Using pci resources from a laptop

[st johns nutjob]

has anyone ever setup an old pc (PIII 750 mhz)with old pci soundcards (midiman 2044s) networked to a newer laptop (1.2 ghz Vaio) to record with?

An analogy can be drawn with using a crappy old pc to run a network server...headless with just the cpu being used to serve newer better desktops.

I guess you could think about setting it up two ways. Using the pci bridge on destop cpu to provide sound input to the laptop. Or can you use the keyboard/display of the laptop to serve the brains of the desktop cpu. I think that a cpu + a laptop could almost pass as portable whereas a cpu + monitor + keyboard + mouse gets rather cumbersome. The latter is what I am currently using and I don't consider myself mobile. I have had several requests to become mobile and record some local buddies.

I realize that a presonus firepod hooked up to the laptop would streamline this whole thing and give better results. I'm small beans doing this for poops and guffaws for me and other buddies. I've been able to get really good sounding recordings with this antiquated stuff. Good microphones are much more important in my mind than 16bit vs 24bit... 48 khz vs 96 khz.

So has anyone ever tried to access pci resources from a laptop...specifically pci soundcards? or has anyone used a laptop to be keyboard, mouse and monitor for a desktop?

[brandondrury]

So has anyone ever tried to access pci resources from a laptop...specifically pci soundcards? or has anyone used a laptop to be keyboard, mouse and monitor for a desktop?

I'm no beginner when it comes to PCs, but I wouldn't know where to start with something like this. In some ways it kind of reminds of the Steinberg VST System link thing, but this is much more of a do it yourself approach.

I would be concerned about latency issues.

Are you wanting to do this for hard disk reasons or for processing plugins?

Brandon

[st johns nutjob]

The issue is $500--the cost of a component like a firepod.

What I'm trying to accomplish is to continue using my midiman 2044's as a quasi mobile unit. 3 of them can be installed and used simultaneously giving me 12 ins and 12 outs at 20 bit/ 48 khz resolution--perfect for my needs. The problem is that they are pci cards aka bound to a desktop motherboard. Another wrinkle is that m-audio (the manufacturer) never released a driver past windows 98SE, so whatever computer I use has to be dedicated as a win 98 machine...unless I network something together.

I just do straight "audio-in" work. I do no midi/sampling stuff. Mastering and editing I can do on my 1 ghz/win2000 desktop in Cubase/Wavelab. I just need a tool to record at practices and at performances, but keep instrumentation separated.

I've got the $500 but I'd rather invest it in better mics. I'm not stingy, just a poor realist

[brandondrury]

I just do straight "audio-in" work.

You mean that monitoring isn't an issue then, right? So you are only going to record your band live and that is it? If this is the case, then latency isn't an issue really.

I've never heard of anyone trying to use a PCI card in a laptop. I'm sure it CAN be done, but I've never heard of anyone doing it. I certainly wouldn't know where to start.

I'll assume these old Midiman cards are really cheap.

You'll want to post this type of question on a hardcore computer hardware site....not necessarily a "consumer" grade forum but more of a mechanical engineering type of computer forum. I've never seen one but I'm sure they exist.

Brandon

[Smidgelton]

Have you figured anything out yet? Let me know, this is interesting. If it's possible, I'd like to know how to do it.

[brandondrury]

I'm interested too. If only I could freeze time, I would take a year or whatever and learn how to do this.

Brandon

[st johns nutjob]

I'm still gathering info. I also just started a large project at work, so it might be a few weeks, but I'll post something once I figure it out... or else you might see 3 midiman 2044's going for real cheap on ebay

[brandondrury]

Keep us updated, dude. I'm very excited to see how you handle this. To be honest, this has always been on my list of stuff to know, but it seams to be stuck at #96 or so.

Brandon