Glenn...
As you saw when you visted, MP3 is my choice. For a couple of years I used the minidisc...but navigation was more difficult, the player took up more space than I would have liked and, frankly, tweaking quality of sound when recording was a major task...at least for me.

I don't have a laptop...but that may be in the future based on some of the posts I have seen.
Eddie

Whilst I don't use MP3's for this purpose the minimun bearable bitrate for my ears is 128.

I used MD's since they came out, and switched to MP3 on a laptop. My MD player has as jog wheel that lets you search for a new title while one is already playing. Without THAT feature, I wouldn't be able to use one effectivly.

The laptop has made it possible to incorporate SMF, MP3 and WAV all at my fingertips, and life is so much easier now.

Sometimes, a client will hand me a CD during a show ... I pop it in.

Sometimes, I am playing for a family group and we're all having a ball untill some of the little kids get restless ... I switch to MP3's of their tunes for a bit ..

Sometimes, I need to put out more sound than my "two handed" arrangements will allow, so I kick into SMF mode and play on top of larger, more powerful arrangemets.

It's all a question of "What is needed, WHEN"

Having all the formats in one unit is a great advantage, and I've said before - the laptop provides light, lyrics and break tunes ...... what else do you need?

If you want to use mps, you should have a look at the Thompson mp3 program.
http://www.mp3licensing.com/index.html

At 128kbs it is about 1/3 the size of a standard 64kbs mp3 file but at 2x's the quality. This is a very good program and I use it.


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jam on,
Terry http://imjazzed.homestead.com/Index.html

Good morning,

So when you guys play your SMF's from the laptop, do you send the midi signal to your keyboard so that it is still the tone generator (vs. the soundcard of the laptop)?

Thanks.

mike

Mike I usually midi into my G1000 as a sound source, but occassionally I will use the Roland wave table in my laptop. It sounds very good[SC88h], better than others[XG50] to me. Although the G1000 is much better, particully the drums,brass etc..

To add to what Fran said, by having the sound card in the laptop you now have a great backup in case your Kb goes down on a gig too. Just play the SMF and sing along to get you thru the gig.

What do you laptop users recommend. Processor speed, RAM, HD Memory? And any other add ons and tips for a novice in this area?

Do you access files via mouse or keypad? How do you position laptop for easy access without being too visible by the audience?
Eddie

The way I designed my stand, the laptop sits about 1 inch above the keyboard, and off to the left of the screen. It's well below the line of sight, and while it IS in plain view of my audience .... I try not to stare at it. I only look at it to decide what comes next, or the occasional lyric for a new song that's not yet commited to memory.
I don't disguise the fact that I am digitally enhanced. Only a fool would think that all the sound I produce comes from two hands, so mostly everyone expects to see some sort of computer-aided device. The only major drawback is that most people also know that the pc can be used as a Karaoke device, so they are always comming behind me to look for the words. They are always dissapointed to find out that they can't just join in. (pity)
I hope Donny can post a picture for you soon, because I just can't imagine getting to that progect. My life is still in a whirlwind, and I can't fit anymore tasks into my schedule. Kate had to come home from school today because she's got a majot headache and certain "female only" ailments. Since her experiment with the Tylenol factory, she can have NO medications of ANY kind, so she's in alot of discomfort. This No-Meds policy lasts for a few months to purge her system of all attachment to the drug. Poor kid - she's always had a hard time with these issues in the past, but now, she can't even take an asprin.

I'm concerned about you guys in NJ . dano