Great Recording Laptop (by todays standards...)

RCW

RCW

Member
Mar 6, 2009
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0
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Kentucky
Hey everyone,

Just filed my taxes and plan on getting a laptop for mobile recording and mixing purposes. I have done some of my own research and have searched the forum a bit but need some up to date info on what is out right now.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834114719

I was checking out that laptop. Toshiba Satellite. I use a MOTU 828mk3 for recording and I was planning on getting a firewire express card to pop in there.

I guess most of my questions regard laptop processors, front side bus, and ram. I have never recorded on a laptop before. I would be recording 24 to 36 track projects and using a moderate amount of effects such as waves plugs/drumagog/izotope. Let me know if you think this would cut.

Any other laptop recommendations would also be welcome. My budget is right around 500 to 800. Thanks for any help and opinions.

Rory
 
Hard to beat Toshiba for price/performance in laptops. That's a killer deal. The most important thing is 4 gigs of RAM these days, and know that Intel architecture is faster than AMD, but that AMD can be just fine if it's a higher end AMD processor.
 
Only thing that might let you down is the 5200rpm drive, but you could possibly get a 7200rpm drive via Firewire or something. Although, I'm using 5200rpm drives and while its not fantastic, it does what I need it to.
 
Yea I thought it seemed like a great deal. As far as the 5400 rpm hard drive goes... Is the jump to 7200 really that big of a difference? I can't even really find that many that have 7200 stock. I should have some money left over if I really need the upgrade.

Also, macbook pro!? I love those and they look super sweet. I could actually get fairly cheap too I think. There is a store close to me that sells refurb mac products for a steep price cut. The only thing is though I have never used a mac before and I have heard about compatibility issues with certain plugins and software. I do have a MOTU though and I've also heard the drivers are way more solid on Mac but then again they aren't bad on windows. HAHAHA

Someone sway me more in the direction of a mac. I haven't done much research on these but they look really fun.

Also, what about the processor? You think that is core 2 duo will work? I know these have been around for a while...
 
Morgan C said:
Only thing that might let you down is the 5200rpm drive, but you could possibly get a 7200rpm drive via Firewire or something. Although, I'm using 5200rpm drives and while its not fantastic, it does what I need it to.
Click to expand...

More specifically on that the hard drive... You said via firewire. I'm assuming you mean recording to an external firewire hard drive. If I did that though my hard drive and interface would both be running through the express card that I would have to buy to support firewire on my laptop.

Wouldn't that most likely cause some issues... or is firewire really that reliable/fast?
 
RCW said:
More specifically on that the hard drive... You said via firewire. I'm assuming you mean recording to an external firewire hard drive. If I did that though my hard drive and interface would both be running through the express card that I would have to buy to support firewire on my laptop.

Wouldn't that most likely cause some issues... or is firewire really that reliable/fast?
Click to expand...

I'm not really the person to ask. You could always record to your 5400rpm then edit/mix on the 7200rpm drive. Unless you need your interface to do those things.
 
Morgan C said:
I'm not really the person to ask. You could always record to your 5400rpm then edit/mix on the 7200rpm drive. Unless you need your interface to do those things.
Click to expand...

Ok. Gotcha. I'll see if I can do some further research elsewhere on that subject. I appreciate the spark in thought though. :)
 
AdamWathan said:
Dude save up triple your budget and buy a MacBook Pro.
Click to expand...

Even though this notion might have originally been sarcastic, I'm going to second it.

Why? I know those kind of PCs. They look great on paper, but that's about it. I fell for one once, and I still regret it. I'm not saying that PC wouldn't be great for audio production, but you just can't always be sure. If there's a wrong part somewhere that doesn't go well with other parts of your system, then you're fucked. Next, you realize you've just bought a laptop, and the components of laptops are irreplaceable. You realize you're fucked x2.

I have a 2x 2,4GHz 4GB PC laptop lying around, that can't do shit. It even has an integrated graphics chip that's specially made for that laptop... In this case, it means it can't run games, just barely some videos. It has air ventilation problems. It's loud as hell, even though it's never been used a lot. But that's just the sound of Acer raping you in the ass.

/rant

What I'm just saying is, if you really want a PC, get something that you already know works. Some model someone else that works on audio uses. Windows 7 is a huge leap forward in terms of reliability, but manufacturers just like to skimp on the hardware. That's not to say Macs never fail either, but the odds for this to happen are considerably smaller.

What I paid for in my mac was quality control, well-chosen parts and operating system. I really hope you get the same things, no matter what you end up choosing.
 
Alienware laptop with SSD. / done Macs are for teh gheys cloy, and you know it, sir :D

laptop-alienware-m17x-design1-emea.jpg
 
Back to the hard drive discussion (must... avoid... losing..... thread... to... Mac vs PC... discussion ;-)

I would just buy the Toshiba and if you get performance problems because of the 5200rpm drive, swap it with a SSD...
 
Thanks so much for the input guys. In the end I just can't afford a mac and want to spend the money on a laptop before I HAVE to spend it on something else. I'll try the toshiba and hope I get a good quality solution. Also, I looked at the SSD's and they look like the way to go. Ill probably install one of those or like you said sopulurn, a good firewire 7200 rpm hd.

I am still going to look in the way of other manufacturers such as dell, alienware, and a few others I can find on the net. That toshiba looks really great though.

I appreciate all the help!
 
Why do you want a laptop for recording/mixing? For the cash you spend on a laptop, you can get a desktop with MUCH MUCH better specs...

How much mobile recording do you really plan on doing? I used to want the laptop for that reason exactly, but I found that in order to get a good recorded sound, the laptop/computer is really secondary to the fact that you'll need to bring your monitors, microphones, gear, etc... And it isn't like you're going to be recording on the go, either, you'll probably plop your laptop down somewhere and pretend its stationary for the most part.
 
ParsonsMatt said:
Why do you want a laptop for recording/mixing? For the cash you spend on a laptop, you can get a desktop with MUCH MUCH better specs...

How much mobile recording do you really plan on doing? I used to want the laptop for that reason exactly, but I found that in order to get a good recorded sound, the laptop/computer is really secondary to the fact that you'll need to bring your monitors, microphones, gear, etc... And it isn't like you're going to be recording on the go, either, you'll probably plop your laptop down somewhere and pretend its stationary for the most part.
Click to expand...

Trust me I have thought about this... but being able to go into a coffee shop, sit at home on my recliner, or just sit on the shitter and be able to mix at the same time is amazing. I plan on getting a laptop with an express card slot and esata so I can get a portable interface to mix with. Just plug in my headphones and mix away no matter where I am. Also, I honestly do about half and half as far as portable recording and inhouse recording. I actually prefer mobile work though honestly. It's just more fun to get up and go to someone and work with their space.

That^ is the selling point of the laptop. I have actually gone through a lot lately to minimize my gear so it's really easy for me to set up anywhere. This may not be what a lot of people want to do but around my area a lot of people are into what I am trying to do. I can just pack up my gear and come set up in their practice space. People will pay extra for it too.

Another thing, I've got a decent desktop which has always preformed well. If I ever need it's there. The case, which is huge, was actually meant for a server. So size wasn't a factor when the machine was built but it's been great for my purposes so far. I just can't stand to haul that thing around anymore. Also, I could leave behind the computer, monitor, and keyboard where ever I go.

So yes, I have thought about it but I can't find any reason why I should just buy another desktop machine when that means I would have to lug it around plus a monitor and keyboard. That would be really impractical to drag all that into a coffee shop when I feel like sitting down to mix.
 
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