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what is the best laptop for doing music and playing live?
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Megalopsy
Started Topics :
87
Posts :
703
Posted : Apr 26, 2006 01:12
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hey there 
currently we have a mac powerbook g4, and frankly for me it sucks ass. i have 1gb ram and i still cant put more than 5 vsts in ableton live. for playing live is ok but not incredible. the bad thing about mac is that it has a motorola chip, no matter how much ram you put, it does not have power, as simple as that. now they realized this and it comes with an intel chip, but im not interested in buying mac again.
so i wanted to ask you if you know about good laptops, ive been checking hp, alienware and dell. alienware seems interesting but its very expensive.
let me know if you find any other options. basically i want a laptop where i can make music while i travel.
thanks a lot
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  Psychedelic Trance from Argentina
www.darkprisma.com.ar
www.megalopsy.com.ar
www.psytrance.com.ar
Megalopsy Travel Blog
http://megalopsy.blogspot.com |
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pants!
Started Topics :
1
Posts :
79
Posted : Apr 26, 2006 02:31
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alienware are very overpriced, i would steer clear of them.
ableton is very resource hungry, you will need a lot of power to run it.
i have seen a lot of people having trouble with dells and m-audio gear, so be careful if that is your sound device.
a macbook pro would be good, or the equivalent for dell (they are about the same price anyway). some people seem to use the asus m range. |
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Get-a-fix
Getafix
Started Topics :
147
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1441
Posted : Apr 26, 2006 15:39
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I'm on my third Dell laptop now & have never had problems with any of them. I would recommend the new series with the dual core processors. I used to have a m-audio firewire audiophile & it didn't really give me any problems.
http://www.soundcloud.com/getafixmusic |
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Pypedream
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
45
Posts :
245
Posted : Apr 26, 2006 19:48
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I've had an Aurora 7700 (Alienware) for about 3 months now.
AMD Athlon 64 3800, 2.4 GHz, 1 GB RAM, Dual 80 GB SATA drives RAID 0 striped.
Using EMU 1616m hardware interface, and mainly SX3, Reason, and Live plus various VSTi's.
I've read a lot of things about Alienware, but so far my experiences have been nothing but good. The system came with plenty of power under the hood and after a few XP tweaks runs very nicely with an entire project running or multiple apps simultaneously.
I actually like to work on it more than my desktop and they are benchmarked about the same. I haven't tested on DJ yet, but it has no problems in traktor 3, except that i need something like the INDIGO DJ pcmcia card to have main and headphone outs if i don't want to lug my EMU microdock around.
Yes it was expensive (about $2900.00) and it is rather weighty (finding a solid case has been a bitch) but you don't have to make excuses for a lack of performance and it has been very stable. I especially like having a dedicated numeric keypad like on a regular keyboard.
Not to mention the picture quality and graphics performance are outstanding. Maybe we'll see some new machines or better pricing now that Dell is at the wheel.
PM me if you are curious about any particular aspects of this machine.
ELECTRON EYES / MARK-EVAN (NOR. CAL)
WWW.SOUNDCLOUD.COM/MARK-EVAN |
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Dharma Lab
Started Topics :
8
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342
Posted : Apr 26, 2006 20:04
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I've been working in computer hardware & software for 8 years now, and the best laptop I've used is a toshiba. Used to recommend Dell's first, but their quality & customer service has definitely slipped in the last few years.
I HIGHLY recommend you get a centrino processor, they are much cooler than a regular pentium or pentium M. (Overheating processors is the #1 reason for laptop failure in my experience). NEVER buy any Celeron version of a pentium processor, as they are the cheaper version (i.e. slower).
My Echo indigo audio card works wonderfully. I've tried 3 seperate m-aduio cards, and had serious trouble with all of them.
Keep The Faith,
Christian K. |
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Triton
Started Topics :
6
Posts :
171
Posted : Apr 27, 2006 00:16
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mubali
Mubali
Started Topics :
71
Posts :
2219
Posted : Apr 27, 2006 00:27
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I've had many many issues with the dell that I used to have. (it just died on me) It used to be a crapshoot using the dell with the M-audio card, so I started borrowing a friend's indigo... really solid card.. I think that I might be interested in getting the macbook pro, but I have to test it out first. I'll let you know how well it does soon.
An Eagle may soar, but Weasels don't get sucked into jet engines. |
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solconnection
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
11
Posts :
46
Posted : Apr 27, 2006 03:54
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Quote:
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On 2006-04-26 20:04, Dharma Lab wrote:
I've been working in computer hardware & software for 8 years now, and the best laptop I've used is a toshiba. Used to recommend Dell's first, but their quality & customer service has definitely slipped in the last few years.
