ASIO on a notebook
 

Hi. I've recently been looking for a notebook computer to buy. One thing that I must have is ASIO, which I think is the best (perhaps only) way to get a low (~2ms) latency sound system going. Primarily I need to have a MIDI device hooked up to Fruity Loops, ardour, etc. that won't delay at all. My current computer does lag, and I believe it's because I've got a SB Live 5.1 card that lacks ASIO. The only way I can get a decent sound out of it is by setting the latency to about 42ms, which is far too much. Anyway, I've noticed that it is quite difficult to find laptops with very good sound options. Most (ibuypower.com, cyberpowerpc.com) only offer AC97 or other 'entry-level' stuff like that. No ASIO. I also believe that ASIO is the only way to record from multiple sources simultaneously.. So what I'd like to know is, does anybody know where I can find an affordable laptop with a solution to this problem?
Also, I've seen something about USB devices with line-ins and MIDI inputs (like a mixer?) that work independently of the sound card that are apparently ASIO capable, and these also seem to be a good option. Perhaps someone could lead me in the right direction.
Thanks a lot,
Joe

Are you planning on recording in Linux or Windows? ASIO is not a hardware device or hardware device standard. It is a low latency driver api developed by Steinberg. Most "pro-audio" devices have ASIO drivers for windows. While you are shopping, look to see if the device offers ASIO. ASIO will not work on Linux.

Linux does not use ASIO, it uses jack and ALSA. See here for some info: http://jackaudio.org/

From my experience, the vast majority of laptops have crappy audio. They may be fine for listening to CD's while you surf the web, but they are absolutely useless for music creation. I hardly imagine that you will find a machine with built in sound that you can do low-latency audio work.

There are a few of options:

1) A cardbus interface like the Echo Indigo, which has two channels in and out. Combine that with a USB MIDI keyboard and you have MIDI.

2) USB devices, such as the Tascam US122, will give clean audio, built in MIDI, and low-latency possibilities.

3) Firwire devices, such as the Presonus Firepod, have more bandwidth (more audio ins and outs), and usually have a MIDI interface as well.

For linux audio work, check out the ALSA audio card matrix before you buy. For firewire devices that work with linux check out this list. This is also a good resource http://lau.linuxaudio.org/

Awesome. Thanks a million.