Re: Software vs Hardware, Laptop vs Oldskool

[mark sottilaro <zerocrossing2001@yahoo.com>]

Nice post Rainer!  Comes at a time when I'm putting
together my own laptop setup and it really helps with
visualization of a possible system.

I think you're on the mark with the idea of a hybred
setup.  I for one would never go out without my
dedicated hardware Vox Tonelab.  A) I love it.  B)
it's bulletproof in terms of a setup and has a looper
on board.  Laptop goes down?  I've got an 8 second
looper patch all ready and the show goes into ambient
mode.

Second, you need some sort of MIDI controler for
synths, why not  have one that is a synth as well?  Do
you have the Nord Micromodular with the keyboard? 
That would be a total must for me.  Right now it would
end up being an Alesis Micron for me.  It's small and
has some built in sequencing of it's own which would
come in handy if the laptop goes kerflewey.

Anway, that's the plan that's gelling in my head right
now.  If I were a real "pro" I'd probably think about
adding some midi syncable looper to that setup as a
failsafe for laptop meltdown.  Sadly tales of the
RC-50s poor sound quality while in slave mode takes
that out of the running, but I can imagine a second
Repeater might work perfectly if the need should
arise.  My real hope is that eventually the laptop
will be solid enough to run a requencer, Stylus RMX,
Battery and Mobius.  If I could get a softsynth in
there as well that would be a bonus.

I hope I can resist the temptation to go crazy with
the VSTs and end up with issues similar to Krispen's. 
I'm going to try and view the laptop as one would view
a piece of dedicated hardware.

--- Rainer Thelonius Balthasar Straschill
<rs@moinlabs.de> wrote:

