Mr. Nightime Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 I now have this shiny new Hammond XK-3C that the church bought for me to use. I got permission to use it at a gig. But, I'm not too sure I want to take it out too much because a lot of my gigs are outside, with a roof over the stage. I don't want to chance having an issue with their board, and it getting rained on. So, I'm going to try going with VST. I'm looking for a laptop that has enough power so I get as little latency as possible. So, I need some advice on what to get. I'm currently looking at a rather nice Toshiba. Stats.... 3rd Gen Intel® Core i5-3337U processor Features a 3MB cache and up to 2.7GHz processor speed with Turbo Boost. Intel® Core i5 processor 6GB DDR3 memory For multitasking power, expandable to 16GB. Multiformat DVD±RW/CD-RW drive with double-layer support 15.6" LED-backlit TFT-LCD high-definition widescreen display With TruBrite technology, native support for 1080p content and 1920 x 1080 resolution showcases movies and games in stunning clarity. 750GB Serial ATA hard drive (5400 rpm) 2 USB 3.0 and 2 USB 2.0 ports Microsoft Windows 8 64-bit operating system preinstalled In order to save a bit of money, I've also been looking at one with an Intel 3rd Generation i3 processor. My question... Is this enough horsepower to accomplish my goal? "In the beginning, Adam had the blues, 'cause he was lonesome. So God helped him and created woman. Now everybody's got the blues." Willie Dixon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markay Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 Depends on the VST's you plan on using, for VB3 it will be more than adequate. Suggest you decide on the VST's first, if you plan to use large sample based ones you might like to think about getting a 7200 hard drive that has 120gig SSD built-in. Also need to consider the selected VST's compatibility in 64 bit Windows 8. A misguided plumber attempting to entertain | MainStage 3 | Axiom 61 2nd Gen | Pianoteq | B5 | XK3c | EV ZLX 12P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CEB Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 ....750GB Serial ATA hard drive (5400 rpm) ..... Your Achielles heel. "It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne "A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!! So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnchop Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 3rd Gen Intel® Core i5-3337U processor ...6GB DDR3 memory ...750GB Serial ATA hard drive (5400 rpm) ...2 USB 3.0 and 2 USB 2.0 ports I even think the i3 will be more than adequate, but I'll echo the need for a better hard drive. I'd even suggest all SSD if you can swing it, unless you just have enormous sample libraries to contend with. Then there's the audio interface. That'll impact latency to some degree. You'll want to optimize the bejeebus out of Windows, too. Lots of resources on the 'net about doing this, and check out the DPC Latency Checker tool. Meanwhile, don't overlook a laptop from a specialized dealer like ADK. Less crapware pre-installed, and more music-production oriented than any general purpose device. -John I make software noises. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Nightime Posted September 11, 2013 Author Share Posted September 11, 2013 I'm probably going to focus on Guido's offerings, so sample libraries will not be an issue. I was looking at some ultrabooks as well, and the HD speed looks to be the same. Not much to choose from in my price range (under $700). The i3 laptop I was looking at is $250 less. I may go with that instead, and use the savings to pay Guido. Plus my controller board does not have a continuous pedal input, so I'll have to spring for a volume pedal, probably a Morley. My proposed signal path is laptop/volume pedal/Vent/Mackie 1202 VLZ/QSC K-10 I do have another question that just came to mind Does Windows 8 have a VST player, or am I going to have to get one? I AM going to install Sonar X1 Producer on the machine "In the beginning, Adam had the blues, 'cause he was lonesome. So God helped him and created woman. Now everybody's got the blues." Willie Dixon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnchop Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 No VST host for Windows 8. Cantabile Lite would be good starting place. Sonar will also host VSTs but may not be an ideal live solution if you need to patch switching. i3 is more than enough. Laptop headphone out to volume pedal is probably questionable, but you can always start there. Be sure to download the ASIO4All driver to try to get lower latencies. If that's not satisfactory, you'll want an audio interface (eBay always an option if you're trying to save $). -John I make software noises. