Pro Tools on W500/W510

[thePCxp]

I am planning on using Pro Tools on a W500 or W510 (I don't have one right now, but I'm planning on getting one). I went to check the Avid website to find out more about compatibility and in the “Qualified Windows Computers” page, it said that the T61 is qualified. But I wanted to know if you could use Pro Tools on the W500 and W510 as well.

One reason why I want to use a W series (or a ThinkPad and Lenovo, for that matter) over other computers and why I want to know if you can use Pro Tools on them is because I want to help out Lenovo in developing and marketing their PCs for use by music/audio professionals. I see a lot of people using Apple computers in this field but I want to do something different. I feel like its time for a change. I think that this field could really use and benefit from the quality and reliability of Lenovo PCs.

Has anyone used Pro Tools on a W500 or W510? If you have, I would like to know about your experiences. Does everything work okay? Are there any issues that I should look out for? That kind of stuff.

[QFoam]

ThePCxp, I don't know whether anyone is successfully running pro audio apps on those machines, but you may want to check out the searches listed below. The T500/T510 have a lot in common with the W500/W510, so I've included those models in the searches.

Here are two things I would look out for, before purchasing:

- There have been complaints about quality of audio output in the latest generation of ThinkPads.

- There have also been complaints of audio dropouts in the latest ThinkPads, due to latency spikes. A lot of these latency spikes have been linked to drivers for NVidia graphics processors under Windows 7. For more info on the latency (and other) issues, see this post (look for the item titled "Stuttering on music playback").

I wish you the best of luck in your research.

QFoam


Search covering entire web:
- "pro tools" OR "protools" audio w500 OR t500 OR w510 OR t510

Covering lenovo.com:
- "pro tools" OR "protools" w500 OR t500 OR w510 OR t510
- "audio quality" w500 OR t500 OR w510 OR t510
- "professional audio" OR "pro audio" w500 OR t500 OR w510 OR t510

Covering thinkpads.com:
- "pro tools" OR "protools" audio w500 OR t500 OR w510 OR t510
- "audio quality" w500 OR t500 OR w510 OR t510
- "professional audio" OR "pro audio" w500 OR t500 OR w510 OR t510

[thePCxp]

Thanks for the information QFoam. I will check out the links that you provided.

[QFoam]

ThePCxp, given your ambitious project, I checked out some of your posts to see your background, and here are some suggestions that you might find useful. I'm an electrical engineer and software developer with graduate degrees in computer engineering and digital signal processing, although I'm focused more on processing images than audio.

As you go through the process of getting audio tools to work on the ThinkPad, you might want to work with Mark_Lenovo to create a "Pro Audio FAQ" for the ThinkPad Knowledge Base at lenovo.com. This will probably describe what settings to change on the machine, and what programs to disable (antivirus, etc.), for best performance with audio software. It may also recommend what options to choose when buying a ThinkPad, and what types of add-on equipment are most useful (docks, digital audio cards, second hard drives, etc.). And you may exterminate some Thinkpad bugs in the process. Your FAQ will probably be very helpful to people working in audio, and should help Lenovo capture more of the pro audio market. And audio software companies may be more likely to help you if they know you're working with Lenovo on such a FAQ. Plus it wouldn't be a bad thing to have on your resume and, who knows, you might even get a recommendation letter out of it that you could present to potential employers, or colleges.

Second, audio software companies seem to be slow to support new operating systems, so some software may require running Windows XP. So some people install XP just so they can run their audio apps. But the problem with XP is that only the 32-bit version is widely supported, and that limits you to using a total of just 3GB of RAM on your computer (you need a 64-bit version of Windows--i.e. the name of Windows must end with "64"--to use more than 3GB). Also, it's getting harder and harder to find reliable XP drivers for the latest computers. However, Windows 7 provides a way around this: a free built-in Windows XP virtual machine (or VM), which is described here. In fact, here's someone who's running Pro Tools in an XP virtual machine! This should be useful to people working in audio, and should presumably be part of your FAQ. Based on the posts I see in ThinkPad forums, I doubt that many people working in audio are even aware of it. Also, I'm sure it would make Lenovo happy, because you need more memory to run the VM smoothly, and Lenovo is always happy to sell customers more RAM. But be sure you've verified all the details before counting on using this.

