Rob Speightlooks at how ‘touchscreen devices’ – tablets, iPads and the like – are finding an increasing number of practical and important roles in the world of pro audio
TOUCHSCREEN PORTABLE computing devices have been an unprecedented success worldwide, ever since Apple launched the iPad in 2010. Naturally, iPads and tablets of all shapes and sizes have proliferated in the professional audio industry too. These are evolving rapidly
and may now feature multiple processors, high-end graphics capabilities and significant chunks of RAM and storage (The iPad, for example, started life with a 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 processor with only 256MB of RAM, while the newest iPad is loaded with a 1.4GHz dual- core processor and 1GB of RAM. The iPad’s most successful rival, the Samsung Galaxy tablet, started life with exactly the same processor as when it was launched in 2010 but with 512Mb of RAM. Today, the newest tablet from Samsung, the Galaxy Note sports a 1.4GHz quad-core ARM processor and 1GB of onboard RAM.) Such
developments have allowed software and hardware manufacturers to really push what the devices are capable of and, in some cases, they are being physically integrated with other audio hardware to create a whole new genre of equipment. In all areas of the pro-audio industry, reliability and continued support are key factors when purchasing a piece of hardware or software. So, are these consumer-driven, relatively short-lifespan devices up to the professional challenge? Let’s look at hardware
integration first. At the beginning of 2012 (the NAMM show, in fact), Mackie introduced the DL1608, a mixer that looks like a mixer but with a big square hole where you might expect to see faders. The desk has built-in DSP and A-D converters, but you need to slot in an iPad before you have real control over all of the DL1608’s functions, its faders, and so on. Additionally, up to 10 iPads
The DL1608 from Mackie – complete with space for an iPad
can be used to access the mix parameters at any one time, essentially allowing onstage musicians the chance to create their own monitor feed. The DL1608 has been rolling out to end users in the past four months or so.
Line6, with a different
approach, launched its StageScape M20d at the same time as Mackie. The desk itself provides a unique visual way to mix by presenting the engineer with a graphical layout of the stage. Touching an icon on the screen brings up the
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relevant channels associated with that performer or instrument. The accompanying iPad StageScape app, allows one or more iPads to connect to the desk via WiFi and take control of either the entire mix or specific channels. Performers can access their own