Power Book For Live Performance, " Ivoiry Piano " best config ? Options

[SOUKOUSS]

Hi all,

I will make a Tour in France in june / july, and I'd like use the Ivoiry Synthogy on stage.
What is the best config I need to have ?

Is the following a good idea ? :
Power book 15" processor 1,5 or 1,67 ? with 1,5 Gig RAM
HD firewire, for the Ivoiry install folder
RME fireface

What is the best linkink of the sound card and of the Hard disk ? The both on the same FW800 port ( in "chain mode ") or one on the FW400 and one on the FW800? And which one ?

I have already a Maxtor Firewire 250 Go /16 Mo cache with 150 Go free
Can I use it for Ivoiry, or need I use one HD only for the ivoiry ?
If I create a partition on my Maxtor, is it as good as have a dedicated HD ?

Thank you very much guys for reading me, and your answers !
BYE

[coldharbour]

Synthogy uses a massive library of samples, so it is important to have as much RAM as possible. Depending on the other software you need to be running, I believe 1,5 GHz PB will be just fine. Sample playback isn't very heavy on the processor, plus that the speed difference between the two models isn't that great.

If you need to have the samples on a separate HD I suggest you place them in the FW800 in case Synthogy needs to stream data live from the disk.

Partitioning your disk it isn't as good as having a dedicated HD, this is because in a partitioned HD all partitioned disks still have only the one physical data bus and thus the transfer speed isn't maximal per disk.

(Note : If you're using only Synthogy I don't think it makes much difference on how you connect your equipment, because PB is able to handle much more processing than your setup demands.)

[SOUKOUSS]

Thanks coldharbour ! It's so clear.

Bye

[iShawn]

What is the best linkink of the sound card and of the Hard disk ? The both on the same FW800 port ( in "chain mode ") or one on the FW400 and one on the FW800? And which one ?

Can you use Firewire hubs for such instances as these if you're going to use multiple FW 400/800 interfaces / drives?

[SOUKOUSS]

I am not sure to have understand your question... but :

I have always heard saying that there is a easy way to "chain" many firewire devices, like a hard drive and a sound card, both plug into the same FW port. Less using a HUB.
Your devices must have two FW ports. If So, you just plug the 1st device ( hard disk for example ) into the FW port of your computer, then use the second free port of that device, to connect on the second device ( a sound card ).
Same way to connect a third device to the second, etc.

By that way you can have many devices on the same FW800 port of your computer, less using a HUB.
Am I wrong ?

[iShawn]

I am not sure to have understand your question... but :

I have always heard saying that there is a easy way to "chain" many firewire devices, like a hard drive and a sound card, both plug into the same FW port. Less using a HUB.
Your devices must have two FW ports. If So, you just plug the 1st device ( hard disk for example ) into the FW port of your computer, then use the second free port of that device, to connect on the second device ( a sound card ).
Same way to connect a third device to the second, etc.

By that way you can have many devices on the same FW800 port of your computer, less using a HUB.
Am I wrong ?

Would the speed be the same for all of them, as far as transfer rates and such?

[SOUKOUSS]

Like I said, I've just heard talking about that chaining mode, but I'm not expert.

iShawn,
there is no question to have if you have more than two interfaces for only two FW ports on our computer : you HAVE to use the chain mode, or some HUBs, and in both cases, you share the bandwith.

If you have only two interaces, like in my case, I still wondering if it's good to use the same FW800 port, or to separate them. I precise that the question wouldn't exist if I had two FW800 ports... !