I HIGHLY recommend you get a centrino processor, they are much cooler than a regular pentium or pentium M. (Overheating processors is the #1 reason for laptop failure in my experience). NEVER buy any Celeron version of a pentium processor, as they are the cheaper version (i.e. slower).
My Echo indigo audio card works wonderfully. I've tried 3 seperate m-aduio cards, and had serious trouble with all of them.
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hey mate, im looking at buying a really powerful laptop for playing live and also for producing on, if its no trouble, would you be able to spec out a really good laptop for this purpose. (ie. what brand of laptop, cpu and ram and how fast, sound card etc)...with 8 years of experience sounds like you know a thing or two about laptops.
i would really appreciate that.
cheers
-Dan
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the daleks
The Daleks
Started Topics :
34
Posts :
584
Posted : Apr 27, 2006 09:02
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a motorola chip, no matter how much ram you put, it does not have power
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where did you hear this??
i have a g4 powerbook, too, with 1g of RAM, but only because it is an older model and thats the max...
the grass may seem greener, but before you experience the frustration of windows, you should really think about it.
studios that use quad g5s with 4ghz of ram per bus dont seem to have problems with memory or speed...
motorola chips are supposed to be faster because of the RISC design, but at the same time run hotter making them impractical for laptops. however, the new macpro powerbooks, are probably the best designed and fastest laptops on the planet (although at present there probably is a lack of proper software support for it - NI wont have any software compatibile till the end of this year..)
i use my g4 for lives too, and gotta agree with you, it does kind of suck, but i doubt there is a laptop that can do yet what we want it to do...
Gamma Riders EP out now on iTunes and Amazon.com!
The Daleks : www.myspace.com/thedaleksupreme
A-Boys : www.myspace.com/akibaboys |
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SISMIC
Sismic
Started Topics :
14
Posts :
82
Posted : Apr 27, 2006 11:44
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Hi all excuse for my english, 1 month ago i purchase a SONY Vaio FS415M for 1250€/1400$ and im very happy for this notebook(run really like my desktop athlon 3000+, 1,5gb ram with radeon 9800 256mb video, SBlive) this Notebook have 128mb video card n-vidia and a good base-souncard that i have used some times for my live sets with Ableton live 5.0 with no problems, have intel centrino mobile 1,86 ghz and 1gb ram, video memory/card is important same that souncard, if you have to tweak and automate a lot of triggers, the videocard must animate in realtime that triggers, im expert of realtime graphics industrial-design(the realtime 2d/3dgraphics is foundamental for me) and i suggest you to buy powerfull pc's/mac not only for cpu and audio card but even for video card, the problem is when 4+ sinths vst are playing the cpu and audio is ok but the video card doesn't follow the commands or jump some movements, i see this is more in mac powerbooks that don't have a powerfull base/videocard. In conclusion now i try to put my sony under hard work and i tell you more about this notebook.
Cheers!
http://soundcloud.com/sismic-stuff |
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z1P^
Megalopsy
Started Topics :
28
Posts :
535
Posted : Apr 27, 2006 13:21
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hallo there my friend!
I told you this several times but maybe it helps another one whos looking for something similar, a good mobile workstation.
Quote:
| HP Pavilion ZD8000 Series System Specs
* Intel Pentium 4 HT up to 3.6GHz, 2MB L2 Cache
* 1GB DDR2 SDRAM 533MHz(512x1)
* Toshiba 80GB hard drive 5400/7200 RPM
* 17.0" WXGA TFT LCD ViewBright display 1440 x 900 resolution
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These are the relevant dawn specs for the Pavilion ZD8000 Series... ive seen this Laptops aviable from 1700 uss. This is the most convincing option i found, but there are more that ill be posting later.
Cheerz brothers,
z1P^
(www) DarkPrisma.com.ar/ ~ FranticNoise.com.ar/ ~ Megalopsy.com.ar/ ~
providing shamanic euphoria until the end of the days! |
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Dharma Lab
Started Topics :
8
Posts :
342
Posted : Apr 27, 2006 18:12
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Quote:
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On 2006-04-27 03:54, solconnection wrote:
Quote:
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On 2006-04-26 20:04, Dharma Lab wrote:
I've been working in computer hardware & software for 8 years now, and the best laptop I've used is a toshiba. Used to recommend Dell's first, but their quality & customer service has definitely slipped in the last few years.
I HIGHLY recommend you get a centrino processor, they are much cooler than a regular pentium or pentium M. (Overheating processors is the #1 reason for laptop failure in my experience). NEVER buy any Celeron version of a pentium processor, as they are the cheaper version (i.e. slower).
My Echo indigo audio card works wonderfully. I've tried 3 seperate m-aduio cards, and had serious trouble with all of them.
