Hi all
I posted in another area of SOS forum with regard to similar help in choosing a laptop. What spec was recommended etc and I have received some good advice. Having read this thread through a few times I have to say I’m a little confused. Processors? I have identified reference to 8 different flavours of Intel Duo Core processor with speeds from 2.0GHz to 2.98GHz and I’m sure there are more. So which one is recommended and why?

Hi all,
This is not such a recommendation as a request from me to see if I've got the right thing.
I currently use a Yamaha AW16G for home recording but have now got a laptop and, having read through this thread and the "Budget PC for music feature" in SOS, have got one of these..

http://www.acer.co.uk/acer/product.do?link=oln23g.redirect&changedAlts =&kcond5e.c2att92=122&CRC=1164770960

...with a view to possibly moving on to PC for recording.

I'm also thinking of maintaining the Yamaha for recording but doing the "production" side of things on the laptop; the Yammer hasn't got a USB port but I can export tracks / date in WAV form.

In short, am I heading in the right direction?

Just to add 2p worth from limited experience so far, the fan is quite noisy...but maybe that's relative to the Yammer.

Thanks for this thread is really helpful. I'm struggling to choose a laptop and can only afford one so I need to get it right.

I need a laptop for basic but decent home recording but also need stability for use live for DJing and virtual instruments. It's clear that some people have found PC laptops, XP in particular, to be stable. But I will be using it for everyday use as well, so it won't be dedicated to audio. Do you think this will affect the stability?

I'm thinking I may not risk it and go with the less risky mac option, considering that PCs seem to be hit and miss form reading this thread.

1. Make and model. hewlett packard dv9700 cto with vista home premium 32-bit.

2. Processor type & speed. centrino dual 2.5 Ggz

3. Amount of RAM. 3 Gig

4. Drive(s) capacity. 5400rpm hitachi 250 Gig, O/S, and software. 7200rpm seagate 320 Gig data storage, and playback

5. Make and model of audio interface Tascam 1641

6. Interface connection type (USB 1.1, USB 2.0, Firewire, PCMCIA, PCI Express) USB 2.0

7. Main software used. Reaper. awesome

Hi everyone. These are the stats on my location recording system. I've owned it, and abused it for a little over a year, and the only hiccup i've had, is a mistake i've made installing the second data storage drive. It runs like a top, and anything under 30 tracks runs with non-noticable latency when over-dubbing.

and the beauty of this system is, when im done the session, i back up to an external harddrive....leave the original data on the data drive in the laptop, and use the external drive to transport it to the desktop, for editing. hooked up to the desktop is another Tascam US 144, which allows me to monitor through the stereo (i know, but, its what im used to), and also i can overdub stereo tracks in the mixdown faze, if i need to.

at risk of sounding like an hp fanboi. I LOVE MY HP systems. They rock, never lag, and work as well as you hope that they will. Install was a breeze, and I was up and recording in less then 15 minutes.

--------------------
music is my girlfriend

Does the ThinkPad T61 use a Texas Instrument Firewire port? How about the Panasonic Toughbook? If not, which laptops do?

1. Make and model- Toshiba Satellite Pro A120

2. Processor type & speed- Centrino Duo 1.6Ghz

3. Amount of RAM- 2Gb

4. Drive(s) capacity- 60Gb plus 160gb 7200rpm USB2.0 External Drive

5. Make and model of audio interface- Line 6 UX-2

6. Interface connection type (USB 1.1, USB 2.0, Firewire, PCMCIA, PCI Express)- USB 1.1

7. Main software used. Cubase4, Sony acid, Line 6 Pod Farm, Halion, Terratec Komplexer, BFD.

I have just switched to borrowing my Girlfriends Toshiba Laptop as I have quit work to train as a teacher and had to hand back my works G4 Macbook Pro

Initially I was going up the wall as I have certain constraints and compromises with this laptop being used for web access, MS office etc (but thankfully NOT games!!).

I have set up separate user accounts (I don't know if this helps) where the settings on my side are all stripped down basics.

At first I could not get more than eight tracks of audio, loops and VSTi's down even when I quadrupled the memory to 2 Gb, without the processor overloading causing pops and clicks on the output.

I was ready to give up!!

