IN THE LOOP : AUTUMN 2017
Traveling With Electronics : In The Loop : Autumn 2017
.....whats on the table after eleven just dropped
Last month I was looking into acquiring a new AUDIO-INTERFACE in an effort to streamline and modernize my iPad based performance rig for some future travel.
The interface was the KMI K-MIX and while the concept held great promise the unit had hardware issues right out of the box, the editing software repeatedly crashed on my computer and KMI has a strict policy of no phone support.
Needless to say I sent the unit back and am looking into other options. More to come as the quest for the ultimate compact travel rig continues. I will say this however, after my experience with KMI the company - CUIDADO! - they are all kick-starter on the front end but seem to leave a trail of issues after the products go out the door.
The other big September event was Apple's yearly fashion pageant which disrupts everyone's work-flow with yet another forced operating system update.This one is even more intense because any existing 32 bit app that has not been re-written for 64 bit.....simply will not open in iOS 11.
The official culling of the app herd is upon us and you may decide to freeze an older iPad this year depending on a number of factors as 32 bit apps & iPads are obsolete.
As the next phase of iOS music creation begins, I'd like to share with you nine sampling and looping apps which I feel are worth a good look. Some of them are new & some are old but have made the 64bit shift to the brave new world.
SAMPLR by Marcos Alonso : Came out in 2012 (last update 12/20/14) - without any doubt the most playable and expressive sampler out there today and (imho), the only option for any kind of Live-Sampling scenario. I stopped holding my breath waiting for another update, but Marcos has stated that SAMPLR does open and run in 11 !!!
BEATMAKER 3 by Intua : This is the closest it gets in iOS, to an old-school hardware sampler in terms of chopping, looping, layering, tuning, stretching, filtering & effects - BM3 combines an extremely powerful sample engine with a fully functional DAW.
LOOPERVERSE by Peter Freeman & David Zicarelli : The world's fastest multi-track recorder is a looper traveling in a parallel universe. Once you visit the unique reality of LOOPERVERSE you won't want to leave anytime soon as there's nothing like it.
QUANTILOOP PRO by Stephan Marx : 4 track looper and AUv3 host - My go to iOS looper when I need the ability to create evolving loops that can run pretty much in the background. QUANTILOOP PRO is a fully realized modern multi-track looper, with some of the most musical time stretching I've ever heard, even at extreme tempos.
BEATHAWK by UVI : If you are at all familiar with an MPC style workflow you will feel right at home with this amazing all-in-one music production tool. BEATHAWK really sounds great and has a streamlined, intuitive flow that just lets you get things done.
LOOPY HD by Michael Tyson : Everybody knows this app and this developer!
SAMPLEBOT by Michael Tyson : Could this child-like sampler/seq, be just a tease.....a simplified component of the long awaited LOOPY MASTERPIECE EDITION which has been in development since 2014.....speculations abound.
WERKBENCH by Karl Scholz : A sampler/sequencer capable of real-time sampling - Another app that has been around since 2013, just got a 64bit makeover, to make it to the next round. WERKBENCH is a simple to the point beat based percussion app.
SECTOR by Jonatan Liljedahl : Another iOS developer that everyone knows and respects, with another truly unique offering - SECTOR is a stochastic sample slice sequencer. The website states "greetings earth we come in peace" - enough said.
If you are into sampling I would suggest taking a look at any of these options as you might find one or two that are perfect for your particular style & needs.
until next month then.....safe travels.....dino
FIVE STUDIO PROJECTS
STUDIO TAN
I spend allot of time in the studio working on projects.
Some pieces are done for a specific purpose.....and
some pieces are just done.
