New here! unanswered question re Fast Track Pro

[rmrose]

I have searched in past posts, and I do not think I found a definitive answer for this one yet, so here goes.

I have been hired for one show. I need 4 discrete outputs. Simple really. My first time with SCS, but, it looks straight-forward enough.

The theatre company has just purchased a Dell-Inspiron Laptop with Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T5750 Midnight Blue I1525-130B, which is being delivered this week. I am limited to using this laptop. Period. (I made many recommendations, but, this was all they would spend...).

I find very little information on the sound capabilities other than it is "High Def 2.0." But it only has 2 headphone jacks. I believe it is ludicrous to run out from those. It looks like it has USB 2.0, and mini-firewire.

So, I will need an output interface. I use several on my personal system (Mac G5 Tower, or MacBook Pro Intel).But this is for this company and this show...

I have no idea if I can persuade the theatre to make this purchase. The PM knows nothing about sound, the TD is a wannabe, and the Artistic Director is, to put it nicely, extremely fiscally conscientious, and has no clue about sound... nice guys all, but it is like talking to a brick wall. Chances are it will be an uphill battle. If I cannot persuade them, I may just get it for myself and let the theatre use it for this show.

Either way, money is very, very tight.

So there are a few threads on thes forums discussing the M-Audio Fast Track Pro (4 out). It is USB. But, I can purchase it for as low as USD 140.00. Easier to swallow for all of us!

However I have read in some of the posts that some people have had issues with drop-outs (Dells' USB chipset), that USB may not be fast enough?, etc.

So, I aks definitively: has anyone had any experience with this output device? Will it work with this laptop?

I begin techs next week, and I would rather focus on the cues themselves, and not the hardware...

Thanks, so much to everyone!!

--Richard.

[medrolet]

Hi, Richard. I've been using a Fast Track Pro with my Dell Inspiron 600m laptop for three years. I've never had a drop-out problem. Good luck.

[rmrose]

Thank you, for your good wishes, and your timely response.

I am trying to get them to pay a bit extra for the Delta 1010LT PCI card, but, we shall see!

Thanks, to all, for a great forum. I am enjoying the posts, and learning a lot...

--R.