The Future Awaits - a DAW That Fits in Your Pocket!

[BONES]

A few weeks ago I read a review of the Asus RoG Ally X, which is a Windows 11 based handheld gaming machine, and realised that it might be powerful enough to do all the computing work I need to do, including music production. So I did a bit of research and discovered that Lenovo have a similar machine with a bigger screen and, most importantly, detachable game controllers (like a Nintendo Switch). So I decided to see if I could make it work and...

... f**k me dead! It works a f**king treat. As in, in the studio it hooks up to my 27" monitor, keyboard and mouse (see photo below) and feels just like any other PC but at rehearsal it is still usable on it's own 8.8" screen.

POCKET_Studio.jpg

For the photo, I have it running on both screens but normally it only runs on the monitor, so there is a bit of a compromise on aspect ratio. On it's own, the GO runs at 200% scaling, so everything is normally much bigger when it's not hooked up. At 200% the UI isn't usable for work, as the arrangement and mixer windows are far too cramped to be useful, but it works amazingly well with touch to open, close and switch between projects, which is all I need on stage.

I bought it on eBay for around US$600 (about 30% cheaper than a new one here) but it looks and feels like a brand new device. CPU usage seems about the same as my previous 12th Gen Core i7 laptop, which means I rarely see the CPU meter over 50%, so it's more than capable of doing whatever I might feel like doing on it.

To get an idea of its size, it's an 8.8" screen, which makes it about the size of an iPad Mini, only more than twice as thick. The fans seem to run all the time but they aren't at all loud - about the same as you'd get from a wall-mounted air-conditioner or a ducted system - and it doesn't get as hot as my RoG Flow Z 13 (2-in-1, like a Surface Pro). It's really comfortable in your hand and Windows 11 is way better for touch than anyone gives it credit for.

I bought this expecting to be disappointed. I thought I'd probably end up returning it or selling it on, but it would give me a chance to see if the form factor was workable so that a next-gen device might be a consideration. But I'm sold on the whole shebang. No, it's not a cheap option but it's f**king great value.

[BONES]

BTW, it is sitting in a dock so all I have to do is attach a USB Type C cable to it and it connects to everything, including power. You can see the USB hub I use on the right of the photo. But it also has a kickstand so it will stand up on its own. My audio I/O is attached to its second Type C port, so there's a direct connection for super-low latency. I also have all my sample content on a 512GB microSD card. It's a bit slower to load but it all plays back perfectly.

[Uncle E]

Is this better than the Microsoft Surface?

[BONES]

That would depend on your needs, I suppose. In benchmarks, it scores roughly the same as a current Core i5 or a 12th gen Core i7 or, on the Apple side, an M1 Max or M3 powered MB Air, across a range of different tests. It comes standard with 16GB of RAM and 512GB SSD so, in a lot of ways, it offers about the same performance as a new Surface Pro with a Core i5. But if you spec them up to the same level, the Surface Pro is about twice the price of a new one of these (in Australia, at least). So this offers way better value.

Better still (if you're in the market) is an Asus Rog Flow Z13. You can pick up a factory refurbished Flow Z13 for $100 or so more than I paid for this and it comes with a keyboard cover and stylus. In Australia you can only get the top of the line model new, with a Core i9 and 2TB of storage and it costs a bomb. You used to be able to spec 'em out however you wanted so you may still be able to do that in the US. I've had two Z13s and they're great. In fact, as good as this thing is, I fully intend to keep my current Z13 as well.

[Uncle E]

Thanks! I'll check one out this week.

[audiojunkie]

It looks like a cool device! I also agree, having already gone the "handheld" route with my iPad and iPhone, I've found that I'm not a fan of doing the equivalent of "keyhole surgery" with writing music. That said, it might just be the perfect thing for setting up and using live on stage in a "player"-type situation. It will be certainly better than the iPad and iPhone setups, and you'll be able to use true plugins. I'm happy you like it! It's exactly what I would have wanted a few years ago.

