Music recording using a chromebook laptop?

daxz222

Member
I want to buy a laptop to record music using an audio interface. I know I am gonna need windows laptop but I am just curious if I can use a chromebook. It is cheaper and lighter. Any one here has experience recording using a chromebook? Also please tell me how to do it. Thanks in advance!
 
Chromebook's run chromeOS. It's Google's web-application layer on top of a customized linux derivative (not windows). You would need to use a DAW from Google's ecosystem.

For the Windows ecosystem, look at any of the top tier ultrabook manufacturers. Dell/HP/Acer/Toshiba/etc. Also check out tier-2 vendors so you don't miss options like the Asus VivoBook.

If Windows is not a requirement, I implore you to save your money, shop wisely, and get a Macbook Air with Garageband. A ticket to ride starts at about $900.
 
Yea, I would not attempt a chromebook, however, you could use some form of linux or something like that, assuming you're keen enough to stumble through that new OS (which is free!). It would save a lot of money, especially compared to just paying for apple's intel offerings. Trust me, you don't just want a "ticket to ride" if you're going to use this for lots of DAW work in the future. You want something with enough power/disk I/O and memory to last into the next set of DAW softwares and upgrades.

If you're a fan of the mac-os or have enough money to burn, then by all means, do so, but given that you're entertaining chromebooks, I doubt you've got a Scrooge McDuck swimming pool of money to throw around. I just like to offer options when mac fans come through "imploring" others to do what they did. I've got a few friends who wasted money on a mac because someone they trusted told them that's what they should get. Later on, it turned out they either didn't like how the OS worked, or couldn't do some of the things they wanted because they didn't have a windows based OS, where the huge vast majority of software still sits, especially for games and office type stuff.
 
You could also go the route of "hackintosh" (keep in mind that Mac OS is a still Linux) - I know a pro engineer who uses it on a large rig running pro-tools. In your case, you could get a decent intel based laptop (under $400), download hackintosh, install it and pair it with a decent or used audio interface. Logic Express 9 is a cheap buit very powerful DAW that is still supported even up to Yosemite, or you can use garageband.
 
You could also go the route of "hackintosh" (keep in mind that Mac OS is a still Linux) - I know a pro engineer who uses it on a large rig running pro-tools. In your case, you could get a decent intel based laptop (under $400), download hackintosh, install it and pair it with a decent or used audio interface. Logic Express 9 is a cheap buit very powerful DAW that is still supported even up to Yosemite, or you can use garageband.

Hopefully doing that has gotten easier than it was in the past. Apple does it's best to make sure that only their hardware can run their OS. Previously we had to find ways of pretending to the OS that the hardware was "genuine".
 
For GNU/OSS options, I would recommend looking at Ubuntu Studio.

https://ubuntustudio.org/tour/audio/

(Note that I'm a linux developer)

Excellent recommendation man! I remember trying to use Jack back in the early 2000's since I refuse to use Windows at home, and it was not friendly back then.

Times have changed and lots of contributors have made their mark. This got me thinking about giving it a try again. Thanks for pointing it out.
 
Notes on the above:

MacOS is based on Darwin, which is a Berkley Unix derivative. Linux is not a Unix derivative, though the design is philosophically influenced by Unix.

I would not recommend the Hackintosh route for professional productivity. I agree that it does fill a few specific needs, but the installations become problematic over time and require constant tinkering in order to stay current with Apple releases. Check TobyMac and other hackintosh-oriented sites if you are considering this option.

Those with previous Linux DAW experience may be surprised by the quality of the new stuff. It's well ahead of the Studio64/OpenDAW releases of 2006-2011. Even the Presonus Studiolive AI mixers run atop Linux.

Despite linux being my current source of income, and despite having worked at Microsoft for several years, I would sill recommend giving consideration to the Apple ecosystem.
 
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