[OT] Lappy in café

[MrSleep]

this is probably going to sound realy stupid but I'll say it anyway.., I like to leave the tv on in the background with a doco or something like an old ufo doco playing for ambiance.

most doco's works long as its not too overbearing.

[NewAndImprov]

My band has been touring a lot, we have a 95 Diesel 25 passenger shuttle bus that we've converted. We put in a power converter, and currently have 5 laptops on the bus running most of the time, there's usually 7-8 of us on the bus at a time. We're on a 2 week tour in California right now, as a matter of fact.

I do a lot of writing tracks on the bus while we're travelling. The other day, our drummer took over my laptop for the afternoon, and wrote a killer beat, kind of samba meets drum 'n bass thing, in Fruity Loops. Now I'm writing a track around that. It's a great way to kill time while travelling.

[hat]

I love going to the cafe and mess about with Live and Reason.
As others have mentioned, I've also made quite a few friends that way, mostly other musos who glanced at the screen and just started chatting with me about music and software. Especially on nice days, I just can't focus by staying in the studio (there's no window where my setup is), so the benefit of the Powerbook really manifests itself by being able to just go out and do it. There's something very inspiring about being in the cafe, even when they have their own music playing, I can zone out pretty easily and get lost in what I do (Senheiser HD280's are great for that). The track that automatically plays ("Bonk!") when going to the link below was written entirely in Live at the cafe, then mixed at home, a mere 2 day affair...

[mikemc]

1. Should I feel like I'm sponging, since I'm not running on batteries (they'd drain in a bit more than an hour on my HP)?

no. I think if you buy anything, you're doing them fine. Also, you're just you: went into a place the other day, there was a bunch of folk in business suits having a meeting, laptops out, stuff spread all over six tables-- imo the taking up additional seating was really pushing the envelope, even if they all bought lunch.

2. How geeky does it look drinking latte with my laptop and headphones?

ah, well it's a little geeky, but this is the thing: coffee shops benefit from the ambience of having studious artsy techno trendy types hanging around.

3. Maybe I should just go to the libarary or something instead. The music that they play in most coffee houses don't cater for the best monitoring environment.

well, that's the one drawback. it would be nice to be able to really mix a little. but it is definitely pleasant to sit and sip, download some updates, listen to some tunes. it would be nice if they had a 'zone' that was free of the piped-in tunes.

[jasefos]

These days I find writing music within the four walls of my studio less inspiring than going out for a little adventure with my portable setup.

I doubt I'll ever return to using a desktop system.


Anytime I spot a new cafe/bar, etc which looks inviting I immediately hunt for which seats have power points! There's no point exhausting your battery if a power point is nearby. To make things easier I always pack a short extension cable and double adapters ... some bars don't mind at all and will happily patch you into the same socket as the microwave oven, etc. I've only had 1 bad experience with borrowing power where the cafe manager asked me to stop using the power point (and this was after I had checked if it was OK with the waitress).

TIP: Get yourself a Kensington security lock (most laptops have the slot for these on the chassis) for those moments when you absolutely must go for a toilet break and you've got some drooling smack addicts eyeing off your tasty little music making setup.

TIP: If you must work on batteries it is essential to dim the screen backlight as much as possible otherwise you will eat through your batteries very quickly. I tend to like working on tables in outdoor areas most however at the lowest dimming setting during daylight hours don't expect to see anything on your screen .... forget it ! .... If you like working outdoors then seek cafes which have outdoor power sockets available near the tables.

TIP: Buy extra batteries for your laptop. With batteries in new condition I get around 3 to 4 hours per battery.


I've found the best places to go are the venues which function as a bar/cafe with points for internet access ... they seem to be the most welcoming. After regular visits you'll befriend the bar staff and they'll happily watch over your gear for you if you need to step away for a moment. I've done 10 hour sessions in some venues (and consumed a several jugs of beer in this time!) without attitude from the venue. Nice 1!


If you're in Melbourne, Australia check out:

- Federation Square - the Japanese resturant with outdoor seated bar area
(power point in column just near the non-eating area).

- The outdoor eating areas on Southbank
(power points available next to tables in the bricked up garden beds).

- E55 (Bar/Cafe/Internet) downstairs on Elizabeth street. Friendly staff who will always help you find a power point. There's usually several laptoppers in force down there so you won't feel like the lone geek. Take your ethernet cable will you - they'll happily hook you up for net access (for a fee).

- Transport (bar/cafe) at Federation Square.
(Powerpoints outside near some tables and those lush gas powered outdoor heaters)

- SandBar (cafe/bar) on the beach in Middlepark with tables about 10m from the water. Outdoor power points near table area!



