Laptop recommendations

[Casper Budtz]

Hi,

I am looking to buy a laptop for both personal use and music
(sequencing, hard disk recording, GIGA). Could anyone out there give
me some recomendations on a good fast and stable laptop to use for
audio? I have heard positive things about Asus (or AsusTek). I would
go for high/top of the range. I imagine using external audio card
hardware and also an external 2nd hard disk.

Thanks,

Casper

[Dan [ www.sleepwalkermusic.net ]]

I've been using a Sony Vaio from the GRX series and it's been a dream with
firewire audio interfaces. I also used the FRV series for a little bit and
it worked great, but I didn't have it long enough to make the claim.

I would recommend an RME Digiface with external converters first, then an
RME multiface. These are workhorses. I'm using a presonus firestation with
good results. I'm thinking about moving to a digiface with either a digimax
converter or Maudios octane(8 channel mic pre, ad converters)

Beware the external hard disk, I'd go with a very large laptop drive
depending on how many simultaneous tracks you're going to run. I would use
an external drive to backup though.

The reason I say this is that the firewire cable on my hard drive
occasionally slips out of the slot and USB and firewire interfaces don't
have a locking mechanism, if this happens during a recording session you're
toast. I've been recording straight to my laptop drive, then when I get time
I move it over to the external drive. I delete the tracks, defrag, and start
again.

Dan
www.sleepwalkermusic.net


"Casper Budtz" > wrote in message
om...
> Hi,
>
> I am looking to buy a laptop for both personal use and music
> (sequencing, hard disk recording, GIGA). Could anyone out there give
> me some recomendations on a good fast and stable laptop to use for
> audio? I have heard positive things about Asus (or AsusTek). I would
> go for high/top of the range. I imagine using external audio card
> hardware and also an external 2nd hard disk.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Casper

[Andy Peake]

(Casper Budtz) wrote in message >...
> Hi,
>
> I am looking to buy a laptop for both personal use and music
> (sequencing, hard disk recording, GIGA). Could anyone out there give
> me some recomendations on a good fast and stable laptop to use for
> audio? I have heard positive things about Asus (or AsusTek). I would
> go for high/top of the range. I imagine using external audio card
> hardware and also an external 2nd hard disk.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Casper

The operating system and audio interface in the new Mac is supposed to
be very bullet-proof for audio. I've had two PC laptops primarily
dedicated to audio but also used occasionally for internet app's. The
Toshiba 650 and an M-audio Quattro just never operated very well. My
newer Dell with a 2.4 Gig P-4 and firewire does much better but is
still not perfect. The main problem with PC's is IRQ conflicts. In
case you don't know, an IRQ is what taps your processor on the
shoulder and tells it that a software application is ready to go to
work. My Dell has a lot of hardware dedicated to the same IRQ (USB,
Firewire, Video card, PCMCIA, Ethernet). The video card is always
asking for attention. When something else also does, Mr. IRQ gets
confused. This causes conflicts and therefore crashes. On desktop
computers you can re-assign IRQ's. On most laptops you cannot. It's
currently an imperfect science and there are a few people here who
know a lot more about it than I. Run a "rec.audio.pro". search for
"laptop IRQ conflicts". EQ magazine also had a short article about
this. Macs are supposed to be much better about all of this.


Good luck.
peakester

[Per Karlsson]

I've been struggling with a Dell inspiron 4100 for two years now, and
it's been hell. It's just incredibly unreliable! (I'm using it with
Audition and RME digiface.) I also find it difficult to speak highly
of the Dell customer service with a straight face. I'll probably be
moving over to Mac as soon as I can afford it. (Boy am I glad I havn't
spent a fortune on software.)

Andy Peake adviced:
> The operating system and audio interface in the new Mac is supposed to
> be very bullet-proof for audio. I've had two PC laptops primarily
> dedicated to audio but also used occasionally for internet app's. The
> Toshiba 650 and an M-audio Quattro just never operated very well. My
> newer Dell with a 2.4 Gig P-4 and firewire does much better but is
> still not perfect.