Recommendations For A CD To Laptop Convert?

[absvicandmark 0]

I have just done my first disco using my laptop for karaoke and background music. Normally I just use it to list my tracks.

The Laptop crashed on me once though I believe I was running too much at once. The Laptop is a 700Mhz 128MB P3 running win xp, atomix and winamp with cdg plugin and also excel for my track listings.

The karaoke worked fine, also the background music went well. However, it went so well that I fancy using the laptop more to play more main stream music and using the cds as a backup.

I have a few questions....

1. Im not sure whether to use the same laptop for it or get another pc handbuilt (I can build it no probs). However, I am very limited for space and trying to compact everything (Just had to setup and dismantle by myself last nite!). Also, im a bit short of the reddies so everything is to a very small budget.

 

2. What size HD do you use? Is it seperate external HD or internal? How many mp3s can you fit onto certain size HD`s?

 

 

Many Thanks

 

[High Fidelity 0]

Not sure about running multiple apps, I don't think I would do it. I just have the one program running with antivirus, firewall and anything else I can think of, turned off.

 

As for hard disks. On the main laptop I have a sepaerate partition of 40gb for the mp3's and currently 5000 tracks uses 20gb with the music ripped at 160. However this is going to go up as I'm going to re-rip them all using VBR as I've noticed the ones that I have done with VBR seem to run mainly at about 290.

 

On the backup laptop I use an external usb hard disk.

Edited October 30, 2005 by High Fidelity

[Eskie 0]

You'll receive different answers to your questions fro different people on here. I personally wouldn't consider a laptop for live use because I wouldn't feel comfortable with it for a number of reasons however there are many DJs on here that swear by them, so I won't knock them, suffice to say that I wouldn't use one myself.

The flightcased desktop that I use has 2 internal 200Gb drives which are mirrored and I have no other software on the machine apart from the DJ software that I use which is BPM Studio Pro.

IMO anyone that takes DJ'ing seriously shouldn't even consider having ANY other software on their gig machine!... why take the risk http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/533.gif

I bring a small laptop with me as well to gigs which I use for other stuff and could also be used as a backup unit.

I rip all my CDs at 192kbps; how many tracks you can fit onto a drive depends mainly on a couple of variables, such as whether you have many full dance mixes and what bitrate you rip them at.

[Hayd 0]

I think you will be asking a bit much of your 700mhz laptop , it is likely to lack reliability for live playback. It's all really down to your budget; if you want reliability , multitasking and good storage + small setup time a more powerful laptop is the best but most expensive option. If you go for a pc it will have most of the benifits but will talk longer to setup and be bulkier to carry about. I use a Compaq 3.2ghz laptop with 100gb internal hard drive ( + cd backup) Cost £900 but has never crashed at over 120 gigs. I run Mixmeister dj software ( audio and video mixing )+ Dart Karaoke, no probs with multitasking :-)

[jeffwall 0]

yep agreed, 3.4 ghz pentium 4 sony vaio for me (but a decent machine may have a less spec) no gimicks on it just dj software and music!

 

oh yeah and my little pony for me 7 yr old!

[DJ Martin 0]

I'm currently using a Compaq small form desktop PC with Windows XP and OTS DJ.

 

OTS DJ doesn't seem to be processor specific, I have two one 650MHz and one 500MHz and they seem to run quite nicely.

 

Martin