Last night however I found within Toshiba's own Hardware tweaking program a way of switching the processor from "Dynamically Active" to "Always High" and suddenly it's like I have let the dog off the lead!!!!

The track that was unplayable through the processer hitting max all the time, suddenly shows it stable at about 10% and thats even on low latency settings- 512, with Line 6's direct monitoring on low as well.

Can anyone suggest what the Dynamically Active setting is and why bother (is my gf's laptop going to burn out by me switching this!!!!!)

Hi,

I've followed this thread with interest and thanks to all contributors. This is very relevant to me now I'm switching the use of my MOTU Traveler Mk 1 from desk top to lap top (Dell Inspiron 6400, 2006). Any FW issues reported (can't tell if it's Ricoh/TI etc)? If there are issues, can I resolve with an extra piece of kit (did some one metion a Belkin)?

Any assistance much appreciated. Dom Jones

I also have an Inspiron 6400 (also circa 2006). The firewire chipset is indeed a Ricoh so you may need to get an Expresscard FW interface but check with MOTU to see if they recommend a specific one.

Personally, I can't be doing with firewire and it's inconsistant implementations so I'll be using a Tascam us-1641 USB 2.0 interface.

The good news is that I've found the DPC latency of the 6400 to be good providing I disable the CD drive (see DPC latency thread).

I've also just upgraded my machine to 2GB RAM and a 320GB WD Scorpio Black 7200rpm hard disk. Previously it ran Sonar 8 (on XP Pro) without any issues so I reckon with these upgrades it should be plenty capable!

Hi there,
I'm after a laptop for audio recording I have a m-audio profire 2626 and am planning on using Reaper.
I'm thinking of getting an HP dv6-1130sa (or dv6-1133sa, not quite sure of the difference yet apart from £50) Has anyone else tried one of these for audio recording?

Although I was thinking on using the onboard firewire (I've not had a response from HP as to whether it is TI chipset) I may well get a express card as I read somewhere on M-Audio site they recommend using that not on board firewire.

Thanks for your help.
cracky

Hello good folks.
I have the last 3 1/2 years been using a DELL LATITUDE D810 laptop as my mobile studio / music machine and it has been really great. However, it is time for a new beast as the projects I'm working with now have been really pushing the machine.
I have a quite limited budget this time and although I have been pleased with all the DELL computers I've used, I have been looking at ASUS laptops that have the same (or very similar) spec to the DELLs, but cost significantly less (I'm in Sweden.. It's about 1000 kronor difference which is around 80 quid).
The ASUS models I've been looking at are:
Asus X59GL-AP290C
and
ASUS X50SR
Does anyone have experience with using ASUS machines in a studio situation (especially these models)? Are they as quiet as the DELL machines (mine (I have used 6) have always been quiet)? I'm worried about that. Fan noise drives me mental.
I run Cubase (just got 5), a PRESONUS FP10 soundcard (through a firewire express card).
Cheers in advance...
Rat

Thanks for hints on Inspiron 6400. I have upgraded to 2Gg RAM and seems to be working well with the MOTU Traveler depsite potential FW issues. Anyone have experience of the Vostro range please - it looks good as you get 7,200 rpm HD and a good spec for the money.

hey guys,

like many it seems, i am a little confused with what to chance on.
my budget is around £400

can anyone recommend a laptop for around this price?

firewire is not an issue as i am using usb.

i was looking at the travelmates as a possibility..

Dan

(i am using it to play live using ableton, with an m-audio fast track ultra)

Edited by Haelu (26/06/09 07:18 PM)

i a thinking of buying a Toshiba Satellite Pro L300-294
# Processor - Intel Core 2 Duo T5870 / 2 GHz (800mhz)
# RAM - 2 GB (installed) / 8 GB (max) - DDR2 SDRAM - 800 Hz
# Hard Drive - 160 GB - Serial ATA-300 - 5400 rpm
# Operating System - Vista Business / XP Professional

Does anyone have this particular model, or similar??

i am tempted by the 8GB max Ram, and 800Mhz bus.
but also I have heard that there are cooling fan problems with some Toshiba's.

as it will be used for live performance, any sudden cpu spikes will be seriously bad news..

nay help/suggestions are much appreciated

Dan

Hello,

As a newbie to these forums and not yet having bought any gear finding this thread has been great.

