Danny,

I thought I’d throw my 2 cents in on this after the gurus have weighed in. (Most of these other guys know a lot more about this than I do).

I know you’re trying to keep the amount of equipment down, but I would think you would WANT to have a small mixer sitting next to your laptop so you could tweak your levels as needed, even if you didn’t need a volume boost. The added benefit is being able to get that powered mixer out of your way and out of your line of sight. I would feel “crowded” if I had that powered mixer within reach, but I’d feel limited if I didn’t have a small mixer next to the laptop so I’d have some control over the levels.

JMHO.

Bob
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http://soundcloud.com/bobcflatpicke/music-in-the-mountains