The idea of a virtually silent, compact and portable PC recording workstation has obvious attractions, and it is possible to build such a system around a laptop PC. Martin Walker explains the options available and how to avoid some of the many potential pitfalls.
Like many other musicians, I've been tempted to buy a laptop PC for portable recording and editing. It's an attractive idea, especially now that laptop processor speeds are high enough to run soft synths and plug‑ins. However, despite the obvious advantages, I haven't yet taken the plunge, largely because there is still so much uncertainty about which models will work successfully with music hardware and software, and which will cause problems. No‑one wants to make an expensive mistake, especially as a laptop can cost twice as much as a comparably equipped desktop PC.
The fundamental problem is, unfortunately, one that has always afflicted those buying any PC: there is no such thing as a standard PC laptop. Whereas buying a Mac Powerbook or iBook guarantees you a fixed specification, meaning that many music developers can say for certain whether or not their software will run successfully, buying a PC laptop is a very different kettle of fish. Several hundred laptop models are available from a variety of manufacturers, and this makes it almost impossible for music developers to be able to tell you what problems (if any) you may have when using any particular model for running music software.
The situation is actually worse than that which faces you when buying a desktop PC. With a desktop, you can assemble a system using a selection of components known to be reliable for audio work, and as a last resort you can replace any parts that do cause problems, such as graphics cards with badly written drivers that result in screen corruption or audio glitches. In the case of a laptop PC, however, this isn't possible, because each laptop is designed with a different single main circuit board that contains the majority of components in one compact assembly. Although many laptops have upgrade paths for such things as RAM and hard drives, you can't change basic parts such as the motherboard or graphics card since they are all integrated, and there certainly isn't enough space to provide expansion slots for standard PCI soundcards. This means that you have to make the right decision first time when choosing a laptop, especially since few retailers are likely to let you change your mind afterwards (although some may let you exchange peripherals).
I'm sorry if this scuppers the plans of those about to buy a PC laptop, but it's better to be aware of potential problems before getting out your credit card. In addition, although some musicians have faced insurmountable problems, many others have either not had any, or have managed to resolve those that did initially cause difficulty. Let's see what issues are involved, and what we can do to steer a safe passage through the minefield of PC laptops.
Size Versus Performance
Portable Apple computers, like these PowerBooks, all conform to the same basic design, meaning that software and peripherals can be more thoroughly tested. The problem with portable PCs is that there are hundreds of different designs, and no music software or hardware manufacturer can test their products on all of them.
The essence of laptop design is portability, which means using smaller components, as well as battery rather than mains power. To make sure that the batteries last as long as possible before they need recharging, manufacturers must also use components specially designed with low power consumption in mind. This means using lower‑voltage CPU chips, miniature hard drives with slower spindle speeds, and so on.
However, although using hard drives with slower spindle speeds reduces power consumption, it also significantly reduces performance. So, for a given processor speed, the overall performance of a laptop will always be less than that of a desktop machine by some 20 to 40 percent. Musicians will, therefore, find that they can play back considerably fewer simultaneous audio tracks, and during my research I didn't come across anyone who had managed more than about half a dozen. Having said that, you're buying a laptop for portability rather than ultimate performance, and with the huge increases in processor speeds over the last couple of years, even today's entry‑level laptops still ought to provide enough power to run music software reasonably well.
Built‑in Sound Devices
Red Submarine are the only retailer I could find who have sourced their own range of musician‑friendly PC laptops.
Most laptops now have sound chips built into their motherboards, and also have tiny built‑in stereo speakers; many also have a headphone socket. If you look around, you may also find one with a line input and output for audio recording, and perhaps even a built‑in (though rather poor) microphone.
Most laptop sound chips come from well‑known manufacturers such as Creative, Crystal, ESS, and Yamaha, and are identical to those used on full‑sized motherboards. They provide basic Soundblaster‑style features such as an FM MIDI synth (a few also provide a rather better‑quality wavetable synth), full‑duplex 16‑bit audio recording and playback, and a MIDI/joystick interface. However, few laptop manufacturers incorporate the gameport socket required to access the MIDI In and Out, so in most cases you will be able to play back using the sound chip's MIDI synth, but not to attach a keyboard or external MIDI synth.
