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Do you compose on a hand-held device?


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[b]Do you compose on a hand-held device?[/b]

I saw on the news today that more people now get online with their smartphones and tablets than they do with desktop or laptop computers. Which made me wonder... is there now usable software or an app which allows serious DAW-like composition using a hand-held? Can you produce a hit song on the bus, or while having a dump (or both)?

I've been using a desktop DAW for years (FL Studio XXL Producer) and it's an incredibly useful composition and production tool to say the very least. But I'm not sure I'd like to do what I do using a smaller screen, or headphone monitoring...

Does anyone regularly produce viable compositions on their hand-held device? Are you restricted to programming or can you record live playing? If so, which software/app are you using? Or is this already a well-accepted 'thing' and I'm just a sad old git who is totally behind the times, using a laughable out-of-date desktop for my work, like a glass-blower or furniture-maker in a museum??

And if you've produced hand-held compositions, let's hear 'em!! :D

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Having Googled it, I note there's an Android app for FL Studio, which I don't have any desire to try - mainly because I feel it would be like papering the hallway through the letterbox, to use a gynaecological analogy. :blink:

I like to see my playlist, patterns, audio files, mixer and other working areas in their entirety on the screen - I can't help but feel I'd be spending a lot of time scrolling and/or flipping between screens, which would hamper my workflow somewhat.

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[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1438865383' post='2838184']
...worth mentioning StaffPad here as a composition tool...
[/quote]

That does look amazing! Pity I'm not competent enough to compose directly into notation, but I can see the advantages. :)

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Just been working in Barcelona (assistant) for the last two weeks, 'Cubasis' and 'Notion' for iPad came in very handy for sketching out.
Both programme files were then imported into my desktop versions on return.

[size="2"]http://www.steinberg.net/en/products/mobile_apps/cubasis/start.html[/size]

http://www.presonus.com/products/Notion-for-iOS

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[quote name='lowdown' timestamp='1438866907' post='2838216']
[size=3]Just been working in Barcelona (assistant) for the last two weeks, 'Cubasis' and 'Notion' for iPad came in very handy for sketching out.
Both programme files were then imported into my desktop versions on return.
[url="http://www.steinberg.net/en/products/mobile_apps/cubasis/start.html"]http://www.steinberg...asis/start.html[/url]
[url="http://www.presonus.com/products/Notion-for-iOS"]http://www.presonus..../Notion-for-iOS[/url][/size]
[/quote]
[quote name='stuckinthepod' timestamp='1438867555' post='2838222']
Garage band on the IPAD is great fun and you can produce decent sounding demos and export songs with ease.
[/quote]

Very interesting! But is it the case you do a lot of flipping about through screens to get things done?

Edited by discreet
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Some suggestions for making music on mobile devices in our very own 'Beginners Guide to Home Recording' - post #7:

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/248509-beginners-guide-to-home-recording/"]http://basschat.co.u...home-recording/[/url]

My own personal fave is [url="http://www.blipinteractive.co.uk"]Nanostudio[/url]... it's quite literally a DAW in your pocket [i](or are you pleased to see me... eh, eh?).[/i]

[quote name='lowdown' timestamp='1438870867' post='2838269']
Yep, I suppose there is a lot of pinching, scrolling and swiping.
I find it ok for sketching, but quite limiting for anything serious.
[/quote]

^ That's my take on it. I occasionally fiddle with mobile Apps when travelling or sat on the sofa, but not much beyond that. Although it might be a fun experiment... hmmm.

