Laptop for Portable Singer Songwriter recording
 

So I have been looking at building myself a mini home studio. I started by looking at Audio Interfaces to connect to my computer and some relatively inexpensive mics. The deeper I got the more important the actual computer seems to be. I have a 2015 Macbook Air with 4gb memory which by todays standards is pretty useless.

Can anybody recommend a decent laptop that I would be able to use longer term in the $1000-$2000 price range. Preferably at the lower end. I would be using a basic interface like the scarlett 2i2 or Motu M2 to begin with and slowly upgrading as I go. I have been using Garageband and was thinking of upping to logic. MAC is not a requirement I am perfectly capable of learning some new software on a PC if need be.

My main application will be recording Acoustic guitar, Ukulele, Harmonica and other acoustic instruments and voice and then sending my stem tracks to various people that I collaborate with that have a better grasp on mixing and adding other instruments etc.

Thanks!

I won't recommend a brand, but I would look for these specs:

CPU: Intel i7 or better

RAM 16GB or better. If 16GB then upgradable to 32GB would be a plus.

HD: 500GB or larger SSD

Monitor: 1080P - touch-screen would be a plus.

Network: 1GB Ethernet + WiFi + Bluetooth

Video card--If you're not planning to make videos the Intel embedded video should be fine. If you are planning on videos I would consider a graphics card with at least 2GB of memory.

Cooling: quiet. Cooling fans typically speed up when the CPU is under load, so reading reviews may help with this. Alternately, if it becomes a problem, an external cooling unit that sits under the laptop may help.

Connectivity: At least three USB ports, with some or all of them being USB 3 or greater.

Developers like high-end Thinkpads, X1 Carbons are really
good. I7 cpus, nvme ssds... they stick to INTEL video drivers
which makes them good for running Linux, but gamers like
the proprietary (and powerful) NVIDIA stuff... I don't know if
there's any similar "deficiencies" WRT audio stuff..

-Mike "I like the ones I've had..."

I’m kind of a tech noob. Can you translate this into layman’s terms. I appreciate the feedback but have no idea what an nvme suds is for example. Also how does it relate to audio recording?

i7 cpus = good fast modern cpus
nvme ssd = good fast modern solid state "disk"

I mentioned how thinkpad video cards aren't the ones
that gamers like and that there could be similar stuff that goes
over my head about audio stuff that might make
thinkpads less desirable than some others for
music production...

-Mike

EDIT: a computer is just a thing to run software on. You might
want to get an idea of what software you want to run and then
get a laptop with an OS and "good fast modern" hardware that
supports your software.

A fellow posted a song to "show and tell" the other day,
he is a good player, but the quality of his recording also
made his post good. It turns out he was using an
expensive "Neumann omnidirectional KM183"
microphone. I guess that's not something you plug
into your laptop with a truckstop USB cord :) ...

It is possible to go way down a rabbit hole putting
together recording gear...

Tbh, a 2015 Macbook with 4GB RAM can probably handle plenty of audio processing. I'd see how it works before you drop money on a new computer. Compared to video, audio isn't really that intensive, unless you start using lots of virtual instruments and/or multiple processor-intensive effects all at the same time. For basic tracking, editing, and simple effects your Macbook may be fine.

Case in point, for tracking (live and at home) I got something like this ($260) and a little portable SSD (<$100) to record to. It easily handles recording 7-8 tracks at once and basic DAW functions, even with only 2GB of RAM and a processor only 30% as powerful as the latest i7. Then I move the drive over to my desktop computer for real editing/effects etc... which still isn't gonzo, an 8-year-old Dell with a much older i7 (your i5 is probably equivalent for our purposes) and 16GB RAM. It never even breaks a sweat.

. Which is definitely not what I want to do. There is enough of that in my life with guitars!

Good to know..I plan on basically running a max of two tracks at once when recording the acoustic in stereo. I'll be playing to a click and then laying vocals and stuff over it. Once the sizzle is ready to be added I will be sending off the stems to my friends that are much better than I am with the tech stuff. I would definitely like to use this computer if I can. I just got a little apprehensive the more I read about overclocking issues that people have even with 8GBs

Exactly where are you reading this sort of thing? I'd stay away from there unless you already know a lot about computers. :) And, tbh, what you said doesn't even make sense (clock speed and amount of memory aren't connected).

Get the 2i2 or M2 interface and Logic, plug it into your Macbook. Then get a decent microphone or two. Mics are a whole different kettle of fish (see other threads) but you can get perfectly good results with $100-200 condenser mics. If you're doing vocals too, maybe start with a large diaphragm condenser (AT2035 is a good choice) as it will serve you well on multiple sources. Your Macbook won't be your limiter for what you want to do.

