Author Topic: eee PC as a Recorder/Bit Bucket (Read 6424 times)

rsimms3 · « **on:** May 29, 2008, 06:53:19 PM »

For about a month now I have been looking at these, the evolution of the machines from 2gig to 4gig to 20gig internal memory, new processors and such. I was considering one for open taping. I just got a UA-5 with BMP2+ mod and was thinking that I could pair it with an eee PC which his rather cheap. The smallest version has a 800 MHz Intel Celeron Processor, 512 RAM, but little drive space. I have a Circuit City gift card that I can't use on much because they rarely have deals. My thoughts were to buy the older eee PC model and then upgrade the RAM to 2gig and put in a USB thumb drive for more memory to record to. Is this processor up to the task of recording 24/96 that the UA-5 can output? The other benefits are a mini laptop that can be used for surfing the net, vacations, and general low intensity laptop stuff, no Quake or anything like that. Input? The newer version with the Atom processor is expected to be $650 which is crazy because there was a deal for a dual core, touch screen, tablet PC at Office Depot for like $680 after rebate recently. Thanks.

digifish_music · « **Reply #1 on:** May 29, 2008, 07:01:16 PM »

Quote from: rsimms3 on May 29, 2008, 06:53:19 PM

For about a month now I have been looking at these, the evolution of the machines from 2gig to 4gig to 20gig internal memory, new processors and such. I was considering one for open taping. I just got a UA-5 with BMP2+ mod and was thinking that I could pair it with an eee PC which his rather cheap. The smallest version has a 800 MHz Intel Celeron Processor, 512 RAM, but little drive space. I have a Circuit City gift card that I can't use on much because they rarely have deals. My thoughts were to buy the older eee PC model and then upgrade the RAM to 2gig and put in a USB thumb drive for more memory to record to. Is this processor up to the task of recording 24/96 that the UA-5 can output? The other benefits are a mini laptop that can be used for surfing the net, vacations, and general low intensity laptop stuff, no Quake or anything like that. Input? The newer version with the Atom processor is expected to be $650 which is crazy because there was a deal for a dual core, touch screen, tablet PC at Office Depot for like $680 after rebate recently. Thanks.

The eee PC's lack of any internal fans (meaning silence) and light weight, would make it a good platform. The eee PC is never going to be great value for money, you buy one for the form-factor.

I wonder how Audacity + recording on the line-in would sound?

digifish

dmonkey · « **Reply #2 on:** May 29, 2008, 08:54:01 PM »

I've wondered the same thing myself, although I really don't need one as a recording device. I've been looking at these for a few months and I like what I see. I'd like to use one for basic things while traveling, and for dumping memory cards of photos until I can get home after a weekend event. Tempting, very tempting.

rsimms3 · « **Reply #3 on:** May 29, 2008, 09:49:44 PM »

Yeah, I was thinking more of just a bit bucket.

chris319 · « **Reply #4 on:** May 29, 2008, 10:41:52 PM »

I would get an eee in a second just to try out, IF there was one with a FireWire port.

Anyone know anything about these USB to FireWire adapters?

johnw · « **Reply #5 on:** May 30, 2008, 07:39:29 AM »

I don't think the battery life on these is supposed to be very good. For the money, I'd rather have a FR2LE for strictly recording purposes. But if you will use it for other things, it is a neat machine.

Ozpeter · « **Reply #6 on:** May 30, 2008, 10:23:37 AM »

Over on the Reaper (DAW) forum I recall someone saying that they'd tried it with some success running Reaper. www.reaper.fm and a quick search of the forum should turn it up.

Eigenklang · « **Reply #7 on:** May 30, 2008, 02:48:30 PM »

Well I have the eee, and it runs great. In fact, it is totally great for its price. Keep in mind that a small linux OS is running on an solid state disk. In many cases, this little thing reacts much faster than my "better" normal PC running XP. It boots up in less than 40 sec and i was not able to measure the time audacity needs to start. It is between 1 and 2 seconds. And for stressy situations, it is easy to run it in a kind of idiotproof way. The SSD is then read only, and every change is stored in RAM. This is done by a little mod and really useful. You are no longer able to destroy your system

Using 2 GB of ram is less easy, because you have to change the linux kernel or use windows.

Some cons to be mentioned:
-Altough the "workflow" on the eee is really great, it clearly has its limits with its small processor.
-It has no line-in. Its a mic in with permanently activated plugin power.
-Using the original linux, it may be hard to find a working USB ADC.
-It is NOT fanless. It has a very small fan in it which is not very loud but sounds terrible to my ears.

rsimms3 · « **Reply #8 on:** May 30, 2008, 04:32:04 PM »

I knew the limitation of using Linux and 2gig of RAM. I was thinking about getting a scratch and dent from Amazon that has XP already installed. My main worry is that the 800mhz processor is not enough to do the 24/96 that the Edirol UA-5 would output. Good information about the Mic-In that is permanently provided power, did not know that one. Keep the opinions and information coming.

