Topic: I just won a netbook! Hmmmm...

[huskerbrewdad]

So I just won a new netbook from a radio station contest.  I was planning on getting a DR-07 soon to start recording, but since all shows I will be doing allow open taping, I thought why not try this?  I do already have a pair or 61a mics and a battery box for them.  I am somewhat familiar with Audacity.

So questions...(and yeah I tried to search but couldnt find)

1.  Bare minumum, what other gear am I going to need to record from the 61a's to the netbook live at shows?  Or can I run straight line-in to netbook?

2.  Any software other than the latest version of Audacity?

Any help for a noob is much appreciated

[mattmiller]

I'm just guessing here, but would something like this be a big step up in quality for him?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102020

[crazifyngers]

1.  Bare minumum, what other gear am I going to need to record from the 61a's to the netbook live at shows?  Or can I run straight line-in to netbook?

to run the a61 will need to provide some sort of power to it.  you can do this with just a battery box but a preamp will give you cleaner gain.  also the built in soundcard for computers aren't normally very good.  for better results us a usb or preferably a firewire audio card.  but bare minimum you will need a battery box

2.  Any software other than the latest version of Audacity?

free software wise for a DAW (digital audio workstation) I think that Audacity is the way to go.  commercial software I use soundforge and others use wavlab.  traders little helper will create flacs and hash files as well as torrents for your audio.

everyone has their own opinion and this is just my $.02  good luck!

Also are you decided on the dr-07 and if so have you ordered one?  I just picked up a dr-2d and have a dr-07 i will be selling soon. 

[skelly14120]

Heres a thought about the netbook how long of a battery life does it have? These digital recorders have good battery life and even if the battery runs out you just pop in  a fresh pair of double a's and your set . Also no need to upgrade your soundcard

[Belexes]

I had to upgrade my Dell netbook battery to the best one to get a 4 hour charge, but I don't use it for taping.  Skelly made a good point about battery life.

[yug du nord]

If your set on running a laptop....  IMO, pick up a mod'd UA-5.  You'll need the UA-5 driver which can be downloaded for free..  but it works well with Audacity.  But yeah......  battery life is something to keep in mind.  But maybe you can find an external that would work??  Good luck man....  welcome aboard!

[huskerbrewdad]

Thanks for the advice folks,

I do have a battery box for the mics.  I had heard some things about the UA-5 but wasnt really sure exactly what it did and if it was necessary or not.

And yeah at the place in town where I will do most of my taping right now I could plug in for power.

Dunno, after the initial excitement of winning the thing wore off, I'm thinking I may just sell it, get the DR-07(crazifyngers pm sent), and have some left over for a decent SDHC card and a mic stand...

[acidjack]

^^^ smarter move.

[kubacheck]

I'm just guessing here, but would something like this be a big step up in quality for him?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102020

btw, thanks for that link, that is exactly what I needed..... and better yet, it was the same price at Amazon, with free shipping...... and better still, I ordered it monday night, and got it the next day..... 

[rokpunk]

netbooks are great for what they are designed for....surfing the net.
i think you'd be much better off with an Edirol R09 or something along those lines opposed to the netbook.
the netbooks give up processing speed in favor of long battery life and small form factor.

[mattmiller]

btw, thanks for that link, that is exactly what I needed..... and better yet, it was the same price at Amazon, with free shipping...... and better still, I ordered it monday night, and got it the next day..... 

How's it working for you?  I've had that on my wish list for a couple of months.  I do a lot of late-night editing in my hotel room and my laptop's on-board audio just doesn't power my headphones.  I reckon this would provide a little more volume for me.

[kubacheck]

btw, thanks for that link, that is exactly what I needed..... and better yet, it was the same price at Amazon, with free shipping...... and better still, I ordered it monday night, and got it the next day..... 

How's it working for you?  I've had that on my wish list for a couple of months.  I do a lot of late-night editing in my hotel room and my laptop's on-board audio just doesn't power my headphones.  I reckon this would provide a little more volume for me.

haven't even had a chance to pull it out of the box yet, had a show last night and a hockey game tonight..... I'll probably play around with it in the next few days.....

[Fried Chicken Boy]

In replying to the original topic and, personally, having less than ideal results when getting my feet wet with using a notebook as a recorder, I'll side with those that suggest using a dedicated recording device (DR-07, R-09, 661, etc...).  That being said, notebook recording has come a long way since I tried it and there's a relevant, albeit slightly old, thread regarding netbook recording HERE.  Doing a search for "netbook" in these forums brings up a handful of threads but this one seemed the most pertinent to this discussion.  Good luck with whatever you decide and keep us posted!

[runonce]

This netbook user reports success running 8 channels @ 32/44

http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=132552.msg1741185#msg1741185

[runonce]

netbooks are great for what they are designed for....surfing the net.
i think you'd be much better off with an Edirol R09 or something along those lines opposed to the netbook.
the netbooks give up processing speed in favor of long battery life and small form factor.

Bullocks!

Im pretty sure any netbook is well within the spec for a UA5...

OS: Microsoft Windows 98/98SE/ME/2000/XP
Computer: Windows compatible computer with a USB connector*
CPU/Clock: Pentium II processor 233MHz or higher (win98/SE/ME)
Pentium II processor 400MHz or higher (win2000)

The Sys Req for M-Audios Fast Track require only a PIII 500...
http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/FastTrackPro.html