Tracktion Software

_oswald · Post by **_oswald** » Wed Jul 21, 2004 4:29 am

This Thursday I plan to buy a laptop and I'd like to know what laptops you crazy fools use and what you would recommend. Currently I'm eying some Dell models but seeing as how I don't know much of what's out there' and what's 'good to go for', I haven't looked at anything else.

I'm shooting for a decently fast 'rig. Mainly to be used as a mobile musical sketch-pad... and to possibly play games on during road-trips and such).

Danke,
Erik

Edit: I'm not aiming at 'top speed', just something that is 'useable'. No 3gHZ machine required. Hell, even 1.5 gHZ or so would do me fine.

unknown user · Post by **unknown user** » Wed Jul 21, 2004 5:48 am

HP Pavilion zv5160, p4 2.8GHz, 512MB, 15" WXGA ATI Mobility Radeon 9100 IGP, Hitachi 60G 4200rpm ATA6.

I get excellent performance under Tracktion.

However, no matter what computer you get, you will need to "tune" XP, which means getting rid of all unneeded services and processes, and turning off all that "eye candy". Go have a look at http://www.musicxp.net/, and also search K-v-R for "optimize".

cyberheater · Post by **cyberheater** » Wed Jul 21, 2004 7:05 am

I recently bought a Acer 1501 laptop.

Specs are:-

3.0Ghz Athlon 64bit processor.
512 Gb mem
40 Gig hard drive
15 inch screen.

Easily one of the fastests laptops on the planet and great for games.
This little puppy is less then £800 new!

Check out:
http://www.acernotebooks.co.uk/acersite ... or=&PT_ID=

Rack Bitz · Post by **Rack Bitz** » Wed Jul 21, 2004 7:16 am

hey why dont you just ask jules
he only uses laptops now
im sure hed throw a bit of advice your way

cheers

chico.co.uk · Post by **chico.co.uk** » Wed Jul 21, 2004 10:04 am

You might also want to take a look at the thread about centrino processors, they seem to be worth the extra if you can spare it

http://www.kvr-vst.com/forum/viewtopic. ... bcdcff098c

Trying to persuade myself that i can afford a laptop soon. Not being very persuasive so far ...

soma · Post by **soma** » Wed Jul 21, 2004 1:33 pm

What ever you get, you'll most likely want an seperate Audio card. Sorry for the pesicisim.

unknown user · Post by **unknown user** » Thu Jul 22, 2004 4:09 am

Yep, I'll second that. ALL laptop audio is absolute shite. I use and HIGHLY recommend the Echo Indigo IO. 24/96, kitchen clean sound, excellent specs, and rock solid drivers. 3ms ASIO latency. The 4 virtual stereo outputs let you run multiple apps, it mixes them digitally. I paid USD$180 but you might find them slightly cheaper if you shop a little. froogle is a good way to find bargains.

voice_of_reason · Post by **voice_of_reason** » Thu Jul 22, 2004 8:04 am

I've got a Dell Inspiron 5150. 3GHz, 60Gb hard disk, 512Mb RAM, CD-RW drive, etc. I'm using an entirely software setup, so I've got an Echo Indigo (normal version - don't need any recording facilities).

Everything runs perfectly, Tracktion works with no problems, I ReWire it to Reason most of the time and run several VSTi's too. No problems, I'd highly recommend a Dell. You can probably pick this model up for about £1,000 now.

malamut · Post by **malamut** » Thu Jul 22, 2004 10:58 am

I believe that for music laptops, the following two features are nowadays most relevant:

- memory. I recommend 1GB or more main memory and a big hard disk drive (60GB or more) because you'll need it for virtual instruments and/or samplers and their libraries.

- silence. You wouldn't want a loud ventilation system to turn on while you are recording, right? And bear in mind that during recording, your processor will really have some work to do - many computers get really loud after a few minutes of high load. Also, make sure that the hard disk drive is not too loud.

Personally, I'm using a year-old Sony Z1 which I'm extremely happy with. I think I'll never buy any non-Z1-laptop as long as Sony maintains that line.

Main reason is the keyboard which is real flat in the front, so that I can type in a relaxed way while resting my elbows on the table (impossible with most notebooks because their front will cut in your flesh if you try to type that way). Also, Mac users tend to accpet it because it has a resonable design

. But that's all a matter of personal taste.

Of course you will need an external soundcard, no matter which laptop you'll buy. Please bear in mind that most external soundcards are crap, too, as soon as you start recording. I have a Tascam US-122 which is probably the cheapest possible choice if you are serious about recording stuff. I like it (except for a bug in it's drivers which will crash Windows if suspend-to-disk is activated while the soundcard is attached, and which will obviously not be fixed by Tascam), it is convenient and rock-steady in normal asio operation.

Please let us know what you bought in the end.

malamut

ModuLR · Post by **ModuLR** » Thu Jul 22, 2004 4:34 pm

I second the Sony Z1... I absolutely love it (especially since the resolution is 1400x1050). I have no regrets ditching my big ass P4 laptop. I installed 1G of ram, and it was good to go from that point on. I think the centrinos (or pentium-M's for that matter) are pretty much a no brainer for PC laptops.. because, they are fast and quiet... and in those times when you don't need 100% of the cpu blazing, you can crank down the speed at which point the battery really lasts a long time... and it won't get hot, which is nice when you want to just sit at a cafe with wireless. I think the Z1's are like the closest thing to a powerbook in the PC world.

but that's just my $.02...

AD80 · Post by **AD80** » Thu Jul 22, 2004 6:35 pm

ModuLR wrote: I think the Z1's are like the closest thing to a powerbook.....

Which you also have right?

. You just HAVE to have all the best stuff dont you

? Its not fair.

ModuLR · Post by **ModuLR** » Thu Jul 22, 2004 8:58 pm

Z1 = my broke ass... after paying for it!

Powerbook = THEIR computer... I just get to take it home and pretend it's mine.

It's probably sacreligious... but, I use the powerbook to print labels and I use the PC for the hardcore biz.

AD80 · Post by **AD80** » Thu Jul 22, 2004 9:09 pm

koorby · Post by **koorby** » Fri Jul 23, 2004 8:06 am

I'm too late (Friday here), but I'd get the Dell Inspiron 8600 with the 2.0Ghz Centrino CPU, 60 GB 7,200 RPM drive and 1GB PC2700RAM. Best DAW laptop money can buy.

Oh, and I have an Echo Indigo IO PC-Card, running at 1.5ms latency with ASIO. A must have. Cost me US$179.

malamut · Post by **malamut** » Fri Jul 23, 2004 8:40 am

@Koorby: I'm a bit more careful with the 'must have' than you are.

The Indigo io is probably the first choice if size is most important to you. But some of us learned the hard way that 1/8'' stereo input jacks can become the major reason of poor sound quality, and others hate to carry around a separate preamp.

Anyway, I'm glad that Indigo finally came out with a card that supports input, too. Took them long enough.

malamut

Tracktion Software

KVR Audio

Tractkion Afficinados - Laptop Recommendations ?