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So here is the deal...

I want to get a laptop to use as a mobile DAW/electronic(midi)insturment/effects processor. I have the PreSonus Firpod and use a Cubase/Reason combo and a variety of plugins (Waves, Amplitube, etc.) to do most of my recording/production. I was wondering if it would be better to get a multi-core comp (c2d or X2) or get a single core processor.

As far as I know (but this is part of my question, so if anyone has info it would be much appreciated) Cubase is not written as a multi-threaded application. and neither is Reason. The programs are written to work together, and when I open both and link them (via rewire) they sync up (tempo/cues/etc.) and run together. Does anyone know, if I had multiple cores, if Cubase and Reason would run on different cores when linked via Rewire? Also, what about plugins? Will they run on a different core then Cubase/Reason (as this would greatly increase the amount of plugins that I could run without getting glitches)?

I know that a muli-core processor would be more "future-proof", but I want to use this comp specifically for music performance/production and budget is an issue. The point of this is, if these programs will utilize multiple cores I will get a C2D laptop... but if they will only use one core I will get a single core and save some money. Any help would be appreciated!

Comments

cfaalm Mon, 01/29/2007 - 13:11

Please check the Steinberg site. Some lighter versions of Cubase do not take advantage of dualcore CPUs.

Though Intel's C2D is a great performer, it comes with a (small) premium. If it's a budget question, would an AMD Turion 64 X2 system be an alternative? Just don't go overboard with the graphics if you aim at a bit of battery life.

Also, if you insist on a laptop, do get an external 7200 rpm drive for your recordings, this will increase your trackcount significantly. Some use USB, most prefer FW and some even go eSATA, which is probably the best solution, but a little costly since you'll need an add-on card or native eSATA in your laptop. I haven't seen too many laptops with eSATA, though there should be some.

There's some nice info here

edit: Cubase LE doesn't support multicore or hyperthreading. All other versions do.

anonymous Thu, 02/01/2007 - 19:40

Watch your plug-ins on Cubase though - if you buy Cubase 4, Steinberg have dropped DX support which could rule out Ozone or Waves plugins which are often DX native.

Cubase SX 3 with update 3.1.1.944 works great on dual core, heck it even works OK with the dreaded hyperthreading (giving around a 10-15% boost over 1 physical non h/t processor)

Cubase SX 2 and lower do not support multiple cores or hyperthreading.

I run Cubase and Reason together to great effect.