[LAU] Laptop as portable synth/effects box?

[david]

Dan S wrote:

> Yes, why not. You get much nicer results if you use an external sound
> card rather than trying to hook up to the small jacks on most laptops
> (because of impedance matching but also balanced sockets help
> eliminate hum etc), which adds to cost if you don't already have that.

I use a USB sound card (Behringer UCA202) that has line-level stereo RCA 
jack inputs and outputs - I wouldn't waste time running the output of 
that old laptop's onboard Intel audio into a real sound system!

> It's unlikely that you need a machine with a particularly fast
> processor, if you're doing straightforward effects and maybe a
> softsynth too. The main concern is to use a system that can give
> low-latency audio I/O, since the guitarist/violinist/whoever

In this case, me on keyboard.

> will *very* quickly notice the latency and feel very uncomfortable with it,
> if it's more than (say) one or two dozen milliseconds. So do use a
> linux distro with a real-time kernel (e.g. ubuntu studio, pure:dyne).

I was thinking I'd do that. I've downloaded a number of them. I'm not 
using a real-time kernel on my regular laptop, and it shows.

> HTH
> Dan
> 
> 2009/4/29, david <gnome at hawaii.rr.com>:
>> The guitarist in my church band has been using a hefty effects box for
>>  years (of course). Our violinist just bought a small one for chorus
>>  effects. I should figure out to use my laptop as a synthesizer and
>>  effects box and start bringing it along. Or maybe I should set up my
>>  wife's old laptop for that - it's got a faster processor in it. Anyway,
>>  suggestions/thoughts?

-- 
David
gnome at hawaii.rr.com
authenticity, honesty, community