(IMG:http://createdigitalmusic.com/images/2009/05/indamixx-model2.jpg)



Laptops for music are nothing new. But better versions of Linux make no-hassle music production easier and more powerful – and new netbooks make it cheap and ultra-portable, too, for times when even that 15" laptop feels clunky. Netbooks aren't for everyone, and I imagine some people will miss Windows and Mac OS, even with better compatibility and powerful features on Linux. But if you are looking for an additional, more mobile machine, the combination is definitely worth a look.

A significant revision to the one netbook customized for Linux music has just become available today – you read about it here first.



The elements of Linux-based music making have reached a nice convergence with the release of Ubuntu 9.04 – the combination of a polished, mature Linux distribution with a newly-updated real-time kernel for low-latency audio is looking especially potent. At the same time, the increasingly-popular netbook has also improved in the latest generation. Ronald Stewart of Indamixx, a custom Linux mobile computer builder and OS packager, writes to brag about his latest generation. And he's even found a way to do mobile music in his vehicle. (Let's hope traffic in the LA area isn't so bad that you're actually adjusting beats in a tracker on the road, however.)




Indamixx has three products here, one software and two hardware:

• The original Indamixx portable studio is built on Samsung's OLPC platform. I reviewed it for Keyboard Magazine. It's really, really ultra-portable, and is something of a technological achievement. But most of us would prefer something more like a laptop, with a little more power and a conventional keyboard/mouse. Good news:
• The Indamixx Laptop is a netbook, with more power and more conventional uses – but still pre-tuned to run Linux audio, and still ultra-portable.
• Transmission is Indamixx's custom Linux distribution, built on Studio64 and Ubuntu 9.04, but with extra tools to make hosting Windows VSTs and importing your existing projects easier.

Transmission should be available soon for people who already own a netbook. You get more than you get with a stock Ubuntu install. For instance, the included commercial product ardourXchange allows you to import AAF files from Pro Tools, Logic, and the like into the open source Ardour DAW.

It also ships with the commercial app energyXT. I think it'd worth buying a copy of the superb, modern tracker Renoise, which has excellent Linux support. Renoise also got a significant update, now in beta, which I'll talk about by next week. Ardour 3.0 is expected to be a major update, as well, with support for MIDI and VSTs – that could be a game-changer when it happens, so stay tuned.

The laptop is what especially intrigues me. Linux is great, but it is nice having a configuration that's static, because it helps navigate around potential compatibility issues with specific hardware specs. (That's a problem we see regularly on Windows, too, and even occasionally – as with a specific wifi bug on an early build of Leopard – on the Mac.)

Indamixx has a special version of the MSI Wind that comes pre-optimized for Indamixx. Ronald describes the newly-updated Indamixx Laptop specs. (We saw the laptop here on CDM first in November, but this is a significant upgrade from that model):

• Transmission OS 3.0, which thanks to the new kernel and Ubuntu 9.04 has various enhancements and does a much better job of handling network 3G / HDSPA cards for mobile connectivity
• A 2.0 GHz CPU – the only overclocking-capable netbook
• 2 GB pre-installed RAM from the factory, which (sadly) is rarity in netbooks
• 160 GB HDD (doubled from the previous model)
• 10.2" widescreen display, up from the somewhat-cramped 8.9" on the previous model
• Large-style keyboard layout, roughly 95% of the size of a regular keyboard
• 2.6 pounds, up to 4 hours battery life

The 2.6.29.1 kernel is new to Ubuntu 9.04. Combined with the real-time JACK, you get excellent low-latency performance. (Incidentally, I've found that also applies to Windows software running in Linux under the Windows compatibility environment WINE – I've had success with NI's Reaktor. Not officially supported, but quite a lot of fun. Ronald reports at least one user running Guitar Rig 2, as well.)

Indamixx also throws in a carrying case and free FedEx shipping.

I'll be installing Ubuntu 9.04 on my main PC laptop soon, and possibly also my MacBook. Stay tuned for more on the latest Linux OS and what you can do with it for creative music making.