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hey mate, im looking at buying a really powerful laptop for playing live and also for producing on, if its no trouble, would you be able to spec out a really good laptop for this purpose. (ie. what brand of laptop, cpu and ram and how fast, sound card etc)...with 8 years of experience sounds like you know a thing or two about laptops.
i would really appreciate that.
cheers
-Dan
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Dan,
I can give you some guidelines, but lots of times you don't actually know until you try your setup out.
1) Buy the fastest processor you can afford. You can always add more RAM, a larger hard drive, or a better soundcard, but in general you cannot upgrade the processor (and if you can, your going to have to pay someone to do it).
2) Buy an Intel Centrino processor. As I stated earlier, they run much cooler. DO not get the celeron versions. Look at the model #'s, and try to get one with a 1 MB or larger L2 cache. Any non-celeron centrino will probably have 1 - 2 MB L2 cache. I have not used any of the mobile AMD processors, but AMD has been notorious for inadequate overheating safety, so I would stay away from it.
3) RAM is pretty easy to install, while hard drives take significant more effort. After the processor, I would suggest spending the extra money on a big hard drive. I have an 80 GB which works well, but I still have to shuffle things around now & then (mostly because I do multitrack recording with it).
4) With #3 being said, RAM is probably more important in the big picture than a large hard drive. Buy the better processor & larger hard drive, and if you can afford it, at least 1 GB of RAM. If not, buy some more later. Most laptops have two slots for memory, so getting a single 512 MB stick is much more useful than two 256 MB stick. Ideal would be a single 1 GB stick. Running windows XP (pro preffered over home) on anything less than 512 MB will slow things down significantly.
5) With respect to what has been said already, I don't feel a monster video card is that important. What's much more important is a properly running card (i.e. well written drivers). ATI & nVidia are pretty much the top two, but they also have their problems. Honestly, any video card with 8MB or more should be enough spec (because you probably want to be doing as little with your video display as possible anyways when running audio). I think the best you can do is check the message boards for any big issues that are cropping up.
6) Sound card is critical. So much is going to depend on it. There is so much variety & options, that you really have to sit down & figure out what your really going to need. Some people will mix all their channels digitally in the software, & only have one stereo output. I like to have multiple outputs, allowing me to run them thru a mixing board for quick access. This is a whole discussion in itself, but the aforementioned Echo cards run excellent, and cost less than $165 here in the US. As I said, you can always upgrade later.
7) Support - most people don't consider it more than if they have a hardware failure, but if you have the time, check out the different support sections on the manufacturers websites. How often are they releasing updates or fixes ? (to me, more frequent updates is a good thing) How easy is it to find info, or get help? Can you email someone or call them, and will it cost you money?
I do not recommend HP or Sony, because they tend to be very proprietary with their hardware & software. Doesn't mean it won't work, but you'll probably have less options if you run into trouble. As mentioned, Alienware has had significant issues with laptops, which may have since been resolved, but they are overpriced. IBM are cheap parts with their name slapped on it, and I think that this is the route that Dell has decided to take as well (the entire Inspiron line is designed very poorly, but they're inexpensive). Gateway's have been hit or miss in my experience.
My suggestions for big manufacutrers, would be Toshiba, Acer, or a Apple. Quick notes on Macs - built well, but you will have limited hardware & software options.
Lastly, if this is your first laptop (and if you are new to producing/playing as well) expect to go thru lots of trial and error. Expect that you are going to spend some time on learning curves, and figuring out how to run things best on your system.
Keep The Faith,
Christian K. |
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Yuli
Retired
Started Topics :
40
Posts :
1660
Posted : Apr 27, 2006 18:59
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I just recently bought a killer machine:
Toshiba Tecra A6 modified to my convenience through the official Toshiba website
Intel Core Duo Processor T2500 // 2.00 Ghz, 2M L2, 667Mhz FSB
Mobile Intel 945GM/PM Express Chipset ( Allows Dual Channel RAM modules )
512x2 MB PC4200 DDR2 533Mhz SDRAM
80GB 7200rpm Serial-ATA HD
14.1 diagonal widescreen
12 cell rechargeable Lithium Ion battery that gives me 4 - 5 hours of usage without need for electricity, great for travelling
and everything else like bluetooth, dvd combo etc it is just a killer machine..
I had for last 4 years Toshiba Satellite that I played heeps of live act with it, in different crazy conditions - desert sand storms, stuffed clubs etc... never had a glitch on it
A man with a "master plan" is often a woman |
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Janue
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
19
Posts :
514
Posted : Apr 27, 2006 19:17
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Toshiba is the best for shure!!!! their hard discs run on 7200rpm that is the most important thing!!
If u are Something, Dont ask for nothing
If u are Nothing, Dont ask for something |
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Meta
Meta/Boomslang
Started Topics :
24
Posts :
1045
Posted : Apr 27, 2006 21:05
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