Do I really need a recording studio inside of my phone?

[blueman]

I have an iPhone and have tried to convince myself that iRig, various synths, midi adapters, etc. are worth getting into until I realized just how small and difficult to work with this environment is. I'm not convinced that this is "mobility". That's what laptops are for. I'm dumbfounded by all of the efforts going towards "mobile apps" from music companies. Obviously there is a market for this and I'm sure I missed the boat somewhere

Does the option to record your music into your phone have real value for you or is it just a fun novelty? Please discuss...

[trimph1]

Thank heavens I have a LG rumour---it's much to small for all that stuff--

[K-Bee]

I have an android phone and stuff is beginning to come out on that platform as well. I think it's mostly for the fun of it and I don't expect any good music to come out of it. It's just too fiddly to work with.
I ain't touching those appz, ever! I prefer my hardware and softsynths in a size I can actually see and play too!

[cybertron]

(Im procrastinating at work...)

IMO - For actual music production, I wouldnt use a mobile App, or an iPhone. To produce music is a 'sit down' exercise where you have location and tools at your disposal that are much more complex than an iPhone.

Not only that, but I want to enjoy the experience of producing a track. I cant do that while being 'mobile' because to me the value of being 'mobile' is to get other things done at the same time. I dont want to get other things done at the same time while Im producing music. I want to focus on the music production.

The only value I do see in iPhone apps is recording an idea quickly when you dont have access to your regular gear or you dont want to 'start everything up'. It does occur that I will hear patterns, sounds etc or be inspired by something which will start creating a track in my mind. To capture those ideas quickly would be useful (it often happens when Im in bed about to go to sleep, or oddly enough while on a plane).

[BERFAB]

I wondered about this too, but then yesterday I saw an ad on the back of RECORDING Mag for a new keyboard interface (can't recall the manufacturer ATM, think it might have been M-Audio) that actually incorporates your smartphone. So you can now diddle around with the phone on the road, and then plug it right into the keyboard/DAW when you get back to the studio.

This would really seem (to me at least) to be the first really practical application for legit studio use.

Now the problem for devs becomes the blurring of the price points for phone apps (typically under $10) and their big brother vsts which can sell for hundreds more. If you can use the phone apps with comparable results, why go big?

-B

[blueman]

I dont want to get other things done at the same time while Im producing music. I want to focus on the music production.

+1

[dblock]

I heard they're great for everything but phone calls. lmao!

[allofdrab]

I think iphones are ideal for field recording and such.
In combination with something like Mikey:
http://www.bluemic.com/mikey/
and a simple audio file editor,
like monle
http://www.monleapp.com/

[philliptwenty]

If I'm on a plane, train, car, or basically anywhere without a desktop or laptop and want to jot down a musical idea or just have a little fun writing a synthline or drum beat then it's great.

People over analyze the dumbest crap. No one is forcing anyone to use an iphone as a recording studio. It's a tool and it's a toy. What the user does with it is up to him or her.

[lockon stratos]

I dont have an iphone, but from what i've seen, most music tech is extremely basic and limeted.

It's like trading in your daw for an atari/Commodore 64, who wants to?

[Teeleh]

Only if I had a melody or drum loop stuck in my mind that I wanted to use.

[mellotronaut]

iphone? what a good marketing can do to the human.

[el-bo (formerly ebow)]

'four track' is a great app...great for jotting down ideas

'bloom' is great fun

have stayed away from the more 'complete' studio apps because i couldn't imagine using them, as anything but a starter for projects that i'd only want to complete in a more comfortable working environment...but if i knew i'd be away from the studio for months, at a time, i'd buy into it

it would be great to see plug in companies make plugins and also allow for an app to be able to use the same engine, so i could do some sound design on the ipod and then upload the presets to my main rig

[Zombie Queen]

All extra functionality my phone has is alarm clock and a light, I consider those fun novelty. A phone which could run a DAW, I consider a higher level of pointless novelty. Seriously, even writing text message is a nightmare on such small device.

[shalako]

Cleary the answer is yes, I mean if you're really serious about music then you won't want to be away from your studio for one second, I mean what if you're half way through recording your guitar solo when you need to use the toilet, now you and shred while you leak. I can't wait for an Iphone app that rivals Microsoft Songsmith, and then I'll be a true 2010 artist, not living in the past using a PC and having to actually write songs, such an inefficient way to work.