Am looking to do some basic guitar/vocal recording and thinking of a Tascam US122L linked to a £400-£500 laptop. (Was recommended the Tascam as a straighforward entry point.)

Any help with a few questions would be great:

1) With frequent changes of laptop models to what extent can recommendations of say one Toshiba Satellite series model be taken as holding good for another one? Models I am currently contemplating are the Acer Aspire 5536-643G50Mn and Toshiba Satellite Pro P300-1FP... anyone have experience of these?

2) The Tascam US122L is USB linked, if I go for a laptop and set up without firewire am I losing much in short or long term?

3) Am struggling to get a sense of how much hard drive I really will need? Will mostly only be recording acoustic guitar vocals and perhaps one or two other tracks. Will a machine with 160GB last a good while? I don't expect to be filling it with a lot of other files (movies etc).

Any thoughts on above, or other key considerations, appreciated..
cheers
Matt

Post deleted by Martin Walker

Edited by Martin Walker (19/08/09 12:11 PM)

Fightforwhat - how is this a helpful comment? This thread is as much about compatibility as it is about specs. Who wants to spend £500+ on a set-up that's then not going to work? Seems very quiet on here of late...

Welcome to the SOS Forums Niceonethanks!

I took the liberty of moving your first post from the end of the 'Survey of Recommended PC Laptop Models' and starting a new thread, as it didn't really fit where it was.

You're also likely to get a lot more answers with a separate post. Here's the link:

www.soundonsound.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=764295


Martin

--------------------
YewTreeMagic

Nice thread.

Though, according to my experience, people who have firewire audio interfaces should check the support forums of their audio interfaces first.

I have a TC Konnekt Live (for good) and Acer Extensa 5620, (temporarily). This laptop has a TI Firewire chipset. BUT, the way that it works (nicely) might not be linked to THE 'lucky' firewire chipset. Maybe finally TC made a great driver and it could even work with a RICOH chipset, who knows?

Go for the support (web site, forum etc) of your audio interface.

One of the most important things, is also, OS settings. Tweaking your OS for the audio work is the most important thing.

Oh, if you have a USB audio interface, I think you shouldn't worry much. Just keep the OS clean, and don't swap the USB ports much. Because each time you change the USB port, you need to reinstall the drivers (of the audio interface) again right from the start.

I purchased laptop based on recommendations I read in SoundOnSound some time ago. It was an Acer Travelmate 5720, with famous firewire controllers and XP, about $1000 almost a year ago.

"Famous" USB controllers - a proprietary ACER drivers conflicted with my DIGI 002. I also discovered a grounding problem on video card - dark floating lines on external display.

I ended up sending my laptop to repair - twice - and each time Acer told me that everything is OK and laptop passed the test. I checked the registry after repair - they did not clean it up or re-install XP, just tried to override it... It was incredible - I complained about external monitor - they replaced internal LCD... Communication with those folks across the globe was an experience by itself...

So I kept complaining, but Acer refused to provide me with further support under the warranty and requested payment... Acer did not acknowledge the problems, and never mentioned replacement of a product, but instead they tried to put a blame on me. For instance, they said that external monitor should be only Acer ( ??? -what a nonsense )...

In addition, there were other features I did not like , but it was lesser importantance to me:

1. Display: image invisible at the slight angle at day light,
2. quiet internal speakers.
3. No possibility to upgrade laptop with the bluetooth - there is a dedicated button, but ACER won't sell you the chip.
4. Acer did not sell extended warranty on this product despite it was less than one year old.

I am glad to report that laptop is functional now. I installed third party firewire card, and the ground breaker, all is functioning so far... What a waste, I spend almost 8 month arguing with Acer , and one day to do the repair by myself.They should have void my warranty long time ago. The cost of modifications was less than packing and sending laptop to ACER laboratory... So if you can find a qualified advise you still can take a chance to purchase Acer. However, the best part of the deal - the firewire controller - is obsolete now.

Hi,

I went through a bit of a downsize recently, so decieded to try out my 2 year old Acer 5633WLMi

Core 2 duo 1.6 T5500 (667 MHz FSB)

1Gb RAM

80Gb HD

I ripped out the 1gb and put in 4Gb corsair (2x2Gb)
and replaced the 80gb with a 250Gb Western Digital 7200rpm drive.