Some sound chips sound better than others, but overall sound quality always relies to some extent on the physical layout and design of the laptop motherboard, so I can't provide hard and fast guidelines. None will give you high enough quality for any serious music, although most will certainly be useful to jot down musical ideas that you can transfer to a more powerful setup later on.
If you intend to use the built‑in sound chip, you will need suitable Windows drivers to get it working successfully with your chosen MIDI + Audio application. MIDI playback should cause few problems, but audio is a different matter. In the past many musicians have had to resort to high‑latency MME drivers, but most laptops are now supplied with DirectSound drivers. These should perform well for audio playback, and even for use with soft synths, but not for audio recording. Since you are highly unlikely to get ASIO or EASI drivers, you will probably have to return to MME drivers for audio recording, which will give you typical latency values of half a second. Sadly, if you do run into any driver problems or difficulties in getting your music software to recognise the built‑in sound chip there is often little you can do about it. Consequently, the majority of musicians end up using external peripherals (see later), since these also greatly improve sound quality.
Power Saving
If you want a portable keyboard that can be battery‑powered, Evolution's MK125 is probably the smallest you can get with full‑sized keys.
Another possible problem area concerns the clever power‑saving features that are built into laptops to make the batteries last as long as possible. Although these are welcome in the context of most general‑purpose software applications, recording and playing back audio are unique in that they require continuous smooth transfer of data, and any interruptions will cause clicks, pops, and glitches. You can often disable the power‑saving features that can cause these problems, as you can in desktop PCs, but if you do so the average battery life will be noticeably shorter than quoted in the manufacturer's specs. For instance, if the typical battery life is quoted as three hours, using your hard drive continuously might reduce this to only two — bear this in mind when choosing your laptop.
Of course, laptops can be powered from the mains, where available, giving you a very compact PC system for your home studio and for recording live gigs when you have access to mains power outlets, with the option of recording the odd hour or two in the wild. After all, even with the mains lead attached, a laptop is still far more portable than a desktop or tower PC, especially since it has an integrated screen display. It also has the advantage of being a lot quieter, since low power consumption also means less heat, and therefore no noisy cooling fans!
Audio Interference
Many musicians have found that PCMCIA card audio products like Digigram's VXPocket, shown here, give fewer problems with laptops than USB audio devices.
In many cases, setting up such a 'mobile recording studio' using a laptop and mains power to bypass battery‑life limitations can work well, but sadly there are still no guarantees. Audio quality is very low on the list of priorities for those designing laptops. The close proximity of components may mean that interference levels are considerably higher than in a desktop unit, especially if the manufacturer doesn't have the space or hasn't bothered to fit suitable internal shielding between components.
This can result in much higher background noise from the internal sound chip, as well as whines, clicks and whirs when accessing the hard drive, redrawing the screen, or moving the cursor. Sometimes these problems disappear when using mains power rather than batteries, but there are no hard‑and‑fast rules. Some users even report total silence when using batteries, but excessive background noise whenever the mains lead is being used.
Having experienced sound‑chip interference problems, many musicians assume that plugging in an external sound source with higher claimed audio quality will cause their problems to vanish. Sadly, this doesn't necessarily happen, since you are still relying to some extent on the grounding provided by the laptop and the regulation of its power supply. This means that external sound units can provide excellent results with some laptops, but not with others.
Those still thinking of buying a PC laptop for music should read the 'Specialist Retailers' box on page 48; another great source of information is other people who have already taken the plunge. If you don't personally know a musician who uses a laptop then I recommend you visit the message board of the 'Musical Notebook Computer' web site (see Contacts box on page 50), where over the last two years lots of musicians have posted their queries, problems, and solutions.
MIDI Options
The Musical Notebook Computer web site features this message board, where problems and solutions with laptop setups can be aired.
If you're happy with the performance of your laptop, have managed to disable its power‑management features, and are not suffering from audio interference, then there are quite a few expansion options to consider. Although these will make your laptop slightly less portable, they should make it far more versatile, as well as greatly increasing the sound quality you can achieve
Running a MIDI sequencer on a laptop isn't taxing, and it should be possible to do this even using an Intel 486 processor if you can find suitable software. Most modern MIDI applications assume that you will have a much faster processor, but MIDI‑only sequencers are still available — see my 'PC Solutions for the MIDI Musician' feature in SOS May 2000 for more details.
