H
Heavy Harmonies
New member
Hopefully I haven't gone too far astray in my thinking. I've been doing reading here and elsewhere, and I *think* I understand what I'm up against:
I want to set up a keyboard/synth at this point simply for playback; at some point in the future I may want to record... dunno.
I've tested a number of all-in-one units, but the price points are simply far too high for one that has fully-weighted action. I'm thinking of getting a StudioLogic SL880 controller and then routing it through a spare PC I have.
The PC is an older laptop (Thinkpad 770Z - PII 366, 320MB RAM, 14GB hd). Probably way too slow for any serious recording, but should be adequate for playback, shouldn't it?
Obviously the onboard sound won't cut it. I have the docking station for the 770Z so I have the choice between USB 1.0, and PCI/ISA for sound card. PCI preferable over USB 1?
What sound card to get? Obviously the cheaper the better
but still would like decent performance. For PCI, I've read good things about the M-Audio 2496, for USB the TASCAM US-122. Is there even a need to aim that high given the computer involved and that it's primarily play-back only?
I figure I would try some of the shareware software solutions out there to get my feet wet, or is that a bad idea? I'm a cheapskate at heart.
Any other parts of the connection equation that I've overlooked?
Thanks in advance,
-Dan
I want to set up a keyboard/synth at this point simply for playback; at some point in the future I may want to record... dunno.
I've tested a number of all-in-one units, but the price points are simply far too high for one that has fully-weighted action. I'm thinking of getting a StudioLogic SL880 controller and then routing it through a spare PC I have.
The PC is an older laptop (Thinkpad 770Z - PII 366, 320MB RAM, 14GB hd). Probably way too slow for any serious recording, but should be adequate for playback, shouldn't it?
Obviously the onboard sound won't cut it. I have the docking station for the 770Z so I have the choice between USB 1.0, and PCI/ISA for sound card. PCI preferable over USB 1?
What sound card to get? Obviously the cheaper the better
but still would like decent performance. For PCI, I've read good things about the M-Audio 2496, for USB the TASCAM US-122. Is there even a need to aim that high given the computer involved and that it's primarily play-back only?I figure I would try some of the shareware software solutions out there to get my feet wet, or is that a bad idea? I'm a cheapskate at heart.
Any other parts of the connection equation that I've overlooked?
Thanks in advance,
-Dan