Sometimes this approach will work, but it's not just a matter of how much, sometimes it's a matter of will it work at all?
On some chipset controlers, you might get crackling when you record, even if it's only one track.
some firewire interfaces just won't work with audio devices, so with off the shelf hardware, unless you just know a model that will work, and even then a simple change in firmware or bios revission can make a difference, you are playing a hit and miss game.
I've got an older laptop here, well two of them to be exact, one is a toshiba, the other is an compaq evo 610.
The compaq is a 1.8 ghz with 512 memory running xp, you'd thing you could record plane jane 16 bit stereo on it right?
Well, my litle sound care an edirol ua1 which works fine on all my desktop units will drop out and just not work right with that machine.
I can use it with wdm with a lite version of sonar and run a soft synth or two, but if I push it atall, it pukes.
And it's squirrelly at best. Same with the other toshiba it's a p3 900 mhz machine also running xp.I realize these are older machines, but I did lots of work with decent track counts on comparable desk top machines, so what botlenecked the show, was i the chipset, the controler, well, we'll just never know.
When your dealing with external protocols like usb and firewire,what you have to take in to account is that these always get lower priority than the internal bus architectures do.
This is one reason I've always prefered bus based interfaces. NOt possible on a laptop, but if you go that route, you better have your ducks in a row. It's probably safe to assume that any outboard midi will work ok.you have such low data rates, but I've seen bargain basement laptops hiccup, even on these, we used to run a sound-canvas module in a trio I was part of in 02, and they bought an amd based bargain model of some kind running pretty decent specs, but now and again, the midi data would drop a beat or burp.
Remember, that laptops are heat monsters too,everything is crammed in there tightly, and if you push them, and turn everything on like you would in an audio machine for performance, not battery life like the exec who just needs to see his spread-sheet on the plane ride, your going to push it's tolerances even further.
So,I'd be ashamed of any laptop that couldn't at least handle some audio stuff, after all they all play dvds and multi-media web content, but remember, they're using the internal cards to do that too.
they couldn't sell them if they wouldn't do that.So just buy it if that's all you can get, and make sure you can return it if you don't like it.
Try it on all your stuff and see how well it works or doesn't work. That's the only way you'll know.Or look around on the web on the recording foreums and see if you can find other off the shelf models that seem to do well with recording.
At 07:57 PM 10/20/2009, you wrote:
Ramie,Perhaps someone has already asked this question, but what kind of recording are you hoping to do with this new lap top?If you are needing it to act like a Home Studio, capable of mass amount of tracks and effects, at the same time, it will cost you. But if you only plan to record a small number of tracks, at any one time, then there is no need to have some very expensive, high power system.So, figure out what you intend to do with this new computer, and then buy what you need.Cheers! Dave H. At 09:14 PM 10/19/2009, you wrote:thanks allot i shall have a look, but no laptop 7200 hard disks here in egypt.