The simplest way to add MIDI input and output sockets to a laptop is to find one with a game port socket (see the Port Options box on page 48). If one of these is available, you should be able to attach an external keyboard or synth simply by buying an adaptor lead. However, you will then be relying on the laptop's sound chip for your MIDI support, and you may have to look around for a suitable MIDI driver that works with your particular motherboard soundchip, either from the laptop manufacturer's or the sound chip manufacturer's web site.
Another possibility is a serial‑port MIDI interface. These are generally regarded as being easy to install and use, and are also recommended for those who intend to use their USB ports for audio purposes, since you may run into timing or glitch problems when separate MIDI and audio devices are both running simultaneously on USB. You could also consider a parallel‑port MIDI interface like the Midiman Portman PC/P at £55, although Midiman prefer to recommend their similarly priced serial‑port Portman PC/S for laptops (the Port Options box explains why).
USB MIDI
Nowadays, many musicians will probably choose a USB MIDI interface. For those who only need one or two MIDI ports, quite a few models are available, such as Midiman's USB MIDISport 1x1 at £55 and 2x2 at £69, Edirol's UM1 at £49 and UM2 at £81, and Steinberg's USB‑2‑MIDI at £69.95. Those needing more Ins and Outs could try Emagic's MT4 for £129, Midiman's MIDISport 4x4 at £139, or Edirol's UM4 at £163.
All of these models are powered parasitically from the host via USB, which is ideal for laptop users, but of course the more MIDI ports and flashing LEDs you try to run, the more power will be drawn from your laptop's batteries. Typically, a 1‑in/1‑out interface will only take about 150mA, whereas a 4‑in/4‑out one will guzzle around 400mA. By the time you get to 8‑in/8‑out devices in rackmount cases you will have to use an AC adaptor.
Manufacturers are keen to supply USB peripherals because exactly the same model can be used for both Mac and PC, and far less technical support should be needed to get them up and running, because you don't have to open up your computer. Unfortunately, USB MIDI is not without its problems. Paul Wiffen has already discussed some of the possible problems of using USB interfaces with new Macs in SOS November 2000, and PC owners are not immune to the same difficulties. Thankfully, PC owners don't have to contend with the added complications of OMS, but quite a few still seem to be suffering from pops and glitches in their audio as well as timing problems when using USB MIDI interfaces, all of which seem to be cured by unplugging the USB interface. Others using exactly the same interface report no problems at all.
Several factors are involved, including the make and model of USB Host Controller chip on your PC motherboard — VIA chips cause the most problems, and Intel the fewest. Some companies, such as Edirol, print lists of compatible chips in their literature, while others such as Event specify that only Intel chipsets are supported. Many people don't realise that USB data ultimately ends up travelling on the PCI buss, and if your digital audio device has low‑latency ASIO or EASI drivers then heavy USB activity can also hog the PCI buss enough to cause audio dropouts. In bad cases this can cause severe crackling, and may even sound like distortion. The safest course of action is to check when you buy a USB interface that your retailer will exchange it if you get insurmountable problems.
Portable Synths & Keyboards
Once your laptop has MIDI connections you can, of course, plug in any standard MIDI synth or keyboard, as well as running software synths if you have sufficient processing power. If you're looking for a compact portable solution that can run on battery or USB‑derived power, however, your options are more limited.
Apparently, the first USB‑powered sound module was Edirol's SC8820 Sound Canvas at £351. This provides 64‑note polyphony, 32‑part multitimbrality, and 1608 sound variations. It does, however, consume some 400mA, so your laptop's battery life will be significantly reduced. More suitable might be Yamaha's MU15, which can be battery‑powered, and at £199 provides 32‑note polyphony, 16‑part multitimbrality, 480 XG voices and 11 drum kits, along with reverb, chorus and one insertion effect. It also has a built‑in serial‑port MIDI interface, and is sonically identical to the MU50 synth.
