| Author
|
Portable music production
|
Tomos
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
84
Posts :
981
Posted : Nov 15, 2012 00:15:32
|
I have the option to buy a new laptop for my birthday this week (my 30th,I'm getting on!)
I was wondering if anyone has any experience working on tablets. What's the current state of music production for portable devices.
Ipads are particularly expensive, but some of the lower priced android devices seem pretty powerful, but what is the software like?
Can anybody recommend, or point me in the direction of a fair priced laptop or tablet for audio work on the move? No games, no frills, just music.
  -------------- Studio Engineer --------------
Brighton, UK.
Head Engineer and Co-Owner Gold Leaf Studio |
|
|
|
knocz
Moderator
Started Topics :
40
Posts :
1151
Posted : Nov 15, 2012 06:39
|
First of all, happy birthday!
For audio production, both in the studio and live, I recommend Rain Recording gear http://www.raincomputers.co.uk (U.S. site available too)
Elsewise either you hand pick and experiment with every component you can get your hand on with a barebone laptop, or try your luck with a pre-made model.. Also, the operating system tuning has a lot of effect on the overall system performance.
As for tablets, I've got both an Android and a iPad,and although there are curious solutions and little apps, nothing compares to the real deal PC (or Mac, if that's your poison). Nonetheless, there are some curious interaction methods made possible with touch technologies, and the apps that explore this (and have good sound quality) give you a different type of expressiveness (such as large X-Y pads and some modular interaction solutions). Although there are apps with complete synth engines and a kazilion of parameters, most only offer 5 - 8 parameters to fiddle with, having to select a different preset to change these parameters (making it unsuable for any medium to advanced synthesis audio craft), but some are fully functional (and paid - but they are cheaper than VST's).
In sound and app quality, currently iOS apps have better quality and diversity than Android, probably due to a higher acceptance from the community to spend money on apps, thus having money for R&D and improvements - and if you "pimp your ride" with some accessories, you can have audio and MIDI input(s?), rendering the tablets as ultra-portable synths.
Due to this, I personally don't see much of a real and serious use for tablets and music production, being put in the box of "curious novelty" and "toys". But please, someone point me wrong!
Super Banana Sauce http://www.soundcloud.com/knocz |
|
|
|
Galaxy Machine
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
15
Posts :
170
Posted : Nov 15, 2012 10:56
|
|
ansolas
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
108
Posts :
977
Posted : Nov 15, 2012 16:08
|
|
Tomos
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
84
Posts :
981
Posted : Nov 15, 2012 19:09
|
Thank you so much for the replies! If I really think about it, a tablets is no more than a toy or sketchpad at best in terms of production because of the lack of supported accessories, peripherals and even basic midi i/o support. It's such a shame, clearly there is a HUGE gap for musicians wanting to use tablets but they really seem in their infancy.
I've got this vision of me, laying in bed, too lazy to get up and go sit at the desk with the PC, just fiddling away, creating some great rough ideas that seamlessly transfer over to the big brother computer for mixing and refinement.
Piano roll? Nope - the tracks screen shrinks to the corner and the display turns into a piano to play the notes in.
Thank you so much for the Rain PC page. I actually had my own IT company for 6 years and was up to date on everything. Hardware, software, manufacturers and where to buy.. I quit to focus entirely on music and I feel so out of the loop right now. I used to use Novatech for custom desktop & laptop builds, but their choice seems a bit limited these days.
What irks me about custom laptops is that if you want an epic i7 quad processor, they instantly assume you want a graphics card to go with it.. NO! Damnit, I'm a musician, I don't want distractions like games. Processor + RAM, that's all I care about (big storage and an SSD too)
A little 15 inch laptop, lightweight, thin ultra book thing would be perfect. But the prices start to get insane when you get to a usable level of power. Latency and stutter gets to be a real problem on laptops with any bottlenecks in the cpu, memory or HD.
That's why SSDs are so awesome for us musicians. I have a Raid0 setup in my main studio box. They are so quick at reading & writing with zero latency (random seek time equivalent for a HD). I have personally noted that an SSD can make a significant reduction of load and strain off the Cpu too because of the seeking, command queuing and general super heavy drive mashing that running a music project puts on the system.
