Laptop Recordings

This time I figured it would be good to take a brief look into recording and editing with a laptop computer.  Is it feasible?  Yes.  Can you achieve the same results from a laptop as you can from your studio computer?  Maybe, it depends on what you need to accomplish. 

Laptop machines can be just about as powerful as many desktop computers.  Processing power and hard disk space aren’t as much an issue now so it’s possible to run most of your DAW software and plugins on a laptop.  There are some considerations to be aware of before you set your expectations. 

The hard disk is probably the biggest bottleneck on a laptop since the vast majority only have one internally.  Even when partitioned, you’re still dealing with a single disk.  I’d advise using an external drive for audio work – let the internal disk handle the DAW duties and software synth/plugin content but audio tracks should go to an external one.  It can be USB or Firewire but the point is to offload that portion from the main hard drive.  You’ll get better performance and ultimately, better results for track count, etc.  You can also simply bring back the projects to your studio and pull them or open them right from the hard drive.  That makes it easy to stay in sync between studio and mobile projects.

Your audio interface is the next area to consider.  Most laptops don’t have internal audio devices that are optimal for recording/playback.  The latency is poor and they’re just not well-suited for multitrack work.  Fortunately there are many portable interfaces available ranging from small USB units like the Digidesign (sorry, Avid) M-Box (which you can use with other DAWs besides Pro Tools) to more robust Firewire or USB interfaces like the MOTU 828 series or even the RME Fireface units.  Consider how many inputs and outputs you need and how portable your setup has to be in order to make the right choice.  Many times your studio interface might be perfectly fine to come on the road with you. 

Screen size.  I like screen real estate.  The higher the resolution, the more stuff I can cram on the screen.  Consider how many windows you typically have open and make sure you have a laptop with enough screen resolution to display the critical elements without having to keep moving stuff around.  It may seem minor now but having to close or move windows constantly can get annoying really quickly if your screen isn’t big enough.

Memory.  Your desktop probably has more RAM than your laptop but if you want to take all your plugins on the road with you, make sure you max out your laptop’s RAM.  This can be an issue if you have complex projects that you work on in the studio and want to work on them remotely.  Lots of plugins mean lots of RAM in use so make sure your projects open and run well on the laptop before you head out with them otherwise you may be in for a nasty surprise (and depending on the nature of the work, so may your client). 

There’s more to the topic of remote/laptop recording so we’ll certainly revisit this in more detail.  Hopefully the foregoing information provides a starting point if it’s something you’re considering.