Lunchbox Computers for Live Music Performances?

Dan Reetz asks: "As a PC based musician, mobility is critical. However, most laptops have horrible soundcards. PCMCIA cards like a VXPocket cost about 700 clams. A friend of mine recommended I look into 'lunchbox' style computers as a portable solution. A few searches revealed them to be quite expensive and they are hard to find used. Does anyone know of a source for used Lunchbox PC's (even just the diplay would be fine) or a better low latency/noise audio solution for laptops?"

Comments

USB/Firewire Audio

[self assembled struc]

M-Audio and one other manufacturor (I can't remember their name) make USB and Firewire break out boxes for laptops with Audio In/Out (Balanced XLRS, 1/4 stereo and mono) with on-board high-quality DACs.

I'm looking to get the M-Audio one for my iBook to do digital recording as Macs don't come with Audio in anymore, leaving it up to third parties to make Firewire/USB solutions. They have low latency (I would image the Firewire one would be lower due to Firewire's higher transfer rate), but I've heard nothing but good things about them.

Also, if you're doing sequencing, you can get a MIDI breakout box and connect to another MIDI device for audio output.

Make one Yourself

[Spirit of Ishmael]

Seriously, its not really that hard. Check out the case and cooling forum at ArsTechnica:
http://arstechnica.infopop.net/OpenTopic/page?a= fr m&s=50009562&f=77909585
Search around and I'm sure you'll find guidelines on how to build if not a lunchbox computer, at least a suitcase computer.

Some good replies

[3ryon]

There was a similar article on Slashdot (a long time ago, not a dig at /. editors) which should have some good ideas for you. I only remember it because I was the one who asked the question.

MOTU 828 + Laptop = Live Performance

[__roo]

I've had great results with my MOTU 828. It's a rack-mount unit that connects to my laptop via Firewire, with many digital (2 channel S/PDIF I/O, 8 channel 24-bit ADAT lightpipe) and analog inputs (6 1/4" and 2 Neutrik XLR/TRS combo connectors with optional 48v phantom power), all with 24-bit converters w/excellent range) and outputs (8 1/4"). It's rack mountable, it's got drivers for PC and Mac, and it's very dependable -- I've had absolutely no problems whatsoever. And it ships with both ASIO and WDM drivers for PC, which means that it will work with any sequencer or audio program.

Some tips for cleaner audio

[-=[ SYRiNX ]=-]

I used to do a lot of tracker and MIDI music and I learned many helpful tips about eliminating audio noise in electronic systems:

• Run every device you can on batteries. The power supplied by batteries is always vastly cleaner than power converted from AC.
• Use gold-plated connectors for all audio signal wires.
• If an audio-generating device must run off AC, plug it into the same jack/strip that your preamp/amp use to ensure solid AC grounding and eliminate hum.
• Purchase a new laptop, and do your homework first. Take along a pair of quality headphones (Sennheisers are recommended) and listen carefully to the integrated audio output for noise that may be generated when other devices in the system (hard drive, CD-ROM drive, processor, video) are doing actual work.
• Parallel-port-driven audio solutions are usually the cleanest, lowest-latency solutions. Numerous websites describe the construction of such a device, or you can purchase them pre-made at some places. The next lowest latency solution is the laptop's integrated audio, although the quality of the audio output varies dramatically among brands/models.
• Make sure your laptop has LOTS of RAM (at least 256 MB), and kill off all background programs, screen savers, power management, and other automated doodads that can kick off in the middle of a performance. For instance, there's no need to have an AntiVirus program sucking up resources during a gig! This will minimize latency.
• Everyone and their dog will recommend using cables that are as short as possible. This is far less important than using high-quality cables. I personally use and recommend Monster Cable brand's highest quality offerings as a bare minimum. It's expensive, but it's truly worth it, and you can still use relatively long cables to allow yourself some slack.
• For running components off AC, use either a power-filtering UPS unit, a power-filtering surge-protected AC power strip, or both. By merely plugging all AC-powered components into a Monster Cable clean-power strip I was able to eliminate all audible hiss and hum from my home theater system.