[mjolnir]

it's nice when things work out.

[BONES]

It looks like a cool device! I also agree, having already gone the "handheld" route with my iPad and iPhone, I've found that I'm not a fan of doing the equivalent of "keyhole surgery" with writing music.

That's taken care of with the dock, which makes it function exactly like a desktop computer. It's how all the office types at work do things - every office desk has a 32" monitor and a laptop stand, which connects to a dock with HDMI out, plus USB connections to a keyboard and mouse. They all get a laptop (we only have our giant workstations) which they can use at any desk, anywhere in the building, including meeting rooms, where they can plug into the huge wall-screens for presentations and zoom meetings and stuff. It makes a lot more sense to have a single device with multiple modes of interaction than it does to have multiple devices.

Unless you're Apple, of course, in which case there are sound financial reasons to sell people three separate, over-priced products rather than a solution that actually fits their needs better. I was reading a macOS Sonoma review this morning where the reviewer was complaining that it now has full iPhone mirroring, which means you now have to learn how to navigate your phone with a keyboard and trackpad/mouse because Apple won't put touchscreens into their laptops. Of course, he wasn't complaining because, like so many tech journalists, he is a compliant little Applyte who knows better than to be critical in any measure.

[jamcat]

BTW, it is sitting in a dock so all I have to do is attach a USB Type C cable to it and it connects to everything, including power. You can see the USB hub I use on the right of the photo. But it also has a kickstand so it will stand up on its own. My audio I/O is attached to its second Type C port, so there's a direct connection for super-low latency. I also have all my sample content on a 512GB microSD card. It's a bit slower to load but it all plays back perfectly.

Looks like a very similar type of setup I have going with my MacBook, which I wrote about the day prior to this.

I really do think the days of the stationary desktop are coming to an end, whether you’re on Mac or PC. There’s just no good reason to have separate mobile and workstation computers anymore.

[lfm]

Is this better than the Microsoft Surface?

I think Surface is good thinking, really

Some addons though are needed
- KeyCover, combined keyboard and slim protecting cover
- some dock station exist, but only one usb c output
to make it a computer for real. then over $1000 already.

And here locally nobody sells all the addons in the same store, nor did they know what was in the picture(key cover I found out) etc.

So not much in demand, I think. Maybe due to price tag compared to tablets that cost 1/4 or so.

But a gaming console like this, is looking like PS Vita from 12 years ago, looks very limited if you also need regular computer work typing stuff.

These compact pc:s with small footprint, stationary but really small, is alternative also if needing a compact daw computer. But not much of slots for extra addons. Not pocket size fully, but does it really need to be?

[VariKusBrainZ]

Is this the Lenovo being referred to
https://www.currys.co.uk/products/lenov ... _id=331615

[Uncle E]

Yes

[audiojunkie]

BTW, it is sitting in a dock so all I have to do is attach a USB Type C cable to it and it connects to everything, including power. You can see the USB hub I use on the right of the photo. But it also has a kickstand so it will stand up on its own. My audio I/O is attached to its second Type C port, so there's a direct connection for super-low latency. I also have all my sample content on a 512GB microSD card. It's a bit slower to load but it all plays back perfectly.

Looks like a very similar type of setup I have going with my MacBook, which I wrote about the day prior to this.

I really do think the days of the stationary desktop are coming to an end, whether you’re on Mac or PC. There’s just no good reason to have separate mobile and workstation computers anymore.

The name for this type of tech is called "Convergence". Different Linux groups have been working on it in one form or another for more than a decade--although commercially, I think Windows will get there first. That said, I agree with you. But there are a lot of industry big wigs that would rather sell you multiple devices. Multiple devices = more profit. I personally find my Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Yoga Gen 5 to be near the ideal size for "almost" all of it. I wouldn't use it as a phone, but I love it as a tablet and a laptop, and it docks beautifully as a desktop. What the world is waiting for, is a foldable device that acts as a 5" wide phone, a 10" tablet, with a keyboard case, and docks to a large desktop arrangement, and does the work of everything. There are devices right now that are getting really close to this reality. I saw a dual-screen Lenovo that did almost all of that, including the folding, but was a bit too big to be a phone. The day will come though, I really believe it.