There are also various compact keyboards that are reasonably portable, and can be battery‑ or host‑powered. Yamaha's CBX‑K1 provides 37 mini‑keys for £99, and will run on batteries. There are also quite a few portable options with velocity‑sensitive full‑sized keys. Edirol have two portable keyboards in their range that can be powered from batteries: the 160A has 32 keys at £81, while the somewhat larger 180A has 49 keys and is £104.58. Evolution have three keyboards that can be powered directly from batteries or a gameport connector, if you have one. The MK125 Dance Station at £79.99 (reviewed in SOS July 2000) has 25 keys, while the larger MK149 at £119.99 and MK261 at £149.99 provide 49 and 61 notes respectively. BCK also have several models that can be powered from a gameport if you have one on your laptop, but cannot be battery‑powered. The MIDI Plus with 49 keys is £119.99, the MK61 at £149.99 has 61 keys, and the Pro 61, which also has 61 notes, but has a more comprehensive display, costs £179.99. Although four‑ and five‑octave keyboards are comparatively large, all the models mentioned here are still quite light, and could easily be carried under one arm.
Non‑Mains‑Powered Audio Interfaces
There are various ways to add digital audio recording facilities to a laptop, but judging by comments from the retailers I spoke to and on user forums, perhaps the two most successful solutions are those that use the PCMCIA card slot. Two of these slots can are found on nearly all laptops (see Port Options box), and the products in question are the VXPocket from Digigram (reviewed in SOS February 2000), and the new WaMi Box from EgoSys.
Digigram's VXPocket, at £511, provides two balanced analogue inputs suitable for mic or line sources, along with two balanced analogue outputs. All these emerge on flying leads ending in XLR plugs, while the co‑axial S/PDIF In and Out and SMPTE input use in‑line phonos. The converters are 24‑bit, give a dynamic range better than 94dB, and both MME and ASIO drivers are supplied.
The WaMi Box is a more ambitious design providing two analogue inputs and four analogue outputs using 20‑bit converters with a 98dB dynamic range, S/PDIF co‑axial and optical digital In and Out, MIDI In and Out, and a headphone output. It also contains a 50 MIPS DSP engine and 16Mb of internal RAM, providing a 64‑voice programmable 16‑channel multitimbral synth, four‑channel mixer, and digital effects including parametric EQ, reverb, and surround sound. MME and DirectSound drivers are supplied, and beta version ASIO 2 drivers have also recently been posted on the EgoSys web site. At £399.95, the WaMi Box should do very well, despite its 16‑bit internal resolution, and I hope to be reviewing one in February's SOS.
There are also quite a few USB audio solutions. Many of these require mains power (see the next section), but some can be powered via a laptop USB connection. Once again, results in the field have been quite mixed, with some users up and running in a few minutes, and others facing insurmountable problems with clicks and pops.
Edirol's UA30 takes about 360mA of current, and is therefore a feasible addition to a laptop. For £175, it provides mic/guitar and line inputs, 20‑bit converters, 44.1kHz or 48kHz sampling rates, and a 16/20‑bit output, along with a headphone output. Both co‑axial and optical S/PDIF In and Out are also provided, along with MME and DirectSound drivers.
Another interesting product from EgoSys is the Waveterminal U2A, which is claimed to be the world's first 24‑bit USB audio interface. At £199.95, this has 100dB dynamic range, two analogue inputs and outputs on unbalanced quarter‑inch jack sockets, and both co‑axial and optical S/PDIF In and Out. It can also be used as a real‑time sample‑rate converter.
Before we leave this audio section, a few final words of warning. Although it's feasible to run Rewire or VST Instruments on a laptop, don't expect to be able to run Nemesys' Gigasampler‑‑ this requires a fast hard drive, as well as a dedicated stereo output of its own.
Mains Attraction
If you're happy to use your laptop only on mains power, then a whole array of mains‑powered peripherals comes into consideration. Various manufacturers have launched desktop workstations that interface using USB, and these are bound to be popular solutions where people need plenty of audio inputs and outputs along with MIDI I/O, but either want to work on a laptop, want to use their interface with more than one computer, or simply don't want to have to open up their desktop computer and install a conventional soundcard.
They also tend to be relatively compact and silent devices, making them ideal companions for a laptop computer. An added advantage is that by combining MIDI and audio functions into a single USB peripheral, you neatly bypass the danger of MIDI or audio timing problems caused by conflicts between the two.
At the entry‑level end of the market, Yamaha's new UW500 provides comprehensive analogue inputs, digital I/O and multi‑port MIDI capability for just £249, while Edirol's UA100 (reviewed in SOS February 2000) is £349 and features mic/guitar and line inputs, a couple of MIDI In and Outs, and an optical digital output, along with built‑in DSP effects, and now has ASIO drivers.
