windows starter7 netbook feasibility.

[Simon The Gooch]

Shouldn't be too bad at 16/44 if you use a CPU-efficient DAW and plugins. Maybe check out Reaper? Also if the Saffire model you have has DSP plugins that could helpa bit.

[TurboJets]

I have one of these little guys with Vista (but don't use it much) and it's my understanding you can't even install stuff like MS Office on them, much less install and successfully run a multi-track recording prog.

I could be wrong but that was my understanding when I bought it (purely for fundamental mobile biz op's).

[Seveer]

All I know is Windows 7 STARTER sucks. You can't even change your desktop background without hacking it.

[Darhgo]

i have a dell mini 9 (1.6 atom, 2gb ram, 32 gb ssd) that I installed osx 10.5.7 on, and had protools on for a while.

i ran an mbox mini 2. it certainly was able to record a single track of audio just fine, but the few times i tried to do any editing or mixing, it really hung up.

the vista netbook stuff is junk. i would install XP pro (nlite it first) on the EEE, or OSX Leopard. also definitely upgrade to 2gb if you can on the ram, makes a huge difference.

i upgraded/transferred my portable rig to my XPS laptop though, just because I needed a portable setup I could edit on as well as just record. My gig bag is only marginally bigger now, too.

so in conclusion, it's perfectly feasible for 1 track at a time on location recording, but that's about it.

[calbruc]

uggh. tried to intsall wavelab 6 (studio)... wouldn't run. looks like windows starter 7 is going to be a problematic.
Think i'll seriously have to look at downgrading to xp. should be able to run some of my older, less processor/RAM hungry programmes.

[Deaj]

I'm responding from my netbook. It's an ASUS Eee PC 1005HA-P (1.66GHz, 2GB RAM, 250GB 5400RPM HDD), configured as a Windows 7 Ultimate / Windows XP SP3 dual boot with the system partition of each OS hidden when the other is running. The Win7 OS is for daily general portable computer use, the WinXP OS is set up as a dedicated portable DAW (no internet access, stripped down and optimized for audio) with a M-Audio Fast Track Ultra USB audio interface running Sonar 8 Producer, Steinberg Wavelab 6, and various DXi/VSTi's and plugins. It's not capable of handling many CPU intensive plugins simultaneously or a high track count but it will record two channels at 24bit/96KHz simultaneously without a single hiccup, four channels at 24/48 - it functions as a field recorder too. Latency is 4-7ms depending on the app or virtual instrument. It handles Amplitube 3 just fine so long as the effects are used conservatively. I have Wavelab 6 and some plugins installed under Win7 as well so that I work with audio as needed but the optimized XP OS is definitely more stable and capable IMO.

Netbooks can be used as a light duty DAW. You just have to keep you expectations reasonable and in line with the hardware limitations.

[ivanh3]

Originally Posted by Deaj

I'm responding from my netbook. It's an ASUS Eee PC 1005HA-P (1.66GHz, 2GB RAM, 250GB 5400RPM HDD), configured as a Windows 7 Ultimate / Windows XP SP3 dual boot with the system partition of each OS hidden when the other is running. The Win7 OS is for daily general portable computer use, the WinXP OS is set up as a dedicated portable DAW (no internet access, stripped down and optimized for audio) with a M-Audio Fast Track Ultra USB audio interface running Sonar 8 Producer, Steinberg Wavelab 6, and various DXi/VSTi's and plugins. It's not capable of handling many CPU intensive plugins simultaneously or a high track count but it will record two channels at 24bit/96KHz simultaneously without a single hiccup, four channels at 24/48 - it functions as a field recorder too. Latency is 4-7ms depending on the app or virtual instrument. It handles Amplitube 3 just fine so long as the effects are used conservatively. I have Wavelab 6 and some plugins installed under Win7 as well so that I work with audio as needed but the optimized XP OS is definitely more stable and capable IMO.

Netbooks can be used as a light duty DAW. You just have to keep you expectations reasonable and in line with the hardware limitations.

I am about to post this very question under computers, but I wanted to ask you as well. I have an Asus 1000 HE which has similar specs to your netbook. I am running Windows 7 Home on it. I want to try Amplitube 3 in stand alone mode using their stealth pedal into a keyboard amp/PA as a possible live rig. When you say you are using it successfully with a few effects, do mean within a DAW or in stand alone?

I know there is a demo, but I currently don’t have a USB interface to try it out with. I have it installed on my 1000 HE, and it opens fine, just have not used it.
Thanks,
Ivan