[LAU] small/cheap devices that can run jackd?

[david]

Jeremy Jongepier wrote:
> On 10/24/2011 07:23 PM, Alessandro Preziosi (licnep) wrote:
>> Does anybody have any idea for a device
>> (smartphone/tablet/netbook/mini-pc...) that could run jackd and thus be used
>> as an effects processor or synth module?
>> I really don't know where to look, but the idea intrigues me. It should
>> probably be something with a usb port, in order to connect midi stuff or an
>> external audio card.
>> Any idea?
> 
> Hello Alessandro,
> 
> A netbook is probably your best bet. I'm using a cheap Packard Bell
> myself as a guitar effect unit or as a synth module. Took some time to
> set it up but it works remarkably well.

And if you set it up so it's running either no GUI or a very light 
desktop environment, and turn off things like wireless, it should work 
reasonably. I believe the person on the list who uses a netbook for 
synthesizer uses linxusampler loading a 4GB piano aoundfont on a 2GB 
netbook without any problems.

An audiophile friend of mine had an audio PC set up on his network to 
play music into his stereo setup. He was using a compact PC with an 
M-Audio Audiophile card in it. He replaced it with a netbook, and 
reports that there's no audible difference between the netbook's onboard 
Intel audio and the Audiophile card.

I now have his old compact PC sitting here, trying to figure out what I 
want to do with it ... maybe add a small LCD and keyboard/pointer device 
and use it as a synthesizer box.

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