I'd like to use Reason 3.0 on my laptop. Not sure if it's capable.

  • Thread starter Thread starter anppilot
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anppilot

anppilot

Never Act Like U Know All
I currently have a HP laptop Mobile AMD Sempron 3000+ 1.58 GHZ with 512 MB RAM- 128MB dedicated to onboard video makes it actually 384 MB RAM, 40GB HD, but I only have like 2GB of HD space left.

So I figured I'd have to use a ext HD like a 200GB USB External Drive. But what about my Processor and onboard RAM I have currently(384MB DDR), or should I update the RAM to the max it can take (1GB)?

I'm Into producing: hiphop, r&b, house, techno. So I mostly sequence and have been using Cubase 3.7r2 for years on a desktop. I'm thinking about Reason 3.0 on my laptop.

I'm just not sure about virtual instruments. I never had any luck with them. I used a few plugin instruments on Cubase 3.5, and the latency was terrible....I mean a second or two later what keys I played, made a sound.

That latency problem was on a desktop PIII500 512mb SDRAM. Maybe that was the problem?

I fly alot, and I'd love to make beats seamlessly in the hotel room, and not have to worry about latency. I just want synth sounds, FM (yamaha) type sounds, yada yada yada.

Like I said, I figured I'd have to use a ext usb hd. But thats not a problem.

Also, I want to use the M-Audio Oxygen 25 key mobile Kybd.

Anyone using a setup something like what I want to do or similar?

Please help, any advice is greatly appreciated.
 
The latency is an issue with this type of set-up. I have been using Reason 3.0 on a Powerbook G4 (1.25 ghz) with an M-Audio MIDI controller for a while, My PB has 1 gb of RAM in it. I use the M-Audio USB to MIDI cable for this. Yes, there is latency there (probably about 30 ms, which is a lot in the audio world). But I have learned to compensate for that. I am not sure about the Windows side of things. I know that WDM drivers suck ass compared to ASIO or Apple Core Audio. So maybe USB isn't a good idea for you.

Were you planning on interfacing over USB?

Edit: Sorry, I see you are using or planning on using the Oxygen 8. I would be worried about latency, but if you think you can get use to it you should be fine.
 
Last edited:
anppilot said:
or should I update the RAM to the max it can take (1GB)?
Click to expand...
That would be the first thing you should do.

I'm using a laptop with an external drive too and was amazed at the performance jump after the memory upgrade.

And don't be afraid of virtual instruments --- they are your friends.


.
 
So If I upgrade to 1GB of RAM, and use a external USB HD with the Oxygen-8, I should have any latency problems?

PS, Another Ques for you:

I know how to make a new user profiles in Win XP....but can you create a new profile and strip all the "start-up" crap on startup so you have max memory on that particular profile, so your music apps will run fast?

Or do all profiles you create have to have all the startup crap?

I mean, I've used MSCONFIG to control startup crap, but I realized that if you make changes, it makes changes to all profiles? Anyway around this so only my "music app" profile can be stripped of startup junk?

Sorry if what I wrote seemed repeatative.
 
I've been using Reason 3 on my iBook G4 with no issues. I have a 1.2 Ghz PPC proc and 1.25 GB of RAM (Maxed). I also run my OS and all my audio files from an FW external drive. My iBook's internal drive is 4200 rpm and was way too slow.

You will definately need to get the RAM upgrade. Any kind of virtual instrument needs to load samples and such into your RAM, and when it runs out it must stream samples from your drive. This can get messy and ugly depending on what you're doing.

Don't ditch Cubase completely either. Cubase with Reason Rewire is a truly badass combination (of course, so is SONAR + Reason, Pro Tools + Reason, etc.). I don't know how much work you do in the way of vocals, but you'll need SOME kind of Audio recording app, even if you just want to record vocals and move them into reason as samples. (I've done this a couple of times with good results)

Anyway, get some more RAM, the external drive, and kick some ass.
 
if at all possible, get a firewire hard drive and you'll probably need a PCMCIA-to-firewire adapter card. I doubt that your HP has firewire built in.
 
You can always download a demo of reason at propellerheads website.
Just to check how bad the latency is.

I dont know if asio matters for midi latency, but if you dont have an asio driven audiointerface, asio4all might also help:
asio4all
 
SheHadTheJack said:
You can always download a demo of reason at propellerheads website.
Just to check how bad the latency is.

I dont know if asio matters for midi latency, but if you dont have an asio driven audiointerface, asio4all might also help:
asio4all
Click to expand...


ASIO definitely helps with midi latency. I get around 10-12 ms latency without ASIO on my PC, and switching to ASIO I get 2-3ms.
 
I was planning using a oxygen 8 since its a audio piece and midi interface/controller
 
anppilot said:
a oxygen 8
Click to expand...
You're thinking of the Ozone or some other newer MAudio product. The Oxygen 9 is midi only.

Did you visit that XP music link yet?


.
 
I have been using reason 3.0 on my toshiba with a keystation 49e, No latency issues, you can get some really good virtual instruments in reason, and you can make ANY sound you want using the effects, oscellators, synths, etc. you can import wavs and screw around with them to. basically, if you want to do it (other than record within the software) you can do it with reason.

i use reason in live applications, rewired through ableton, with a 2nd usb midi controller changin vst effects etc and the keystation 49e as the synth controller, no latency at all.

reason is the SHIT

-C$
 
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