MIDI laptop setup

[Guest scott cs.]

in the near future, i'm planning on setting up a little portable MIDI studio. i would be interested in hearing if anyone has such a set up and what equipment they use. i'm wanting to get an iBook with large RAM and a big HD, a MIDI contoller and either Cubase, Logic or Pro Tools [if anyone can give me pros/cons of each, that would be cool]. i'd also appreciate suggestions on audio interfaces and the likes.

thanks.

[Tav]

Well the first tip I would give (if you are going to be recording audio...not so sure if it applies to Midi) is getting a system with two hard drives. One for audio only and one for your system files...like windows etc. If you can't get two internal drives then a popular choice would be a firewire/usb 2.0 external HDD. I just purchased a 300Gb Maxtor for 150 to use with Pro Tools.

Pro Tools seems to be excellent and you don't have to worry about choosing from LOADS of interfaces, as there are only really a handfull. Soundcontrol.co.uk currently have the MBox <soon to be replaced with MBox 2 I think> <b>REALLY</b> cheap! I managed to pick mines up second hand for 100. However no midi interface on the MBox itself...you'd would have to get a serpate one.

I'd like to see what people have to say about Midi Keyboards and interfaces as I wouldn't mind getting into a bit of that myself...I've been looking at a Midi to USB interface which is tempting. I am TOTALLY running out of USB ports now.

[Guest AmbientMood]

Why does it have to be portable? Do you just want to be able to make drum trax on the bus or are you planning on gigging?

[Guest b-bert]

all new macs come with garage band recording software. The apple site recommends m-audio or edirol interfaces. The site has quite a lot of information on it.

http://www.apple.com/ilife/garageband/accessories.html

[spellchecker]

i'd say more important than 2 hard drives is a proper audio interface and a decent amount of memory. if the point is to be portable, two hard drives constantly spinned up are going to drain battery power pretty quickly and will add an extra noise factor, though if you are going to be constantly plugged into a mains source and/or are not recording live audio tracks then this may not matter to you as much.

you need a good audio interface to try to achieve a reasonably low latency factor. latency matters a great deal when you are using soft synths on something like reason (or anything else that is naturally CPU intensive). if you have ever had a good laugh trying to use the PCs at the foyer for keyboard work in cubasis with a VST, then you know all you need to about latency - it makes it incredibly difficult to record MIDI work with a keyboard.

an acceptable latency is around 35ms, though you will usually need ASIO drivers or equivalent to achieve this. anything more than this and you will find yourself adjusting your playing style to the latency time between note pressing and sample sounding - which totally screws up your recording.

if you're struck on getting a laptop, then try to look for either a PCMCIA or firewire solution. USB is prone to latency because it is a shared and low bandwidth bus, though USB2 may be better if the soundcard can support it.

if your audio interface doesn't get include a MIDI interface you can buy a simple USB MIDI interface, like m-audio's Midisport devices - they come in different varieties, e.g. 1in-1out, 2in-2out, 4in-4out, etc. etc. You can then connect up any midi device (not just controllers) to this interface.

Alternatively, you could buy a MIDI controller (i.e. keyboard) that comes with an onboard usb interface - these are a lot more common now - you simply plug the controller into a usb port on your PC/Mac, and it appears as a MIDI device in your sequencer of choice on your PC/Mac.

Personally, I prefer to have separate MIDI interfaces, because i have some gear that accepts MIDI IN (nord rack, line6 pod pro) as opposed to just MIDI OUT (e.g. keyboard controller, fader control surface, etc.). but your needs may differ and for the most part a simply MIDI keyboard controller with a USB interface is perfect.

edit:

with regards to choice of DAW, i would use whatever you find easiest, or whatever is available.

i haven't seen the very latest version of protools, but i'd say it has a steep learning curve, and isn't any better than any of the other programs you mentioned if you are just starting out. i'd be inclined to go for something like Cubase, more user friendly, better VST support and is a midi sequencer. Last time I checked, Logic didn't have MIDI support, but that may have changed now Apple own it and the new version has come out (version 7?).

[Alex]

DON'T BUY 2 HARD DRIVES OR PRO TOOLS if you're wanting midi and recording under 24 tracks at once. Protools is bum for that, and cubase and logic would be more suited.

[Compuphonic]

Its pretty difficult to advise on what would suit you without more info on what you plan to do.

I've had several powerbook/laptop setups and support several systems for clients so fire away with any questions.

While the iBook is a great value machine, be aware that it only has 1 firewire 400 port.

This could be a potential bottleneck if daisychaining an audio interface and external drive.

[Guest scott cs.]

i'd prefer a laptop as i don't have much room for an iMac at the moment and i don't want another PC. also, i like the idea of having a portable DAW.

at the moment, i'm just interested in creating music, but i would like something that had the potential to record audio altho at the moment thats not such a big deal.

i'm using pro tools at college and it isn't that great for creating your own music. i think i'm swaying more toward cubase, as the small amount of time i've had a chance to use it, i've been impressed.

i'm sorry for being so vague in my descritions for what i want my DAW to do, but i hope someone can give me some suggestions.

[Compuphonic]

i'm using pro tools at college and it isn't that great for creating your own music. i think i'm swaying more toward cubase' date=' as the small amount of time i've had a chance to use it, i've been impressed.

[/quote']

Its pretty safe to say that Pro Tools is not a composers environment - it sets the standard for digital audio editing and the rest follow, but not good if you just want to noodle about.

If you are going Mac I'd suggest Logic or Ableton Live. Apple do academic pricing for students.

Cubase is rapidly heading towards being a PC only app. You will likely find that one of the cut down Cubasis versions does everything you need for much less outlay.

I'd suggest joining some of the user forums before you purchase - you'll find they all have quirks but will give you some ideas of what people find irritating about each.

I'm a reseller for most this stuff so PM me if you need a quote.

[Guest Gasss]

I've been thinking about getting a laptop to use as a sampler/softsynth - ideally I'd like to run most of the native instruments stuff (acoustic/electric piano, B4, kontakt) with a midi controller. I've looked at keyboards (Triton etc) and haven't found with core sounds which are as good or that can do much with sampling (in terms of storage, editing).

Am I going along the right lines? Is there a better solution with an all in one hardware unit? I'm not particularly drawn to apple macs but the Ibook seems to be a good deal. Is one firewire port enough? should I get a USB keyboard controller or use a MIDI with an interface?

???????????

PS I already have a PC set up at home for recording.