I haven't used the MOTU, but you have to consider many things when buying a laptop. Big heavy laptops are noisy and unpleasant to use after a while, and the amount of heat they give off can be problematic. I use a Centrino based laptop, and it's more than powerful enough to handle anything that I can throw at it. In Sonar I can comfortably run 24 tracks of 96/24 audio without a problem -and I use a 4500 RPM disk.

Another issue is screen resolution which is a different issue from size. I have a resolution of 1400x1050 pixels which is as much as you get on most big screens. Remember if you get a wide screen you may not get this resolution, as few have more horizontal pixels than this, so in effect you are losing out by having less pixels vertically. You might find high res. on a small screen is not to your taste, but I don't find it problematic.

Another issue you should consider is who made the computer's innards, as some equipment only works with certain chipsets -usually those made by intel or other leading players.

I discovered after buying my computer that it didn't have Firewire, and only has a single PCMCIA slot, but neither of these limitations have made any difference, but of course that might be very different in your case. The trade-off for me was that my computer is very lightweight and a pleasure to use.

It's a minefield out there!

John Stafford

PS if you buy a Centrino based computer, remember that the processor speed will give much higher performance than a desktop processor with a similar speed.

Small tidbits of info.

I use a laptop for onsite recording as well. The fan is noisy, next time I will listen carefully.

The Traveller can be fed from Firewire power, but there is a small snag here. Currently not a single laptop does or even can produce the required power on the firewire. Most Macs do. This will probably change with newer versions. And no, it does not help with a PCMCIA card, the bus going to that one simply does not offer enough power.

Gunnar.

The Traveller can be fed from Firewire power, but there is a small snag here. Currently not a single laptop does or even can produce the required power on the firewire. Most Macs do. This will probably change with newer versions. And no, it does not help with a PCMCIA card, the bus going to that one simply does not offer enough power.

That's good to know, gunnar; 8-) and it clears up something that's been nagging me everytime I read those ads. I always assumed there'd be too much of a power drain for all but the most robust portables.

And, unless it's a short couple of tunes for a quick demo or short concert, I couldn't imagine running either the laptop or the traveller (and both!) on the same battery for any length of time. (maybe it's one of those things you grab when inspiration strikes, and you need a quality recorder for a few minutes....)

Then there's the thought of carrying around a lot of extra batteries, which is fine, until it's time to charge them up again (which means you still need an AC source, which means you could plug it in anyway....etc. etc. etc..)

Seems like the biggest plus is a phantom powered, multi i/o portable device that will get you into a computer environment in a hurry if you need it, out in the bush somewhere. I'm probably overly skeptical, but I think you could do that with something like the Edirol R4 just as easily, if not better, with a lot less hassle.

Joe,
I´d like to have a PC laptop which could feed the traveller. For me the big issue is not running on internal batteries for the whole recording, but to need only one wall-wart. Additionally, if it had been possible, I would be more or less immune on location to short power outages, a cable beeing unplugged for a short while and that kind of things.

Alas, it is not possible right now, so I will stick to my Motu828mkII. And if the Traveller is as good (or better) than that, I have no problem in recommending it. Just be sure to test with your actualy hardware, you can never be too sure.

Gunnar.

the thing with fire wire power is that most if not all laptops use the 4 pin mini connector and not the full sized bretherin, the other pins are the power.

thanks to everybody

thank you guys to all of you! My case is a bit different, but you actually explained me something I couldn't get before:)
I'm still devided, don't know which laptop to by ...Mac or PC.
got used to PC programs, but will need Mac as I see anyway..I guess I'll need to have two computers:)
thank you!

the traveller can be fed from your laptop but beware that if you using your laptop with the battery that is another drain on your recording time- perhaps someone can chime in as to total actual consumption

if your needing alonger batterie time then go with the mac, other wise stick with what you know.

the mac should not only have a longer battery life, but will also have a full sized firewire connection. also, you can use motu's proprietary recording software that is actually made for macs...if you don't already have a preference as far as software is concerned.

I was in a similar situation using first an Mbox and then a 002r, I had a lot of experience with PC and had only used Macs a bit in school. In the end I took the risk and got a Mac, and I haven't looked back. OSX is pretty easy to pick up, and I haven't had any problems with it. Upgrades have been cake, and it has been extremely stable.

My laptop:
iBook G4 1GHz
640MB RAM
60G HD

In retrospect the only thing I would do different is spend the extra on the PowerBook for two main reasons 1) more RAM (up to 2GB now) the iBook was maxed at 640, although you can get aftermarket 1GB chips now, and 2) The option of a second monitor, as the video output on the iBook just mirrors what's on the LCD, but the PowerBook will output a second, independent screen. The new 15" and 17" PowerBooks will even run the 30" Apple LCD.

Also the plastic of the iBook just feels...well...plasticy. It hasn't broken and only has some light scratching (my fault really) and really is tough, it just doesn't have the same feel as the metal.

All in all though I can't complain, I paid under $2k for the computer new, and it's treated me wonderfully.

Hope this helps in your decision.

For folks who want to use Windows laptops, the question is "what Windows laptops feature 6-pin IEEE1394 interfaces?"

Seems like it is "hardly any in fact possibly none." All of Apple's laptops seem to be 6-pin, but I haven't found a Windows laptop that was anything other that 4-pin yet. :cry:

Re: thanks to everybody

luckyval wrote: thank you guys to all of you! My case is a bit different, but you actually explained me something I couldn't get before:)
I'm still devided, don't know which laptop to by ...Mac or PC.
got used to PC programs, but will need Mac as I see anyway..I guess I'll need to have two computers:)
thank you!

i was just in the same situation... except,

i already just purchased an alienware 7700 (http://www.alienware.com) and had it loaded with 2 drives, 2gbs, p4 3.2 blah blah blah (oh - and my screen resolution is 1680 as oppose to the 1500 someone else suggested)

my final choice became a Dual 1.8 2gb MAC G5 running DP, UAD, Kontakt and here were my reasons why:

1 - Although I wanted to have a portable DAW (i also contemplated the Mac laptops as well) I was running into silly obstacles such as needing to spend $1000+ to have the ability to run helpful pieces of gear such as the UAD.

You need to remember, you do not have full size PCI slots :( That's a major downfall. This means you have to buy these over priced converters to sit your pci cards into which then connect to your laptop. This also means another piece of gear you have to travel with. Your system gets lets portable already.

2 - I could say this till I'm blue in my face, but I believe it's the truth. When working with clients, not on your own personal projects, I believe the brand of your tools help describe who you are to your clients. This is important as it gives your clients your first impression.

For example: What if you met two engineers and they both would like to work with. One says he is running a Mac, Logic, and a nice digital mixer from your favorite company while the other engineer pitches his best work being produced on some PC you were not familiar with (let alone you still haven't discussed who made the parts inside it), Cakewalk (and I have been using Sonar 2 and 3 happily for years) and a Mackie board.

Who would you first pursue if you were the client? Your tools explain how "professional" and "successful" you are to your new client while in return buying them mental insurance that the project is in good hands. This should equal more gigs for you.

So, I bought a Mac and DP4.5

To keep this short, all in all it was a better decision (i think) to have kept my alienware for gaming and graphics. I think my new investment of $5500 was much better spent on my new Power PC G5 DAW.

So, my advice is to ponder all possible angles. Work out your budget vs what you wanna produce, the type of clients you want and what you believe will be the best tools to accomplish this. It took me nearly a month of serious research, simple spread sheets and mock scenarios to troubleshoot potential config conflicts.

That's just my two cents.