I dunno guys.. A netbook (portability of tablet, apps and connectivity of a PC) is an option, but they just aren't that powerful are they?
I'm not just going to buy something for the sake of it, I've really got to consider this. My studio is currently packed up in boxes temporarily until next year.
I am *seriously* missing working on tracks, writing tunes, sketching ideas and fun experimentation.
ideally - - a powerful,visited very portable machine that can scale up to be finished in the studio later.
Conclusion..
It doesn't exist yet does it! Few more years of increased processor power and when tablets start to come of age.
-------------- Studio Engineer --------------
Brighton, UK.
Head Engineer and Co-Owner Gold Leaf Studio |
|
|
|
Galaxy Machine
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
15
Posts :
170
Posted : Nov 15, 2012 19:52
|
Small addition, clarification about my suggestion.
The MPK mini's software editor with Cubase is a bit time consuming to setup. Though this is the first time i have to use such editor to map VST knobs. But i also read about Novation mapping software in good regards. So you might reconsider or better test the stuff before you decide, whatever.
With general portable music creation, i dunno but when you use Ableton and maybe extra soundcard like from Focusrite the Saphire of such you should be good to go.
SpaceAlpha - http://soundcloud.com/galaxy-studio |
|
|
|
holasoyneto
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
25
Posts :
33
Posted : Nov 16, 2012 09:15
|
Quote:
|
On 2012-11-15 19:52, Galaxy Machine wrote:
Small addition, clarification about my suggestion.
The MPK mini's software editor with Cubase is a bit time consuming to setup. Though this is the first time i have to use such editor to map VST knobs. But i also read about Novation mapping software in good regards. So you might reconsider or better test the stuff before you decide, whatever.
With general portable music creation, i dunno but when you use Ableton and maybe extra soundcard like from Focusrite the Saphire of such you should be good to go.
|
|
try ableton 
yo quiero taco |
|
|
|
Galaxy Machine
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
15
Posts :
170
Posted : Nov 17, 2012 04:41
|
|
Melange5738
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
13
Posts :
142
Posted : Nov 17, 2012 07:37
|
I like everything on my Toshiba except the keyboard. Of course you can always buy a better keyboard and plug it in while you are at home.
Get a quad core processor or similar, lots of RAM, and forget the apple crap. If you use Microsoft (which I presume you will unless you go Scrapple) make sure you get at least 5GB RAM if you use 64bit, which you want to. |
|
|
|
Kolishin Methud
Started Topics :
5
Posts :
266
Posted : Nov 17, 2012 09:09
|
|
PoM
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
162
Posts :
8087
Posted : Nov 26, 2012 13:09
|
|
for portable monitoring a minirig and a good headphone would probablly rock.. (thanks to colin for pointing out this mini speaker, it s great) |
|
|
|
PsiloCybian
Mammal Footwork
Started Topics :
92
Posts :
557
Posted : Nov 26, 2012 13:51
|
im using a ipad 2 for makin ideas while in bed or on a plane/bus etc  there are so much quallity apps out there its crazy there are atleast 10 DAWs, crazy synths (animooog, ims20, impactor etc.) and now with the new ios there will be an audio connection between different audio apps so im guessing you will be able to use all those awesome apps at once
www.psilocybian.com / www.facebook.com/psilocybian |
|
|
|
PoM
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
162
Posts :
8087
Posted : Nov 26, 2012 15:33
|
was close to buy a ipad just cause of konkreet performer, i need this ! it worht the ipad price alone to me then all the cool apps as bonus !
would be neat for a live performance to show konkreet on screens when it s used
something i m wondering, when used as controller the ipad is precise? for adjusting faders of a daw console for example? |
|
|
|
Melange5738
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
13
Posts :
142
Posted : Nov 28, 2012 23:31
|
|
But why iPad? You can get a crummy used laptop for 20 bucks with more CPU. |
|
|
|
Oni Katsu
Li/fe
Started Topics :
101
Posts :
704
Posted : Nov 29, 2012 20:51
|
Quote:
|
On 2012-11-28 23:31, Melange5738 wrote:
But why iPad? You can get a crummy used laptop for 20 bucks with more CPU.
|
|
why want bread when you can have cake? 
http://soundcloud.com/li-fe
I said I like it dirty, not muddy. |
|
|
|
