Could this be the solution to portable PC (not notebook)

[Cheez]

Let's face it. We want portability for our music. So we lug along our notebook. But the notebook's processing power is always deficient compared to a PC. But a PC is too big to lug around (I've done that once...bad experience).

One way is to build a rack PC (4-6U) with our choice of processor (Quad or higher). While the rack PC can fit into a neat medium size rack carrier, we still face the problem of a monitor.

Could this be the solution?

http://www.theportablepc.com/

Granted, their portable PC solution is pretty expensive. But what about this:

• We build a rack PC (with Quad or higher processor)
• Then we get one of their 1U portable LCD + keyboard like this:

• Everything fit into 6-8U - and we can carry that around.

What do you think? Workable? Heavier than notebook, but all the processing power we need.

 

[soft]

Hey Cheez

I bring a desktop + LCD for outdoor recording + a 8U SKB (for the audio interface, powerstrip, headphone amp and cables).

Just need to secure the desktop into the SKB box and I will be happy.

 

[Cheez]

So...James, if you'll be able to make your PC into another rack that fits into the SKB box (and your monitor fit as a 1U unit), would you consider that? That would mean you may need a 16U box (of which you'll have to be careful of heat flow), or just 2 8U boxes. I find bringing PC and monitor a real hassle! Imagine everything fits neatly into an SKB box! Definitely more portable and easier to carry around!

 

[Cheez]

Actually, making PC into a rack is easy. The problem is the monitor. James, do you have any suggestions for making monitors more portable? Somehow customize them so they fit into an SKB box?

 

[soft]

I just use a normal 17" LCD. I put the SKB on the floor, desktop on top of SKB and monitor on top of desktop.

I didnt put the desktop into the SKB cos I worry people dont know and anyhow throw the box around.

 

[blueprintstudios]

ok.. here's my experience worth.
as some of you have read before, i'm using a korg d888, but before THAT was released. this was my mobile recording/mixing setup.

mics > 2 x behringer ada8000 (8 mic preamp) > echo audio layla24 > barebone pc > 15" view sonic monitor. (smaller,lighter,more mobile right?)

powered by a samson powerstrip.

so in 1 SKB case, there's the 2 racks of preamps, the soundcard + the powerstrip.

inside the case I squeezed a D.I box, a behringer vamp 2.0 and a pod 2.0

in the other "luggage" (yes I used a luggage) , I had mics, cables, barebone pc , monitor, all squeezed inside.

yet I have another market auntie trolley, that carried micstands if I was recording drums.

and thats pretty much it. but it was for more than 1 person to carry all alone. I'm almost 100kg and i'm about 6 feet tall I can handle heavy weights. it was usually double trips from my car to the location, and if you ask me, this isn't mobile recording if you can't handle it by yourself. (unless you got a sound crew)

but result : I had the power to mix with a barebone pc (which has the power of a normal desktop) it takes up abit more space than a 1U case but definitely won't compromise anything here. cheap also.

the disadvantage : if you can't mobile mix ( with a laptop , with easily accessible powersockets from the public, like macdonalds for example) it's still not as portable with only half the battle won. I mix at macdonalds / starbucks/coffee bean sometimes. so i'm speaking details here.

to keep to the topic, the idea is a "portable PC", the answer is barebone. the spare parts are readily available , replaceable. the price is JUST ABIT more expensive than a desktop. hand carried. and you're ready to go.
the other thing is , MONITORS, CRT is out of the question. LCD, 17 inch onwards is already quite heavy if you ask me. 15 inch is just nice. if you want extremes, you can use those super mini 12 inch or 8 inch LCD monitors found usually at cashiers of simlim square shops. I think those are Wincor bands or something. but still the price is costly for that size. $300+ 1 year warranty, compared to standard 3 years.

my answer : since i bought the Korg D888, I have a standard laptop that also serves as a "mobile lite mixing" laptop (HP extended 3 years warranty, so I get the right to abuse the hell out of it) , then anything that requires heavy duty mixing, I transfer over to my studio core2duo pc to finish up. lets face it, the cost efficient balance now can be found in desktop PCs, ($600+ can get one already), till that day laptops have the power of core2duo desktops now plus the cheap price tag. then this can be a stable possibility.

90cents worth.

 

[gutturalpiss]

Firstly, don't know if this is a co-incidence but awkwardly similar: http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/showthread.php?t=1850710

Secondly, like what people have mentioned in the link above, there are already laptops much more powerful than the average dual-core desktop. Gaming vendors like Alienware and Falcon-Northwest are examples. Hell, even Dell, Asus, Sony, HP have portable beasts.

Big power in small quantity, a la Neuclear, will cost significantly more. There is only one variable here, waffer/nanometre technology. Once the big and powerful components go beyond 45nm, we could have big power in small quantity for much less than we can now. So of course, they come at a price like you said:

Granted, their portable PC solution is pretty expensive.

