chamlin
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Laptop Fan Noise
Getting a new laptop which will at times be used for recording vox and acoustic guitar, and will be located in the same room as the artist (me:). - Two options: a 15.6" laptop with a cpu that maxes at 15 watts, and a 17.3" laptop that maxes at 37 watts.
Will there be a substantial difference in fan noise that could interfere with recording?
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Splat 
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Re: Laptop Fan Noise
2013/11/27 11:35:45
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Sorry for the diversion, but why get a laptop? Why not get a desktop? You may have your reasons but if it's going to stay in that room a desktop may be a better bet...
Sell by date at 9000 posts. Do not feed. @48/24 & 128 buffers latency is 367 with offset of 38. Sonar Platinum(64 bit),Win 8.1(64 bit),Saffire Pro 40(Firewire),Mix Control = 3.4,Firewire=VIA,Dell Studio XPS 8100(Intel Core i7 CPU 2.93 Ghz/16 Gb),4 x Seagate ST31500341AS (mirrored),GeForce GTX 460,Yamaha DGX-505 keyboard,Roland A-300PRO,Roland SPD-30 V2,FD-8,Triggera Krigg,Shure SM7B,Yamaha HS5.Maschine Studio+Komplete 9 Ultimate+Kontrol Z1.Addictive Keys,Izotope Nectar elements,Overloud Bundle,Geist.Acronis True Image 2014.
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Paul P
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Re: Laptop Fan Noise
2013/11/27 11:43:14
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Whatever makes the laptop run cooler will help with the noise. Use onboard-cpu graphics, ssd, disable all unecessary processes, etc.
Put your laptop behind the couch or under the bed.
Sonar Platinum [2017.10], Win7U x64 sp1, Xeon E5-1620 3.6 GHz, Asus P9X79WS, 16 GB ECC, 128gb SSD, HD7950, Mackie Blackjack
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chamlin
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Re: Laptop Fan Noise
2013/11/27 13:15:12
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Thanks, Alex, Paul. The laptop purchase is for my wife, and would be convenient for me to "borrow it" to do the acoustic & vox recording. My alternative setup/scenario, is to get a KVM splitter, which will allow me to attach a 2nd keyboard, monitor and mouse, and run extender cables into the next room where I'll be recording, so I can access my primary recording PC. No noise, just a bit more complex.
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jscomposer
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Re: Laptop Fan Noise
2013/11/27 13:40:05
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Laptop fans aren't that noisy compared to a typical desktop system. Even with a PC, I record in the same room without issue.
If you go laptop, just make sure it has fast external connections for the audio drive.
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John
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Re: Laptop Fan Noise
2013/11/27 13:41:50
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I would be surprised if the laptop had a fan.
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vintagevibe
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Re: Laptop Fan Noise
2013/11/27 14:09:47
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John
I would be surprised if the laptop had a fan.
I've never had one that didn't.. at least in modern CPU times.
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John
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Re: Laptop Fan Noise
2013/11/27 14:37:50
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I must say I have never noticed if one had a fan or not but I would be interested in where the heck they put it. LOL.
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vintagevibe
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Re: Laptop Fan Noise
2013/11/27 14:54:54
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I bought a Dell Inspiron i7 a few month ago and it had a BIOS issue that kept the fan running at full speed. It was LOUD! After flashing the BIOS I couldn't hear it at all. I returned it and got an ASUS which has a fan but I never hear it. I use it for recording anything via a microphone since my desktop is not quiet enough.
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chamlin
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Re: Laptop Fan Noise
2013/11/27 15:01:26
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jscomposer If you go laptop, just make sure it has fast external connections for the audio drive. Hmmm...what do you mean, fast external connections for the audio drive? My Fast Track Ultra is a USB 2.0 device... vintagevibe I use it for recording anything via a microphone since my desktop is not quiet enough. My PC is my primary recording box and is truly a silent PC --- I love the PCs I get from the silent PC mfr. I buy from.
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leebut
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Re: Laptop Fan Noise
2013/11/27 15:28:26
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You could go to your nearest computer store and listen to the fans. The thing is, you won't know how loud it really is until you put it under load for it to get hot. If there is fan control on board, you may be able to run a test that ramps the fan up to 100%.
