Best Laptop to Work with FTP

Started by PeterPan8, December 16, 2016, 07:56:24 AM

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PeterPan8

I'm getting a Godin Session Custom with FTP installed. And I need to get a laptop.

There is some compromises to make but what's the best to choose?

1) Touch screen or not? (What's best during a gig?)   http://dell.to/2hA6HHj
- 16Gb RAM - i7-7500 +512Gb SSD with less options or 16Gb RAM - i7-7500+2TB HD with more options?   
(Touch screen 13-inch Vs. Non-touch 17-inch)

2) Asus Vs. HP (both touch screen)   http://bit.ly/2hAcahk
- Intel i5 6200  Vs. i5 7200  (does that really make a difference?)
- 12Gb RAM/1Tb (both)

3) HP i7-6700HQ  Vs. Dell Inspiron i7-7500U    http://bit.ly/2hAaPaq
- Non-touch screen: 15.6 Vs. 17 inch
- 2Tb HD +128Gb SSD  Vs. 2Tb

What do you guys use?

admin

#1
The same team already provided solid answers in your other thread

https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=19429.msg141553#msg141553

But from the list above I'd say none, as a Mac provides a more effective FTP experience in my real world use

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/on-macs-and-pcs-for-music-best-practices.1774927/#post-23169181
QuoteMy windows 10 PC leaks a ton of noise into the signal when recording via USB or basically any time I'm using a USB interface for anything including simple audio playback. Mac is silent. I only keep the PC around for internet on line gaming .

PeterPan8

Thanks for your reply. I posted here since I thought my question was now more relevant in the "TriplePlay General Discussion" than "Looking for a Guitar Synth".

I you had read that previous post, you would have notice that I'm looking for a PC laptop, and a MAC is not an option (according to my home systems.)

My dilemma is mainly about the type of laptop to use.

- Is there any real difference (music wise) between an i5 and i7?
- Acer or or HP or Asus or Dell, does that make a difference? (Usually Acer is cheaper and from what I read its components are also cheaper.)
- SSD or processor speed?  I have to make a compromise between SSD Vs. processor speed (question of $$).

These are the questions no one answered so far...  Thanks for any help on this!


PeterPan8

#4
Yeah... Good one!
But it won't give me what a guitar player using the Fishman TriplePlay (FTP) is using in general to play with.
I'm not asking for the pro guitar player, but the amateur (like myself) who is not paid to play, and who has to take care of his spending in retirement. 

I don't want a Ferrari laptop, but a good Jeep would do  :)
I don't play with a band. I play most of the time for family and friends in my  living-room (and my church meetings) for very small room of about 70-80 persons.

I am getting FTP because I'd like to play something different than my "ordinary" classical or acoustic guitar.

I'm sure there are guitar players on this forum that use FTP.

What so you guys use as a good "mid-range" laptop computer?  (Simple question.... tough answer ;))

(EDIT): BTW, I don't subscribe to Consumer Reports, so I can't read their recommendations.

Elantric

To run low latency MIDI guitar to trigger Omnisphere?

Like asking which golf cart can I buy that I can qualify to race Indy 500

jassy

Yes an i7 is better than an i5 (no U version) -+ double power, you need al the power you can have.
Read cpubenchmark site.
As you see its not an easy answer, not in the pc not in the Mac side (you need a 2011 one etc).
In the pc domain you can have some problems, although in general normally you will solve it. You can read in some audio forums where people share what laptop people is using for audio tasks.
My easy advice is the one I said earlier  the Asus A55v i7 is very cheap and very powerful one.

BobbyD

Quote from: Elantric on December 17, 2016, 11:40:23 AM
To run low latency MIDI guitar to trigger Omnisphere?

Like asking which golf cart can I buy that I can qualify to race Indy 500

First time ever confused by your answer.   I use my FTP to trigger Omnispher 2 all the time.  Maybe you were suggesting that to be able to do so, he would want to go the way of an Apple laptop. 

Here is my only song ever posted on SoundCloud. I made this easily a year ago without having a clue what I was doing ( I still don't). Everything you hear is me playing the Godin Montreal you see in my picture and finger drumming with Push.

I was very sick from a bad accident at end of 2012 and finally given the green light to move, get a car, start gigging, etc.  I plan on posting many more tracks in 2017.  My goal is one track a week.

Anyway....here is me using nothing but my Godin Montreal guitar and Omnisphere 2 and Push 1.  Please follow me if you like so when I post, you will be notified. I will follow you back.  If you like, please do so.  Remember, it was my very first attempt at recording and uploading a track using Ableton.

https://soundcloud.com/bobbyluvchild/freshsocks

And to answer PeterPan, this is no longer fantasy world but reality.  Enjoy your retirement and if you can swing it, pickup a used Apple from last year.  Prices have dropped and you will be much happier from what I have been told.  I am also in market for laptop because my 2009 busted a few months ago and I will need serious horsepower to run multiple instances of Omnisphere and Serum when playing live. . So at the moment, my science experiment is limited to my two Imacs at home.  2009 and 2016 model.

bbob

I use an Asus K55A laptop recommended by another VGuitar forum member for running FTP software, VST host Cantabile, Scuffham Amps S-Gear, Sampletank, Kontakt 5, Guitar Rig 5. 

