[i preface the following by saying my knowledge of computers is rudimentary to say the least and any system would be assembled by asking friends of mine very, very nicely since it's more than likely I would c0ck it up. Or start a fire. Or both]

 

Ok. So I need to take a computer set-up on stage as there are a couple of songs that could really benefit from the original full orchestration programmed into Cubase (our drummer can play to click tracks thankfully). Although Macs appear to offer a more stable platform it's going to have to be a PC as it needs to be compatible with the studio's computer.

 

So, I was thinking a stripped down, bare bones PC using a decent Dual Core processor, around 2Gb of RAM, a SATA drive, a workhorse graphics card, using our Fireface for sound and running nothing but XP, Cubase and any necessary audio software.

 

But the worry of HD issues in a live environment still fills me with dread.

And then I started thinking about Solid State/Compact Flash Drives...

 

Although the mega Gb models are on the horizon, they're also going to cost mega bucks, and although prices are falling all the time (hell, I picked up an 8Gb flash usb key the other week for £30) money is tight. So...would it be feasible to buy say four 32Gb Compact Flash Cards, along with the appropriate connectors to link them to the PC and then use RAID to turn them into, for all intents and purposes, "one" drive (I think that's what RAID does, right?)?

 

I'm thinking, faster data access and waaaay less chance of crashes or indeed failures caused by knocks/damage in transit. Also they're hot-swappable, and the system is future-proofed (to an extent) ie...a larger capacity or "better" card is released, so swap to that one.

 

Or am I barking up the wrong tree?

 

Cheers,

 

Leigh.

They have started to do solid state lap tops

 

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/140421

 

May be a better option but may be bit expensive yet.

 

Or you could perhaps go for an external hard drive like this

 

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/138923

 

and have a lead running to it to a safe place.

 

 

Not an expert and you may want to post your quiestion on http://www.gadgetdetective.com.

 

They may know of a product already.

 

Good luck with it.

 

Darrell

I use minidisc live, and have done for years, track right and click left for the drummer.

I use 2 sony 1u mds e11 rackmount and headphone amp, so the drummer can control the volume of his click and wired both outs of the minidiscs together to a xlr. This way you can have tracks on different discs with the same output, works a treat for me, and i use them every week all over the country and have taken it for gigs abroad, pretty bulletproof.

Cheers

Graham

Cheers both.

 

Coopers: Although a lovely machine the price is prohibitive. I purchased a 500Gb Freecom external usb drive last month for £70 but I was still thinking going solid state might negate the problems inherent in traditional drive tech.

 

Groover: Very, very interesting mate. A MD set-up is something I hadn't even considered. It takes potential HD problems out of the equation completely. Will definately look into this. Do you mind me asking how much they set you back? Hope you don't mind but I'll probably come back to you with a few questions in a while! ;)

I used to use domestic ( home hifi) type and were ok but didnt like the rigours of the road, the Sony 1u are hard to get hold of now unless secondhand, but Tascam do them and there are some other makes, you are looking at about £280ish each, although sounds expensive, the rackmount ones are designed to be taken on the road and will be very reliable, but you could get a cheap hifi minidisc off ebay £50+ to give it a try first.

Hope this helps

Cheer

Graham

Obviously your tracks would be mixed from cubase, then onto minidisc from either a good sound card, or as i use, external synth modules. The plus side to this is that the track, along with all levels will be the same every time with no messing, downside, each track will not be mixable live if thats what you are after doing.

Cheers

Graham

liegh, you know who to get in touch with, best give him a ring! you already got a nice pc as it is to spec

liegh, you know who to get in touch with, best give him a ring! you already got a nice pc as it is to spec

Funnily enough I was planning on doing just that on my day off today...;)