TouchDAW-Motorola Xoom Tablet-Works!!!

Ok I though I'd give everybody an update on this one.  I have been reading a lot about Tablet computers (are they even computers) lately and how we can/could control our DAW's with these devices.  I have spent the best part of the weekend, implementing such a device: Touch DAW, just punch it in to your browser and you will find it.
 
First thing it works and it works really well, basic channel strip control, a small but usable mixing screen, on my 10 inch screen, three faders and a master, a transport screen with get this a jog wheel, time or bar reader, big time screen whatever you want to call it, syncs.  Even track names sync.  There is suppose to be a continuous controller screen but I haven't figured that one out yet.
 
Finally it has drum/sample pads and they work, so I can play samples anywhere in the house and it also has a very basic keyboard screen which you culd use to trigger an arpeggiator.
 
Now I have connected this through my WIFI network, with a program that was originally for Apple called RTP midi, once again punch this in and you will find it, it's easy.
 
There a few more of these midi controller programs out there, one called finger midi, but it's needs bluetooth and this program can be hooked in through bluetooth as well (my bluetooth is not working and am fixing that at the moment, once I have done this, I will let everybody know how that works).
 
Finally there is a problem with Java, this is also why there is a problem with finger midi.  We will have to wait and see when and if Google implement this in Android 3.2.
 
Ok Touch DAW works over WIFI, I love it and will never go back to a hardware controller again!!!, beware the Java issue but its not a biggie.  At least Flash works and you can view all websites on the XOOM.  Any questions, feel free to ask!!!!
 
Ok finally this was all done on 8.5, I am unsure of how it will work in X1, I have asked for a free upgrade (I don't need or want the program, but I have offered Cakewalk my knowledge to test X1 and here is another example of why it would be prudent and they grant to my request, I have read a few forum posts about this topic but to my knowledge I am the only one who has managed to get touchdaw to be fully functional)
 
Oh yes finally finally, I am putting that discussion about digital warmth together, I may be wrong in calling it digital warmth or there maybe a few different things we could call digital warmth but somewhere along the lines this theory of mine works.  Try this if you have a UAD Pultec EQ put it over a track turn it on and off, can you hear that, this is one form of digital warmth.  Argue all you like but whenever I put that plug over a track the audio sounds warmer, whether that is a bump in a certain frequency or not because it comes from a plug, we can call this "digital warmth"  Also try the tape sat over a kick or a snare, more examples of digital warmth or if you like plug in digital warmth.  The other stuff, recording hot, I am still working on and I will put it together over the coming weeks.
 
Peace Ben 

I don't have a tablet. I have been overwhelmed by the choices... but the XOOM looks good and there is something in me that does not want to buy an i-Pad.
 
IS the XOOM all you have used? Once I get caught up with a bunch of unexpected expenses I will probably get one. Thanks ffor the report!
 
Julien

Tangent, but of possible interest to anyone looking at buying a tablet.

Amongst my various bits of work at the moment is a long-ish contract with a company that makes games for mobile platforms; I live close to their office and am in there a couple of times a week. They've got a massive pile of tablets in the office, so I've had the rare opportunity to try quite a number out.

I've not as yet seen anything impressive at the cheap end of the market, but the iPad (which I'm an owner of), and Motorala Xoom I would say are neck and neck, with slightly differet strengths and weaknesses. But both excellent, snappy, easy to use, excellent designs.

Both sizes of Samsung Galaxy Tab are very good, not quite in iPad or Xoom territory, but still a good bet. When Samsung get around to updating them to the proper tablet version of Android that's on the Xoom, they'll be great.

Blackberry Playbook is a disaster. Doesn't even have an email app for god's sake. Shame, as the hardware is nice. But the OS is awful and the app store has nothing but tumble-weeds in it.

Everything south of that price-wise I've seen so far has been pretty lame too. The ASUS ones are horrible. Slow, unresponsive, just generally hard work. A lot of people think tablets are just oversized smartphones. The good ones aren't, but the poor ones really are.

Not seen any Windows tablets yet, so don't have a view on that.

John T


Tangent, but of possible interest to anyone looking at buying a tablet.

Amongst my various bits of work at the moment is a long-ish contract with a company that makes games for mobile platforms; I live close to their office and am in there a couple of times a week. They've got a massive pile of tablets in the office, so I've had the rare opportunity to try quite a number out.

I've not as yet seen anything impressive at the cheap end of the market, but the iPad (which I'm an owner of), and Motorala Xoom I would say are neck and neck, with slightly differet strengths and weaknesses. But both excellent, snappy, easy to use, excellent designs.

Both sizes of Samsung Galaxy Tab are very good, not quite in iPad or Xoom territory, but still a good bet. When Samsung get around to updating them to the proper tablet version of Android that's on the Xoom, they'll be great.

Blackberry Playbook is a disaster. Doesn't even have an email app for god's sake. Shame, as the hardware is nice. But the OS is awful and the app store has nothing but tumble-weeds in it.

Everything south of that price-wise I've seen so far has been pretty lame too. The ASUS ones are horrible. Slow, unresponsive, just generally hard work. A lot of people think tablets are just oversized smartphones. The good ones aren't, but the poor ones really are.

Not seen any Windows tablets yet, so don't have a view on that.
 