More info:

http://www.indamixx.com/

Indamixx Laptop @ Amazon: Indamixx Portable Studio Netbook Edition Model 2

quelle: http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/05/05/t...cker/#more-5818

Lenovo S10 Netbook Does Ableton – and Developers, Go Grab a Netbook


Tim Hanlon of gizmag.com recently got an IdeaPad S10 – Lenovo's lovely, $400 "netbook" – to test. He didn't just do the usual benchmarks, though. His review also included the unlikely choice of Ableton Live and, thanks to a free ExpressCard slot, a MOTU Traveler FireWire interface.

The inclusion of an ExpressCard/34 slot opens the IdeaPad up to a range of high-bandwidth applications. The most relevant for me as a musician was the possibility of using one on stage alongside a professional audio interface. Taking your expensive (and for some, irreplaceable) main rig out on tour and having to constantly keep an eye out for people putting their beer down on the stage next to it is a stressful affair, and the thought of using a relatively cheap, incredibly portable, and ultimately replaceable machine instead was always incredibly attractive - and I'm very glad to say, now possible.

We used a Silicon Memory ExpressCard/34 adapter that added an additional USB 2.0 port and two FireWire 400 ports, although any adapter based on a Texas Instruments FireWire chipset should work with a vast majority with audio interfaces. Windows XP Home recognized the adapter and installed the drivers automatically without needing a driver CD, and we quickly had the MOTU Traveler interface up and running.

My current Ableton Live set sat at a perfectly manageable 15% CPU usage for a majority of the time, however you will need to watch the CPU intensive plugs. One particularly long reverb tail using Ableton's built-in reverb used up 25% of the CPU on its own.

Check out the full story on Gizmag:

Lenovo's IdeaPad S10 Reviewed

One major catch, before you get too excited: Tim has the same problem I have universally with these ExpressCards. They just stick our awkwardly. They're even worse on the full-sized slots on bigger laptops. Chancing an audio interface popping out while playing pretty much kill the appeal for me, especially when there are plenty of workable USB2 audio interfaces out there (including from MOTU). MacBook, you're not off the hook yet, because this just means I want more USB slots, but I digress.

The bigger message here to me: software developers ought to pick up a couple of these machines and think about what will run on them. With zillions of these netbooks now shipping, why not? They're not going to replace even standard laptops, but it's an opportunity to sell more software by targeting these boxes, or even testing lighter-weight software on them. (Imagine notation or quick drum machines.) I don't really miss the days when we ran Ableton Live on 400MHz G3s, but, well, we did.

And Tim has a point: next time you're playing a frightening club with chicken wire and angry drunks, here's your machine! Actually, that S10 is cute. Maybe just bring a tarp and some tazers.

http://createdigitalmusic.com/2008/11/26/l...ould-take-note/

Auf einem Netbook produzieren is ja wohl mehr als pervers!
Wann merken die Leute endlich, dass diese Geräte nicht für hochperformante Anwendungen, zu denen Musikanwendungen gehören, konzipiert sind.

also ich muss mit mein quadcore standrechner produzieren alles ander läuft nicht...
ein netbook wird auf die schnauze fallen, wenn mal alle drumspuren einzelnd equalisiert compresssiert und effektiert werden, wenns subgroups gibt, wenn diese drums dann auch noch als hochqualitatives wavefile durch einen drumsampler wie battery gezogen und verzogen werden und das ganze nicht extern über drummachine passiert, pfuhh gute nacht.... wenn dann die synths auch nicht mehr hardware sind sondern vsts... dann noch 24Bit und niedrige latenz 48khz oder mehr...dann geht eh nix mehr... sprich proffesionell arbeiten nicht möglich, für a bissi ideen sammeln aber ausreichend

solche netbooks sind dann intressant wenn man sie über LAN miteinander verbindet und syncronisiert und mehrer nebeneinander am laufen hat... alles andere (IMG:style_emoticons/default/crazy.gif) ist kinderkram

na mindestens (IMG:style_emoticons/default/devil.gif) ... bin ja jetzt wieder auf software sampler drums per einzelabmischung umgestiegen (8 samples in battery + einzelabmischung und subgroups)

mit einem externen drumcomputer (jomox airbase und mbase) war die cpu usage extrem niedrigst...jetzt extrem erhöht.


