pre USB soundcard". It looks quite nice and is bus powered.

It looks like it's only USB1.0, but I never record more than one audio track at a time, so USB 1 should be enough, shouldn't it?
 
I know you're asking for what notebook to record with, but I'd get the notebook computer you want and spend around $150-$200 on a Tascam 788 with the cd-burner.

I've suffered nothing but disappointment when recording on a computer. With the 788 you can import and export .wav files to and from your computer for mixing purposes or whatever you want. You also won't suffer any latency when performing overdubs on the 788.

Naysayers will say the the analog-digital converters aren't as good on the 788, but the machine will record up to 6 tracks at once of 24-bit/44.1k audio, and in my opinion sound better than any USB audio interface that I've heard.

Good luck in your search!
-MD
 
About 3 months ago I successfully upgraded my 2.5 year old Dell Inspiron 6400 to use a mobile DAW running SONAR 8 Producer edition.

Specs:
CPU: Core Duo 1.73GHz
RAM: 1GB (upgraded to 2GB)
HDD: 120GB 5400rpm (upgraded to 320GB 7200rpm)
Battery: 6 Cell (upgraded to 9 Cell)
OS: XP Pro

The total price of the upgrades came to a modest £150 and took no more than 5 mins to fit.

I am using an M-Audio Fast Track Ultra 8R which is an 8x8 USB 2.0 interface.

Any mid-range laptop PC from the last 3 years is a candidate for upgrading for use as a mobile DAW providing it has good DPC latency (if you do not know what this is I strongly advise you to google it because regardless of how high the spec is bad device drivers can scupper the whole project)

Don't be put off by the many "myths" out there. You do not need seperate hard drives for OS and recording - a fast internal one will easily support 48+ tracks and even a 5400rpm drive can usually handle 24. Also, USB 2.0 intefaces can handle 8 or more simultaneous inputs and unlike Firewire they do not normally experience compatibilty problems with different chipsets.
 
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