People with keyboard rigs made with mini PCs or mini Macs, can I see some photos of how you built your system? I think I’ve made a mistake getting a mini PC instead of a laptop. Now I’m struggling with ways to make it portable so I can take it to band practice and gigs. I’ve thought about trying to mount it all in a flight case, or in a hollowed-out reclaimed desktop computer case. None of my ideas seem very practical or elegant when I think about them.
I’m trying to transition to a software-based keyboard rig. The mini had great specs for a very low price. But now I’m wondering if I should just suck it up and pay for a really nice laptop computer.
I use mine scratched in a 3U 19’’ Flightcase together with my audio interface, a USB Hub, some power supply units, an 8in/8out ADAT 1U extension and I also store my touchscreen inside during transport.
Oh, i’m pretty sure that it’s a “Silk-Sonic” breed.
It is said to enhance the overall sound to be much softer, when it’s lying on the main bus cables.
Possible drawbacks for using it might be:
may need a comb filter to avoid unwanted fluffyness
it eventually produces a permanent low frequent hum
if you stress it too much you might hear a harsh hissing sound (do confuse it with periodical white noise, due to trial period)
Although this shows my laptop I did move to a Lenovo mini PC that’s mounted behind the audio interface and a portable monitor that sits were the laptop is.
I have used both MacBook Pros and Mac Minis in my live setup. The Mac Mini is my preference these days for the following reasons:
Placement and accessibility of a laptop can be a challenge. Although I don’t use the computer keyboard during a performance, I want to see my set list and rackspace. Setting the laptop on the 2-tier keyboard stand requires an extra shelf, or setting it to the side of keyboards on my rack.
The Mini is prewired to the audio interface, USB hub, and other components in my rack. This facilitates stable connections and quicker setup time. The USB C video monitor can be placed for optimum visibility using a Tackform mounting clamp attached to my keyboard stand. Most of the wiring to the keyboards (USB, power supply, pedals) are wrapped into 2 short snakes for efficiency.
Maybe I’m being too cautious, but if I’m performing a club gig, I’m afraid to leave my rig unattended. Someone could easily snatch my $4000 MacBook Pro. A Kensington lock would prevent it, but it’s an extra step.
The Mini is less expensive, even when factoring the cost of a video monitor and other accessories. It’s not as portable as a laptop, but I still have an old MacBook Pro as a backup.
I am happy with my laptop setup. Basically it sits to my left on a small laptop/projector stand. The wired mouse sits on the left slide of my top keyboard. If I need to move the mouse or the keyboard on occasion, I can. It is a bit protected by my keyboards in front of it. At gigs, luckily, it rarely leaves my line of sight (well, bathroom breaks, I guess) I also use a tablet on a small music stand (with velcro) in front of me (using Mobilesheets Pro).
I also have my small audio interface on top of my lower keyboard.
Which sample rates are supported? I borrowed the cat from the neighbors, but I had some squealing artifacts. (I must admit it was not a genuine pure Silk-Sonic.)
Yeah the portability’s a problem. Mine is a NUC12-based system with a 15.6" touchscreen a USB/MIDI dongle and a Radial Engineering USB AO (great product BTW). The stand is homemade and the NUC and touchscreen are on a double VESA mount clamped to the Gibraltar rail. It’s pretty compact and I have a Bluetooth trackball keyboard for when I need to more serious programming of Gig Performer.
My next iteration of this is going to move everything but the MIDI controllers into a Gator GR-RETRORACK-2BK so I can leave the stand and controllers at the practice room and use my studio MIDI controllers to practice with and do Gig Performer programming at home.
