MusicRadar

Acer's Aspire One is a leading contender in the current netbook market.

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Limiting factors

Which brings us to the big question: how useful is a netbook is for music production? The answer really depends on your work methods and expectations, but before we get on to the good stuff, let's deal with the bad news, for there are four main limitations to the design of a netbook that will have an impact on its music-making potential.

The first is the relatively low resolution of the screens. In 2009, most models are only marginally better off than the original Asus 701, with a widescreen resolution of 1024x600. You could hardly display a minimal Cubase mixer within that amount of space.

Secondly, the processing power on these devices is not cutting edge. The Intel Atom processor, used by most netbooks, only takes a subset of functionality from Intel's powerful Core 2 series. With an average clock-speed of just 1.6GHz, and various other concessions being made to battery life, you can expect system performance that corresponds to Intel's 'full-fat' processors from around late 2003.

The third limitation is space. In these tiny devices, there just isn't enough room for terabytes of storage. Most plumb for tiny 1.8-inch PATA, and while these provides tens of gigabytes of storage, they're expensive and unproven in the rigorous world of multitrack audio. Fortunately, this particular problem can be side-stepped with external USB storage, but then your system starts to get bulky, thus defeating the point of it.

The final restriction is the quality and performance of the on-board audio, which is going to be no better than you'd get from the embedded audio on your average laptop or desktop PC. That means it's susceptible to interference and unsuitable for recording an external source.

That said, netbooks are capable of relatively low-latency operation using the ASIO4ALL driver layer (we don't know of any with direct ASIO support), and you always have the option of using an external USB device.

Creative compromises

What all this means is that you'll need to be creative in how you use your miniature laptop. In essence, using a netbook for audio is going to feel like stepping back into 2003, but this isn't necessarily a bad thing.

These days, we take processing power, storage and high screen resolution for-granted – we're inundated with possibilities and potential. Using a less capable system could make you work in a very different way – such niceties as copious reverb, low latency and a dozen soft synths will become an untouchable luxury, forcing you to improvise.

It's the lack of screen space that will be the biggest sticking point, though. Thanks to a netbook being a standard PC, there's no reason why most software won't install and run, but you won't necessarily be as productive. Most netbooks bundle heavily customised versions of Linux or Windows XP, and you can't simply transpose your Cubase or Live setup to a netbook's display.

Propellerhead's Reason 4, for example, will install and actually run quite well, but the cramped display makes dealing with racks of virtual equipment a nightmare. Sonar, too, is said to work adequately, and with a decent USB interface you should be able to record several 24-bit audio tracks at once. Whether it's comfortable and practical to work with, though, is another matter.