aber na klar liveacten mit vorbereiteten loops, da reicht auch ein netbook, so richtig producing-liveacting mit instrumenten und oneshots in samplern da müss ma noch auf quadcore lappys warten (vermut ich mal)

cool (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)
wieso magst deine hardware sachen nicht mehr ? gibts jetzt dann bald a gscheite bassdrum in deinen tracks ? ? hihi (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

wieviel subgroups machst du ? für welche sounds und für was ?
ich mach nur eine für alle drums dafür fahr ich mit einem compressor ordentlich zu
ok ev. noch für alle hihats ne separate group für lowcut und reverb ..

Suche jetzt noch günstig eine Behringer BCR 2000

also ich muss mit mein quadcore standrechner produzieren alles ander läuft nicht...

Wer vorher noch keine Ahnung hat was er macht und überall rum drehen können muss

also ein Soundbastler par excellence wird mit einem Netbook nicht glücklich werden.

Musiker können das was das Netbook an Leistung nicht bietet durch etwas Planung wieder ausgleichen.

Test: EeePC 901 vs. Inspiron Mini 9 http://www.computerbase.de/artikel/hardwar...schnitt_vorwort


Ist die grundsätzliche Entscheidung für ein Netbook gefallen, so darf versichert werden, dass man sich mit den beiden hier vorgestellten Testkandidaten gute Geräte ins Haus holt. Deswegen kann am Ende neben den genannten Detailunterschieden auch der Preis ausschlaggebend sein, wobei Asus hier die Nase vorn hat.

So ist der EeePC 901 aktuell im Idealfall für rund 290 Euro zzgl. Versand zu haben. Das Mini 9 kostet in der XP-Variante hingegen 349 Euro zuzüglich 29 Euro Versand.

Wer sich mit Ubuntu und einer nur 8 GByte großen SSD anfreunden kann, dürfte sich über die mit 299 Euro etwas günstigere Linux-Alternative des Mini 9 freuen, wobei hier theoretisch nachträglich auch XP installiert werden könnte.

Clemens Schleiwies Producer, Mixer, Songwriter and of our four listeners was our guest. Check out his cool studio website here.

topics included:

The music scene in Germany, gettting a good deal on software (buy old software), The Netbook studio, great deals in gear (you should hear what Clemens scored), crisis in the studio, playing live, wherever (Hez has a great story) and how to prepare for them, plus a quick gift guide being Christmas and all. Thanks for listening and be sure to check out our MySpace page.


(IMG:http://www.nowcastnetwork.com/images/img12_15_08a.jpg) Photo by John Ryan

Here is my Netbook studio. It’s a ASUS N10 Netbook with 2GB ram and a 320 GB HD. I’m running Live 6 with a ton of VST plugins including Atmosphere, Xphraze, NI Complete 5 as well as Virtual Guitarist. Hardware includes 2 Korg nano controllers a M-Audio Transit USB audio interface and a Blue Snowflake mic. It’s a great little writing machine you just have to freeze tracks to keep the performance up.

quelle: http://nowcastnetwork.com/NowcastNetwork/nfblog/?p=111

herst motz wen andren an,
was hat an Reglern tweaken und Soundformung mit "keine ahnung" zu tun

Was soll das wieder heißen, das ich kein musiker bin wenn ich an synths schraube, dir rennts glaub ich nimmer ganz...

Ja planung... statt, one shot samples in samplern einzelspuren und tweaking an reglern gibts dann fertige drumloops. statt HI-quality reverbs gibts die standart reverbs usw, statt subsummierungen geht alles auf master, statt verschiedenen delays mit verschiedenen zeiten und feedbacks gibts halt nur noch einen über die send return strecke....... das fällt schon mehr unter kompromisse als unter planung.