Soundcard in a laptop docking station.

[LAZI]

I got a IBM T22 900mhz laptop and the docking station to match. I'm trying to decide if I should install the MOTU 2408 card in the docking station to use with my laptop. If not then I'm gonna get a SCSI card for my 12x burner or a digital in/out card like the EVENT EZ8 or something and call it quits.

It's not my 2408 but it's in a studio i'm supposed to be running. The own says he's gonna buy a new computer but I wanna try to use mines until then. I don't use the docking station right now but I got it so I could add a hardrive, soundcard, etc... Just woundering if it's gonna be more problems than it's worth (latency, driver problems, and just general soundcard fuckery). Is it as goodas installing a soundcard into a desktop or is it like having a external soundcard (like firewire).

Anybody trying this or know anything about using a soundcard in a laptop docking station.

I might grab myself a 828 (896 if i'm lucky) to use in my studio. Same computer just firewire. Maybe even add a hard drive to the docking station or something.

Thanks in advance.

 

[LAZI]

At least somebody that knows about docking stations? Maybe?

I got this thing (dock) thinking it would make my laptop almost as good as a desktop. Anybody know of any problems that can come from using a docking station to add on? Added latency maybe? It's (dock) already been a pain in the ass. I'm hoping that with the pci card and extra bay it'll prove worth the money.

Come on I know somebody gotta know something.

Only 15 veiws so far?

Maybe my docking station should see EBAY to cover some of the cost of a 828???????

 

[Osbick Bird]

I can't speak for the combo you have, but I currently have an Event GINA 20 in a dell latitude/C-Dock combo. It works fine, but the laptop fan is too noisy for the recording environment, which is a shame because the LCD screen can be left on while recording with no pesky interference in the signals.

I am currently building a quiet tower PC that I will switch the card into.

I didn't have any trouble configuring anything. I had to install the drivers when I got the dock (ebay), and then after I was sure I had the dock up and running right, I installed the GINA. It was no different than putting the card in a desktop, though it's pretty cramped in the dock and you need to make sure your card will fit.

It's still PCI bus, so it shouldn't be any different than using a PCI slot in a tower. I have not noticed any difference in Latency between this set-up and the old tower the card used to be in. I have experienced no problems with the card not working after docking and undocking the laptop, and really no problems whatsoever, but I am not in a professional environment where it gets used daily.

If you already have the gear lying around, it wouldn't hurt to try.

Good Luck,

OB

 

[RWhite]

I work with quite a few laptops, but it's been many years since I saw a docking station that actually had PCI card slots. Most docking stations today are more accurately called Port Replicators, they duplicate the same ports on the laptop (plus maybe some extra USB / PS2 ports) so it's easier to just grab the laptop & go.

You don't say what OS you are using, but any of the newer Windows OSs have provisions for a "docked" vs "undocked" hardware setup. Beyond familiarizing yourself with this feature, I'm not really sure what else I can tell you.