Third, you may find it useful to go to this web page, follow the directions and type in your career interests, one at a time (this is a page on my web site). You'll see a list of career books from Amazon covering each interest. Typically, the books describe the job outlook for a particular career area, typical pay, what a worker in that area does on a daily basis, what kind of training/apprenticeships/internships you need, and what types of schools are best. You'll want books that were published recently. And for any book that you find interesting, be sure to go to that book's page and click the link to look at its table of contents. You may find one or two books that are helpful, and you may even be able to talk your family members into buying them for you. In any case, we have more nephews and nieces than you have fingers and toes, we buy them these books before they graduate from HS, and they all tell us that the books have been helpful (more than 90% of those nephews and nieces have either completed one or more college degrees or are attending college).

Anyway, I'm rooting for you -- good luck!

[QFoam]

For anyone who's interested, I noticed that the "Stuttering on music playback" link in the post I referenced above was broken, so I fixed that. In fact, here's the link to that "Stuttering on music playback" thread:

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=83735

That thread is basically a textbook on how to battle the various latencies that can crop up and disrupt audio under Windows 7. A particularly insightful post within the thread was made by xiphmont (who's the guy that invented the OGG audio compression format) in which he compares sources/effects of latency for the Mac, Linux and Windows platforms:

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... 46#p573046

Anyway, enjoy!

[thePCxp]

Thanks once again for the information QFoam. I'll see if I can work with Mark over at the Lenovo forums to create a "Pro Audio FAQ". About the career website, I have already researched my career interests long before this post, so I don't really need it, but thanks anyway. Thank you for your encouragement. I really appreciate it.

[westsailor]

My .02

I used my T60 and recently upgraded to a W500 (both running under XP) for music creation. I use a 'combo' of S/W tools. Mainly Fruity Loops Producer, Adobe Audition 3.0/Ozone 4 and a few other ancillary programs. I primarily work with MIDI, ultimately converting my midi tracks to 24bit MP3 audio backing tracks.

I bypass the internal Conexant 'SmartAudio' sound, instead using a Creative PCMCIA SoundBlaster Audigy 2ZS. I use the Audigy since it allows me to work with different midi soundfont banks, record in 24bit & up to 96Khz sample rates. Lots have been said about compatibility problems with the Audigy, it being given to pops/snaps, etc. in the audio stream. In fact, I believe it caused Creative to have discontinued this soundcard. Nevertheless I find it so useful I picked up two 'backups' on eBay. I'm not sure there is another external soundcard solution that equals the functionality of the Audigy 2ZX (especially for the price).

I believe the compatibility issues stem from a conflict with 'high end' video cards, each vying for supremacy. My 1st solution to resolving any 'pops/clicks' was to 'enable bit accurate recording' (which while undocumented as to its function) I believe gives the Audigy 'priority' over other devices. This was a simple workaround. I resolved the issue completely by installing the Creative drivers, etc. as the very first S/W installation right after a fresh 'factory' restore.

Bottom line is I find the W500 (and T60 for that matter) to be excellent platforms for Audio. You just have to apply common sense (i.e. turn off wi-fi & auto update, etc. kill unneeded background processes esp real-time virus checkers, have lots of ram, fast HD's, etc.) and IMO the Mac vs PC for audio debate is moot.

That said, I'd still love to see a 'Pro Audio FAQ'

[thePCxp]

Thanks for telling us about that westsailor. What are the specs for your T60 and W500?

[westsailor]

W500 :
CPU is Core 2 Duo T9400 (2.53Ghz)
15.4" display (1680X1050)
XP Pro SP3 with 4G ram (I know. It orig came with Win7 but I prefer XP for compatibilities sake
500Gb 7200RPM Hitachi HD
ATI Mobility FireGL V5700
Creative PCMCIA Audigy 2ZS

T60
CPU is Core 2 Duo T7200 (2Ghz)
14.6 UXGA display (1600X1200)
XP Pro SP3 with 2G ram (Want to add a 3rd gig)
320 Gb 7200 RPM WD (w/ shock proof tech)
ATI Radeon X1300
Creative PCMCIA Audigy 2ZS

The W500 is my latest acquisition. Right now it is used primarily as a 'multimedia' PC (movies, music, games, etc.). The T60 is my DAW purely because that is where all my audio tools/DAW S/W is currently installed. Eventually I will migrate the DAW & tools to the W500.

Finally I also have a 2Ghz/2Gb T30 (also with an Audigy 2ZS) with a 120Gb HD that I use solely when performing live music (e.g. backing tracks & MP3's during breaks) & Karaoke. A simple, compact laptop with an easily readable (1024X768) screen.