From deke@dekethegeek.com Sun Jan 12 10:49:00 2003
Subject:RE: How much for a B4 setup all totaled?

< I don't know if it would work).>>

I use a Dell Latitude laptop for my rig... PII 266... 256 MB of Ram running Win2K. works fine.

< used laptop can be gotten for $900.>>

I am actually looking for a new laptop. Looking around at the stores, any new laptop you buy would have more than enough horsepower to run 6 instances of B4! I think the "kiddie model" that I was shown at Circuit City for $799 was a 1.5 GHz Celeron with 128 MB of RAM and a 20 or 30 GB hard drive. Not to mention the fact that it had a combo CDRW/DVD drive in it. Definitely a steal by the standards of 5 years ago. This was a brand new in the box HP laptop I think... 3 year warranty, etc.

<<1. LAPTOP (minimum requirements?)>>

See above... most anything will do. I would *HIGHLY* recommend win 2000 as your OS, especially if it is a slower machine. It's much more stable than any of the 9x operating systems, and there are some specific tweaks you can do to make it run faster / smoother than a win98 box (just do a search on Google for "DAW XP tweaks". DAW = Digital Audio Workstation. XP worked reasonably well on mine, but because of the CPU speed I went with 2K... YMMV.

<<2. soundcard or midi usb port to connect keyboard ( which one and how much )>>

M-Audio Quattro (has built in MIDI ports and 4 each balanced outputs and balanced inputs) - $259
Edirol UA-20 (a pair of audio outs and ins, MIDI I/O, and a headphone port for practicing) - $179
Echo Indigo (PCMCIA card with no provision for input, but two stereo outs - plus it's very tiny) - $99

Keep in mind that with the Indigo you will also have to purchase a separate USB to MIDI adapter.

MIDIMAN USB MIDI 2X2 - $59

<<3. B4 software>>

Saw the whole deal (extra tonewheels and all) at Guitar Center for $99

<<4. Midi controller for the drawbars (pocketfader?...how much)>>

I think the Pocket Fader is about $279, but I may be wrong. The other option is to use Evolution products. I personally use their MK-361C ($199), a 61 key controller with 16 (!) assignable control knobs and an assignable slider (use mine for amp gain, but it could be used for expression). They also sell a knob controller unit separate from the keyboard that just has the knobs for around $129

One thing that's not on your list that really helps me is the Behringer FCB-1010. It is a MIDI foot controller that has two expression pedal, both assignable, and a myriad of other program change and switching features - $119. If your MIDI controller already has a CV pedal input, you may not need this, but I use one pedal for expression (CC#11), and the other for modulation (CC#1). This way I can hold chords with both hands and still change Leslie speeds with the pedal, but when I use a synth VST (Pro-53), it acts as a modulation for that as well.

<>

Assuming you only want one manual, and you already own your controller of choice...

Laptop = ~$900 new in the box w/ warranty
B4 software = ~$100
Sound and MIDI I/O = you will spend $175 or so at a minimum, depending on your configuration of choice.
Drawbar controller = ~$129 to over $1000, depending on what you use. In my case this is integrated into my upper manual. If the controller you already have happens to have a drawbar interface (CX-3, VK-7, etc.), you can leave this out.

So that brings us up to about $1200 to get the ball rolling. This of course can be offset by purchasing a used laptop, or in my case already owning one.

Deke The Geek
-watching the snow fall in Dallas-