Skip to main content

Hello all,

I am just wondering after seeing those ads on music technology magazines of certain people using Logic audio on cool laptops in their hotel rooms and such.

Can one really run LAP on a latop? From what I know, laptop harddisks are slower and designed to spin down if idle for a certain period (both to conserve battery life), and of course their processor speeds and memory capacity are meagre compared to the desktops at any time. Besides the options for good laptop audio cards are limited.

Does anyone use a laptop for LAP here with great success?

Topic Tags

Comments

pan Fri, 07/06/2001 - 05:34

Hi Graceland!

Talking as a Mac-guy:
Yes you can run LA on your laptop, as you can run PTfree, via the internal audiodriver (Mac AV/ASIO). The sound is not so special, but it's OK for editing/monitoring and recording ideas/guidetracks.
If your laptop has a PCI/MCIA-slot, it is possible to hook up an expansion-chassis with SCSI-card and a DIGI001 or even a MIX-System for use with LA or ProTools. (Like the pro's :cool:

That's enough advertisement for today
:roll:

tschüß, Niko

anonymous Tue, 07/10/2001 - 19:22

Thanks Uncles for giving such comprehensive and detailed replies consisting of your own actual experience.

Actually I am a Cubase user(on a PC) thinking of switching to Logic for all the good things I have heard about it. Your positive experiences using it on a Mac laptop has given me great confidence.

A few questions though:

1. Mr Niko (???), you mean I can use Digi001 with LAP? I always thought the interface required specific PT drivers....

2. Is there a "real" LA users forum somewhere else on the internet, this forum seems strangely quiet....

3. I heard LA can be downloaded as a trial, but I can't find it on the emagic website, any ideas?

Regards.

pan Thu, 07/12/2001 - 04:03

Hey Graceland!

1. Yes, you CAN use Digi 001 with LA. If I remember right, there is an ASIO-Driver.

2. Dave Bellingham runs a forum: http://pub3.ezboard.com/blogicaudiofaq
and there is http://www.logicuser.net
for more support. You will find access to a mailing-list with heavy traffic at that site.
I hope, you stick to RO though :(. There is a free version called Logic-Fun, but it is a very basic and limited version, that gives you a bad impression of LA's capabilities.

As an update for the portable solution:

Yesterday, I met Nils Petter Molvaer. He uses a G4 Powerbook and MOTU 828 with a firewire 72 GB with no problems. Although he admits, that for recording this system is a compromise, he's happy editing and arranging his songs on the PB while on the road. He proudly presented a session running 56 tracks off the firewire-drive :eek:

Niko

anonymous Mon, 07/16/2001 - 00:22

Thanks everyone for the great info......sad to say in all that excitement you caused in me that made me feel like switching to a Mac/LAP DAW, I suddenly remembered why I am still using PC....I wanted to use Gigastudio without running a separate PC.

I was conjuring up a grand vision whereby I can run a state-of-the-art mobile DAW on a laptop, using a PC Card Audio interface that is something along the line of the VX Pocket.

Because it is now possible to rely totally on Gst and software synths for pro-quality sounds sources, I envisoned that all I needed was that the sound card have a monitor and/or hdphone out and a midi-in port for me to hook up a
master keyboard (especially those 12-key, battery operated ones). So after the inputting is done, one can actually bring his laptop and his headphones to the nearest cafe(plane, park, cemetery etc) and start arranging/editing his music that is still in MIDI format!!! Imagine one doesn't even have to commit to audio yet!

Doesn't anyone ever dream of doing that? Why aren't there such audio cards available that doesn't need external power, and have the required ASIO2/GSIF drivers?

Isn't it time we computer audio musicians get to run our applications like those business people who run word-processing/email etc on the go? Don't you think it is important to have the power to move around in different environments (e.g. when on a backpacking tour) when writing music, for inspiration's sake?

I think it is high time we escape from the dungeons of our own cold, quiet, clinical studios and go outdoors and connect to human life!!!!!

lwilliam Fri, 07/20/2001 - 12:26

I'm surprised Emagic is no longer offering their demo version. I have one (I forget which version), although I got it on an Emagic demo CD from a dealer rather than from a download. It has the save feature greyed out and many other functions are "unavailable on demo version", but it at least gave you the look and feel of the program.

Maybe they only hand those CDs out at the sales seminars...