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Really Very Basic But Quite Important Question

Really Very Basic But Quite Important Question

2004-01-27 by bigcleverturnip

Hey,
I'll start with the obvious - I'm a drummer and for christmas I got 
a Yamaha DTXpress II. I love the machine!
Anyway, I also play and compose a lot of music, as I play other 
instruments as well.
I'm hoping to get a laptop very soon, on which I'll be doing a lot 
of music composing (using something similar to Cubase or Cakewalk 
hopefully), but unfortunately, I have no idea how I'd go about 
connecting my DTXpress II to my computer/soundcard and using it for 
drums in tracks I'd write (presumably MIDI?). I know I really should 
know about this, but I'm afraid I don't! Any help would be very 
greatly appreciated.
Also, since I'd be using a laptop for my music creation, I presume 
I'd need to buy a new soundcard, as laptop soundcards are 
notoriously poor? What are my options here? Any recommendations? 
Would it have to be an external card?
Thank you in advance for any help anyone can offer,
Ferdie
PS Please talk as simply as possible to me, I understand little or 
no technical jargon! Thanks.

Re: Really Very Basic But Quite Important Question

2004-01-28 by jjcorley0000

I don't know what your needs are, but personally if I were buying 
a computer to use primarily for multi-tracking music I'd never get a 
laptop.

    a) They usually have lots of proprietary junk in them, they are 
expensive (compared to a desktop), and usually darn near impossible 
to upgrade other than putting more memory in them.

    b) The sound cards are usually an afterthought and given point 
(a), they usually can't be upgraded.

    c) For the amount time you spend working at the computer when 
doing recording, the joystick/pad mouse emulator devices, tiny 
keyboards and smallish screens will drive most people up the wall.  
Many people eventually end up putting a mouse, monitor and keyboard 
on them... and then stop moving them around because its a pain... and 
then they have essentially an expensive desktop that can't be 
upgraded.

    Do you absolutely need the portability of a laptop?

    This is from someone who lugged more than his share of laptops 
through airports on business.  My personal hate for laptops stems 
from often going from my in-office development environment of dual 
21" monitors and egro-keyboard, etc. to flying X hours at a moment's 
notice and having to do debugging sessions under the gun on a "spare" 
laptop.

    Bitter?  Me?  Noooooo.

    All that said, if you really need a laptop for other reasons and 
are careful about checking the specs of the sound card, it can work 
just fine for some people.  Just know that portability comes with a 
pricetag.


--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "bigcleverturnip" 
<bigcleverturnip@h...> wrote:
> Hey,
> I'll start with the obvious - I'm a drummer and for christmas I got 
> a Yamaha DTXpress II. I love the machine!
> Anyway, I also play and compose a lot of music, as I play other 
> instruments as well.
> I'm hoping to get a laptop very soon, on which I'll be doing a lot 
> of music composing (using something similar to Cubase or Cakewalk 
> hopefully), but unfortunately, I have no idea how I'd go about 
> connecting my DTXpress II to my computer/soundcard and using it for 
> drums in tracks I'd write (presumably MIDI?). I know I really 
should
Show quoted textHide quoted text
> know about this, but I'm afraid I don't! Any help would be very 
> greatly appreciated.
> Also, since I'd be using a laptop for my music creation, I presume 
> I'd need to buy a new soundcard, as laptop soundcards are 
> notoriously poor? What are my options here? Any recommendations? 
> Would it have to be an external card?
> Thank you in advance for any help anyone can offer,
> Ferdie
> PS Please talk as simply as possible to me, I understand little or 
> no technical jargon! Thanks.

RE: [DTXpress] Re: Really Very Basic But Quite Important Question

2004-01-28 by Creighton Higgins

sound blaster does make an external USB soundcard for laptops- the Extigy I
think. I have no idea if latency is an issue for midi work.
Show quoted textHide quoted text
-----Original Message-----
From: jjcorley0000 [mailto:jjc@...]
Sent: Wednesday, January 28, 2004 1:24 AM
To: DTXpress@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [DTXpress] Re: Really Very Basic But Quite Important Question



    I don't know what your needs are, but personally if I were buying
a computer to use primarily for multi-tracking music I'd never get a
laptop.

    a) They usually have lots of proprietary junk in them, they are
expensive (compared to a desktop), and usually darn near impossible
to upgrade other than putting more memory in them.

    b) The sound cards are usually an afterthought and given point
(a), they usually can't be upgraded.

    c) For the amount time you spend working at the computer when
doing recording, the joystick/pad mouse emulator devices, tiny
keyboards and smallish screens will drive most people up the wall.
Many people eventually end up putting a mouse, monitor and keyboard
on them... and then stop moving them around because its a pain... and
then they have essentially an expensive desktop that can't be
upgraded.

    Do you absolutely need the portability of a laptop?

    This is from someone who lugged more than his share of laptops
through airports on business.  My personal hate for laptops stems
from often going from my in-office development environment of dual
21" monitors and egro-keyboard, etc. to flying X hours at a moment's
notice and having to do debugging sessions under the gun on a "spare"
laptop.

    Bitter?  Me?  Noooooo.