The portable desktop is the laptop. That is why it was invented in the first place. When you can change components in a laptop, that is called a modular laptop. For now, it is still expensive to change the CPU+Motherboard+GPU module (where everything is soldered). Few laptops come with discrete graphics, let alone discrete audio card.

Personally, the main difference between my DAW and my partially-workstation laptop is that there is no discrete audio processor for the latter. So like blueprintstudios mentioned, there is a limit to what can be done while on the move. Programming samples can be done without problem, like sequencing drum tracks and synths. Extra editing, effects, can be done later with the DAW. For mixing, as long as you don't use real-time effects, not many simlataneous tracks, no issue.

I do remember showing you a modded SFF computer some time ago in an older thread, it's in the form of a briefcase. That could do, but options are limited when it comes to components like graphics and audio cards as few of them come in that form factor, unless on-board. And then there is SDHC, but I figure it will take at least half a decade more before it becomes an alternative to traditional hard disks. As for monitors, no practical "mobile" LCDs have surfaced.

And in the end, it all comes back to what? $5000 laptop. But the revolution starts with >> THIS <<

$500 worth.

 

[Cheez]

Very good insights there!

I agree for mixing and recording, many times a notebook is sufficient, especially if you have a good audio interface (esp so if you have external DSP running as well). But in the area of performance (softsynths and softsamplers), notebooks still lose out to desktops in terms of performance. We are talking about number of simulataneous VST instances loaded, polyphony, and low latency all at the same time.

That's also the reason I have a desktop replacement instead of a notebook for my DAW for performances (and it's semi-modular - CPU, HD, RAM etc can all be changed by the end-user - except the mobo). It's heavy - 8kg with the bag and adapter. But it's getting old and is suffering from all the travels in planes etc (with all the knocks).

 

[blueprintstudios]

Recording aside, we're talking about Mixing PC now right?

the computer expert has spoken, the linux daw certainly looks interesting, but alot of things I'd rather wait till it's released/tried and tested/bug fixed/service packed/good reviewed before I declare myself to give it a shot.

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/1484/33160479jj9.png <-- but hey this was what I was talking about, those mini small mobile lcd screens and just get a super powerful barebone PC that'll probably cost just as much as a standard laptop but more powerful also (lower cost)

I read the hardwarezone forum one, ok alot of ppl are dissing that poor fella haha. maybe he's not getting the idea across enough but that's his problem. so what do we talk about :

POWER! COST! PORTABILITY (weight and size and convenience of electrical socket)! UPGRADABILITY!

$2500 (lets say $2.5K la don't $5K) laptop : got the power but not much with the 5400rpm hdd limitation, got the mobility , cost maybe not so friendly, and electrical socket wise is any public cafe away. upgradable yes, to an extent too. and just wondering, if you need so much mixing power maybe can use some external DSP like TC Powercore firewire? but damn that thing is costly...

$2200 Barebone PC $300 mini LCD monitor : got the power definitely the cpu/ram/satahdd etc. mobility it's bigger in size and abit heavier.electrical socket , you'll be the biggest idiot lugging that around to plug into public cafe sockets. upgradability is more than a laptop definitely. can play games too. but not recommended. and oh yeah as for the keyboard and mouse I forgot to mention in my last post, I bought one of those waterproof foldable (the cheesy made in china box mentioned that it could be used in a sandstorm or snow too) keyboards and a small usb mouse.

$???? 1U rack PC : someone I once knew was using this, it had heating problems. (ventilation probably) upgradability problems, costed alot, and the rack surprisingly was heavier than a laptop even though it's just as small. maybe it has the power of a PC. but i wouldn't be going with this cos it looks expensive. unless the cost is as cheap as a barebone then yes considerable definitely.

My current setup : ok I didn't wanna talk about this in case it's an "original niche idea" but knowledge is power and sharing is love. with a laptop I got the mobility/but lacking the power. cost wise I got the laptop from starhub free signing up. so taking internet at home as a bonus for my idea. either i'm doing simple audio cleaning up on the laptop, if not , if i got a finalized sound/setting for the song then this is what i'm doing :

@ home where my studio PC is - it's online with starhub, it's on. I used a free software like ultraVNC to remotely control it.

@ macdonalds/starbucks/coffeebean/at my workplace - i use wireless@sg internet, same I use ultravnc to "remotely do internet mixing".

laptop@public > wireless@sg internet > starhubonline internet > studiopc@home > mixdown, export into 192-320kbps mp3 upload to my www.box.net account > redownload again into my laptop. and monitor see what needs compression/eq etc. I know it's almost blind mixing. and that delay between uploading and downloading is probably good too to take a break or go order a double cheese burger OR EVEN surf soft forum =) . then until it's all down to intricate mixing details which you can't just keep exporting/mixdowning the mp3, then it's time for you to go home and touch it up.