The drive is now 4 partitions with dual boot, Vista for t'internet and XP SP2 for t'music (1 audio partition and another 'data' partition = 4)

I use an RME Digiface with the PCMCIA card.

Running Reason, Reaper, Cubase VST5 .

I've had projects of around 30 audio tracks with various VST fx and VSTi running and haven't had any problems at all. I've been using it for about 6 weeks now.

The drive is ever so slightly noisier than the original, but that's to be expected from the higher speed I suppose.

You can probably pick up one of these 2nd hand for under £200, and then replace the drive and RAM for another 60-80

Right this thread looks like it hasn't been updated in awhile so I hope you all can help me out.

I finally have enough money together to buy a laptop. My budget will be about 600-700 pound or so. I really don't know what laptop I should go for.

As standard I will be looking for 4gigs ram, 200gb+ hard drive and a core 2 duo processor Id say.

So what makes and models have you all found to be reliable?

I will be running several music programs on it with a lot of plugins etc so I want something that does start popping and crackling after a handful of vsts

Thanks for any help

Edited by JamesCleary (07/11/09 09:54 PM)

James, you're right there haven't been many recent updates on this thread. I'm not quite sure why.

I've been on the trail of a suitable laptop in same price bracket and have just decided to focus on a good machine and then see if any major issues I can find in terms of audio devices. After much research am now about to take the plunge with a Dell Studio 17. They have some very good deals on just until the 11th Nov where you can get what looks like a really good spec (Duo Core processor, 500GB hard disk & 1GB graphics card) along with the 17" screen all for around £650!

I am going to check out audio issues asap and will post back what I find. Sure hope it holds up as the machince itself looks like great value...

Matt

Thanks Matt!


Looking forward to hearing how it goes!

Well, have a had a reasonable hunt around and a number of forums hightlight significant latency problems with the Dell Studio series as well as other models. (Their own community forum seems most up to date place on this.) Seem to be a host of different workarounds that some of have employed with varying success and the promise of a updated bios that might fix things etc etc but who knows when/if that will come. Contacting Dell direct gave no real answer on this. I'm not technical and can't face potentially months of grappling with a system that might never work, so reluctantly now passing on idea of Dell Studio which is shame given what it offers otherwise.

Hope others can offer some more recent tested options that will work.

Hi, I'm using a Packard Bell 15.4 widescreen(LED)Easy Note TJ65.
Intel coreduo2 T4200 2.0ghz
4gb Ram
250 internal. 1tb seagate external 7200rpm usb2
MOTU 828mk2 usb
4 usb HDMI pc output ethernet
Cubase5
soundforge
waves

i bought this laptop from new and have not(so far) encountered any problems with the day to day running.Its very quiet and runs very fast. I would recommend this laptop to all.

Anyone got any comments on THIS

Cheers

--------------------
Hail Hail and up the VSTs

Just wondering if a Sony Vaio like this..

Sony Vaio Link

Would be a suitable alternative to a Macbook Pro and save me 500 quid in the process for doing live electronic shows using Ableton Live 8.

Any feedback appreciated, cheers.

uhm

i posted my hp laptop up a few posts. i would like to do a follow up on the dv 9000, and what appears to be the 6000 series as well.

i've owned and babied the laptop for two years now, and for the last little while, it has hung after the post screen. the workaround is to hit f2 in the post, and then f10 to save and exit, without making any changes. for some reason this allows it to finish booting.

i have to say that i was a little upset at the lack of customer service. (i mailed them twice, and the responses i got were,.... not good) friendly, but not helpful. and denying the fact that my laptop has the documented issue.

it looks like this series of laptops has a motherboard flaw. imma buy a new mobo, and pop it in, and its the GPU that is losing its connection to the board (apparently) after i receive the new mobo, i am going to heat the original one with a heat gun, and coins, to try and repair it. first thing i will do is change the CMOS, but, i really dont think this is it.

its a great laptop, if you dont mind buyin a new mobo, every one to two years. or pulling the old one out, and covring it with heat protection, and heating up the GPU to reseat it, with its saulder (sp)



sorry for bad advice folks...its not a fluke, ive been to the hp forums, and there is a thread with 30 pages, with 25 - 30 posts on each page, explaining the same issue with alot of dissatisfied customers. so.....

needless to say, imma a little pi$$ed, but, i still love the laptop when it works.



