After a couple of weeks’ worth of combing audio forums and the Web, calling fools at stores to ask questions, posting messages to newsgroups, and generally getting jeetered up having to make decisions, today I pulled the trigger on my attempted mobile recording studio. Parts should start arriving by the end of the week.
I’m going to be heavily documenting performance and thoughts with this setup, for multiple reasons:
I’d like this to be my permanent recording rig for a long while, so it has to be rock-solid
Fools on newsgroups were helpful so it’s only fair to be helpful in-kind.
I am really nervous about dropping duckets on a new rigGear List
Sager 4060 laptop
Intel Pentium 4 2.66 GHz
SiS 645DX / 962 chipset
1 gig PC2700 (DDR333) RAM
40 GB 5400rpm drive
15″ SXGA+ screen
Built in Firewire and USB 2.0 ports
Windows XP Professional
Built in video camera (whatever)
Summary of features herewith:
RME CardBus PCMCIA card + Multiface
Goals
Here’s what I hope to accomplish with this rig:
At least 24 tracks of glitch-free playback of mostly audio tracks (16-bit/44.1 kHz) + a couple of VST instrument tracks in Cubase or Nuendo, with 2 sends and a couple of inserts on each track. This is the “record a guitar-based rock band and add some VST keyboard sounds” setup. Recording probably happen through scratch tracks and overdubs. I’ll record some scratch tracks for guitar and vocals to a click track, then record the drummer for real, then re-record the guitar and vocalist, then mix.
Recording up to 8 glitch-free tracks at once, using the Multiface’s analog I/O.
Jamming Cubase’s VST instrument system for making programmed music. That is, drums and instruments are all sequenced, with maybe a live guitar track or two in there for good measure. This is the “I’m at home with my rig and a MIDI controller, pretending that I can make electronic music” scenario.
Portability. I don’t have a dedicated studio, and my apartment faces a very busy intersection, so I want to be able to jeeter around with this rig, a mixer, some mics, and a pair of headphones, to track fools in different places. Note that I never considered portability to include running on batteries, since the RME gear and my mixer both require AC power. So “portability” means that I will take this rig to, say, a rehearsal space, or a friend’s house, where it is quieter and there is AC power.
This laptop will be used strictly for audio work. I’ll probably try plugging this thing into the ‘Net to get updates and patches, but we’ll see.Sager 4060 is a Brand New Model (as of May 31, 2003)
It looks like I’m going to be a bit of a pioneer with this configuration - this particular model of the Sager is brand new and I couldn’t find anybody with any experience on it. I’m a little worried about the SiS 645DX chipset, due to alleged compatibility problems with earlier SiS chipsets and audio software. I’m also worried about a single 5400rpm drive.
What I Looked at But Didn’t Get
Note:Before you read this and make any judgements, you should know: I’ve never used any of the equipment described below. I made my decisions based off of reading newsgroups, forums, manufacturer Websites, enthusiast Websites, and asking my brother questions.
That being said, I decided NOT to go with:
A full-on regular PC. Originally, I was planning to build my own AMD Athlon XP Barton 2500 system, with RME gear, Universal Audio UAD-1 card, a pair of Western Digital special edition drives, and dual monitors. My brother swears by the UAD-1 and God knows I love compressing the shit out of everything I record. But…I wanted portability (see above).
A Shuttle SB52GB and Pentium 4, with RME gear and a Universal Audio UAD-1 card. This model of the Shuttle is the one with 2 PCI slots. I was going to jam a Western Digital special edition (8mb cache) drive up in this piece. I ditched this option for a couple of reasons: shared memory made me nervous from what I read about it, only having one HD makes me nervous (even though it’s 7200rpm), I couldn’t find any information about fools using this combination of gear, and again, I wanted portability - having to drag a monitor, keyboard, and mouse around is an extra pain in the ass.
A name-brand laptop, like Dell, Toshiba, or Compaq. I called Dell’s sales line and hung up after 10 minutes of waiting. The Inspiron 5100 looked kinda cool, but when I went to configure, it said there was a 30-day wait. Fuck that. I couldn’t figure out whether Toshiba had 5400rpm drives or not. I could not find a name-brand laptop with an actual P4 processor, 1 gig of memory, one or two 5400rpm drives, an SXGA+ screen (would have probably been ok with SXGA), and dedicated video card that wasn’t 32MB. Plus they cost $500 to $1000 more on an “almost, but not quite” configuration. It may turn out that things like having a 32MB video card vs. a 64MB video card don’t matter for what I’m doing. So unless I end up returning the Sager and get a different brand of laptop, I’m not going to find out.
The Sager 5670 or 8887, or the new Sager that’s supposedly coming out next month. The 5670 and 8887 the models with the Intel chipsets, which would be a safer choice. The 8887 sounded cool with the option to add a 2nd 5400rpm drive. But both of these models are bigger, heavier, supposedly louder, more expensive, and I don’t need a built-in TV tuner or Audio DJ thingamabobber. I’m taking a gamble that the 4060, in its compact glory, will be OK with its SiS 645DX chipset and single 5400-rpm drive.
Windows XP Home. Supposedly for audio work, Home is just fine…but if you’re gonna bust, then bust. Besides, I might set up an NT network someday.Where I Got My Stuff From
The laptop came from PC Torque, who, out of all of the Sager venders, seemed to have the lowest price. YMMV. There’s a 30-day satisfaction guarantee that doesn’t seem to include shipping price or opened software.
The RME gear came from East Coast Music Mall. They matched prices with another vendor that had a lower price, but that vendor wasn’t answering their phone on a Saturday and, according to their Website, had a “no return” policy on sound cards. East Coast Music Mall wasn’t much better - 7 day return policy for store credit only, 14 day return policy with 75% store credit. But it’s better than nothing. Plus I used to live in the same city where these fools are located, and I know they’re a for-real business (I’m sure the other vendor is too).
At this point, neither of these fools are recommended, other than I heard good things about PC Torque and the guy from East Coast was super helpful over the phone. If I get into a situation where I have to return gear or swap it out, we’ll see.
What Happens Next
I timed the shipping so that the laptop should arrive first (giving me time to set up Windows), then the RME gear should arrive next. Then, I have 7 days to jam out a bunch of different recordings and see how it all works.
Stay tuned.