> Now, here's my personal take on the laptop
> discussion everyone is having
> these days in my typical, longwinded, engineering
> fashion.
> 
> A: Background - about the setups and my approach to
> playing
> People who have followed equipment discussions in
> which I took part know
> that my hardware setup is big, multi-instrumentalist
> and a little bit crazy.
> In more detail, that means:
> Tune Gap 6 sixstring bass into V-Bass, Waldorf Q,
> Korg Wavestation KEX, Nord
> MicroModular, Korg Kaoss ][, Roland MC-505, DL4,
> FCB1010, 6 expression
> pedals and 3 footswitches, 8 HU L-style rack
> containing Behringer MX2642A,
> Repeater, TC Electronics FireworX, D2, Triple C,
> Eventide Eclipse, Zoom
> 1201, Beyer headset mike, in-ear phones.
> 
> With my laptop setup, I try to do similar things. It
> is based on the theory
> that at a possible performance place, I am able to
> borrow or rent an
> electric guitar or electric bass (any one), a MIDI
> keyboard (any one) and a
> two-level keyboard stand. With that in mind, my
> laptop setup is reduced to
> laptop, Presonus Firebox, Behringer BCR2000,
> FCB1010, DI20, Beyer headset
> mike and in-ear phones. It all fits into a nice,
> small rucksack.
> 
> B: Comparison of both setups
> 
> 1. Portability and setup time:
> No question - the latop setup wins by a huge margin.
> With the hardware
> setup, I need a big limousine or a hatchback car.
> With the laptop setup, I
> can ride on a train. While I got quite skilled in
> setting up my big hardware
> setup, again the laptop one wins here - if we assume
> that the stands are
> already setup, it's 5-10min. for the laptop,
> 20-30min. for the hardware.
> 
> 2. Objective Sound Quality: noise figure et al.
> With a theoretical approach, let's watch a signal
> running from a drum
> machine through a filter to a looper, then back
> through a compressor and
> with added effects to the mains and finally to a
> recorded for possible CD
> release. In case of the hardware setup, this would
> include ways through ten
> AD/DA converters and five channel strips of an
> analogue console. In case of
> the laptop, it's zero AD/DAs and zero analogue
> channel strips. So the laptop
> setup wins.
> 
> 3. Subjective Sound Quality: how the respective
> "active" components sound
> A very mixed analysis. With the Eclipse, the
> FireworX and the Q I have some
> devices in the setup which none of my software
> thingies can equal (at least
> not without taking up all of the computer ressources
> - see "Resource
> Management"). Even the Repeater's pitch shifter wins
> over any acceptable
> non-ressource-hungry laptop pitch shifter. On the
> other hand, there are some
> VSTs and VSTis which I can't replicate with my
> hardware gear - same goes for
> my subjective assesment of the amp modeling
> qualities.
> I'd call this a win for the hardware setup based on
> my priorities - but only
> by a slight margin.
> 
> 4. Features:
> A hard one. Both setups can do things the other
> setup can't. Some of it has
> already been mentioned under "Subjective Sound
> Quality". Are you dependent
> on two independent manuals for your keyboards?
> Sometimes, I am. Do you need
> to define pitch envelopes for your loops in
> quasi-realtime? Sometimes I like
> that, too. I'd call it a draw.
> 
> 5. Useability:
> With the hardware setup it's simple. The Repeater
> has its dedicated FCB1010,
> the VBass and the DL4 have their own foot controls,
> as well as
> footswitchtes/exp pedals for Eclipse, FireworX, Q,
> Wavestation and MC505.
> Everything else depends on the respective qualities
> of the devices. There
> are things like the Q which wins big time over the
> laptop setup or things
> with their own HMI personality like the Kaoss ][,
> then there are devices
> which are not useable at all in a live setting
> (Wavestation being the
> worst).
> With the laptop, it's either clicking around on a
> screen (which I like to
> keep to a minimum and limit it to painting drum
> patterns in Live) or using
> the FCB1010 (which controls transport for Live,
> Mobius and Amplitube) and
> the BCR2000 (which for controlling about any of
> Live's mixer functions and
> all plugins uses 16 presets, each with 56 dials and
> 36 buttons).
> So the direct useability comparison depends on what
> you look at. If I want
> to change filter cutoff on the Q, I simply use the
> big red knob labelled
> "Cutoff". If I want to change filter cutoff for
> SunRa, it's the second knob
> from the right in the second row in preset 8 of the
> BCR2000. If I want to
> change filter cutoff for the PPG, it's the second
> knob from the right in the
> second row in preset 5 of the BCR2000. If I want to
> change filter cutoff for
> the Wavestation, it's some hideous sub-menu I
> wouldn't even think of
> accessing during a dense live performance.
> In a summary, I'd again declare a win for the
> hardware setup, again by a
> slight margin, if only caused by the fact that every
> control has a direct
> connection with the device it controls and because I
> can visually see the
> mixer settings, even from a distance.
> 
> 6. Fail Safety:
> For the laptop setup, it's a quite clear analysis:
> if the laptop fails,
> everything is dead. I can't even play an unprocessed
> guitar or use my
> microphone to tell the audience that I have to
> reboot or whatever (although
> one could work around this with a different
> interface). And if the laptop
> stays crashed, the concert is over.
> With the hardware setup, I can work around any
> failure of a single device in
> realtime, safe for a total failure of the console
> (power supply etc), and
> can work round any failure of several devices with a
> short interruption of
> the performance.
> A clear win for the hardware setup.
> 
> 7. Resource Management:
> My current laptop setup would tax the CPU to about
> 380% if all plugins were
> enabled at once. So I have to keep an eye on the CPU
> usage and remember to
> disable unused plugins and can't use everything at
> once. Even by getting a
> really big computer, this problem would remain
> (well, perhaps if I included
> some things like a Creamware Scope etc.).
> With the hardware setup, there is no such thing as
> resource management. Win
> for the hardware setup.
> 
> 8. Cost:
> The laptop setup is cheaper. But I'll not include
> this in the summary, as I
> already own the components.
> 
> C: The Alternative - A Hybrid Setup?
> Like other users here (Krispen comes to mind), I've
> thought of a hybrid
> setup, getting a best of both worlds. But here, I
> wouldn't know how to
> structure it. Perhaps limit the laptop to what it's
> best at (like running
> Mobius and some really cool VSTs and VSTis) and do
> everything else
> outlaptop, e.g. by including a big digital console
> and a selection of some
> cool outboards (Eclipse, FireworX, Finalizer) as
> well as a guitar amp
> modeler and of course my trusty Q and MicroMod? This
> way, I could run
> anything that would remain on the laptop without
> resource management (see
> the respective paragraph). Or have a more limited
> set of devices outboard,
> 
=== message truncated ===


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