Edited by Skol303
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[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1438870641' post='2838267']
Presumably composing texts doesn't count, no matter how well-crafted?
[/quote]
[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1438871032' post='2838273']
I compose on a hand-held device. It's called a guitar.
[/quote]

Right, you two smart-arses get out! You know very well what I meant!! :P ;)

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[quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1438876640' post='2838347']
My own personal fave is [url="http://www.blipinteractive.co.uk"]Nanostudio[/url]... it's quite literally a DAW in your pocket [i](or are you pleased to see me... eh, eh?).[/i]
[/quote]

Very interesting... and I am pleased to see you of course, as always... ;)

I think the swiping and flipping and scrolling would drive me mad. I find it annoying even on a 19" monitor. What's needed is some kind of room in meatspace, where you could go specifically to record and even have some kind of machine for each stage of the process, perhaps even with a 3D mixer that you sit at... then it would be almost like a real and genuine experience... what about getting musicians in to play their instruments..? Ah no, that's crazy talk... *ambles off, mumbling*

Edited by discreet
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OK how about the [url="http://uk.yamaha.com/en/products/musical-instruments/entertainment/tenori-on/"]Tenori-on[/url]?

It's a performance sequencer in a 20 x 20 cm package with built-in speakers (and a headphone/line out)

[url=https://soundcloud.com/bigredx/february]Here's[/url] a piece a created for one of Basschat's composition competitions. Composed/performed completely on the fly apart form the two "percussion" tracks which were pre-programmed.

Edited by BigRedX
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I use G-Stomper Studio on my Android tablet when I'm on the go - in fact I'm using it right now on holiday :)

It's a very versatile composition app featuring a drum machine/sample trigger and a fully programmable synth - both with step sequencers. It's possible to assemble and mix complex tracks and arrangements and I find it very intuitive to use. Definitely the best that I've come across.

Edited by Panamonte
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  • 1 month later...

[quote name='lowdown' timestamp='1438866907' post='2838216']
Just been working in Barcelona (assistant) for the last two weeks, 'Cubasis' and 'Notion' for iPad came in very handy for sketching out.
Both programme files were then imported into my desktop versions on return.

[size=2][url="http://www.steinberg.net/en/products/mobile_apps/cubasis/start.html"]http://www.steinberg...asis/start.html[/url][/size]

[url="http://www.presonus.com/products/Notion-for-iOS"]http://www.presonus..../Notion-for-iOS[/url]
[/quote]

I've just started using Notion on my laptop, and might be getting an iPad shortly. How do you input music on the iPad? On the laptop, my current preferred method is step entry using a mini-keyboard for the pitches and the laptop keyboard for the durations.

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[quote name='ras52' timestamp='1441907600' post='2862885']
I've just started using Notion on my laptop, and might be getting an iPad shortly. How do you input music on the iPad? On the laptop, my current preferred method is step entry using a mini-keyboard for the pitches and the laptop keyboard for the durations.
[/quote]

Step input using the virtual keyboard. You can swip left and right to change octaves.
Once you get used to it, for speed, you can use fingers on one hand to change
note and rest value and fingers on the other hand for note entry.
You can also tap onto the stave for entry.

Notion on the iPad is very in depth regarding features.
It exports the Notion files into the desktop version with absolutely no problems,
everything as should be.
I am using an iPad Air, so regarding real estate, I am not sure how an iPad mini would work out.

Had to use my phone for the picture.
I wish there was a screen capture app for the iPad, or is there?
[IMG]http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff330/lowdown1957/image.jpg1_1.jpg[/IMG]

Edited by lowdown
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[quote name='lowdown' timestamp='1441914430' post='2862980']
Step intro using the virtual keyboard. You can swip left and right to change octaves.
Once you get used to it, for speed, you can use fingers on one hand to change
note and rest value and fingers on the other hand for note entry.
You can also tap onto the stave for entry.

Notion on the iPad is very in depth regarding features.
It exports the Notion files into the desktop version with absolutely no problems,
everything as should be.
I am using an iPad Air, so regarding real estate, I am not sure how an iPad mini would work out.

Had to use my phone for the picture.
I wish there was a screen capture app for the iPad, or is there?

[/quote]

Thanks!

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[quote name='the boy' timestamp='1441914765' post='2862985']
Garage band on the iPhone is really useable. Check out this track I made about 2 years ago. It's got it's flaws but it was made completely on an iPhone 4 using GarageBand.

https://m.soundcloud.com/theboysings/mama-leave-a-light-on-poor-boy
[/quote]
Totally amazing

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