A few months ago, I asked the question, will your iPhone be your next sound module? Well, perhaps that time has come, thanks to Akai’s SynthStation25 and SynthStation49 keyboards, which threaten to turn your iDevice into a fully fledged music workstation.

It’s a neat concept, and Akai seems to have implemented it well.  The accompanying iDevice app contains three virtual-analogue synths with all the controls you’d expect, complemented by a simple MPC style drum machine.  All elements can be brought together by the onboard sequencer, and there’s lots of onscreen controls, from a touchscreen mixer window to an X-Y controller.  The keyboards themselves are touch sensitive, have pitch and modulation wheels, and an array of buttons, including 9 lovely MPC style drum machine buttons on the 49 key model.  The keyboards also can operate as regular USB/MIDI controllers, effectively turning your iDevice into a proper MIDI synth.  The iDevice can be mounted into the keyboard dash, much as the old Yamaha QY10s used to fit into Novation keyboards almost 20 years ago. It’s a lovely idea, though I think the synths will need to be a bit more powerful to attract serious use.

The thing is, Akai plan to open up development to third parties, which will mean more powerful synths and sequencer will come very soon.  Indeed, a few have arrived already, such as 50-in-1, nanoStudio and VirSyn’s iVoxel, a very functional vocoder.  Expect more very soon.

With the more powerful iPad 2 just launched, and the iPhone 5 probably only a few months away, things are really hotting up yet again in the music/iDevice realm.

The amount of music apps for the iPad has exploded recently, and with the (albeit very late) arrival of iOS4.2, things are looking up for the iPad as a useful tool for musicians. You can use it for anything from reading scores or lyrics to pretty much controlling a whole gig, and almost anything in between. But one simple problem up until now has been, where does one put the thing when on stage?Well, IK Multimedia seem to have solved this problem with their very clever iKlip, which allows the iPad to be clipped to any microphone stand. Finally, no more flimsy music stands for your expensive iPad!

]]> http://www.moanincronin.com/2010/11/30/iklip-taking-your-ipad-to-the-stage/feed/ 0 http://www.moanincronin.com/2010/06/10/will-your-iphone-be-your-next-sound-module/ http://www.moanincronin.com/2010/06/10/will-your-iphone-be-your-next-sound-module/#comments Thu, 10 Jun 2010 00:17:34 +0000 Derek http://www.moanincronin.com/?p=211

With the iPhone 4 sporting a new operating system and Apple’s A4 1Ghz processor (which it shares with the iPad), the question has to be asked; will the iPhone/iPad be fast enough to be a reliable simple synth for live use?

Of course, there is a plethora of synth apps, from Theremins to drum machines, available for the iPhone, and if you just want a common-or-garden General MIDI synth there’s Crimson Tech’s Wavesynth, which is perfectly serviceable.

On course, the only problem has been that while a touchscreen interface is cute, and maybe even useful in a musical situation, it’s not exactly the same as, say, a real music keyboard. That’s where Line 6’s new MIDI Mobilizer comes in. It’s the first MIDI interface for the iPhone. So far, however, it only works with Line6’s own app which essentially allows you to record and play back MIDI data, It can’t really be used to control other apps on the iPhone. Yet.

I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before the dots are joined and we can start using the iPhone/Touch/iPad as a tiny little synth module, for just dialling in a string pad or whatever. I’m not saying it’ll be any good, but I like the notion of turning up at a gig with just a MIDI controller and an iPhone or iPad. A 1Ghz processor should be plenty to do some reasonably simple sample playback, considering that it wasn’t that long ago that a 1Ghz processor in a desktop was considered state of the art.

Til then, I’m still dragging the laptop around I guess!

I was recently doing some music tech consultancy work which presented me with an interesting conundrum. Picture this: my client has a control room running a G5 Mac, with tie lines down a stairs to a live room containing the most beautiful vintage grand piano. The challenge was to be able to record ones-self on the piano, without a tape op, and without having to make constant trips up & down the stairs.At first, I thought the best solution was good-old PowerKeys, which I have written about on other occasions. But my client didn’t have an iPhone, and besides, it wouldn’t necessarily give the control or feedback required in this case.

What my client did have though, was a MacBook. So I got to thinking about the possibility of remote controlling the G5 from the MacBook over WiFi. This is very possible with Apple Remote Desktop and it starts at only $200. That went down really well then…

Another possibility was to use the new “Back to my Mac” service available for Leopard and Snow Leopard. Sadly, my client’s G5 was on Tiger, and he didn’t want to upgrade.

So, we needed a solution which worked on older operating systems, was simple to use, and preferably was cheap/free. I had downloaded the TeamViewer app to my iPhone out of pure curiosity, and decided to try it out as a possible solution. I just loaded up the app on the G5, and within about a minute, I was controlling it from my iPhone. So, I loaded it on the MacBook, and five minutes later, we were downstairs recording the piano remotely. It really was that simple.

There are other remote management solutions out there, such as LogMeIn, GoToMyPC, and Apple’s aforementioned products, but TeamViewer won out for pure simplicity, compatibility, and price. It works, on pretty much anything (including Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone/Touch), and it’s free. It’s also surprisingly responsive for a remote management system.

So next time you’re sitting behind your drums, at the piano, or even just over at the sweet spot behind the mic, but away from the keyboard, grab your iPhone/netbook or whatever, load up TeamViewer, and start taking control!

With that in mind, I’ve decided to publish my own Logic 8 pkl file, with transport buttons and a few extras besides (including a handy toggle between screens 1 & 2 and, of course, Save). I hope some people might find it useful. Of course, this is optimized for use with the standard Logic key commands, so I am not responsible if you accidently delete everything!

