Not specced a portable DAW in a long time, need some help

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ooblecaboodle
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2012/03/29 07:07:10 (permalink)

Not specced a portable DAW in a long time, need some help

Hi guys, it's been a (very) long time since I've posted here.
Right, we've been using a laptop and a firewire interface for location recording for several years, and unfortunately, the laptop has now been damaged (don't ask! )
 
Anwyway, I've looked around all the old usual suspects for DAW laptops, Rain, ADK etc, and even generic laptops, but it would appear that firewire has dissappeared off the face of the planet.
What do you guys use for mobile recording these days? Any idea?
 
Cheers.
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    jcschild
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    Re:Not specced a portable DAW in a long time, need some help 2012/03/29 09:16:32 (permalink)
    umm we still have firewire

    Scott
    ADK
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    #2
    ooblecaboodle
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    Re:Not specced a portable DAW in a long time, need some help 2012/03/29 09:30:50 (permalink)
    I'm really, really struggling to find a new laptop with firewire

    Sain Studio
    this is where we are!
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    Kalle Rantaaho
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    Re:Not specced a portable DAW in a long time, need some help 2012/03/29 10:07:30 (permalink)
    Aren't there ones with possibility to put an external  FW-card in the card slot?

    ...but right you are. FW is vanishing ...

    SONAR PE 8.5.3, Asus P5B, 2,4 Ghz Dual Core, 4 Gb RAM, GF 7300, EMU 1820, Bluetube Pre  -  Kontakt4, Ozone, Addictive Drums, PSP Mixpack2, Melda Creative Pack, Melodyne Plugin etc.
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    Jim Roseberry
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    Re:Not specced a portable DAW in a long time, need some help 2012/03/29 11:46:27 (permalink)
    Aren't there ones with possibility to put an external FW-card in the card slot? ...but right you are. FW is vanishing ...

     
    FWIW, Using a TI chipset express-card FW controller can work... but if the express-card controller is crap, then it won't solve the problem.  If you're not using a custom laptop (with known quality FW controller), I'd recommend a good USB audio interface.  Firewire is too dicey on cheap laptops... especially if you plan to work at ASIO buffer sizes below 256-samples.

    Best Regards,

    Jim Roseberry
    jim@studiocat.com
    www.studiocat.com
    #5
    ooblecaboodle
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    Re:Not specced a portable DAW in a long time, need some help 2012/03/30 17:53:16 (permalink)
    Thanks guys. So it looks like my options are to either spend a small fortune on a very high-end laptop (I've found two with firewire onboard, one of which is a mac), or spend less money on a laptop, and buy a USB interface.  
    Balls.
    I have seen a lenovo with an expresscard slot, and we already have a TI firewire expresscard.
    I've never used a Lenovo machine as a workstation before, but I've been very impressed with their build quality for general purpose work, might be worth a punt.

    Oh, it's probably worth pointing out that performance isn't a massive priority for us. The old core2Duo based Rain Livebook we have was working fine. Our demands on the system are really quite basic - we just need to record to multitrack, and monitor in stereo.
    post edited by ooblecaboodle - 2012/03/30 17:56:45
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