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Nightime Posted September 11, 2013 Author Share Posted September 11, 2013 The audio interface may become needed, but I'll give the headphone out try. "In the beginning, Adam had the blues, 'cause he was lonesome. So God helped him and created woman. Now everybody's got the blues." Willie Dixon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoodyBluesKeys Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 I ran VB3 successfully on a Compaq notebook with a 1G Pentium 3 processor, 512 meg RAM, 40G HD - into a docking station that held an eMu 0404 PCI MIDI/Audio card. For running something like EWQL Pianos Gold, you need a lot more power, but a lot of the older and more basic software will play well on almost anything. Most important is getting a low latency audio out - my present audio notebook is an older IBM R52 with Win 7, 2G RAM, a Centrino processor, and a PCMCIA slot into which I put an eMu 1616M card - this unit does handle Pianos Gold. So, I recommend spending less on the notebook, and more on the audio & MIDI in/out. Howard Grand|Hamm SK1-73|Kurz PC2|PC2X|PC3|PC3X|PC361; QSC K10's HP DAW|Epi Les Paul & LP 5-str bass|iPad mini2 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HammondDave Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 Or.... Buy a MacBook Air for $999, Mainstage for $35, and VB3... Done! Mainstage has many of Logic's instruments included, and will certainly fill your needs. Right now I am gigging with the above (except I am using an old MacBook Pro). Sounds pretty damn good! '55 and '59 B3's; Leslies 147, 122, 21H; MODX 7+; NUMA Piano X 88; Motif XS7; Mellotrons M300 and M400’s; Wurlitzer 206; Gibson G101; Vox Continental; Mojo 61; Launchkey 88 Mk III; Korg Module; B3X; Model D6; Moog Model D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Nightime Posted September 12, 2013 Author Share Posted September 12, 2013 I'll probably get flamed for this, but I am a full-on Windows guy. Cannot get comfortable with Mac. In my job I see too many people that are trying to do things online, and are unable because the site does not work with Safari or Chrome. "In the beginning, Adam had the blues, 'cause he was lonesome. So God helped him and created woman. Now everybody's got the blues." Willie Dixon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnchop Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 In my job I see too many people that are trying to do things online, and are unable because the site does not work with Safari or Chrome. Sorry for being "that guy" but: FIREFOX. I make software noises. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnchop Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 To be more than just "that guy" I'll add that a MacBook Air + Mainstage is a pretty damn good deal. I even like the virtual organ engine. -John I make software noises. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dongna Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 Or.... Buy a MacBook Air for $999, Mainstage for $35, and VB3... Done! Mainstage has many of Logic's instruments included, and will certainly fill your needs. Right now I am gigging with the above (except I am using an old MacBook Pro). Sounds pretty damn good! Is 128 GB (that's what comes on the $999 MacBook Air) really enough storage? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksoper Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 Mr Nightime: Just for comparison here is what I've got: HP DV6, 600GB 5400 rpm drive, 6GB ram, AMD 3500m quad-core. I bought it just for entertainment, not for music. Then I got the bug, but I didn't want to invest a fortune in an experiment. Don't count on getting decent results out of the headphone jack. I tried that first. Too much latency. Bought a Presonus AudioBox, which I like very much, and a Korg NanoKontrol. Got Cantabile Solo and am using VB3, Mr Ray, True Pianos, Pianoteq 4.5, and Kontakt 4 with full library (and Kontakt 5 player for Session Horns). Some things work better than others. I'm using the Presonus ASIO driver at 128 samples. 64 gets weird. Everything is quite playable. The only outstanding issue is Pianoteq. It sounds wonderful but isn't quite as snappy at 128 samples as it is on my home studio computer at 64 samples. Kontakt samples play back just fine, though I haven't loaded a really large library to test it. NI Session Horns plays well. Based on this, it looks to me as though the Toshiba you're contemplating is up to the job...if the job isn't being the foundation of a home studio. I'd lean in favor of an i5 just for extended life, and if you could throw in a faster or SSD drive, you'd be golden. All told I may have $1200 in this set up, computer, software, audio box. Good luck. 9 Moog things, 3 Roland things, 2 Hammond things and a computer with stuff on it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Nightime Posted September 13, 2013 Author Share Posted September 13, 2013 I pulled the trigger. I bought a Toshiba Satellite P55-A5200. 3rd generation I5 750 GB HD 6GB Ram I also bought an M-Audio M-Track. I know not the best, but it should do the job for me. I wish I could get Win 8 64bit drivers for my Tascam US 428 Thanks for the advice "In the beginning, Adam had the blues, 'cause he was lonesome. So God helped him and created woman. Now everybody's got the blues." Willie Dixon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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