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Laptop MADE for Hauptwerk?

Buying or building computers for Hauptwerk, recommendations, troubleshooting computer hardware issues.
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David Pinnegar

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Laptop MADE for Hauptwerk?

PostSun Aug 09, 2009 1:09 pm

Hi!

In St Maximin last week we were privileged to have been able to play on both the real organ (WOW !!! AMAZING !!! ) as well as two Hauptwerk implementations of the instrument - which were seriously impressive and useful, even if not being quite the same :-)
:wink: :-) :-) :-)

However, two things spoiled the show as far as Hauptwerk was concerned for me as well as for another student on the course - the first was that on fast passages of complexity, the system could not keep up and cut out - not a problem for Couperin but would be for Widor - and the second was having to fiddle with a mouse to choose stops. It would be nice also to be able to arrange the stops in the manner of the original console - but that's another issue.
THe forth thing was Vista - which took an age to load and to shut down.

I happened to walk into a high street shop last week and noticed a Hewlett Packard offering which looked really ideal . . .

HP TX2-1020 Laptop

AMD Turion x2 Ultra Dual Core ZM-84 (2.3GHz)
2 GB + 2GB Memory (I think the one I saw was 3GB memory)
400 Gb Hard Drive
12.1" WXGA LED BV Touchsmart Screen
ATI Radeon HD 3200 Graphics Card
64 bit display cache memory

THe display could be reversed so presumably one could have the touch screen visible all the time set with Hauptwerk to load automagically. Could one get XP drivers for the touchscreen? Would this machine be man enough for Hauptwerk and what would one need for MIDI and sound?

No doubt there are other such machines coming along - the prospect of Hauptwerk looks promising . ..

Best wishes

David P
http://www.organmatters.co.uk
David Pinnegar, B.Sc., A.R.C.S.
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polikimre

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Re: Laptop MADE for Hauptwerk?

PostSun Aug 09, 2009 1:20 pm

David,

I'm actually using a very similar spec for my HW needs, my CPU is slightly slower, but I have 4GB or ram. As far as I know only XP 32 bit is supported (which would limit your memory to 2GB (or 2.7), for 64 bit you need Vista. The touchscreen works great. One caveat: the maximum screen resolution on these units tends to be 1440x900, which is not enough for some sets (the ones that need 1280x1024).

As for sound and MIDI, an external USB module is ideal, as there's no firewire port on these machines (at least not on mine). I use an M-Audio fasttrack pro.

I easily reach the 1024 polyphony limit of the basic edition, I haven't tested it in advanced mode yet.
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thalben

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Re: Laptop MADE for Hauptwerk?

PostMon Aug 10, 2009 3:44 am

Just a word of warning about HP laptops. I have a HP Pavilion which has been a nightmare for sound. Used with M-Audio FW 410 I had loads of problems with audio glitches and noise until I installed new drivers for the wireless adapter despite the PC saying that the drivers were already up to date. HP tech support were hopeless, I ended up sending the machine back twice with no improvement. I still have a problem with noise on the audio outputs which I have traced to the power supply. Ideally I would like to try another PSU to see if that's the problem.

Anyone else had similar problems with noise and power supplies?

Oh and be aware that the Firewire socket is only 4 pin so you will need to use an external PSU for your Interface.
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mdyde

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Re: Laptop MADE for Hauptwerk?

PostMon Aug 10, 2009 5:50 am

Hello David,

I happened to walk into a high street shop last week and noticed a Hewlett Packard offering which looked really ideal . . .

HP TX2-1020 Laptop

AMD Turion x2 Ultra Dual Core ZM-84 (2.3GHz)


We normally recommend the current range of Intel processors, e.g. as used in the current Apple MacBook Pro laptop range, since in general they give significantly higher performance for Hauptwerk than the current AMD range (although of course cost may also be a factor).
Best regards, Martin.
Hauptwerk software designer/developer, Milan Digital Audio.
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Johannes Sørensen

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Re: Laptop MADE for Hauptwerk?

PostTue Aug 11, 2009 12:35 am

At the moment from Intel you can get the fastest processor, but on an AMD platform you can buy or build a computer with a good power/price relation as well.

Maybe a Turion x2 Ultra is not the first choice for Hauptwerk.
If you decide for an AMD platform, it can be advised to choose a processor of the new generation Phenom II and for Hauptwerk the more cores the better.
To use an older type of processor in a new computer for Hauptwerk isn't wise.
How much computer power you really need depends on many factors.
Is a laptop a must?

Martin wrote:
We normally recommend the current range of Intel processors, e.g. as used in the current Apple MacBook Pro laptop range, since in general they give significantly higher performance for Hauptwerk than the current AMD range (although of course cost may also be a factor).

It isn't possible to test every new hardware that hits the marked.
What is the newest AMD processor that is tested as base for the advise?
The current AMD Phenom II generation of processors is so different from earlier generations that experiences and conclusions can not be directly transferred. If the advise is based on tests of Phenom II quad-core processors it is relevant today, otherwise the tests must be regarded as outdated.

Best regards
Johannes
Last edited by Johannes Sørensen on Tue Aug 11, 2009 2:30 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Stefanussen

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Re: Laptop MADE for Hauptwerk?

PostTue Aug 11, 2009 1:58 am

Hi David,

I had not thought of using a Tabled PC in the way you described. Interesting.

I just configured the following machine at hp.com

  • Vista 64-bit
  • Turion X2 2.4GHz
  • 8GB RAM
  • 320 GB HDD
  • Touch Screen

Bottom line: $1,493

For a 64-bit, 8GB system with a touchscreen that's ultra-portable, I'd say that's a reasonable price. A laptop wouldn't be my first choice for a Hauptwerk machine though since Hauptwerk is all about CPU and RAM muscle.

If you're planning a dedicated Hauptwerk install from the ground up, you'll definitely want to go with a tower since you're going to get the most bang for your buck. If you want to demo Hauptwerk on-site where there's already a sound system and MIDI hardware, then this kind of tablet might be just what the doctor ordered. You might also think of having a real USB audio interface to go with it, and perhaps some good headphones too.
Rob Stefanussen
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mdyde

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Re: Laptop MADE for Hauptwerk?

PostTue Aug 11, 2009 4:52 am

Hello Johannes,

It isn't possible to test every new hardware that hits the marked.
What is the newest AMD processor that is tested as base for the advise?
The current AMD Phenom II generation of processors is so different from earlier generations that experiences and conclusions can not be directly transferred. If the advise is based on tests of Phenom II quad-core processors it is relevant today, otherwise the tests must be regarded as outdated.


I haven't benchmarked the AMD Phemon II personally, but my advice was based on benchmarks comparing the recent AMD models to the recent Intel models published on hardware review websites (Tom's Hardware, etc.), which still appeared to show a clear lead for the Intel models in the relevant tests.
Best regards, Martin.
Hauptwerk software designer/developer, Milan Digital Audio.
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MBar

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Re: Laptop MADE for Hauptwerk?

PostWed Sep 23, 2009 6:06 am

Hello Martin,
I plan to buy a 64 bits laptop (a "Precision M6400" from Dell). The proposed processors are from Intel.that as you recommend, The cheapest one is the "Duo T9550".They proposed upgrades: T9600 (+ 190 E), T9800 (+ 270 E), Extreme X9600 (+ 674 E) or extreme Quad core QX9600 (+ 910 E). The two higest upgrades are too expensive, but are the two less expensives ones really worth?
Thanks for your advice.
Michel

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