what are the essential hardwares to add to a laptop for audio production?

[TachyonFresh]

im looking to get a laptop for audio production in a few months, maybe by the middle of 2005.....and i was wodnerign waht are some essential hardware components that i'll need? mpc1000? firewire audio interface?

 

[afriquedeluxe]

am looking to get a laptop next year too when i go to university. a good thing would be to get an external hard drive for backing up data and transfering it to and fro a larger desktop where you would probably do most of the production. are you basing your whole setup on a laptop, or are you going to have a desktop on the side?

 

[Formant024]

Motu Traveler...24bit/192kHz great for a minimal laptopdaw and little hardware, based at portable recording aswell so you can take your set anywhere. Has 8 out balanced/unbalanced at 24bit/192kHz and 8 in divided over 4 instrument/mic preamps ( XLR/TRS ) and 4 TRS inputs at 24bit/192kHz. Also ADAT ( 8 I/O at 44/48kHz or 4 chnls of 88.2/96kHz as stereo Toslink SP/DIF ), AES/EBU+SP/DIF both at 24bit/96kHz and a headphone. Last but not least, midi I/O to hook up with your mpc...

If the laptop's more of a stationary setup and looking into buying more gear in the future you might consider looking into a more expensive model like the HD192. This has 12 I/O's and can be easily expanded with another for a total of 24 pristine I/O's, so in combination with with 24 chnl console a sweet multitracking set.

Then you also gotta look for descent nearfield monitors and probably a masterboard.

 

[Evil Scientist]

Hey Tachyon, you better give us a rough budget first of all, plus what midi controller etc.. hardware have u got at the moment?

Evil Scientist

 

[Honesty]

The MPC 1k is great...but I'd only get it if I were mainly software based. I hate using if for melodies, you can...but it's best use is drums...period

 

[TachyonFresh]

my budget? lmao......i have no budget cuase i dont even know which laptop im gonan get....i was looking to get that HP Pavillion zd7000 but that shits too pricey adn not powerful enough......

i read on ign.com that in 2005 , companies will be releasing dual core procesors where one processor has the pweor of two, so im hoping these will come to the laptop medium and i can get a real powerful machine with like AT LEAST 1 gig of ram......i dont give a fuck about video or anything, as long as this shit will allow me to edit and record tracks on ACID PRO without any lag...

im defintiely checking out taht motu traveler, sounds sick especially with them preamps and i was also thinking about getting a microkorg but i heard the keys on that bitch are too small so i was considering an mpc1000

what other shit will i need besides a midi controller for the drums and an audio interface?

 

[Shonsteez]

*Firewire or USB 2.0 Soundcard/interface.....
*Good headphones.....
*A small monitoring system if working at home with it.....
*Controller of some sort. I would cop something very small and portable if this is meant to be purely mobile....Theres a NEW keyboard by M-audio thats just like the Ox-8 but its even more slendor and can fit in your backpack even easier.

 

[Formant024]

btw...new microkorg has better...bigger keys.

 

[Shonsteez]

No shit?!....Hmmmm....See i was gonna buy one but then i was like fuck it i cant play this thing with my sausage fingers!

 

[cqfinest]

AKAI MPD16 drum pad

 

[stormelements]

If your goin to doin some recording I would recomend the Pro Tools M-box $450..you can hook your mic and monitors to it.

 

[Formant024]

That's 450 put to waste, cuz EMU dropping in prices these days including those break out boxes which have more I/O and specs are same if not better...

You can always hook up your monitors to a soundboard, at least when they're active nearfields.

and for them microkorg loving munchkins...

http://www.korg.co.jp/Product/Synthesizer/KONTROL49/index.html