JoeKiller · « **Reply #9 on:** May 30, 2008, 06:23:28 PM »

Quote from: johnw on May 30, 2008, 07:39:29 AM

I don't think the battery life on these is supposed to be very good.

ditto on that, if anything wait for the Intel Atom based one.

jerryfreak · « **Reply #10 on:** May 31, 2008, 09:29:01 PM »

if you want a cheap laptop to use as a bitbucket, you can easily put together a toshiba 34x0 or 4010 for well under $500 with a vx pocket

Quote from: JoeKiller on May 30, 2008, 06:23:28 PM

Quote from: johnw on May 30, 2008, 07:39:29 AM
I don't think the battery life on these is supposed to be very good.

ditto on that, if anything wait for the Intel Atom based one.

person · « **Reply #11 on:** June 05, 2008, 03:30:31 AM »

I've been looking for another cheap and small MP3 player bit bucket like the Iriver IFP 8xx series. I've got an EEE PC but the thing would be at high risk of being stolen i reckon... cool looking white laptop just sitting around the sound desk while I'm off getting my ambients

Ozpeter · « **Reply #12 on:** June 05, 2008, 05:40:57 AM »

http://www.cockos.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15199&highlight=eeepc is the eeeeepc thread on the Reaper forum. There's a recent post by someone who seems pleased with it for recording.

Idle Wind · « **Reply #13 on:** June 05, 2008, 02:39:20 PM »

I've got an eee - the 4G, and I love it. for another $50, I got a 4Gb SD card and a 2Gb OCZ SODIMM - though as has been pointed out, you'd have to replace the kernel to recognize 2Gb. Right now it's only1Gb.

I love the little Linux system - and wouldn't dream of putting XP on it. It's lean and fast, and does everything I want. But it is what it is. People are trying all kinds of hacks trying to make it something it isn't. (though I'd love a blue tooth hack - oh and firewire, maybe....).

I'd think you could find a better bitbucket with a larger capacity even cheaper. MTII, IRiver. I've got an FR2-LE as well, which is awesome. No digi in though, and is overkill as a bitbucket.

I'd think getting a USB AD to work on the Linux eee might not be too easy - though everything I've plugged in has worked fine.

The eee is a really great box for travelling. 2 lbs. I've been getting 3hrs on the battery. I wouldn't want to put XP on it though, and don't really see it as a viable bit bucket.

rsimms3 · « **Reply #14 on:** June 05, 2008, 10:52:32 PM »

Thanks EvilEye, very good information. In the past I have gotten crazy ideas in my head and then become crazy about them until I make them happen. I decided to take it slow and look at all the angles instead. As a portable surf machine, show back up, and document writing sounds like a great little contraption but not in line with a USB bitbucket because of the upgrades needed to get away from Linux and poor battery life.

rsimms3 · « **Reply #15 on:** August 02, 2008, 04:30:05 PM »

Well, after two months of looking, I ended up waiting on the Atom based unit, 1000H. I just got it yesterday and haven't gone through full paces yet. I haven't been able to get the UA-5 to work in 24/96 on my main machine with Audition, but I have with Audacity. So far, Audacity appears to be running fine with the UA-5 on the 1000H. The good thing about this unit is that you can turn the screen off and everything continues to run unlike Standby or Sleep mode so it saves on energy instead of having the screen on or worrying if something will go bonkers if the screen saver kicks in. They advertise "7.5 hours of computing" but I am looking at around 5 with the bright/contrast turned all the way down, WiFi off, Bluetooth off, Camera off, and battery save mode. I just worked out Audition working with the UA-5. Recorded about 30 minutes at 24/96 and still had around 3 hours battery time according to the meter. I am next going to try making my recording go to a SDHC card and see if it improves. There was horrible lag between the wave form I was seeing and what was being recorded. The laptop had such a time keeping up I lost my meters on the bottom. Need to look at more RAM or tweaking some settings.

Pics or it didn't happen....

rsimms3 · « **Reply #16 on:** August 02, 2008, 04:36:21 PM »

Oh, as an FYI, this model was going for $649, and is now down to $549 at most retailers. I got mine off of eBay at $599 plus shipping, but used the 20% off rebate offer through the Live Search website so it will be $500 shipped when I get the rebate in 50 days.