Sonar X3; Sonar X2a Essential; Music Creator 6 Windows 7 Professional (64-bit) ASUS M5A97 EVO R2; 8Gb DDR3 1866 Vengeance RAM; AMD FX 6300 CPU MOTU Microbook II
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chamlin
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Re: Laptop Fan Noise
2013/11/27 15:38:12
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leebut
You could go to your nearest computer store and listen to the fans. The thing is, you won't know how loud it really is until you put it under load for it to get hot. If there is fan control on board, you may be able to run a test that ramps the fan up to 100%. Yes, and I really won't know how wonderfully loud it will be until I'm about to sing that soft, soft note, with great feeling, and it harmonizes with me at a higher decibel level than my voice! :)
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Splat
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Re: Laptop Fan Noise
2013/11/27 15:43:43
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Also think about your mic. I have a Sure SM7B, I feel I could mount that thing next to a bunch of farting cows it is so directional (on the right setting).
(Second person in a week where somebody is buying their wife "a present").
Sell by date at 9000 posts. Do not feed. @48/24 & 128 buffers latency is 367 with offset of 38. Sonar Platinum(64 bit),Win 8.1(64 bit),Saffire Pro 40(Firewire),Mix Control = 3.4,Firewire=VIA,Dell Studio XPS 8100(Intel Core i7 CPU 2.93 Ghz/16 Gb),4 x Seagate ST31500341AS (mirrored),GeForce GTX 460,Yamaha DGX-505 keyboard,Roland A-300PRO,Roland SPD-30 V2,FD-8,Triggera Krigg,Shure SM7B,Yamaha HS5.Maschine Studio+Komplete 9 Ultimate+Kontrol Z1.Addictive Keys,Izotope Nectar elements,Overloud Bundle,Geist.Acronis True Image 2014.
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chamlin
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Re: Laptop Fan Noise
2013/11/27 15:50:24
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CakeAlexS
Also think about your mic. I have a Sure SM7B, I feel I could mount that thing next to a bunch of farting cows it is so directional (on the right setting).
(Second person in a week where somebody is buying their wife "a present").
2nd time in a week I've been called a farting cow! And yes, I'm trying to work out my vocal room/booth setup to allow for optimal recording given my limited budget and know-how.
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mettelus
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Re: Laptop Fan Noise
2013/11/27 15:56:17
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Another option I have used is to simply put a long lead on tracks you are working on... (like 10-15 seconds), then you can optimize your input mix first and take advantage of cables to (literally) distance yourself from the computer. Then arm/record, and tailor the clip ends in the mix cycle. Having those clip ends is also very useful for noise reduction (i.e. a "clean" long "background sample" to remove from the clip when mixing).
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leebut
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Re: Laptop Fan Noise
2013/11/27 15:58:03
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CakeAlexS, Too much methane for me. I'd like my wife to buy me a present, but I think she'd not be amused by what I'd like: a TLM 102/3. 
Sonar X3; Sonar X2a Essential; Music Creator 6 Windows 7 Professional (64-bit) ASUS M5A97 EVO R2; 8Gb DDR3 1866 Vengeance RAM; AMD FX 6300 CPU MOTU Microbook II
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gswitz
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Re: Laptop Fan Noise
2013/11/27 21:02:54
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I have made plenty of recordings with my laptop running and it's almost never a measureable amount of noise relative to the music.
I'll bet one day they'll come up with a laptop fan noise plugin to replicate it in the box! ;-)
Best,
G
StudioCat > I use Windows 10 and Sonar Platinum. I have a touch screen. I make some videos. This one shows how to do a physical loopback on the RME UCX to get many more equalizer nodes.
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Paul P
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Re: Laptop Fan Noise
2013/11/27 23:24:31
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gswitz
I'll bet one day they'll come up with a laptop fan noise plugin to replicate it in the box! ;-)
 Best used with the bedroom acoustics plugin.
Sonar Platinum [2017.10], Win7U x64 sp1, Xeon E5-1620 3.6 GHz, Asus P9X79WS, 16 GB ECC, 128gb SSD, HD7950, Mackie Blackjack
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BobbyT
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Re: Laptop Fan Noise
2013/11/27 23:50:09
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sometimes dust can build up on the fan blades making it even louder when it does come on,i use a can of air and a vac to get as much dust off as possible works great for me.also works on your desktop fans as well.
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jscomposer
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Re: Laptop Fan Noise
2013/11/27 23:53:44
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chamlin
jscomposer If you go laptop, just make sure it has fast external connections for the audio drive.
Hmmm...what do you mean, fast external connections for the audio drive? My Fast Track Ultra is a USB 2.0 device.