----- Original Message ----- From: "Sandy Licht" <slicht@xxxxxxxxxxx> To: <realmusicians@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Tuesday, October 20, 2009 12:17 AM Subject: [realmusicians] Re: Need advice from my brothersNo. I mean the internal one that comes with the laptop. At 06:42 PM 10/19/2009 +0200, you wrote:external one u mean? ----- Original Message ----- From: "Sandy Licht" <slicht@xxxxxxxxxxx> To: <realmusicians@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Monday, October 19, 2009 4:56 PM Subject: [realmusicians] Re: Need advice from my brothersThat hard drive is also slow. You will need a 7200 RPM drive for music. At 01:37 AM 10/19/2009 -0400, you wrote:Well that's as good as an off the shelf system will probably get for you,I'd say max the memory as much as you can, specially since the graphics carduses shared video memory, common with the intel 945 chipsets... This willgive you decent performance for a laptop, though you'll need to customizethe OS for work with audio apps, specially if using vista which is a definite no no... HTH, D!J!X! -----Original Message----- From: realmusicians-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:realmusicians-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Ramy Moustafa Sent: Monday, October 19, 2009 12:10 AM To: realmusicians@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [realmusicians] Re: Need advice from my brothers ok read on please: Toshiba u400 17s aspects: Technology type : IntelR CentrinoR processor technology featuring IntelR CoreT2 Duo processor T6400, IntelR GM45 Express chipset and IntelR WiFi Link 5100 clock speed : 2.00 GHz Front Side Bus : 800 MHz 2nd level cache : 2 MBOperating system Genuine Windows VistaR Home Premium 32-bit Edition(pre-installed, Toshiba-HDD recovery) System memory standard : 2,048 MB maximum expandability : 8,192 MB technology : DDR2 RAM (800 MHz) Hard disk capacity : 250 GB certification : S.M.A.R.T. drive rotation : 5,400 rpmDVD Super Multi drive (Double Layer) compatibility : CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD-R(DL), DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+R(DL), DVD+RW, DVD-RAMmaximum speed : Read: 24x CD-ROM, 8x DVD-ROM/ Write: 24x CD-R, 4x CD-RW, 10x HS CD-RW, 16x US CD-RW, 8x DVD-R, 6x DVD-R (Double Layer), 6x DVD-RW, 8x DVD+R, 6x DVD+R (Double Layer), 8x DVD+RW, 5x DVD-RAM type : Slim DVD Super Multi (Double Layer) drive Display size : 13.3 " type : Toshiba TruBriteR WXGA TFT High Brightness display internal resolution : 1,280 x 800 Graphics adapter manufacturer : IntelR type : Mobile IntelR GMA 4500MHDmemory amount : up to 1,340 MB total available graphics memory with 4GB system memory memory type : shared Internal video modes The following internal video modes are supported: resolution : 1,280 x 800 Max. external video modes max. resolution : 2,048 x 1,536 max. refresh rate : 85 Hz non-interlaced resolution with max. refresh rate : 1,600 x 1,200 Interfaces 1 x DC-in 1 x external monitor 1 x RJ-11 1 x RJ-45 1 x i.LINKR (IEEE 1394) 1 x external microphone 1 x headphone (stereo) 1 x S/PDIF (optical) shared with headphone socket 1 x integrated 1.3 Megapixels Web Camera with built-in microphone 1 x HDMI-CEC (REGZA-Link) supporting 1080p signal format 1 (shared with one USB port) x eSATA1 x 5-in-1 Bridge Media slot (supports SDT Cards up to 16 GB, Memory StickR up to 256 MB, Memory Stick ProT up to 4 GB, MultiMedia CardT up to 1GB and xD-Picture CardT up to 2 GB) 3 (Left 2, Right 1) x USB 2.0 (supporting USB Sleep-and-Charge) Expansion 2 x memory slots 1 x Express CardT slot Wireless communication Wireless Technology : BluetoothR Compliancy : Wi-FiT Network Support : 802.11a/g/Draft-N Wireless Technology : Wireless LAN (802.11a/g/Draft-N)Wired communication topology : international V.90 modem (V.92 ready)speed : 56 Kbps data and 14.4 Kbps fax topology : Fast Ethernet LAN speed : 10BASE-T/100BASE-TX Sound system supported audio format : 24-bit stereo speakers : built-in stereo speakersmanufacturer : Toshiba Bass Enhanced Sound System with DolbyR SoundRoomT Keyboard Keys : 86 WindowsR keys : Yes Pointing device type : Touch Pad Battery technology : lithium-ion maximum life : up to 3h00min (Mobile MarkT 2007) AC adapter input voltage : autosensing AC adapter (100/240 V) for worldwide usage Physical dimensions W x L x H : 314 x 229 x 27.5 (front) / 35.0 (rear) mm weight : starting at 2.0 kg Warranty 1-year international warranty. Upgrade your standard warranty with Toshiba warranty extension and uplift packs. Contact your nearest Toshiba Authorised Reseller for details. Bundled hardware AC adapterBundled software MicrosoftR Works, MicrosoftR Office Home and Student2007 (free 60-day