 
Windows ones, are suppose to be out next year, waiting on Windows 8 or that is what I have read, there is also some whispers about Google and Microsoft.  Too many fish in the sea!!!
 
Peace Ben

The practical reality of the lack of Flash on iOS is that it really doesn't matter if you don't play Flash games. I can't remember the last time I went to a video or music website that didn't also work on iPad. YouTube uses Flash by default, but will use HTML5 video if Flash isn't there. Similarly Soundcloud looks to be a Flash dependent site on a PC, but works flawlessly on iPad.

Adobe have done a good job of propagandising the absense of Flash as a weakness, but it's nonsense, really. Content providers don't care about Flash, they care about people seeing their content, and pretty much everyone putting audio and video on the web now has a non-Flash solution in place.

I'd give Flash about two years, maximum, before it's dead entirely as a media platform. It's probably got a longer life for gaming. But in terms of being an issue for iOS users, that's been a dead issue for a good six months at least.

I don't have any bias here; like I say, I rate the good non-Apple tablets very highly. Just think there's a lot of misinformation around the Flash thing.

mike_mccue


Do any of the porta controllers come with *instantARC* so you can hear perfectly as you walk around the house?

That would be so cool.

Are you pulling my leg what is instantarc, please explain if you are not.
 
John T thanks for clearing that up about the Flash and Windows Tablet thing, I never professed to know everything on this topic, I was just telling everybody about TouchDAW and it works, yes I went off in a tangent, but I was also telling all you naysayers I hadn't forgoten the topic of Digital Warmth and am onto this right now, well maybe right now but I am pulling together resources, so we can have a clear disscussion on this topic, sorry if I have muddied the warters.
 
Peace Ben

InstantARC is sort of be like ARC but instead of defining a permanently perfect sweet spot it will instantly tweak itself in full time so you can hear perfectly as you walk around the house.

You have to hound the guys at IK Multimedia to release it... this tablet thing is just starting to kick off.

Peace Ben!!!

best,
mike

Latency would be nasty, but beyond that, it's not outside the realms of possibility.

I'm quite curious about this as a mobile recording rig:

http://www.alesis.com/iodock

Probably a bit off topic for the X1 forum all this.

jbow


The have Go to my PC, so that you can remotely access your PC from anywhere on any other PC. Now with the XOOM we need Go to my DAW... I wonder if you could use Go to my PC, access X1, and remotely record tracks using a wireless tablet... I don't guess it should be out of the realm of possibility, if someone really tried to make it work.

Julien

I not quite sure I understand, are you talking about a remote control app for you P.C, that allows you to access your DAW.  Touch DAW allows you to control your DAW from anywhere in the house and there is enough visual information to tell you what track is what.
 
As for the aleis dock, I am going to do more research into this.
 
Peace Ben

I not quite sure I understand, are you talking about a remote control app for you P.C, that allows you to access your DAW. Touch DAW allows you to control your DAW from anywhere in the house and there is enough visual information to tell you what track is what.

 
I was just thinking out loud (I like to do that)... about the time when we will be abe to access, control, and record to the DAW truly remotely, over the net. True, latency would be over the line but field stereo recording using a remote device accessing your DAW at home online would be cool. I'd probably never use it but the implications of where it could lead are food for thought... but probably unnecessary, but how much of what we have an use is really necessary? Sometimes I think some limitations might be helpful, but what do I know.
 
PS... your avatar makes me want to have a pint of ale! Laff!
 
Julien

It will be even better than storing a sample library on a local SSD.

We'll just go to places like iTunes and get exactly what we want when we want it.

jbow

I not quite sure I understand, are you talking about a remote control app for you P.C, that allows you to access your DAW. Touch DAW allows you to control your DAW from anywhere in the house and there is enough visual information to tell you what track is what.

 
I was just thinking out loud (I like to do that)... about the time when we will be abe to access, control, and record to the DAW truly remotely, over the net. True, latency would be over the line but field stereo recording using a remote device accessing your DAW at home online would be cool. I'd probably never use it but the implications of where it could lead are food for thought... but probably unnecessary, but how much of what we have an use is really necessary? Sometimes I think some limitations might be helpful, but what do I know.
 
PS... your avatar makes me want to have a pint of ale! Laff!
 
Julien
 
Got you, thats def coming.  Once we have the super speed internet 100mbps here in OZ we should be able to do that at least in terms of being in a WIFI are.  What will be really interesting is when we can do it in the field.  Like in the unplugged No Quarter, Page and Plant are in the slag it.  Imagine not having to take a whole mobile recording rig, just a couple of microphones, your Laptop/Tablet a small interface and then beam the recording to your home studio.  Thats coming too, 10 years would be my guess, were about to move to 4g wireless here in OZ.  I have to pay Motorola the money to upgrade the chip though.
 
This has been a really good chat Peace
 
As for my Avatar, Julian I am a star, at least in my own lunchbox and I do try to make an effort and yes I dress like everyday!!!!

John T


I expect that recording "to the cloud" is not too far away. It's a convenience and workflow thing, I think. Being able to record something remotely, and then come back to that as an already existing project in your studio DAW would be a great feature.

There are a number of on-line DAW's coming up the pipe as well  that I've been looking at...great way to do collabs I find...

BTW..thanks for the info on the Galaxies...gonna check them out...