--------------------
music is my girlfriend

mine is ASUS,here are details


1. Make and model.
ASUS A4K

2. Processor type & speed.
AMD Athlon 3400

3. Amount of RAM.
2GB

4. Drive(s) capacity.
80GB Hitachi Travelstar 7200rpm internal drive
320GB Seagate 7200rpm USB external drive
160GB Seagate 7200rpm USB external drive

5. Make and model of audio interface
MOTU 828 Mark II
EgoSys WaMi box

6. Interface connection type (USB 1.1, USB 2.0, Firewire, PCMCIA, PCI Express)
Firewire
PCMCIA

7. Main software used.
Nuendo
Guitar Rig
Logic Platinum
AudioMulch
Wavelab

--------------------
true religion jeans|wow gold|rolex watches

Thanks lele0124. How do you find it performs? Can you mix several Guitar Rig tracks in Nuendo without having to freeze them? Do you use samplers and other plug-ins? Any problems to report or things you wish it did better?

Matt

Hi,

Can anyone recommend a new laptop for me. I run Cubase 4 and an M Audio Fast track ultra USB. My budget is £650. I am currently using a pc but it cant handle more than a few instances of virtual instruments, guitar/bass amp simulators, plug-ins etc. I will probably be buying from PC World.

Kind regards,

Andy

Hola,

Thanx for this thread! If i hadnt read it, i think i would have made a serious blunder and wasted loads of cash. Anyway, i wonder if anyone is running these programs on a laptop with good results:
Cubase 5, Ableton Live 8, Komplete 5, Soundforge 9, Emu 0404 usb and some more plugins. Off course ill be happy if u could share what kind of laptop you are using(well duh).

Hello,

Just got a new laptop from work and, naturally enough :-), I have been trying it out for music.

Here are the laptop specs:

1. Make and model - HP Elitebook 6930 p

2. Processor type & speed - Intel Core 2 Duo T9400 2.53 GHz

3. Amount of RAM - 3GB

4. Drive(s) capacity - 150 GB

5. Make and model of audio interface - ESI U46XL

6. Interface connection type (USB 1.1, USB 2.0, Firewire, PCMCIA, PCI Express) - On laptop USB 2.0, on interface USB 1.1

7. Main software used. Ableton Live 8 Intro, Battery 3, u-he ACE

I also have a Kontrol 49, Tranzport and Nocturn attached to it.

OS is XP professional.

I am using it as a musical scratchpad so I can't honestly say that I am really stressing it out. However I am running the interface at the lowest available latency and everything is rock solid. I am typically running Battery 3, u-he ACE and a couple of freeware VST instruments - plus some loops and effects. Apparently u-he Ace needs a lot of CPU but this laptop is coping with it fine. Ableton CPU meter is 4%-5% without it and 12% - 15% with it on.

I might install Cubase Studio 5 on there, in which case I'll report back on how it does with a bigger multitrack project.

/e

Anyone have any experiences with the hp elitebook 8530p? Ive been given a very good offer and thinking about striking the chance.

Specs are:
HP EliteBook 8530p
Processor Core 2 Duo T9600 2.8 GHz
RAM 4 gigs
Harddisc 250 GB - Serial ATA-300 - 7200 rpm

Bought this laptop yesterday:

HP EliteBook 8530p
Processor Core 2 Duo T9600 2.8 GHz
RAM 4 gigs
Harddisc 250 GB - Serial ATA-300 - 7200 rpm

Will test it for some days and post my verdict. Doesnt look to good actually after testing with dcp latency utility and occp:(

Glad to have this thread!

I have to chose and buy a laptop in the very near future (right after Easter 2010)and the recommendations are mostly from 1-2 years ago, and, the Thinkpad series of Lenovo, which seem to have been widely praised, has been superseded by the Ideapad series, which are surprisingly not praised.

My intended use will be with an EMU 0404 for raw-tracking acoustic sources, and I don't plan to be producing music/using many softsynths, effects plugins, at most some drum sequencer like Fruity Loops, maybe minimal synth usage, as a preproduction sidenote, no orchestration, mostly to have some patterns to build song-architectures and to record along to.