I'll echo the idea that you can record all day with a modest older computer. The amount of RAM in your 2015 computer worries me a bit, but it's likely it'll work OK if you're just recording external instruments and of course you'd just be running your DAW when you're recording. "Just web surfing" with lots of tabs in Chrome would challenge your laptop more than running a DAW for recording external instruments and voices.

My studio space has a 2011 Mac Mini running the High Sierra version of Mac OS, Pro Tools and Logic Pro X. Has 16 gigs of RAM and is hooked up for with an interface to record up to 16 tracks at a time. I do use an external firewire drive as the drive for recording to.

Now of course, more's better in terms of computer horsepower, but recording in and of itself isn't what makes folks get a higher end computer for audio. It's the effects and especially the virtual instruments. For that kind of work I use a more modern Mac Mini (2018 model with an I7).

Logic Pro X would be one way to go for DAW software if you've use a recent version of Garageband which is now sort of Logic Pro "Lite". A lot of folks here like Reaper as another alternative.

There are opinions that now is not a great time to buy a new Mac as Apple is about to changeover to new computer processors (kind of like the ones used on iPad Pro tablets) rather than the Intel processors used by Apple in their current computers. These opinions believe that the new processors will be faster, and so are worth waiting for, and that Apple will discontinue support for the Intel processors in after some intermittent interval, reducing the long-term return on your investment. Expectations is that the new models with the new processors (folks are calling them "Apple Silicon" for whatever reason) will start being available as soon as later this year.

A counter opinion is that Apple says it will support their current models even after the changeover for some time. Will that "some time" be as long as some would like though?

So, you could start with Garageband, Logic ProX, or Reaper on your current Mac Book with an interface and mics that you can use later. If you're just recording a couple of tracks at a time your laptop's hard drive and 4 gigs of RAM will likely pass muster. In 6 months or a year, if you're getting on with this and enjoying it, consider buying your new Mac then.

Lets back up a bit,,,,,,) Unless you are also looking for other uses, which require portability) for simply home recording, and from the above it sounds like you are not really looking for a "portable" solution per se. (i.e. go out and record on location) but simply a modestly priced home recording set up ,,,,is this correct ????

In that case you do not really need or necessarily want a lap top, and will actually get quite a bit more performance per dollar with a desk top

Where I live, in Los Angeles, there's a ton of people doing what you want to and a very common solution is a refurbed 2011-12 MacBook Pro. There are tons af them about. Pre-Covid they were dirt cheap -- the one I'm typing on cost me $200 -- and right now they average around double that. Upgrading the RAM from 4GB to 16GB is under $100 if you DIY (easy) and around $180 if a shop does it. That's plenty for running the OS of your choice and any DAW.

I used to record myself banging out chords on one track and
noodling along with them on another track using Audacity...
15 years ago on a "crappy old" thinkpad that I wouldn't even
waste my time turning on now :) ... I didn't realize that might
be all Mr. Static wanted... some people on here have
lots of expensive equipment and build professional
studios and expound at length in some of the sub-groups
about their dynamic bidirectional super-cardioid impedance
matched microphone setups... a lot of the time when
they post their recordings it sounds like you're right there
in the room with them, but it takes effort and equipment...

-Mike

The recommendations I made earlier in this thread were based on the idea that this system would be usable for many years to come. Having said that, those things aren't requirements for right now.

My main system is a desktop that meets most of the specs I outlined, but if I were to build one today I would build one that would meet all of them.

My portable system is an old HP laptop with an i5 CPU, and 8GB RAM, and a 500GB hard disk. I have used it to record at least eight tracks concurrently. It's currently adequate for my needs, but I suspect it won't be in a few years, especially as I get more involved in video recording.

As someone else suggested, if you don't need portability, a good desktop/tower system would likely serve you better. In that case (no pun intended), if you're buying for the long term, there are a couple of things I would add to my original list, including a 650-750 watt quiet power supply, a gaming-style CPU cooler, and a couple of quiet case fans. Good cooling is important to minimize noise.

Both approaches can work. :) OP did say in his original post he was sending his tracks to someone else to mix.

But it also takes some awareness of computer tech as it relates to audio. For example, the graphics card (GPU) isn't made use of by most audio software, so a system optimized for gaming won't be of much help. Likewise, a lot of software doesn't take advantage of multiple processor cores, so a faster-clocked chip might gain you more than slower with multiple cores.

And, as I noted before, none of this is really an issue if you don't plan to use lots of virtual instruments and heavy effects plugins. For the use case of many (most?) on this forum--tracking acoustic guitar, vocals, maybe a few other instruments, and using your basic EQ, compressors, some reverb, maybe a mastering plugin--almost any decent machine from the last 10 years will suffice. Save the money for the nicer microphones. (And some room treatment.)

I travel frequently for work for long periods of time and want to be able to have a setup that is mobile, and also good enough that I don't feel like anything will be lost for my purposes. I'll post a track that I just finished working on with a friend to give you all the kind of direction I'm looking to go in with recording software.