Minimum requirements for REAPER on a lap top?

[kjell159]

I do not know if I will add much to the conversation and I am not spamming.
But...
If you install a Linux distribution or another open-source operating system you can cut down on having to pay for a Windows license.
You get the possibilities and safety (almost no virusses and crap) of a Mac without having to pay anything.
Dell sells laptops with Ubuntu (= the most popular Linux distro) on it.
They are at least (maybe even more) powerful as their Windows-counterparts but of course less expensive.

If you really want to cut down the cost.
Actually, I dished my Windows7 installation some months ago and have been fully-Linux since then. (I use Debian, another distribution.)
I can run REAPER via WINE (a program that can load Windows programs into Linux, not like Virtualbox but actually IN Linux) and connect it with my JACK sound server (a low latency server, you don't have the same latency problems on a UNIX (like Mac, Mac = Darwin = UNIX)- / Linux- system like you have on Windows)
It is kind of like ReWire, maybe even better.

And of course you have got the great FREE and open-source DAW solution called Ardour (already version 3) which can also load VST's when you do some extra fiddling.
I even can run VST's natively as a single program in my Linux OS.
For example: I can run a direct signal (from my interface) into JACK, from their trough an oscilloscope (you know, the tool that shows you your sound wave) then trough a VST amp simulator, to REAPER, and even from REAPER to something else.
You can combine every sound source coming in/inside (like the sound from a youtube video) your computer in ways not imaginary on a Windows system. (Yes, you can get JACK on Windows but it's especially made for Linux.)

Just a consideration, if you thought sound recording/mixing/... can only be done properly on a Windows/Mac (commercial desktop) system you are quite wrong.
Linux just isn't as popular because Windows is preïnstalled on almost any PC.
Remember: Google, Youtube, probably homerecording.com , Facebook, government computers, basically all supercomputers (about 95%) and servers run Linux,
and they use it in Hollywood aswell,
so sound design in a home studio, why not?
There will definitly be someone else here that uses Linux as a studio tool aswell.

I do not even need a driver when I need to connect my keyboard to my computer with my Roland MIDI-USB cable.
You just got to know a little BASH (Bourne Again SHell), you don't have to be a programmer to work with Linux.

And if you think I'm spamming,
I'm not.
I have Asperger's syndrome so I am a real geek when it comes to this stuff but when the occasion arises (I read posts here on homerecording but usually don't comment because I don't believe I really would add much or really help someone.) I love to give my opinion/information.

 

[Saddle]

I'll add my three cents too...

I read through the four pages quickly and didn't see where/if the OP decided on a new machine or not. But I will say that a lot of laptops cause some real problems with real time event processing. Delayed Procedure Calls (DPC's) and their interrupt processing, can cause cracks and pops in the audio. Affects video too in real time capture. Often caused by the Wifi, Bluetooth, webcam, and related drivers, software, etc.

Although not everyone with a laptop has to address these issues, it does affect a good deal of machines. Many desktops too. Dealing with those issues is part of the tuning process to build a good DAW. And, regardless of the DAW software you are using. I use reaper on a laptop as a Live Mixer with a Motu 896 firewire interface. Works fine, but it has been tuned for the job. It's a Lenovo X200 2.4ghz Core 2 Duo with XP.

 

[John Smiff]

My advice is always, at the start, get the gruntiest machine you can, even if it means delaying things for a month while you source a few extra shekels to get a faster processor, more RAM etc. Given that you're probably going to be using a bunch of free VSTs for processing, your expenditure on recording past the point of purchasing the machine itself should be very low, so unless there's a driving need to do it NOW, then take your time and see if you can find a few more dollars to throw at the project and you should be rewarded with the amount of time the system remains viable...

Good luck...

Thanx. I'm not just starting out. I've been recording for years. I just need to replace my PC that died.

Armistice, I just read my response again and realized it might have sounded as if I didn't appreciate your advice. I'm really sorry if it came off like I didn't, because I really do appreciate it.

In fact, you got me thinking and, instead of looking in the $300-500 range, I'm going to wait another month or so, and spend a couple of hundred more and not have to worry about limitations.

Thank you.

 

[John Smiff]

Everyone else. Thank you. Everyone was very helpful and nobody sounded like they were spamming, quite the opposite. I learned a lot.

I'm still hoping to fix my computer, but even if I do, I now have a better idea of what to look for when I do look for a new one.

 

[kjell159]

Good luck.