Moving more upmarket, Edirol's U8 was reviewed in SOS June 2000 and has inputs for guitar, mic, and line‑level instruments, along with a built‑in digital effects processor, MIDI ports and optical digital I/O. It also provides a set of faders and transport buttons to control your software, for just £499. The Swissonic USB Studio D has a total of 11 inputs — two mic, two instrument, one line, four stereo line, digital, and computer — although it only has a stereo record buss, and two stereo analogue output busses. This is also about £500.
Event have just launched their even‑more‑upmarket EZBus at £849. The USB connection is used to transfer up to 24‑bit/48kHz digital audio to and from the computer (the converters are 24/96‑capable, but USB can't manage this amount of data). It has 18 analogue inputs including several suitable for mics and instruments, digital I/O in optical ADAT or S/PDIF format, co‑axial digital I/O, and eight analogue outputs, plus two MIDI Ins and Outs. However, the biggest attraction is its fully programmable faders, encoder knob, and transport controls.
Another upmarket product designed along similar lines is Tascam's new US428, which has eight faders and dedicated EQ, aux sends and pan controllers, 24‑bit converters with 44.1 and 48kHz sampling rates, transport controls and a jog/shuttle wheel, and which can record four audio inputs at once.
If you're committed to mains power, you can also greatly increase your audio options by buying either a Docking Station (see Port Options box) or a PCI expansion system. Available expansion systems include the Magma 2‑Slot CB2 at £705, which weighs only 5.3 pounds, has a similar footprint to a laptop (apart from being 2.6 inches thick) and supports two full‑length PCI cards. It attaches to the laptop using a PCMCIA adaptor lead, and can also house two standard 3.5‑inch hard drives. Larger models are also available, including a four‑slot desktop or 2U‑high rackmount version, a 3U rackmount version with six slots, and even a 13‑slot 4U rackmount monster. You will, of course, still need to budget for a PCI soundcard, but these are certainly the ultimate solution for professionals.
Final Thoughts
If I haven't totally put you off attempting to use a PC laptop for music, I hope this article will make you better prepared. It is possible to run MIDI and up to about half a dozen audio tracks on the right model of laptop, but getting to that stage can cause headaches unless you find a specialist supplier who will guarantee suitability for music.
If you already have a laptop, bear in mind the issues I've outlined before you get out your credit card to buy music peripherals. Where possible, check with the manufacturer's tech support line or web site to see if any problems have been reported with your make and model of laptop before you purchase any interface, and whether suitable drivers exist. All peripherals should work with Windows 98, and a few of the audio ones may have ASIO drivers for much lower latency, but there are still quite a few that lack Windows 2000 drivers. As a final precaution, discuss in advance whether you can return the product for a refund should it prove unsuitable, or at least exchange it for a different model. Good luck!
Choosing A Laptop
Laptop processors are now almost as fast as their desktop counterparts, and the same considerations apply when choosing between different models. Personally, I would choose an Intel Pentium III: if you do get any compatibility problems with a laptop, changing your processor isn't an option, so it's a good idea to go for the most standard. A 600MHz Pentium III is a good starting point, although a 700MHz CPU will be more suitable for audio work.
Despite the fact that laptops use the more expensive 2.5‑inch hard drives, rather than the 3.5‑inch ones found in full‑sized PCs, you can still find capacities anywhere from 6Gb to 20Gb. Some laptops have removable hard drive options, which may be useful if you anticipate working on several music projects. You'll definitely need a CD‑ROM drive to install your software, but these are now fairly standard fittings, as are floppy drives. Many laptops still come with tiny amounts of memory, but while you'll probably get away with 64Mb for MIDI work, 128Mb is far more sensible if you want to record and play back audio.
Various types of screen are available, including Active Matrix (TFT, or Thin Film Transistor) and Passive Matrix. Active Matrix screens are faster and brighter, but significantly more expensive. The best thing is try a few and see for yourself. Remember that although 12‑inch screens are beautifully compact, they will probably only be able to manage an 800 by 600 resolution, so it's worth checking that this is enough for your choice of music software. Larger screens such as 13‑, 14‑, or 15‑inch designs should be able to manage the 1024 by 768 resolution recommended for modern MIDI + Audio sequencers. Some laptops also provide a standard monitor output that may prove useful when back at base, and may even offer a dual‑screen option.
