First of all everything depends on what kind of music you play, which instrument you play and what kind of venues you expect to play in.

My own setup is: a laptop with BB installed, a Roland Studio Canvas SD-50 as sound module and a sound enhamcement or crossover processor, all mounted in a SKB 1SKB19-RSF2U Studio Flyer Laptop/2U Rack/Flight Case.

From there I amplify (nearly) everything (treble and middle) in stereo to a Roland 250 Passport, except for the bass, which goes in Mono to a Gallien-Krueger MBS bass amp.

I prefer BB as there are (slight) variations in the accompanyment, like a real jazz combo.

Moreover I play the 7-string guitar via a Roland GR-33 guitar synth, a small pedal board, into a Quilter 8 combo amp.

As you see my equipment is small, easy to carry and does not take up a lot of space.

The SD-50 improves the sound, compared to any soundcard output!!!

Brgds,
Tonnie van der Heide