The people at PowerKeys are promising us an editor for PowerKeys, and I’m sure they’ve their eye on the iPad too, so expect some new features! I, for one, am very much looking forward to running apps like PowerKeys on the iPad.

You can find the Logic 8 pkl file here. Just change the .txt to .pkl and drag it to your PowerKeys dock icon, and enjoy controlling Logic from across the room or house.

Of course you’ll need the latest version of PowerKeys OS X, currently at 1.2, and the latest version of the iPhone app too. Oh yeah, and you need wi-fi. And Logic Pro 7 and upwards. And an iPhone/Touch. And a Mac. You knew that, right?

Firstly, Microsoft finally ended the nightmare that was Vista, with the full release of Windows 7. The launch has been a resounding success, and undoubtedly, Windows 7 will usher in a new and successful era for Microsoft. Even self-confessed Mac fangirl Cali Lewis of geekbrief.tv admitted it’s a great operating system, much to the chagrin of some of her own fans. Those holding their breath since XP can finally upgrade to something they see as decent, and those on Vista can look forward to a faster, less cluttered and more satisfying user experience.

Meanwhile, Google just announced their new Google Maps Navigation software, which will give Android 2.0 phone users a turn-by-turn GPS navigation system. It includes voice activation, integration with Google’s StreetView (so you can see exactly what each turn looks like) and of course it leverages all the Google Maps and Google Search features we’ve come to know and love, so you can, as the blurb says, “search for ‘the Museum with the King Tut exhibit’”. Oh, and it’s free. TomTom and Garmin employees are probably already updating their CVs.

To top it off, Google also announced their new OneBox music search system, which allows users to find, preview and purchase music. Again, it leverages Google’s search technology. For example, you can type in a few lyrics of a song to find it, which is something I know many of us have been doing with Google for years (get with the programme iTunes!). Thanks to partnerships with MySpace, Rhapsody, Pandora and iLike , you can now listen to previews, and (this is the one record companies will love,) it will suggest various ways of purchasing the music. Unfortunately, this service is currently only available in the US.

We all knew Windows 7 was coming, but I’m sure it’s no coincidence that Google waited for this week to announce their two new services. Google Maps Navigation software will eventually become available for other phones, including the iPhone, but we’ve been here before with Microsoft. When a company develops an OS and a crucial piece of software (such as Microsoft Windows and Office), guess which OS gets preferential treatment? Great GPS software on a phone could be a dealbreaker for many users, and no-one is better placed than Google to do Sat Nav well, and you can bet the best experience of Google Maps Navigation will be on Google’s own OS. On the music side, an open system (as opposed to something closed like iTunes) will definitely attract users and creators alike. Google plans to make this service feel more like using Limewire than iTunes.

Meanwhile, Apple have reached a zenith of sorts: iPod penetration has reached a type of saturation point; their latest OS is basically a minor upgrade; and the initial euphoria of the iPhone is being replaced by a sort of “so what?” feeling, as other phone makers catch up.

Think about it: Apple’s ad campaigns (“I’m a Mac/I’m a PC”, “There’s an app for that”, and “10,000 songs”) will soon start to sound a bit lame against strong rival phone and handheld operating systems, and the might of Google’s search applied to music.

Of course, the great white hope for Apple is this mysterious “Tablet”. The Tablet may be Apple’s game-changer, revolutionising the world of publishing the way the iPod changed music forever. But now there’s no doubt that Apple needs to change the game, and soon.

This is a significant development for many companies, perhaps including Google, who have had their Google Voice app rejected recently, on the grounds that it altered the iPhone “user experience”. It will also be of interest to RealNetworks, who have pre-announced the Rhapsody iPhone App to try to force Apple’s hand into acceptance.

The pre-announcement strategy, also applied by Spotify (with YouTube videos and lots of press) may be working. Apple are feeling the pressure, not only from users, but more importantly, from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), to be more open about their app acceptance policy.

Rumours have been floating around that Apple are planning a subscription based model for the next generation of iTunes software, which may be available as soon as September. Is it possible that Apple are just going to buy Spotify? After all, the iTunes engine was originally developed by Casady & Greene, and not Apple, and they are not shy of buying the right software when it suits them. Funnily enough, it’s Facebook and not Apple who have been allegedly courting Spotify, but the Apple/Spotify match seems like a no-brainer to me.

Oh yeah, and Snow Leopard’s available today too.

Logic Studio adds features like “flex time”; a much needed upgrade to its time manipulation abilities on the timeline, and better workflow tools to allow easier exporting and importing of settings and tracks between projects. Also included are some new features for guitarists like better amp and stompbox emulation, and a bunch of “how tos” modelled on the similar feature in the latest Garageband. None of the upgrades seem like “must-haves” to me, though the most tempting new additions are probably in the new MainStage, which now (finally!) has MIDI Out implementation, and the ability to include basic audio tracks and loops in your live setups; nice!

Final Cut Studio’s improvements also appear relatively minor, though the new ProRes codecs promise better quality at lower data rates. Motion 4 expands its 3D abilities with new shadows, reflections and depth of field. DVD Studio remains at version 4, and there are point five updates to Color and Compressor. Frankly, some of the upgrade highlights in Final Cut Pro itself, such as the ability to discuss your edit in realtime with iChat Theater, seem a bit like clutching at straws.

Overall, nothing earth-shattering has happened here, but the upgrades are reasonable and most will probably find an excuse to make the move soon enough for the price.