Modest specs on the Asus are:

Windows 8
i5-3210M 2.5 GHz
8 GB Ram
Not sure what the hard drive is but it is not a SSD

I currently use a Roland Duo Capture EX interface but will soon switch to a Focusrite Scarlett 2i4

This laptop is dedicated to nothing much else except the aforementioned apps and I have done many of the tweaks recommended to minimize CPU usage.

http://community.cantabilesoftware.com/t/optimizing-your-computer-for-audio/588

https://www.cantabilesoftware.com/glitchfree/

https://support.focusrite.com/hc/en-gb/articles/207546695-Optimising-your-PC-for-audio-on-Windows-8

http://www.sweetwater.com/sweetcare/articles/pc-optimization-guide-for-windows-8/

A few months ago I bought an Acer Windows 10, 8 GB, i7 SSD laptop and ended up returning it (thank you Costco, even though I was two months past the 90 day return period) because the Asus worked much better with 25% - 50% CPU usage typical.

The tuning tweaks to maximize audio usage are really important, especially power options.   Also removed, disabled as much bloatware as I could.

Bob






shawnb

#9
No need to overdo it, unless you happen to have the $ to burn!

If all you want to do is run the FTP software to configure the FTP, literally just about ANY cheapie laptop will do. 

If you need the laptop to run some VSTi synths, most of these synths don't really require all that much CPU power.  They need memory though.  i5 should be fine.  4GB should be fine.  SSD is nice as things load faster.  But I don't think it makes a difference once the synths & voices are loaded.   

I found an old ASUS Ultrabook - among the last that came with Win7.  It was cheap because newer models were out:
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Asus-Zenbook-UX21E-Ultrabook.65506.0.html 

For my FTP/laptop setup, I use Usine Hollyhock as the VST host, since I was frustrated with the limitations of the FTP application. 

I primarily use ST3 on that, and ST3 has a feature where you can preload all the synths ahead of time, so changing voices is instant (of course, loading the initial live set can be time consuming).  This is called LIVE mode, and it can respond to program changes, which I xmit from the FTP's Dpad. 

As a result, once loaded, I never touch the laptop, I just look at the screen to make sure it's in the right mode & to confirm it's on the right preset. 

The only thing I regret about that is that I think touchscreen would be handy, especially with Hollyhock, with is designed for touchscreen use. 

I'm very happy with my Focusrite 2i4 that I use with this rig. 
Address the process rather than the outcome.  Then, the outcome becomes more likely.   - Fripp

PeterPan8

Great!  Some answers  :)

@Elantric: Didn't Mario Bros drive a golf cart in some virtual Indy tracks?  ;D

@BobbyD: Very cool sound, you have there! Keep them comin'
Quote...pickup a used Apple from last year
I said that I'd prefer PC, but I guess that if I want to become more serious in my music, then I may have to dive in the Apple pond. But I don't know much about Apple's products, and even less about last year computers.
 
Any ideas what I should be looking for? (between a golf cart and a Ferrari!)

I'll then decide if an Asus or an Apple could be within my fantasy realm!

aliensporebomb

My question is:

Do you:
(a) like to spend a lot of time tweaking settings in software, configuring options?
(b) would rather spend time playing and working on sounds?
My music projects online at http://www.aliensporebomb.com/

GK Devices:  Roland VG-99, Boss GP-10, Boss SY-1000.

PeterPan8

@aliensporebomb: 1) I have all the time on my hand for tweaking and config, so it doesn't matter.
2) yes.

@sec6: Yeah, you're right. I asked many questions (sorry for that), maybe because I'm a bit afraid to jump into an unknown territory (acoustic guitar, synth and VST), and I don't want to miss the boat. I don't have the means to buy & try, then sell & re-buy something different. I need to get the right thing first. Hence the source of all my "fears"!  But as you said, I should jump right in, and have fun with trial & error (but not too much!).

My fear(s) are mainly about buying a certain type of eqpmt (laptop, speakers, or what have you), then finding out it was the wrong choice. Later, telling myself that I should have bought a PC and not a MAC (or vice-versa), I should have got a 10-inch rather than an 8-inch speaker, etc.  At least, I got the Godin Session behind my back!

Thank you for all your help (ALL of you!), and I won't bothered you with what seems simple questions for all those who walked the same path in the beginning.  I guess I was looking for some "universal guru" maybe to find out that he was right within myself!....  Thanks again for the reminder!

gumtown

I feel you can't ask too many questions, just the answers might not always satisfy.
While there is no 'universal guru' to tell you what to buy, you do have many informed choices.
If you choose within these recommendations, you can't really go wrong.
Everyone's situation is different and expectations vary.

BTW: your computer choice is not limited to laptop, there are 'all in one' touch screen desktops too.
Free "GR-55 FloorBoard" editor software from https://sourceforge.net/projects/grfloorboard/

HCarlH

After many years a PC/Windows fan, I bought a used mid-2012 Macbook Pro earlier this year on Ebay. It's a Retina model, i7, solid state hard drive, and 16GB memory.
It more than handles FTP, Sampletank 3, etc. with better latency than my Windows 10, i5 machine.

If you buy a Mac with similar specs to this, you shouldn't  have any problem. Always buy more computer than you think you need. You get what you pay for.
GR-55 (or) Fishman TP + Kemper Profiling Rack -->> 
QSC K10 -->> FOH
Fender Squier Stratocaster Bullet (w/GK3), Ibanez AM93 (w/FTP pickup),  Stratocaster (w/FTP pickup)

Telecaster, Charvel SoCal ProMod, Gibson Les Paul, PV Wolfgang,

bbob

#15
Quote from: PeterPan8 on December 18, 2016, 11:31:59 AM
My fear(s) are mainly about buying a certain type of eqpmt (laptop, speakers, or what have you), then finding out it was the wrong choice.

Nowadays most sellers of laptops, speakers, etc allow returns.