Topic: n00b question >>>>>

[QuinnEskimo]

i'm wondering if i can get some advice about taping w/ a laptop.
i've got a Mac powerbook G4. Is there some way to use it to replace some gear and possibly save money on a rig? Will I loose quality? Is it kosher to use a laptop as part of your rig? etc, etc... teach meeeeeeee.

i'm on a pretty tight budget. I know nothing about taping gear - would a laptop simply replace the medium (i.e. dat tape, hard drive, etc) that you're recording onto? Or can I go easily from mic to a laptop capture without much more than preamps and some fanagaling around with some wires and different adapters?

thanks all, i appreciate any imput.

[Billy Mumphrey]

a laptop is perfectly appropriate for your recording device.
 
Pros:

high resolution!
lots of storage
no transfer needed

Cons:

vunerability
unreliability (some have great experiences, some have horrible)
size


I love laptop taping and I've probably had more attempts go bad than good. High resolution is worth it alone to me.

[QuinnEskimo]

 
excellent. that gives me hope for being able to afford a rig!!!!!

now, this may not be the most appropriate forum for this question... but
what other gear do i need, exactly. I'll start doing some homework, but could I get some cost-effective advice to get from a microphone to a Mac laptop?

again, i appreciate any imput. THANKS!

[greenone]

I know nothing about taping gear - would a laptop simply replace the medium (i.e. dat tape, hard drive, etc) that you're recording onto? Or can I go easily from mic to a laptop capture without much more than preamps and some fanagaling around with some wires and different adapters?

I think most here would go with door #1 - it basically replaces your recording device. You'll still need a preamp, A/D, and some way of powering your mics. The UA-5 is a good all-in-one box that can be had for less than $300 that will do all three...

[Tall Adam]

fuckin a man, ua-5's are goin for like 150 now on ebay. if hes only goin to lappy, fuck 300, get em for 150, and if he ever needs a digimod he can do it himself. (makes me scared for the day when we all try to sell our ua-5's and theyre worth $5  )

[greenone]

Hey, $150 is under $300. Good call though...I've never looked for one so I don't know the prices, but yeah, with no digimod they're dirt cheap...

[QuinnEskimo]

thanks thanks thanks!

so if i understand correctly a pair of mics>ua5>software = a decent setup? and that's all i need?
so what kinds of software am I looking at? I already collect shows, so i've of course got xACT, MacFLAC, CarbonShorten, etc...
but for capturing what's the standard software procedure?

this is excellent, i really appreciate it all.

[jaguaracer]

blguillen uses a laptop and his tapes are killer.
Schoeps MK4's > Active Cables > Nbox > VxPocket v2 > Sony VAIO PCG-TR3A > Sony Soundforge 7.0a (@ 16/44.1) > CDWave 1.71 > mkwact 0.97 > .shn (seek tables appended)
http://www.archive.org/audio/etree-details-db.php?id=19660
So it looks like he just uses the recording software that his laptop came with. I think CDwave records as well (it is in his lineage b/c he used it for track cuts). Any software that allows you to record to 16/44.1 would be fine I think.

[Chris K]

thanks thanks thanks!

but for capturing what's the standard software procedure?

this is excellent, i really appreciate it all.

Felttip Soundstudio and Amadeas II are good starting points for 2 track recording on mac. both have free trials and are inexpensive to purchase a license

http://felttip.com/products/soundstudio/

http://www.hairersoft.com/Amadeus.html

i use  bias peak le 4 (www.bias.com) on my mac, some like it otheres dont. the discontinued tc electronics spark xl is preferred by many but is now discontinued...tc electronics actually refers you to use peak now.

if going old school and using os 9, i always liked coaster

[QuinnEskimo]

thx chris

p.s. i dig the sig.

[Tall Adam]

Audacity (www.audacity.sourceforge.net) also makes mac versions and is completely free. works fine for me on a PC, only bad things about it, no 2 gb split features, saves to a proprietary format, BUT can record well above 2 or 4 gig limits (only limit on length is free space and battery).

im sure there are also a host of other softwares which cost a good amount of money but can be found for *free* online...but i in no way incourage looking for pirated material on the internets

[Patrick]

fuckin a man, ua-5's are goin for like 150 now on ebay. if hes only goin to lappy, fuck 300, get em for 150, and if he ever needs a digimod he can do it himself. (makes me scared for the day when we all try to sell our ua-5's and theyre worth $5  )

When that day comes, let me know and I'll buy all of yours!

[QuinnEskimo]

the UA-5 provides phantom power to the mics, but what powers the UA-5?
will i need an external power source? is the UA5 chargeable? What are my options if i need to power my rig with more equipment?

this may be a silly question, but if I am in need of a seperate source of power, is there a way to provide myself with an actual power outlet or two, the kind that are on the wall in your home, etc. i'm concerned that my laptop may loose power too fast before the show is over.


edit: also, what is a digimond?

[QuinnEskimo]

ok, i've started to answer my own questions (sorry for not looking around  )

does this (battery on top) come with the UA5?


if not, i understand that you can get it at *wallyworld* for fairly cheap.
is it crazy to try and connect one of those power converters for your car cigarrette lighter adapter to have and outlet to charge my powerbook halfway through the show? Is it even possible to connect that to this battery?

They say i'll get 2hrs out of a powerbook battery... but that makes me a little nervous - that's really pushing it. And another battery is about $130.00 i'm just looking for other/cheaper options. i may not even have the opportunity to change batteries, etc...

[wbrisette]

if not, i understand that you can get it at *wallyworld* for fairly cheap.
is it crazy to try and connect one of those power converters for your car cigarrette lighter adapter to have and outlet to charge my powerbook halfway through the show? Is it even possible to connect that to this battery?

They say i'll get 2hrs out of a powerbook battery... but that makes me a little nervous - that's really pushing it. And another battery is about $130.00 i'm just looking for other/cheaper options. i may not even have the opportunity to change batteries, etc...

I've seen people using car cigarette adapters at festivals. Personally, I'm not comfortable using them, which is one of the reasons I didn't go with the laptop recording option. Most of the people I've seen have horrible luck with laptop rigs seems to be PC folks. Not sure why (maybe more of them)... I can remember seeing this guy sitting at moe. on the floor talking through his cell phone to his roomy trying to get him to look up his SN for some PC audio application. Two days of moe. he was at both shows, and he didn't pull a single show using the laptop. The entire section had to be super careful as people stepped around our gear. Every time that happened I kept looking over at him to see if he still had his laptop out. They still haven't make those things bulletproof enough for me. You drop one, or somebody steps on it, and you're likely out the cost of a replacement screen. Give me something a bit more solid, but hey, if you want to try it, you can't beat the high resolution you can get using a laptop.

Everybody has pointed out some great Mac OS X applications (I'm fond of Peak myself, but I've been using the program for 6 years now and know it inside and out). You might see if Sound Studio is on your computer. It was pre-installed on my iBook that I bought this summer.

Wayne