It's good practice to keep the OS and Sonar on the main drive, and all your audio and VST libraries, etc, on their own drives. I have only used external drives on eSATA, but USB3 might be adequate if you're just recording basic audio tracks. If you opt for a mechanical drive, ensure its actually 7200rpm and not 5200.
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lawajava
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Re: Laptop Fan Noise
2013/11/28 00:05:11
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BobbyT - thanks for your tip. That sounds like it's worth experimenting with.
Lucklily for now my laptop is quite quiet. Really love having Sonar X3 on a laptop and being able to work on it in all sorts of places rather than being tied to one place in my studio setting.
Two internal 2TB SSDs laptop stuffed with Larry's deals and awesome tools. Studio One is the cat's meow as a DAW now that I've migrated off of Sonar. Using BandLab Cakewalk just to grab old files when migrating songs.
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chamlin
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Re: Laptop Fan Noise
2013/11/28 02:26:07
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jscomposer It's good practice to keep the OS and Sonar on the main drive, and all your audio and VST libraries, etc, on their own drives. Yah. On my main system I have the OS and Sonar on the main SSD drive, and the audio data on another. And I could use my USB 3.0 external on the laptop. Are you putting your libraries on yet an additional drive?
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chamlin
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Re: Laptop Fan Noise
2013/11/28 02:27:40
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BobbyT
sometimes dust can build up on the fan blades making it even louder when it does come on,i use a can of air and a vac to get as much dust off as possible works great for me.also works on your desktop fans as well.
I'll keep an eye on that. I know on my old PC the blades would get dusty pretty quickly and I would use the can of air on it...carefully. Have always been warned off of putting any vac near the PC.
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chamlin
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Re: Laptop Fan Noise
2013/11/28 02:30:22
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leebut Too much methane for me.
I'd like my wife to buy me a present, but I think she'd not be amused by what I'd like: a TLM 102/3. I think you're confused. She's not supposed to buy you the TLM. You're job is to find a way to get her excited about her receiving one as a gift. And once in a while, you can borrow it if you behave well. :)
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chamlin
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Re: Laptop Fan Noise
2013/11/28 02:33:55
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mettelus
Another option I have used is to simply put a long lead on tracks you are working on... (like 10-15 seconds), then you can optimize your input mix first and take advantage of cables to (literally) distance yourself from the computer. Then arm/record, and tailor the clip ends in the mix cycle. Having those clip ends is also very useful for noise reduction (i.e. a "clean" long "background sample" to remove from the clip when mixing).
Good idea. With my musical and engineering prowess, I'd probably need about a 3 minute lead to get settled and in place. You think that would be long enough for that background sample? :) But really, I considered that idea but when recording my vox I want to have the least amount of movement and technical involvement so I can really Be in the song.
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jscomposer
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Re: Laptop Fan Noise
2013/11/28 17:54:35
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chamlin
jscomposer It's good practice to keep the OS and Sonar on the main drive, and all your audio and VST libraries, etc, on their own drives.
Yah. On my main system I have the OS and Sonar on the main SSD drive, and the audio data on another. And I could use my USB 3.0 external on the laptop.
Are you putting your libraries on yet an additional drive?
I actually have all my libraries on a separate computer which acts as a "slave". You should be fine keeping your libraries and audio on the same drive, as long as they're not on the SSD you mentioned.
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soens
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Re: Laptop Fan Noise
2013/11/28 22:16:51
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chamlin
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Re: Laptop Fan Noise
2013/11/29 14:30:34
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jscomposerYou should be fine keeping your libraries and audio on the same drive, as long as they're not on the SSD you mentioned. Thanks for the clarity!
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bobhoke
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Re: Laptop Fan Noise
2013/11/29 15:08:23
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I use a wireless small USB Keyboard/Trackpad and mouse with my lappy based recording rig. I can take the wireless stuff far away from the lappy to escape noise (even in the next room) if it's a problem with vocals or acoustic instruments. I forget the model numbers but Logitec has a series that can share one USB wireless dongle among multiple devices. It is amazingly useful and all them work at the same time. You can use either keyboard and any/all of the trackpads and mouse interchangeably.
Actually I did the same with my desktop system as well.
--Bob
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gswitz
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Re: Laptop Fan Noise
2013/11/29 23:34:15
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StudioCat > I use Windows 10 and Sonar Platinum. I have a touch screen. I make some videos. This one shows how to do a physical loopback on the RME UCX to get many more equalizer nodes.
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