    All that said, if you really need a laptop for other reasons and
are careful about checking the specs of the sound card, it can work
just fine for some people.  Just know that portability comes with a
pricetag.


--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "bigcleverturnip"
<bigcleverturnip@h...> wrote:
> Hey,
> I'll start with the obvious - I'm a drummer and for christmas I got
> a Yamaha DTXpress II. I love the machine!
> Anyway, I also play and compose a lot of music, as I play other
> instruments as well.
> I'm hoping to get a laptop very soon, on which I'll be doing a lot
> of music composing (using something similar to Cubase or Cakewalk
> hopefully), but unfortunately, I have no idea how I'd go about
> connecting my DTXpress II to my computer/soundcard and using it for
> drums in tracks I'd write (presumably MIDI?). I know I really
should
> know about this, but I'm afraid I don't! Any help would be very
> greatly appreciated.
> Also, since I'd be using a laptop for my music creation, I presume
> I'd need to buy a new soundcard, as laptop soundcards are
> notoriously poor? What are my options here? Any recommendations?
> Would it have to be an external card?
> Thank you in advance for any help anyone can offer,
> Ferdie
> PS Please talk as simply as possible to me, I understand little or
> no technical jargon! Thanks.


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Re: Really Very Basic But Quite Important Question

2004-01-28 by Jay

Here's a very basic answer for you. Apple 12" Powerbook. It's fast
enough to record live audio, super easy to use, gorgeous to look at,
and with Cubase, Logic, Deck, Battery, and Garageband, and tons of
open-source freebies, you have plenty of choices for music/MIDI apps.

I recommend the 12" over the other Aluminum Powerbooks simply because
of it's size and price. They're tiny, cheap, and super durable. And
you don't need to add any 3rd party soundcards to it. (even though a
firewire MOTU device would kick@ss ;)

I run my DTXII into the line-in on my Powerboook when I'm doing
multi-track recording. Works like a charm. 

With Apple's new focus on music, these are wonderful times to be a
musician/music lover.


--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "Creighton Higgins" <creighton@l...>
wrote:
> sound blaster does make an external USB soundcard for laptops- the
Extigy I
Show quoted textHide quoted text
> think. I have no idea if latency is an issue for midi work.
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: jjcorley0000 [mailto:jjc@s...]
> Sent: Wednesday, January 28, 2004 1:24 AM
> To: DTXpress@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [DTXpress] Re: Really Very Basic But Quite Important Question
> 
> 
> 
>     I don't know what your needs are, but personally if I were buying
> a computer to use primarily for multi-tracking music I'd never get a
> laptop.
> 
>     a) They usually have lots of proprietary junk in them, they are
> expensive (compared to a desktop), and usually darn near impossible
> to upgrade other than putting more memory in them.
> 
>     b) The sound cards are usually an afterthought and given point
> (a), they usually can't be upgraded.
> 
>     c) For the amount time you spend working at the computer when
> doing recording, the joystick/pad mouse emulator devices, tiny
> keyboards and smallish screens will drive most people up the wall.
> Many people eventually end up putting a mouse, monitor and keyboard
> on them... and then stop moving them around because its a pain... and
> then they have essentially an expensive desktop that can't be
> upgraded.
> 
>     Do you absolutely need the portability of a laptop?
> 
>     This is from someone who lugged more than his share of laptops
> through airports on business.  My personal hate for laptops stems
> from often going from my in-office development environment of dual
> 21" monitors and egro-keyboard, etc. to flying X hours at a moment's
> notice and having to do debugging sessions under the gun on a "spare"
> laptop.
> 
>     Bitter?  Me?  Noooooo.
> 
>     All that said, if you really need a laptop for other reasons and
> are careful about checking the specs of the sound card, it can work
> just fine for some people.  Just know that portability comes with a
> pricetag.
> 
> 
> --- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "bigcleverturnip"
> <bigcleverturnip@h...> wrote:
> > Hey,
> > I'll start with the obvious - I'm a drummer and for christmas I got
> > a Yamaha DTXpress II. I love the machine!
> > Anyway, I also play and compose a lot of music, as I play other
> > instruments as well.
> > I'm hoping to get a laptop very soon, on which I'll be doing a lot
> > of music composing (using something similar to Cubase or Cakewalk
> > hopefully), but unfortunately, I have no idea how I'd go about
> > connecting my DTXpress II to my computer/soundcard and using it for
> > drums in tracks I'd write (presumably MIDI?). I know I really
> should
> > know about this, but I'm afraid I don't! Any help would be very
> > greatly appreciated.
> > Also, since I'd be using a laptop for my music creation, I presume
> > I'd need to buy a new soundcard, as laptop soundcards are
> > notoriously poor? What are my options here? Any recommendations?
> > Would it have to be an external card?
> > Thank you in advance for any help anyone can offer,
> > Ferdie
> > PS Please talk as simply as possible to me, I understand little or
> > no technical jargon! Thanks.
> 
> 
> Community email addresses:
>   Post message: DTXpress@yahoogroups.com
>   Subscribe:    DTXpress-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
>   Unsubscribe:  DTXpress-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
>   List owner:   DTXpress-owner@yahoogroups.com
> 
> Shortcut URL to this page:
>   http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DTXpress
> 
> Alternate DTXpress site:
>   http://www.dtxpressions.com
> 
> 
> Yahoo! Groups Links
> 
> To visit your group on the web, go to:
>  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DTXpress/
> 
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
>  DTXpress-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> 
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
>  http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
> 
> 
> ---
> Incoming mail is certified Virus Free.
> Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
> Version: 6.0.572 / Virus Database: 362 - Release Date: 1/27/2004
> 
> ---
> Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
> Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
> Version: 6.0.572 / Virus Database: 362 - Release Date: 1/27/2004

