Topic: Low end laptop taping?!

[kozakz]

I would think the UA5 should work well, FWIW I used to use a sound devices USBPre when I was laptop taping, it is a very solid and flexible little box.

UA-5 needs extra battery, it can not be powered via usb.

[gratefulbrad]

I use a PDAudio CF with my Toshiba.  Seems to work well with what I do.  You can use whatever PC based recording software (I use Soundforge 9).  The UA5 has both spdif & optical outputs...so theres no problem there.  I think the PDAudio CF is like $200, which is about half the price of the VX Pocket v2.  Good luck with whatever you choose.   http://www.core-sound.com/pdaudio-cf/1.php

[bugg100]

I use a PDAudio CF with my Toshiba.  Seems to work well with what I do.  You can use whatever PC based recording software (I use Soundforge 9).  The UA5 has both spdif & optical outputs...so. theres no problem there.  I think the PDAudio CF is like $200, which is about half the price of the VX Pocket v2.  Good luck with whatever you choose.   http://www.core-sound.com/pdaudio-cf/1.php

All good, except the above link in my post is for a vx pocket v2 in the yard sale for $100......

[sunjan]

www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/Transit-main.html

The system requirements for the M-audio card seems very moderate!

Minimum System Requirements (PC)
Windows 98SE / Me / 2000 (SP4) / XP (SP2)*
For 96kHz operation: Pentium III 500mHz w/ 128MB RAM
For 48kHz operation: Pentium II 400mHz w/ 128MB RAM

With Roger confirming that Pentium II might be enough, I'll encourage my pal to have a go at lappy taping on the cheap!
Anyone else with success stories using low CPU/RAM specs?

I also noticed the Creative Audigy cardbus card can be picked up on Ebay for $35-45, which sounds like a usable entry level rig...
Any external USB sound cards even cheaper than that?

[Roger Gustavsson]

Hi Sunjan,

A problem with many of these PC-Card and USB solutions, is the weak connectors. I have two brooken Digigram breakout cables. The breakout cable itself is bulky and after a long search, I have found some connectors so that I can make my own break out cables. The original break out cable is expensive.

I have also made some more testing to find out the noise floor of the mic input. With 30dB gain it is about 74dB (wideband) below 0dBfs. Some USB solutions are worse, like the M-Audio MobilePre USB.

One also need a suitable recording software. If the laptop is older, look for one that it can handle with ease! Soundforge 5 seems to work with a 300Mhz cpu. Now I use Soundforge 9.

I would not use a laptop for stealth recording, it is too bulky. I am using it beacause I can do the editing with it too.


Roger

[sunjan]

A problem with many of these PC-Card and USB solutions, is the weak connectors. I have two broken Digigram breakout cables. The breakout cable itself is bulky and after a long search, I have found some connectors so that I can make my own break out cables. The original break out cable is expensive.

I have also made some more testing to find out the noise floor of the mic input. With 30dB gain it is about 74dB (wideband) below 0dBfs. Some USB solutions are worse, like the M-Audio MobilePre USB.

One also need a suitable recording software. If the laptop is older, look for one that it can handle with ease! Soundforge 5 seems to work with a 300Mhz cpu. Now I use Soundforge 9.

I would not use a laptop for stealth recording, it is too bulky. I am using it beacause I can do the editing with it too.

+T, thanks Roger, those are valid concerns that you point out. Surely, the lappy would be for open taping only!

So an external breakout box connected to the USB port should be less fragile than those PC-card type connectors, right?

I found a good primer on lappy taping here:
http://www.sonicsense.com/10myths.htm
Written by Marc at Sonicsense, it's heavily outdated, but the fundamentals are spot on...

[rustoleum]

I recorded with a Vaio C1VN for 5 years and still use it periodically.  The C1VN has a Crusoe 600 MHZ processer with (I think) 192 MB of RAM.  These days this is obviously a very modest laptop, but (when things were working - ie - I had plenty of juice, cables plugged in and not shorting, vxpocket cable didn't break, etc) the lappy prooved to be flawless using MiniMe -> VxPocket or USB -> WaveLab @ 24/48.

Never tried 24/96 since USB out of the minime and VxPocket don't support it.  I had this lappy pretty well tweaked (including a bare-bones Win2K installation used exclusively for recording), so YMMV, but it can be done.

[Roger Gustavsson]

So an external breakout box connected to the USB port should be less fragile than those PC-card type connectors, right?1

Hi Sunjan,

Here are a couple of pictures of the Digigram soundcard and its breakout cable and connectors. The connector themselves seems to be almost impossible to get nowdays.
I will use some smaller connectors in place of the bulky XLRs. Using 5-pin connectors for stereo, one for input and one for output (the phono connectors are not needed either) would reduce the size and weight of the breakout cable.

Roger