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Re: My Thanksgiving Vacation Project: Building a new looping computer w/Core 2 Duo
----- Original Message ----- From: "Art Simon"
> OK, maybe this is geeky, but it's on topic and hopefully of interest.
> I just assembled a new computer that I plan to use with Mobius and
> Bidule or Usine. It's got the Core 2 Duo E6400 processor.
>
> http://art.simon.tripod.com/LoopingRig/
Nice and informative web site, Art! That Rolls audio interface looks
nice, I didn't know about that one. This looks like a good start. For
gigs you'll need to come up with some transportation trunk that also
carries a flat screen, your FCB and all cables. Any plans on the
drawing desk? :-)
I think you will need that extra CPU power. From my own test lab
activities I have come to the conclusion that the type of sound
effect patches I like to play with in my TC Electronic FireworX takes
up to the full hundred percent of my one processor 2 GHz Centrino.
This means I would weight in at about half the available CPU recourse
level, on a core 2 duo, and 50 % is pretty much the limit I've found
you should not go over if you want to have a rock solid system for
performing live with.
However, besides this geeky stuff looking quite good, I've found
another drawback with going software only and that is me loosing
valuable time into testing and trouble-shooting. When working with
VSTs (as is the only option under Windows and I need to use Windows
because of Mobius) you have to test every combination of chaining
different VST plug-ins because some are badly written and tend to
crash the system in certain situations. For example, I needed a noise
gate that closes and opens at a certain pace given by a LFO and then
this LFO syncing to the global tempo (given by Looper Mobius) but
rhythmically modulated (tempo division) by MIDI cc data from an
expression pedal. On the FireworX it takes me a couple of minutes to
set up such a patch but with VST's I was only able to find one noise
gate that fitted the bill - but as soon as this particular plug-in is
chained in Bidule the MIDI cc data crashes Bidule. Without that plug-
in the Bidule rig is totally stable. Bad luck.
So, even if it's both fun and rewarding to design your own patches in
software I'm reverting back to using the laptop with the FirworX
digitally connecting and doubling as the audio interface. For the
digital input and bringing out the master into the PA I need to carry
a third little box, the RME Multiface. Three small boxes plus
instruments, pedals and cables is not that heavy but the software
only laptop rig still the dream of the future ;-)
Greetings from Sweden
Per Boysen
www.boysen.se (Swedish)
www.looproom.com (international)
http://tinyurl.com/fauvm (podcast)
http://www.myspace.com/looproom