My Setup

I have two computers (a Compaq laptop and a Dell desktop), an E-MU 4-octave midi controller, a Yamaha “voice-bank” keyboard and a Panasonic stereo.

The stereo has an old Realistic “stereo mixing console” going into the aux input. My Dell and my laptop both have their sound going out into that mixer, which plays through the stereo.

My Dell has an audiophile 24/96 soundcard, which can handle the best synths and sequencer programs. The soundcard provides the output to the Realistic mixer. It also has a midi-input, and I get zero-latency with my midi-controller. The Dell is where I make most of my music. It’s where I keep all my samples. I’ve also got a little pre-amp mixer going into the soundcard, so that I can record guitar and vocals and keyboards onto my computer.

My laptop has an external soundcard, the M-Audio Fast Track USB, which processes sound much better than the laptop’s built-in processors (although I once used an HP laptop, an old one too, that played midi with zero latency and great sound with its built-in processors...). I can also use the Fast-Track to record guitar, or vocals, or keyboards, or whatever.

I only have Linux on the laptop. Ubuntu Studio is a Linux OS, and it comes with a bunch of great free music software, for sequencing or realtime performance. I like to sequence drum-tracks and then get a synth going and I’ll jam over the drums with my midi controller. With the Fast-Track, I get very low latency. Nearly zero. The synths are interesting, and you tend to get a unique sound when making music because the tools and the whole setup in Linux are very different.

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