Several completely different types of pointing device are available on laptops, and choosing the right one for you may make all the difference between fluidity and frustration. Many people find mini‑joysticks fitted in the centre of the keyboard difficult to get used to, and I suspect that most musicians will prefer either a trackball or touchpad. Touchpads are more common because they have no moving parts to go wrong.
If you want to work on the move, one of the most important considerations is battery life. NiCad (Nickel Cadmium) cells are now yesterday's technology, and have largely been replaced by NiM(Nickel Metal Hydride) cells, which offer longer life and better efficiency. The latest generation of laptops uses Lithium Ion batteries that are even more efficient. How long your laptop will last before needing a recharge will largely depend on how much power you are using: running MIDI applications will consume considerably less energy than recording and playing back audio, since this will need the hard drive to be run continuously.
Finally, although many laptops are shipped with Windows 2000, which has more advanced power‑management facilities than Windows 98, you could well run into problems with finding sound drivers under this OS. Windows 98 is probably a safer bet for the musician, at least at the moment.
Specialist Retailers
Given the number of times I've recommended that musicians buy their PCs from a specialist music retailer, you might expect me to do the same when it comes to buying a laptop PC for music purposes. Unfortunately, however, whereas a set of specially chosen components can be put together to make a custom‑built desktop PC, laptops are largely fixed in their specification, so all a retailer can do is to research which makes and models cause the fewest problems. Given the speed at which new laptop models are launched and older ones are dropped from a range, this would be an ongoing and time‑consuming process.
I phoned round most of the retailers specialising in PC systems, and they nearly all uttered the same mantra: "We wouldn't recommend a laptop because performance is significantly worse than a desktop unit, and the price is much higher." I wasn't surprised by this response, since it's totally true. However, I did find one dealer who has seen the increased interest in PC laptops for music, and taken the time and trouble to wade through a whole range of problems areas to source suitable models for the PC musician. Red Submarine have now introduced a range of specialist laptops that are guaranteed to work well from day one with MIDI and audio hardware and software, and I'll be reviewing one of these shortly.
Port Options
Many of the ports found on laptops are identical to those on desktop PCs. You should, for instance, find standard serial and parallel ports, which can be used to attach a variety of MIDI interfaces, as well as printers or scanners. You may need these ports if your software requires a dongle — Steinberg's Cubase VST, for instance, uses a parallel‑port dongle, while Emagic's Logic Audio uses a serial‑port one. However, some laptops have very limited or even non‑existent BIOS options, which may prevent you reserving an IRQ or choosing the most suitable parallel‑port mode, in the worst cases preventing a Cubase dongle being recognised at all!
PS/2 ports are also handy to have, since they let you plug in a standard PS/2 mouse or keyboard on occasion. However, most modern laptops have two USB ports, which can also be used to attach a mouse or keyboard, as well as both MIDI and Audio interfaces. Although this opens up the possibilities considerably, musicians shouldn't rely on attaching multiple USB devices, since MIDI and especially audio timing can be compromised.
A few laptops with built‑in sound chips may also have external gameports. Although these are primarily intended for game joysticks, the 15‑way socket can also be used to record from a MIDI keyboard or play back through an external MIDI module after plugging in a suitable PC Game lead — these are widely available from music and computer retailers.
Nearly all laptops will feature a PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) card slot. This standard was first introduced in 1989 to allow portable computer owners to expand their machines with credit‑card sized accessories without having to worry about compatibility, and is also known as a PC‑Card or CardBus slot. A wide variety of options exist, with cards ranging from memory expansion to modems, external hard drive and removable storage devices, SCSI interfaces, networking, and audio interfaces. Cards come in one of three types, and most laptops can house two Type I or Type II cards simultaneously, or one of the larger Type III devices such as external hard drives.
Laptops are now also starting to sprout FireWire sockets, which should provide plenty of options in the future. For further expansion, many laptops also have an optional Docking Station, which typically contains slots for expansion cards, bays for more hard drives, and further connectors to attach monitors and printers, effectively turning the laptop into a desktop PC. However, you will probably have to buy one specifically made for your make and model of laptop, so this is something else to consider before buying.