Hi, I am new on the list. I used Max a long time ago. Thanks Miller for making PD.

I would like to set up

Laptop + Linux + PD + LowLatencySoundCard

for audio and midi.

I am in the fortunate position of not having any prior constraints since I will buy the system from scratch, but I am concerned about getting parts that will work together.

For a low-latency (<10ms) soundcard I've been turned onto RME Hammerfall, but I understand from previous discussion on the list and the net that

o there is some ALSA driver that works for some RME system (but not a laptop system?) o there is currently no working ALSA driver for the Multiface o there might be a third-party ALSA driver for the Multiface sometime o there might someday be a working ALSA driver for the Multiface that is supported by RME

(did i get this right?) (anyone able to use an RME Multiface with PD on Linux?)...so I'm afraid that this probably won't work at the moment. Also, I don't know if there are any quirks with particular Laptops with regards to Linux/PD.

My question is: can anyone specify such a system for me that they've been able to get working or is reasonably sure would work? (I assume I'd use RedHat 7.2 (do I have to get a low-latency kernel?), and the latest version of PD...but what laptop and what soundcard?) (or conversely, what laptop/soundcard NOT to get?)

Thanks in advance, --Ali