iPad while the FOH engineer is able to mix from anywhere in the auditorium. One other unique offering from the M20d, although not directly related to the iPad, is its ability to record up to 16 channels of 24-bit WAV direct to SD card, PC or Mac. At the higher end of the spectrum Allen & Heath introduced its iLive MixPad application for control of its iLive range of digital mixing consoles last year. Although the iPad app doesn’t offer complete control over the iLive system, it does provide the engineer with access to the majority of functions that
would be useful while traversing an auditorium including access to any channel, mix master, FX send or return or DCA and all of their parameters. Roland’s brand new M200i 32-channel live digital mixing console is available this month (January). The console is a fully
There’s life away from Apple’s
iOS, of course. Audio Evolution is a multi-track DAW which can run an unlimited amount of tracks (hardware dependent, of course), supports all the usual file formats including WAV, AIFF, FLAC and OGG/VORBIS. The software also offers a wide range of
“Incorporating trendy consumer technology into a pro product that needs a longer return on investment is an interesting challenge”
The 48-track, 24-bit/96kHz Auria DAW from Wavemachine Labs
functioning, feature-laden digital mixer, as you might expect. The iPad app similarly will remotely control all of the parameters on the console including gain, pan, high-pass filters, parametric and graphic equalisation, scene store and recall, compressors, gates, sends, patches… you get the idea!
PROBLEM SOLVING? But are these real-world solutions to actual problems? Or, are these kinds of solutions just gimmicks? These mixers are not even using the mobile device for its processing power. They provide ease of set-up and they look sexy, but is there more usefulness to be had from them? For greater implementation of
built-in functionality, start looking in a different direction. Alesis’ iO Dock puts the iPad at the centre of the recording process and couples with it standard audio connectivity in the shape of two combo XLR- 1/4” jacks, phantom power, input channel gain MIDI In/Out, USB MIDI and Footswitch control. The device is fully compatible with CoreAudio (the software that handles sound in Apple’s Mac OS X and iOS operating systems) and as such should work with pretty much any audio app in the iTunes store. If you are in the market
purely for an iOS multi-track then you probably wouldn’t need to look any further than the 48-track, 24-bit/96kHz Auria DAW from Wavemachine Labs. The software, which supports VST plug-ins, AAF import and exports and can hook up to a multitude of USB audio interfaces, will also record up to 24 tracks of simultaneous audio!
Symetrix ARC-WEB supports Apple and Android devices
real-time effects as well as more processor-intensive functions such as pitch shift and reverse as offline operations. Audio Evolution is totally non- destructive in its editing with unlimited undo and redo functions. The software runs on Android, Windows and OSX desktop. So, if you need a cross- platform multi-tracker this may be worth a look. Windows Mobile (and the
newly released Windows RT and 8), iOS and Android all have apps that are useful, more or less, in the field be they Real Time Analysers (using an external microphone), SPL meters and other general audio tools that we have discussed in previous articles.
ON THE MOVE Other well-known audio hardware manufacturers have also embraced the use of portable computing devices to a greater or lesser degree, but the level at which the devices are utilised is limited on the whole to remote control. Yamaha has its StageMix
software for the CL range and LS9 series consoles, while Soundcraft developed ViSi remote for the Si and Vi range of digital consoles. Other