Specifications
Internal memory: 80 GB hard disk drive (HDD)
RAM: 1 GB DDR2
Processor: 1.6 GHz Intel Atom
Memory expansion: Slot for MMC/SD(SDHC) cards
Operating system: Windows XP Home
LCD: 10.2 inches, 1024 x 600 pixels
Networking: Tri-mode Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n), 10/100 Fast Ethernet
Peripheral connectivity: Three USB 2.0
External video: One VGA
External audio: One headphone and one microphone port
Webcamera: Yes, 1.3 megapixels
Battery: 6 cells, up to 7 hours
Weight: 3.19 pounds (51 ounces)
Dimensions: 10.5 Ã— 7.5 Ã— 1.5 inches

digifish_music · « **Reply #17 on:** October 28, 2008, 07:52:18 PM »

Good to see your rig rsimms3

I just bought an Eee PC 900HA (this has a 160 gb hard drive and the Atom processor, so it's similar to the 1000H in a smaller package), I plan on using it for editing audio recordings in the field. I will test it out with some external audio interfaces and even the internal soundcard too when I get a moment.

http://eeepc.asus.com/global/product900ha.html?n=0

Best news is the small size. 170mm(L) x 225mm(W) x 34mm(H), it would sit on top of your UA-5 no problem.

~ USD $350 at Newegg http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220441

Not mine but here is a video of one from YouTube...

900HA Boot Test

digifish

jerryfreak · « **Reply #18 on:** October 28, 2008, 08:29:06 PM »

i have a 901, the linux build is super simple, but kind of weak. there are ubuntu distros custom made for it.

i use mine with a usb recording device on xp, works stellar, easily 4-5 hours of battery life

the reason to buy a linux version is to get the bigger SSD.

the windows version comes with 4GB 'fast' SSD and 8GB 'slower' SSD

the linux version comes with 4GB 'fast' SSD and 16GB 'slower' SSD

16 and 32GB SDHCs are pretty common, so that should be plenty of space.
unlike most laptops the unit takes a 9V wall wart, so its easily adapted to taping power as well.

SSD units beat the hard drive ones for battery life, obviously

these are pretty cheap now. my 901 was $458- $131 ebay cashback

fmaderjr · « **Reply #19 on:** October 29, 2008, 08:15:24 AM »

I'm confused & must be missing something. Could someone tell me the advantages of using the eee PC as a bit bucket over the simple solution of just using a MT2, which is much cheaper, much smaller, simpler to operate in the field, and probably has much better battery life even without one of those small external battery packs? Seems like way more trouble than it's worth to me.

Obviously I realize the eeePC can be used for other useful things besides recording, but if I wanted one and also wanted a bit bucket I'd get both the eee PC and the MT2. After all, after the Microsoft cash back on E-Bay, the MT2 can be had for way under $200.

rsimms3 · « **Reply #20 on:** November 01, 2008, 02:49:46 PM »

This thread started back in May and was to get a feel if anyone else was headed toward Netbook recording. Yes, the MT2 would be a better choice. I ended up getting an MT24/96 before realizing it doesn't do seamless splits so I record at 24/48 instead of 24/96. I never ended up using the eee PC to record with because....I couldn't find a program that would do seamless splits recording 24/96. If someone knows how, I am all ears. I just had some unexpected expenses come up or I would be going for the MT2, selling the MT24/96. I do use the eee PC for email checking and storing my recordings while away from home. Great little netbook.

digifish_music · « **Reply #21 on:** November 01, 2008, 09:16:26 PM »

Quote from: rsimms3 on November 01, 2008, 02:49:46 PM

This thread started back in May and was to get a feel if anyone else was headed toward Netbook recording. Yes, the MT2 would be a better choice. I ended up getting an MT24/96 before realizing it doesn't do seamless splits so I record at 24/48 instead of 24/96. I never ended up using the eee PC to record with because....I couldn't find a program that would do seamless splits recording 24/96. If someone knows how, I am all ears. I just had some unexpected expenses come up or I would be going for the MT2, selling the MT24/96. I do use the eee PC for email checking and storing my recordings while away from home. Great little netbook.

I just took delivery of an Eee PC 900HA (160 Gb hard drive), mainly for in-the-field audio editing, and I have been impressed so far...will experiment with recording soon. Much better quality and smaller than I expected...

digifish

timP · « **Reply #22 on:** December 18, 2008, 10:42:23 PM »

so, how are you guys liking yr eee PCs?

been eying them now for months

anyone heard of people swapping in larger SSDs? (32/64gb)

rsimms3 · « **Reply #23 on:** December 19, 2008, 11:46:19 AM »

I bought on the bleeding edge so I have a 60gb regular Laptop harddrive. I have thought about buying one of the cheap portables and swapping out wiht a larger one, say 300gb. I love mine for on the road stuff. I don't do a lot of processing as I record in 24bit and it takes a while to do major processing for 24bit stuff, I usually just copy stuff for back up, etc. I never did any recording with the laptop due to getting a MT then moving to an MTII. Great to have one of these netbooks though, really handy.

timP · « **Reply #24 on:** January 07, 2009, 12:54:44 PM »

http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2009/01/asus-shows-an-e.html

at CES2009

glad I help off buying.

love the TV tuner and GPS aspect.

just want a larger SSHD and I'll be set