by doing this, I have the mobility of a laptop, the power of a desktop. I don't have to look stupid or like I came from the year 2040 with all the huge gear lugged around.cost wise it's quite bad to have both laptop/desktop, but you're paying for internet too and it's definitely cheaper than $3000 this way. of course the limitation is that you don't have "live monitoring" audio, unless the internet is fast enough to stream clear sound for you to monitor upon playback. so there you go "mobile internet mixing". you take minimum bandwidth too doing it this way, it's WAYYY lesser than downloading huge movies so you won't kena tekan (if you're at a friend's place or office) for slowing down everyone's shared bandwidth or overloading anything illegally.

and this one is heads up for those married personnel, i'm a newly wed as of couple weeks ago. 2 words to describe marriage is "Yes Dear". why mix outside when you can mix at home you ask? cos my life would mainly revolve being "outside at a SHOPPING MALL like vivocity" / at my "In-Laws" place / visiting the "Nieces". with no room and time-comfort to sit at home quietly mixing, my "mixing room" is the space between my favourite $8 earphones, my ears and my brain.

before I end my post , I'd like to highlight those trying out my idea to highly secure your computer (both laptop and studio PC on the internet, I have a 42 character password and way more for sensitive stuff like ebay etc.) and never leave your laptop alone or at least too far out of view when you're at a public place ordering drinks or somethin. new accessibilities will also mean new problems.

any ideas do share , cheers

99¢ worth

 

[Cheez]

Actually, those rack PCs are also barebone. The rack is just a casing. And 1U is not recommended due to heat, as you mentioned. Can always get 4-6U rack casings - just like a PC turn sideways. Forgot to mention another thing that PC can but notebooks cannot - ie take in PCI cards. If somebody uses SCOPE/Sonic Core Platform or UAD or whatever, then they are stuck.

42 character password!!! I thought I'm the only one - I use a 45 character password to encrypt the data (including outlook) using specialised software (with a different password for different virtual drives), and my internet via VPN, HD is password locked, other software that require password uses fingerprint. Travelling too much - security big issue. But on my DAW - password is not necessary. Nothing much in the HD to steal. Just need to make sure it doesn't get stolen.

 

[blueprintstudios]

haha yeah.. anyway 4-6U rack casings isn't that might as well bring a full desktop around. my current desktop casing is just abit heavier than a barebone pc's. so I still got the space for pci slots of a desktop, the weight of abit more than a barebone. and I bought those $15 strap to carry it around as I like. my casing just cost me $70. as light as possible. not solid metal sort.

 

[Cheez]

The good thing about rack compared to tower casing is that it fits nicely into an SKB case. That means easier to carry around with the handles on the casings. Also, in that one casing we can put in more things other than just that PC (effects/reverb, rackmounted audio interface etc). If the casings get too large and heavy, they have wheels to push around.

 

[blueprintstudios]

ah yeah i have gatorcases with wheels inbuilt on them, but I faced an obstacle that countered my advantage when I was mobile recording : e.g fourtones/U.S/velvet joint etc jam studios : STAIRS! haha..

 

[gutturalpiss]

Yeah, remotely controlling is another good idea. But wait, wireless@sg? There's enough bandwidth? I would guess there's a huge network bottleneck, as I've never tried it going by that assumption (I only access my home servers, like samba shares from places with at least a broadband connection eg. other people's homes and offices).

But then again, I haven't subscribed to any of the higher rate non-free island-wide wireless plans. I had tried VNC once with my M1 Vodafone 512kbps hsdpa wifi, too much inconsistency in connection.

If in the end we come back to > 5kg to carry around, it wouldn't be practical. After all, we need to be able to "move around", staircases and mcdonalds included. I guess the current way of 1 laptop and 1 main daw is quite fair. If can make use of virtual network computing, the better it is.

 

[blueprintstudios]

>But wait, wireless@sg? There's enough bandwidth?
yeappp, cos the bandwidth used for remote controlling is far less than consistently downloading an mp3 or a movie. but basically there's a lag in the mouse anyway, and the display colours are set to minimal, sometimes worse than 256 colours, 8 bit stuff. to maintain low lag. try dropping by kallang macdonalds from 9am all the way to 4pm. you see the people that come in and out are usually those "insurance sales agent" , the mobile-office ppl. if it works for them, i believe we can work it to our advantage.

and yeah moving more than 5 kg, although to us men , 5kg sounds like nothing to carry for a moment, but try carrying that for long term, it's like.. hmm. shopping with your wife. heh.
for now vnc is my way to go as I've said, mobility/power/upgradability/flexibility/consideration for others (so ppl won't go like, hey it's that audio mixing guy again who takes up 70% of the internet bandwidth)

 

[mogui_666]

hey guy check out my portable PC.

This is the future!!!



haha=P

 

[gutturalpiss]

lmao that cracked me up real bad!

 

[blueprintstudios]

hahah that one is an old photo, there's one old sch one of this CPU + Coffeemaker together

and another one where the computer is at the toilet seat.

 

[gutturalpiss]

Didn't mythbusters do this portable computer thing? That pic reminds me of a mythbusters' episode.

 

[monkeyhouse]

how bout a mac pro running sonar plus a motu 828mk3? how many tracks and plugins can it handle b4 having glitches? im considering going mobile lately...