For modern music producers in the midst of our media-everywhere world, having a really capable computer has moved from “Oh that’s nice” to essential.
For this video review of the ASUS Zenbook Pro Duo, we’re turning again to Consordini demo specialist Alan Scott. As a professional musician and producer, Alan states what’s going to sound obvious: these days, our computers are our instruments, our sequencers, or we can turn them into old school tape machines.
If you want to tap directly into Consordini’s large catalog of pro-level gear reviews, go to https://Consordini.com
Next Gen, Meh
But if a computer is so important to a producer, there hasn’t been anything too innovative about laptops, where year after year manufacturer’s battle it out over better chip specs, higher res screens and the like. So how about some innovation in laptops, which really haven’t busted beyond their borders for a while.
Twice the Fun
Well, the ASUS Zenbook Pro Duo does just that: delivering something beyond bling that can shake up the way you work. The “duo” in the name gains real world meaning when you gaze at the second screen, a responsive touch screen that covers the top of the keyboard. Asus calls it Screen Pad Plus, and suggests it can offer secondary controls to a variety of pro apps, while still staying within the parameters of a modern laptop.
It’s a striking and innovative use of some extra space above your keyboard. True, the compact setup might not be what you want for extended editing sessions. Instead, we’re talking spur of the moment, when reaching for something this compact and (reasonably) light at 5.5lbs won’t be a chore. Though really, if you buy you laptops solely for email and budgets, this might be much more than you need.
In our video, Scott sets up the Zenbook Duo Pro as a mixing console, or you might, as he shows, shift immediately to an editing timeline. Very cool and, I must say, innovative.
Tech Spec Time
The tech inside tracks closely to other lines’ top models. That’s expected if you’re going to compete in the pro space. The top Zenbook Pro Duo model features the latest Intel core i9 8 core processor, which can be overclocked to 5GHz. That’s way more than enough for any audio processing you might do on a laptop. But that speed comes in very handy when you begin editing multiple streams of 4K video.
Some of the more than standard features of this top model of the ASUS Zenbook Pro Duo have to mention the 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. Meanwhile, the NVIDIA RTX 2060 graphics card remains a powerful choice for both high-end audio and video work.
The main display’s OLED 4K panel covers 100% of DCI P3 and Adobe RGB color gamut. The unit reviewed also offers a touch screen. Prices start at around $1,500 USD but can quickly get to some $2,500 USD if you get this tricked out model.
But enough of my description. If you are a tech geek like I am, then you want to see the machine in action. So click on the image link below, and check out Alan’s informative video. I’ll just opine that Asus’ powerful machine, designed for media creators, might make the top of your next production budget.
ASUS Zenbook Pro Duo Quick Specs:
• CPU: 2.4GHz Intel Core i9-9980HK (octa-core, 16MB cache, up to 5GHz)
• Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 • RAM: 32GB DDR4 (2,666MHz)
• Screen: 15.6-inch, OLED Ultra HD (3,840 x 2,160) and Screenpad Plus, a 14-inch Ultra HD (3,840 x 1,110) touch display
• Storage: 1TB PCIe SSD
• Ports: 1 x Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C), 2 x USB-C 3.1, HDMI 2.0, headset jack
• Connectivity: Intel Wi-Fi 6 with Gig+ performance (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5
• Camera: IR webcam with Windows Hello support • Weight: 5.5lbs (2.5kg) • Size: 14.13 x 9.68 x 0.94 inches (35.9 x 24.6 x 2.4cm; W x D x H)
