hardware manufacturers such as XTA and Symetrix have their Rockbaby Engineering’s DP4 remote and ARC-WEB respectively. AKG created the very useful AKG Wireless iPhone App, allowing engineers (or whoever is on stage) to quickly check the status of the connection between transmitter and receiver. It’s based on Harman’s HiQnet protocol. Talking of which, Harman
Professional also released new HiQnet Audio Architect software at this year’s InfoComm, of which HiQnet Motion Control was a part. Motion Control allows customised control surfaces to be imported onto any iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch allowing mobile system control. These interfaces can be used to control devices from BBS, Crown, dbx and JBL. (And we shouldn’t forget the already established ‘Powered by Crown’ app allows wireless control and monitoring of Crown Ethernet-enabled devices.) Yet, these pro-audio apps are
merely controllers allowing users to operate a specific piece of audio equipment wherever a WiFi signal will allow. There must be demand and real benefit from these devices otherwise manufacturers would not invest in them... or are they just there as convenient add-ons, like the ‘extras’ on a DVD? When asked about the possibility of any mobile device offline editors for their range of digital mixing consoles Dave Webster, marketing director at DiGiCo, told PSNEurope: “The touchscreen surface we use is already very similar and I’m convinced when we can add value, and not just a gimmick, we will do one.” At Midas there is a slightly
different approach and one more in line with the likes of Roland and Mackie’s thinking: “We already have iPad remote control for all Midas digital consoles – PRO1, PRO2C, PRO2, PRO3, PRO6, PRO9 and
XL8. The Midas MIXTENDER iPad app also serves as a personal monitor system, as multiple iPads can be connected to a console simultaneously via WiFi, and each iPad locked to a single mix. We are currently working on adding more features to the MIXTENDER, and are monitoring the market requirements for alternative platforms such as Android,” explained Richard Ferriday, brand development manager. Realistically, these portable
devices can only serve to make operation of equipment easier and faster in higher end applications, such as setting up a loudspeaker system while wandering around the auditorium (and most manufacturers have provided some way of doing this long before the emergence of the modern swath of touch devices). At the more affordable end of the market, what some might define as the pro-sumer market, these devices can provide a cheaper alternative to buying a full blown system, but it seems unlikely they will ever replace dedicated hardware. “Incorporating trendy consumer technology into a pro product that needs a longer return on investment is an interesting challenge. Clearly we believed in touchscreens way before Apple made them trendy. The task now is the next step, as we all know today is touch, but what’s tomorrow?” posed Webster. Ferriday sees it differently: “The
iPads’ multi-touch user-interface is reliable and visible enough to provide control with much greater precision than the touchscreens traditionally used on most digital consoles. It’s possible that we would consider much closer integration of this technology into our products in the future.” From a manufacturers’ perspective, developing software across multiple operating systems is expensive and challenging. It will be interesting to see if the landscape changes with the
NOTIONAL COMPOSING
NOTION MUSIC recently released Notion for iPad. The software itself is a composition application, with scoring and notation editing as well as sequencing capabilities. However, what makes Notion exciting is the inclusion of real audio samples of The London Symphony Orchestra recorded
at Abbey Road. The software comes complete with a virtual piano keyboard, drum pad and interactive 24-fret guitar fretboard for fast notation entry. Notion can also import MIDI, MusicXML or Guitar Pro 3-5 files as well as providing a full audio mixer and distortion and reverb effects.
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introduction of the Microsoft Surface Pro tablet computer, which runs Windows 8 as if it was a desktop, making this development issue slightly less of a problem. Additionally, the Surface could also see software developers making their existing audio apps more touch friendly to work with these new devices. Ultimately, it seems that for
All Midas digital consoles have iPad remote control
the foreseeable future portable touchscreen devices will be, in the main, used as hands-on graphic interfaces for new or existing hardware, but their inherent intuitive nature can only be positive. n www.digico.bizwww.midasconsoles.com