What Laptop for GPO/Kontakt /GigaStudio ?

[dnortana]

Is there a particular laptop ideally suited for use as a music machine? (GPO, Giga, Kontakt, and probably Sonar) ...

My main machine in the studio is a dual processor Mac (Digital Performer), but I must also use the laptop for the business world (read Microsoft Office), hence a PC laptop, I suppose. I\'ll probably use an external Firewire drive for audio.

Thanks for any advice,
Trond

[killerbobjr]

If you get a laptop that has a firewire port and a PCMCIA slot, you\'ll be set. Laptop drives are not very speedy and the onboard sound systems usually suck. The firewire port will allow you to add a speedy drive and the PCMCIA slot will allow you to add something like the Echo Indigo which has GSIF drivers.

[dnortana]

Thanks, Mike ...

I was at Comp USA looking today. Those 17\" screen Toshiba\'s (Pentium 2.8/60 GB/1 Gig RAM) look like just the ticket, would you agree? Firewire, yes, and a slot or two for the Indigo. A Fastlane USB to hook up the keyboard. It\'s so powerful, it rivals my current studio PC running Giga/GPO (XP 2800+)

Hmmm... maybe I should figure out how to get digital audio streaming out of it, it could become a second \'Giga streamer\' in the studio, when not on the road. ...

Trond

[SteveHanlon]

I would even add that you could get a PCMCIA firewire adapter (400 or 800) and get a better firewire soundcard with multiple ins and outs and even preamps. Some even come witha single midi in and out.

So, onboard firewire is your hard drive and the PCMCIA firewire adapter is soundcard. Or vice versa.