The primary shortcoming with my setup is that I have too much crap to carry around with me:

- external (fast) Firewire hard drive + power supply
- proper mouse
- USB hub loaded with various dongles (hubs are safest way to ensure you don't break and misplace dongles!).
- laptop power supply (mine is around the size of house brick!)
- USB controller keyboard (microKONTROL)
- soundcard (Echo Indigo IO)


It takes me around 5 minutes to setup and get comfortable. It's a bit annoying if you need to move regularly.


I'd just like to find a controller keyboard now which provides:

- inbuilt wireless mouse transmitter
- wireless mini mouse
- an internal USB dongle hutch with space for 4 dongles
- kit for mounting fast IDE hard drives inside the controller keyboard
- motorised faders (i.e. a mini Mackie Control with a keyboard integrated)!
- text displays above faders
- aftertouch !
- full size keys
- battery operation which is rechargable (e.g. cell phone battery technology)


Yes I'm dreaming .. ; )
It seems manufacturers can't see how good this controller keyboard idea would be for laptop musicians!


I've found getting out and about and making music is a great way to pickup new vocalists to work with (I've lost count of the number of girls who come up saying "I've got a friend who's a great singer" or "Hi, I sing well and can sometimes write cool lyrics").

I was fortunate enough to one day encounter a FANTASTIC saxophonist who was busking on a river side mall. AWESOME natural reverb caused through loads of hard reflective surfaces! I asked for permission to record his playing for 2 minutes ... The recording came out superb and will definitely be something I use at some stage (we exchanged phone numbers so I can credit the guy if a release opportunity came along !!!). what a hack!

Air travel with a laptop and controller keyboard is superb fun as well. I love high altitude drinking (except I tend to accidentally hammer my ears with too high SPL in the pressurised cabin). If you're lucky enough to have the Exit row (more legroom) and the seat next to you is unoccupied there's room for your laptop and your controller keyboard. Air Hosties sometimes are intrigued and come over for a chat sometimes too (and then start giving you extra friendly service). I only wish the flights were longer in most cases (4 hour flights from Melbourne to Perth are great for this reason).


anyway ... as usual I digress ....

[Lo-Fi Massahkah]

Jasefos,

You seem like quite the experienced laptopper!

TIP: Buy extra batteries for your laptop. With batteries in new condition I get around 3 to 4 hours per battery.

Well - I have a almost 3 year old HP P4 2ghz. I don't get that much battery time if I want full processor power... This fall (or christmas?) I'll be aiming at getting a Centrino setup, which should give me some more battery time. Can't wait!

Cheers,
Mikael

[hambone1]

I take my Powerbook and Ozonic camping.. usually in my VW camper. Just got a 2nd battery so I don't rely on AC. Something about the smell of oil and the old camper vibe that brings out the creativity!

I bought a singletrack trailer for my mountain bike.. big enough for a small tent, sleeping bag, and essentials. Next weekend gonna do my first Live bike trip to the forest.

Maybe I'll try to find out if a falling tree makes any sound without anyone around to hear it..

[jasefos]

Jasefos,

You seem like quite the experienced laptopper!

TIP: Buy extra batteries for your laptop. With batteries in new condition I get around 3 to 4 hours per battery.

Well - I have a almost 3 year old HP P4 2ghz. I don't get that much battery time if I want full processor power... This fall (or christmas?) I'll be aiming at getting a Centrino setup, which should give me some more battery time. Can't wait!

Cheers,
Mikael

The best battery life I've experied is if I'm running a CPU conservative Reason project (standalone mode) with minimal hard disk accesses (i.e. no streaming audio) and dimmest screen backlight setting. Also I make the microKONTROL use its own power (batteries) so there's no drain on the laptop battery.

Now if only I could find myself a nice portable pair of reference monitor speakers which run on batteries.

I'd love to have my KRK V4's run on battery power ....

[kennerb]

My band has been touring a lot, we have a 95 Diesel 25 passenger shuttle bus that we've converted. We put in a power converter, and currently have 5 laptops on the bus running most of the time, there's usually 7-8 of us on the bus at a time. We're on a 2 week tour in California right now, as a matter of fact.

I do a lot of writing tracks on the bus while we're travelling. The other day, our drummer took over my laptop for the afternoon, and wrote a killer beat, kind of samba meets drum 'n bass thing, in Fruity Loops. Now I'm writing a track around that. It's a great way to kill time while travelling.

Right on! Your about 30 minutes up the road from me! What's the name of your band? I'll come check you out if your around.