Laptop and softsynths

[qfactor]

Was wondering what are some of your views on using "standard" laptop PCs for softsynths for live performances, these days?
For example, would an Acer or Dell laptop have problems "keeping up" with softsynths if one were to use several softsynths (one by one), in a live performance setup?
Also, in your experience, what's the minimal laptop CPU that would be good for this use? And the speed? Many new laptops (I observed) don't go beyond 2Ghz - would that make a difference compared to a commonly available 3+Ghz desktop model?
Thanks!

QF

 

[boomdoom]

How Good Are Centrino Laptops For Music?

How Good Are Centrino Laptops For Music?
With the promise of improved battery life and more compact designs with no compromise in performance, Intel's Centrino technology should be the answer to the mobile musician's prayers. But does the promise hold true when running the most demanding music and audio software?

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/feb04/articles/centrinos.htm

 

[Cheez]

The truth is that if you're going to be using a notebook for live performances, you'll probably not rely on the battery but will plug in the AC power. You also don't need any wireless etc. You need one fast machine that takes in lots of RAM.

Hope this gives you some direction on your choices.

I use an Acer Aspire 1710 desktop replacement. It's really heavy - 7kg! But it has:

1. 17" monitor - great for sequencing
2. 3.5" HD, not the usual small 2.5" - hence it is much faster
3. Takes in max of 2 GB RAM (and not those small RAM in notebooks but the large PC RAM)
4. P4 2.8GHz - fast enough for all my work
5. Two (2) firewire ports and four (4) USB 2.0
6. Support dual monitor
7. PCMCIA slot for my Echo Indigo io
8. Upgradable - can upgrade my CPU, RAM, and HD (by myself without sending to Acer) if I want to.

 

[azhiwen]

Wow how did you get that customised?

 

[kithsa]

Ouch, that isn't a laptop! It's a desktop broken down into a barebone computer! 8O 8O 8O

 

[Cheez]

Wow how did you get that customised?

Open the bottom cover, take out the fan/CPU unit and change it yourself; RAM easily changed; HD can be unscrewed and unplugged and changed just like a desktop.

And yes, it is REALLY heavy. But the processing power is worth it. It is still lighter than racks of modules...

 

[zenguan88]

is it true that mac laptops cannot be upgradable by oneself?!

 

[victorp]

is it true that mac laptops cannot be upgradable by oneself?!

What upgrades are you referring to? Certain components such as Memory Modules can be self DIY.

 

[zenguan88]

oh i am refering to like processor speed . realli it can be upgrade thats good i was planning to buy mac laptop but the steep price turns me off. i look at the specs of VAIO FJ and find it more value for money then Mac laptops. hmmm but if Mac book can be upgraded i wont mind it.

maybe i would just buy a mac book and upgrade its processor speed to 3GHZ and buy an external HD 250 , 7200 rpm. mainly becos i m exploring the usage of softsythn.

 

[iansoh]

i use a 3 year-old centrino, 1.4GHz wiht 512 ram and 30gb hard disk for live performance. my laptop sound card is a tascam US-122, which is only a usb1.1

i play live using elektrik piano, B4 and FM7 mostly. no problems for hte laptop in keeping up, latency is negligibly felt. some days, i even use my integrated soundcard with the ASIO4ALL driver and it works just as well.

if u really know how to tweak your computer, u'll find that you won't need all these top-notch hardware to perform well. my registry is heavily edited to kill all unnecessary processes, and i use XPlite to remove windows components which i don't need for DAW applications.

i learnt a lot from this guy whose SOFT username is 'dominix'.

 

[zenguan88]

actually playing live with soft sythn is my main piorities.

i want to do demo using more realistic sounds. thats y i feel that i need space to store my samples?

30GB!!!! hmmm my computer is a low 20GB its running outta space?! yea i agree u have to delete severals component in the window to let it run better?

my school disable the use of internet in the macs, reason to stop virus from attacking and also to have more space for the softwares they have there.

 

[heclak]

if you want something small to carry for live gigs and need power. Go for a shuttle pc. Cheaper components as they are pc parts(not expensive laptop parts) and small and convient to carry and set up.

 

[Cheez]

Errr, but you'll have to bring along a monitor... That's not very portable. Not to mention cables everywhere - for mouse, keyboard, monitor, power cables etc. There's enough cables during live performance already.