trial) HDMI Control Manager DolbyR Control Center Toshiba Recovery Disc Creator McAfeeR Internet Security Suite - Toshiba Edition (includes free Internet updates for 30 days) Toshiba Face Recognition Toshiba utilities and drivers Toshiba DVD Player Toshiba Camera Assistant Software Toshiba Assist Toshiba Supervisor Password Utility Toshiba User's Manual Toshiba Disc Creator Toshiba BluetoothR Monitor Toshiba BluetoothR Stack Connectivity Doctor Toshiba ConfigFreeT Toshiba Value Added Package (Toshiba Power Saver, Toshiba ZoomingUtility, Toshiba PC Diagnostic Tool, Toshiba Flash Cards, Toshiba ComponentsCommon Driver, Toshiba Accessibility, Toshiba Button Support) Google Pack (Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer, Google Desktop, Picasa) UleadR DVD MovieFactoryR for TOSHIBA Toshiba EasyMedia Internal HD 720p support S/PDIF DolbyR Sound RoomT Toshiba ConfigFreeT Integrated Bridge Media Adapter Diversity Antenna Built-in Web Camera & microphone Wireless LAN (802.11a/b/g/ Draft-N) Easy Keys Toshiba Flash Cards Smart Display Support Toshiba Face Recognition McAfeeR Internet Security Suite - Toshiba Edition BluetoothR 2.1 with EDR HDMI-CEC (REGZA-Link) USB & USB/eSATA Sleep-and-Charge Google Pack (Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer, Google Desktop, Picasa) Toshiba TEMPRO Performance Tuning Service Security features user password slot for Kensington Cable Lock supervisor password HDD password on request main memory (by screw) main hard disk (by screw) Wireless LAN switch main battery pack (by sliding latch) Special features ENERGY STAR qualified computer Toshiba Face Recognition integrated 1.3 Megapixels Web Camera for Video over IP Multimedia Bar with 6 feather-touch Easy Keys (on/off function ofwhite LED illuminated Touch Pad, Satellite logo and Easy Keys plus Rewind,Play, Stop, Forward, CD/DVD launcher) Enhanced IntelR SpeedStepR Technology integrated microphone for Voice over IP HD Audio supporting SM BIOS compliant ----- Original Message ----- From: "D!J!X!" <megamansuperior@xxxxxxxxxxx> To: <realmusicians@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Sunday, October 18, 2009 4:44 PM Subject: [realmusicians] Re: Need advice from my brothers > Can you post the specs??? > > D!J!X! > > > -----Original Message----- > From: realmusicians-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> [mailto:realmusicians-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Ramy > Moustafa> Sent: Sunday, October 18, 2009 6:23 AM > To: realmusicians@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > Subject: [realmusicians] Need advice from my brothers > > hi all:> i decided to buy a toshiba lap top, and need to know if this is good > or> no, > i choose: > u400 20v, and u400 17s> r there good? or no? and please, tell me if they well be good with > our> musical programs? > > Thanks allot > Cheers > Ramy Moustafa > > > >Sandy Licht Turn right, then go straight! Jeremiah 29:11-14 (Amplified Bible)11For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.12Then you will call upon Me, and you will come and pray to Me, and I will hear and heed you.13Then you will seek Me, inquire for, and require Me [as a vital necessity] and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.(A)14I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will release you from captivity and gather you from all the nations and all the places to which I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I caused you to be carried away captive.Sandy Licht Turn right, then go straight! Jeremiah 29:11-14 (Amplified Bible)11For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.12Then you will call upon Me, and you will come and pray to Me, and I will hear and heed you.13Then you will seek Me, inquire for, and require Me [as a vital necessity] and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.(A)14I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will release you from captivity and gather you from all the nations and all the places to which I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I caused you to be carried away captive.
