Wld a laptop be good enuf?

  • Thread starter Thread starter kartikbala
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K

kartikbala

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Hi evryone,

Was tinking of getting a new laptop for recording purposes, and also to double up for office work (email, word and excel only).

I hear some pple prefer desktop machines for recording, but wld a similarly spec-ed laptop be just as good? I'm thinking at least P4 2GHz, 1 Gb RAM, and a firewire recording interface.

Any potential pitfalls with going for dis setup?

Thanks guys!
KB
 
I've been recording on a laptop for years.

I currently have a P4 2Ghz w/ 512 ram and a Pro Tools Digi 002 firewire rig. External 7200rpm firewire drive .

Records all 8 inputs of the 002 without a hitch and plays back 24 tracks without a twitch. It plays back all 32 tracks with a little tweaking.

All this and its the machine I'm typing on right now and the one I use for video editing, surfing the net, work at the office, etc.

One machine does it all. And it travels. Not a bad deal.

The downfall is that most of the laptop audio hardware solutions are more expensive per feature than the desktop equivalents. Also, USB options (the cheapest) are fairly limited (no more than 8 simultaneus channels of audio), and the harddrives are typically ssllloowww so you'll need to buy an external one for higher track counts.

Get the fattest laptop you can, but don't pay for features you won't be using. Get a big screen because you can't upgrade it. Make sure the video card can handle true dual monitor support. Make SURE it has firewire!!! (4-pin works fine, 6 pin is a little better) USB2 is good, as well. I use a USB keyboard and mouse at home and office to save wear and tear on the laptop- it doesn't hurt to be safe.

I avoided a DVD burner because its ex$pensive and I can always add a firewire burner later. I just wanted to sink my money into what I couldn't upgrade.

Anyway, I *greatly* enjoy the benefits of mobile computing and mobile recording. If you purchase carefully, your laptop rig will perform about as well as an equivalent desktop for recording.

Take care,
Chris
 
IBM/Hitachi just came out with a 7200rpm HD, 60gig, for notebooks.

At $350 give or take, it's not cheap, but it's worth it if you're really into recording.

I might end up getting one, as soon as I figure out which route I want to go as far as an interface.

I am leaning towards that new Echo Indigo I/O. For $150 and stereo 24/96 IO, that's not too bad.
 
$350!!! That's just way too much... Personally i'd just cop an intermal around 30 something gigs and a 80+ gig external firewire drive and deal with that for a year or 2 until the pices drop. I use a 32gig in my IBM and even even though video sucks it dry if I was to get a 80 gig firewire drive it'd be right on the money for storing files like that.
 
LAZI said:
$350!!! That's just way too much... Personally i'd just cop an intermal around 30 something gigs and a 80+ gig external firewire drive and deal with that for a year or 2 until the pices drop. I use a 32gig in my IBM and even even though video sucks it dry if I was to get a 80 gig firewire drive it'd be right on the money for storing files like that.
Click to expand...

Yeah, actually you're right. I looked at the Toshiba 5400rpm 60 giggers, and they were only 210 with free shipping.

I could always get an external FW for cheap too.
 
So assuming im using SONAR 2.0, what wld be a good config for da laptop? And what's the deal with this new intel centrino chips anyway?

Cheers!
KB
 
kartikbala said:
So assuming im using SONAR 2.0, what wld be a good config for da laptop? And what's the deal with this new intel centrino chips anyway?

Cheers!
KB
Click to expand...

I'd recommend the Gateway 400XL:

Processor
Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor 2.8GHz

Memory
512MB DDR SDRAM (2-256MB Modules)

Storage5
60GB 5400rpm Ultra ATA hard drive

Media Drives
Integrated 1.44MB 3.5" floppy diskette drive
Integrated DVD-R/-RW/CD-RW Recorder

Graphics & Monitor
15" XGA TFT Active Matrix
ATI Mobility Radeon w/ 32MB DDR Video Memory

Audio & Speakers
Integrated sound and stereo speakers, headphone/speaker jack, and mic jacks
External speakers not selected

Power
Lithium ion battery with AC pack

$1899 w/ 3 year warranty.

Add a 120gig 7200rpm firewire drive for $220, and the audio interface of your choice, and you'll be rockin'.

the Centrino chips have longer battery life, but are more expensive than normal P4's. I think for recording purposes, an regular P4 would be best.
 
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