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So What Is It?
From one of the most revered names in audio plug-ins comes the latest incarnation of hardware/software plug-in processing ... and this time it's portable. For those of you that don't know what the PowerCore system is, it is a hardware processor that runs high quality software plug-ins in order to take some of the heavy processor load off of your computer. This current version, the "PowerCore Compact," was designed with the laptop owner in mind, and I can attest to the fact that it interfaces easily with a laptop via FireWire. Of course, the PowerCore Compact interfaces with a desktop computer via FireWire too.
How Well Does It Work?
Now initially, I have to admit that although I do record with my laptop via an external USB mic-pre, I wasn't sure I could see myself lugging along yet another piece of gear in my laptop bag. However, being the gadgetarian that I am, I certainly wasn't against trying. I have always had an affinity for the TC plugins and the PowerCore Compact comes with a bunch of them. In fact, this unit comes with 12 plug-ins that are easily worth the value of the hardware unit itself (those sneaky marketers). In the past, I have always been a little reluctant to use my laptop for "bigger" remote recording as it is just not designed for the job. Things like CPU cooling, hard drive speed and limited processing power (in comparison to one of my bigger workstations) always forced me to make sub-mixes of projects. It's always nice to go record a piano track on the big Steinway at the concert hall,...