Laptop for recording: questions

MagicPigDetective

Looking to buy a laptop and will want to connect an interface such as the basic presonus or focusrite ones. 

Was close to ordering a Dell xps 13 but noted that it only has a usb-c port. Would the interfaces work with this, or with some form of adapter? 

Could I get by with 256gb ssd, perhaps with an extrrnal hd, or is it too small for music production? 

Also any advice on a suitable laptop for recording guitar would be great. There is so much choice it’s bewildering. Thanks. 

Freebird

Yep, you can get an adaptor or a cable with a usb-c port connector on one end.

256GB should be fine for basic recording, but it also depends on what other software you are running on the laptop. Are you recording a real amp with a mic?

The thing is, recording quickly becomes addictive, and before you know it you end up with virtual drums, pianos, strings, synths, etc., and then you wish you hard a bigger hard drive!

MagicPigDetective

Thanks @Freebird ; haven’t thought about software yet, I am a total beginner with recording. I will start simple and see how it goes. If I catch the bug I could get a more powerful desktop, but I’m now looking at laptops with a 512gb ssd

spark240

A bigger SSD isn't usually too much more money  but will come in very handy in the future, RAM can be an issue, what size is it ?

MagicPigDetective

RAM is 8Gb. 16gb is a big step up in price. Tho I understand its possible to upgrade from 8 to 16? 

spark240

Personally Id go for more Ram over bigger SSD, external storage can be added easily after, a lot of issues people have is lack of Ram causing slow processes...thats said you may be able to add Ram yourself?...check it out, 

Freebird

8GB is fine to begin with.

Freebird

spark240 said:

Personally Id go for more Ram over bigger SSD, external storage can be added easily after, a lot of issues people have is lack of Ram causing slow processes...thats said you may be able to add Ram yourself?...check it out, 

I've got 16GB Ram, but I've never seen my resource meter go above 8GB on audio projects. Also when you get used to your apps, libraries and projects opening faster with SDD, it is slightly annoying using external drives*. If anything, I want my SSD to go faster 

*May not be a problem if you have the latest USB chipset.

Branshen

Get the one with lower ram and just upgrade yourself. It likely works out way cheaper if u buy the ram separately and install it yourself. 

wave100

You can get a USB C hub which hopefully has all the other ports you need on it. USB C audio interfaces do exist but are not that cheap as yet. I would also avoid low voltage processors which in my opinion are completely unsuitable for DAW use though perfectly fine for general purpose. Also you will probably need to do a bit of optimisation (mostly of the power settings) to get the best performance out of it - I recommend Robin Vincent's Molten Music channel on youtube for details. He tends to focus on Windows tablets, but the process is identical.

Many modern laptops have the Ram soldered to the main board so are NOT user upgradable, it depends on the model though.

Sadly buying a Windows laptop for music is a bit of a lottery, unless you can get a recommendation of a specific model or buy from a specialist supplier like Scan. 

I ended up getting a 2nd hand Macbook Pro, a late 2012 retina model which has real USB ports and upgradeable Ram and SSD. While this is now getting on a bit it works great for what I need - not wanting to start a PC - Mac debate though, I'm not a fanboi, I just wanted something that worked.

Freebird

I found a cheap Asus gaming laptop with with an i7 CPU, and upgraded the RAM & SSD myself. It has space for 1 x M.2/NVMe SSD stick and 1 x 2.5" SSD/HD, so I've got a total of 3GB SSD installed. I picked up some fairly cheap RAM on eBay from a system upgrader. I'm also running a stripped down version of Windows 1O LTSB that has been optimized for audio and is permanently offline, so no random updates or anti-virus interfering with my workflow!

MagicPigDetective

Great advice thanks all. Been doing a lot of thinking, perhaps a new ipad might do what I need (or an a macbook?) Record guitar with an interface such as a focusrite itrack, use garageband or cubasis. I can’t handle over complicated and the ipad approach sounds more user friendly. It’s the old windows vs mac/ipad debate which I’m sure has been had here before. I’m going to cool off buying anything for now and think some more. 

Freebird

MagicPigDetective said:

Great advice thanks all. Been doing a lot of thinking, perhaps a new ipad might do what I need (or an a macbook?) Record guitar with an interface such as a focusrite itrack, use garageband or cubasis. I can’t handle over complicated and the ipad approach sounds more user friendly. It’s the old windows vs mac/ipad debate which I’m sure has been had here before. I’m going to cool off buying anything for now and think some more. 

I don't see any problem choosing between Windows or Mac, they both work. As long as you think it through, you will find the right solution. The advantage of the DIY approach for me personally was I ended up with an i7 equipped laptop, 16gb Ram and 3TB of SSD spread over two internal SSD drives, all for the price of an entry-level Dell. BTW Kemper amps are great for recording guitars, but that's a story for another day  

thecolourbox

https://www.xsonly.com/collections/lenovo-laptops/products/refurbished-lenovo-ideapad-320s-4ikb-intel-core-i5-8250u-8gb-128gb-14-fhd-w10-81bn000huk

Saw this on Hot UK Deals and thought it looked decent spec for the job...Tempted myself though I'm not sure if my problems with music tech are with the computer, the software, or the user

MagicPigDetective

thecolourbox said:

https://www.xsonly.com/collections/lenovo-laptops/products/refurbished-lenovo-ideapad-320s-4ikb-intel-core-i5-8250u-8gb-128gb-14-fhd-w10-81bn000huk

Saw this on Hot UK Deals and thought it looked decent spec for the job...Tempted myself though I'm not sure if my problems with music tech are with the computer, the software, or the user

And coincidentally I've found this, which is similar but better spec for £449 which seems like good value. I am tempted; I can then get an interface that will work with the laptop and my ipad, such as a presonus itwo. Hopefully one of them will inspire me to begin my guitar recording journey. https://www.argos.co.uk/product/8436140

Edit:  though I note that the RAM is soldered so can't be upgraded.