EDIT: It's the Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Fold 16". Now, if they made a 10" version and added cellular service capability, that would be my ideal design. It could be used as a phone, a tablet, a laptop, and a desktop. That's true convergence!

[jamcat]

The name for this type of tech is called "Convergence". Different Linux groups have been working on it in one form or another for more than a decade--although commercially, I think Windows will get there first. That said, I agree with you. But there are a lot of industry big wigs that would rather sell you multiple devices. Multiple devices = more profit. I personally find my Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Yoga Gen 5 to be near the ideal size for "almost" all of it. I wouldn't use it as a phone, but I love it as a tablet and a laptop, and it docks beautifully as a desktop. What the world is waiting for, is a foldable device that acts as a 5" wide phone, a 10" tablet, with a keyboard case, and docks to a large desktop arrangement, and does the work of everything. There are devices right now that are getting really close to this reality. I saw a dual-screen Lenovo that did almost all of that, including the folding, but was a bit too big to be a phone. The day will come though, I really believe it.

I'd rather have separate devices. I don't want to make calls on my iPad Pro, and I don't want to read books on my iPhone.

I often need to have multiple devices in front of me, with software on my MacBook, and some kind of manual or textbook or video on my iPad Pro.

I had an Asus Transformer Book once. Actually I still have it, and it partially still works. But it was a pain in the ass to use. It wasn't good at being either a laptop or a tablet. I find in practice it's better to have unitaskers that really excel at their task, instead of constant compromise. It often makes the difference between being able or not being able.

But as for a computer, I only need one. I prefer to have only one. I don't need a desktop and a laptop that run the same software and contain the same files, with one for when I'm in my studio, and the other when I'm traveling, if the laptop is just as powerful as my DAW anyways. So just plugging my MacBook into a monitor, audio interface, keyboard, and mouse when I'm in the studio makes sense. And it's also a lot quieter than any desktop DAW I've ever owned.

[BONES]

I really do think the days of the stationary desktop are coming to an end, whether you’re on Mac or PC. There’s just no good reason to have separate mobile and workstation computers anymore.

Welcome to 2006. That's when I realised this and I haven't had a desktop machine since. Most of my laptops have performed at least as well as the stonking, great Z Series HP workstations and MacPros I've used at work They don't render projects as quickly but in terms of working with them, they feel just as fast, just as robust. And now this thing does the same at less than one-quarter of the size.

I'd rather have separate devices. I don't want to make calls on my iPad Pro, and I don't want to read books on my iPhone.

Not all the time but when you're working on your computer and you get a call or an a text message, how much more convenient is it to take the call on your computer than fish around in your pocket for your phone? And whilst I mostly read on my Kobo, I find it very convenient to be able to read on my phone on the bus or on the dunny.

I often need to have multiple devices in front of me, with software on my MacBook, and some kind of manual or textbook or video on my iPad Pro.

I could do that by having the Legion Go's screen active as a second monitor to display the textbook.

I had an Asus Transformer Book once. Actually I still have it, and it partially still works. But it was a pain in the ass to use. It wasn't good at being either a laptop or a tablet.

I was the same - I had a Lenovo Tablet in about 2015 that was tantalisingly close to being able to be that one device to rule them all, it just lacked the power to be truly useful. I even tried out using my Windows Phone as a desktop replacement, just for shits and giggles, and it was OK at it, if I'm honest. But the phone was never going to run 3DS Max, so it was never going to be useful to me.

This is an entirely different kettle of fish because it's easily as powerful as a decent laptop and not miles adrift of a decent desktop machine, either. It's basically the 8" Windows tablet I've been desperately seeking since about 2016. It might even allow me to ditch my smartphone and go back to using my smartwatch as a phone, which I'd be quite keen to do.