I'll have to use it as a still-graphics workhorse (I'm a graphic designer by profession) and with Ms Office for everyday tasks.

Please folks, help me chose a reliable laptop PC in the £400-650 range, from the 2010 offerings. It has to be a new one, and the higher the spec, the better... (it's sort of a present, that's why)

Thank you very much!

--------------------
Rough-demos here, better in the making http://www.myspace.com/thesatellitedogs

Quote Magus:

---

Bought this laptop yesterday:

HP EliteBook 8530p
Processor Core 2 Duo T9600 2.8 GHz
RAM 4 gigs
Harddisc 250 GB - Serial ATA-300 - 7200 rpm

Will test it for some days and post my verdict. Doesnt look to good actually after testing with dcp latency utility and occp:(

---

Don't despair help is at hand. To find what is causing the spike you need to disable components in Device Manager one by one and test the laptop as you go along with the DCP program. After you disable the device which is causing the spike, the DPC utlity should stay in the green zone.

I had a problem with a spike in my laptop when I tested it with the dcp utility. I tried to disable all the common devices known to cause problems, like wireless, bluetooth, modem, etc. But I missed the one that was actually responsible for the spike. In the end I did find it. It was the infra red device. Now, my laptop behaves perfectly (Acer Travelmate).

--------------------
www.electric-himalaya.com
VST and hardware synth sound design

I wanted to give details of my laptop which I bought a couple of years ago ( as a present to myself. The occasion: marriage ). The laptop is still available with new spec, so if you like my report, it could be a good model to investigate.


Acer TravelMate 6592G
Intel Core 2 Duo T7100 (1,8Ghz)
15'4" WXGA LCD
512 MB ATI Mobility radeon
1 GB RAM
160GB HHD
PCMCIA and PC Express slots
DVD
Wireless
Bluoetooth
and other bits like IBM-style joystick, Bio-protection security scanner ( finger scanner), 5 types of cards reader, a good selection of ports including a serial port, etc.

This laptop was one of the very first Dual Core machines. I bought it as my mobile workstation to be used for music, office, web application ( hence the need for wireless).

The laptop is great, and I can recommend it wholeheartedly, especially, that the new 6592G packs a punch with more power and a better resulution monitor and is much, much cheaper.


I run it with an Echo Indigo I/O soundcard with Sonar 8.5 PE.

Initially I had a problem though. When I installed the Echo soundcard, the laptop refused to shut down properly needing the power button to be pressed. I could not find the solution to this anywhere and Echo support was none the wiser too. Eventually, just recently, I was looking for an answer to a USB problem and Martin Walker has replied with a solution, which did not solve the USB problem, but solved my laptops inability to shut down automatically)!

I also had a problem with a bad latency report as shown by the DPC latency utility. However, I did trace the problem to an Infra Red device, disabled it, and the latency report is first rate: no problems.

This laptop is very well built. The case is made of some kind of metal. Very sturdy. The keyboard is high quality.

What I also wanted was the PCMCIA and PC express card slots. I got both in this laptop so I have an option of using the faster PC Express sound card, should I wish to upgrade from my PCMCIA card in the future.

The battery life is a bit rubbish, to be honest. But then, with the high CPU consumption by some of my VSTs, I'm not surprised.

I now need to upgrade my RAM to at least 2 GB, but there was an option to do that during purchase. I also wish this Acer ahd a better processor, but overall, it manages just fine, and together with Sonar's excellent freeze feature, I'm ok. :-)

--------------------
www.electric-himalaya.com
VST and hardware synth sound design

Thanks for the Travelmate, mate - :-) sorry, could not resist - but this series is like a business solution, aimed at suits and ties, and professionals, who need something for generic useage, but, as the series' name suggests, for travelling often and far distances with one charge of the battery?

I don't mean these are bad machines, but they are tuned for longer battery usage, in turn, designed with lower processing power, and have superfluos ingredients like the fingerprint reader too.

I don't think this is the best overall solution for me personally.

Hmm, can someone tell me, please, what makes a laptop quiet, aside from shutting it down? :-) There are plenty of powerful laptops by spec, but what makes one work silently for tracking acoustic sources with microphones?

Thanks for the help!

--------------------
Rough-demos here, better in the making http://www.myspace.com/thesatellitedogs