Re: Really Very Basic But Quite Important Question

2004-01-29 by buggoutbill

Like jj said, do you really need a laptop? You can do things much 
cheaper using a desktop. Plus the there are more options for audio 
cards in desktops than laptops.

And Jay brings up a good point with the Powerbooks.

However, if you insist on a PC laptop, here are some ideas:
Echo Audio (www.echoaudio.com) makes PC Card soundcards that will 
let you record audio into your computer. You also may need/want a 
USB MIDI interface. M-Audio, MOTU, and several others make those.

You can also go with a Firewire audio interface which has audio 
in/out and MIDI right on it. Again, M-Audio (www.m-audio.com) makes 
one, as does MOTU (a bit expensive though). Just make sure you have 
a Firewire interface, also known as a "1394" or "IEEE 1394" port.

I would stay away from the SoundBlaster line, Audigy/Extigy/Nextigy, 
etctigy. Even though their products have come a long way, they still 
have latency (delay) issues.

How does it all work together? Tune in tommorrow as we explore 
making music on your computer! Or you can check out www.prorec.com

Bill

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "bigcleverturnip" 
<bigcleverturnip@h...> wrote:
> Hey,
> I'll start with the obvious - I'm a drummer and for christmas I 
got 
> a Yamaha DTXpress II. I love the machine!
> Anyway, I also play and compose a lot of music, as I play other 
> instruments as well.
> I'm hoping to get a laptop very soon, on which I'll be doing a lot 
> of music composing (using something similar to Cubase or Cakewalk 
> hopefully), but unfortunately, I have no idea how I'd go about 
> connecting my DTXpress II to my computer/soundcard and using it 
for 
> drums in tracks I'd write (presumably MIDI?). I know I really 
should
Show quoted textHide quoted text
> know about this, but I'm afraid I don't! Any help would be very 
> greatly appreciated.
> Also, since I'd be using a laptop for my music creation, I presume 
> I'd need to buy a new soundcard, as laptop soundcards are 
> notoriously poor? What are my options here? Any recommendations? 
> Would it have to be an external card?
> Thank you in advance for any help anyone can offer,
> Ferdie
> PS Please talk as simply as possible to me, I understand little or 
> no technical jargon! Thanks.

Followup: Really Very Basic But Quite Important Question

2004-02-01 by bigcleverturnip

Thanks for the help guys, I still have a couple more things though:
I do need a laptop, in fact I ordered it today. This is because I'm 
still at school, and need it for work as well as music. Also, being 
a youngster, I  can't drive yet, and I have musical friends who I'd 
record with...so carring a laptop around is far easier than trying 
to transport enormous instruments around without being able to drive 
myself.
I still have a couple of questions though, if thats ok?
1) Should i go for a PCMCIA soundcard, such as the echo indigo io, 
or a USB soundcard, such as the M-Audio Transit USB or M-Audio 
Sonica Theater, or possibly even one of the soundblaster USB cards. 
Bearing in mind that my budget needs to be as low as possible!
2) For a starter USB MIDI interface, is the M-Audio USB MIDISPORT 
2x2 probably my best bet?
3) If I got a soundcard and MIDI interface, and Cubase installed, 
would I be all set?

Thanks again,
Ferdie



--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "buggoutbill" <wnofi@e...> wrote:
> Like jj said, do you really need a laptop? You can do things much 
> cheaper using a desktop. Plus the there are more options for audio 
> cards in desktops than laptops.
> 
> And Jay brings up a good point with the Powerbooks.
> 
> However, if you insist on a PC laptop, here are some ideas:
> Echo Audio (www.echoaudio.com) makes PC Card soundcards that will 
> let you record audio into your computer. You also may need/want a 
> USB MIDI interface. M-Audio, MOTU, and several others make those.
> 
> You can also go with a Firewire audio interface which has audio 
> in/out and MIDI right on it. Again, M-Audio (www.m-audio.com) 
makes 
> one, as does MOTU (a bit expensive though). Just make sure you 
have 
> a Firewire interface, also known as a "1394" or "IEEE 1394" port.
> 
> I would stay away from the SoundBlaster line, 
Audigy/Extigy/Nextigy, 
> etctigy. Even though their products have come a long way, they 
still
Show quoted textHide quoted text
> have latency (delay) issues.
> 
> How does it all work together? Tune in tommorrow as we explore 
> making music on your computer! Or you can check out www.prorec.com
> 
> Bill
>

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