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

[VariKusBrainZ]

Whats latency and sound quality like?

[BONES]

Well, those things have more to do with your audio interface than anything else but I am running my Zoom UAC-2 with a 64 sample buffer, which gives me 1.45ms input latency and 4.01ms output latency. That's an interface I bought on Amazon a few weeks ago for around US$100, so it's nothing fancy, although the sound quality is excellent and it's as close to noise-free as any interface I've used.

[audiojunkie]

That’s good latency for such a budget device. It’s a quality piece of equipment too. It works great on Linux. Recommendable!

[BONES]

But seriously? You use one device for everything? You don't own a phone?

I use my phone to take calls, to send and receive text messages and to check the weather now and then. It has no use for me beyond that. In fact, if I'm sitting at my computer, I'll take calls and field text messages from my computer.

But a smartphone is another great example of this type of convergence. You used to have to carry around your mp3 player to listen to music and a camera to take photos and a diary to keep track of appointments and stuff. These days you don't even have to carry your wallet any more, it's all taken care of by your phone.

Personally, I like having an iPad, even if I don't strictly need one. iPad + Apple Pencil beats taking notes with pen and paper, especially with handwriting to text conversion.

If you weren't under the spell of Apple, you could do that on your laptop or your phone. My last several laptops have even come with a stylus. (I've never taken them out of their boxes.)

And the iPad makes a truly awesome pdf reader.

So does any screen.

It also works as a control surface for Studio One with the Studio One RC app.

Something you wouldn't need if you had a portable computer with a touchscreen, especially one the size of mine.

And it works as a monitor extension or as a drawing tablet with the Apple Pencil in Photoshop and Illustrator, through Sidecar on the Mac.

Again, a deliberate constraint put upon you by Apple. You should be pissed off that they make you do shit like that, when everyone else can just draw directly on their screen.

Sometimes you just need multiple physical objects working together to perform tasks better than trying to cram everything on one device and flip back and forth.

That's complete bullshit. Apple want you to think that but it doesn't make it true. What you want is one CPU/GPU with the flexibility to work in every situation and that's what Microsoft have been offering us for a decade or more now with Surface Pro. And now we have even more choice in that space with these gaming handhelds.

And when you have an iPad and a Mac, the iPad generally can become whatever other object you need at the time, and interact directly with the Mac, with no setup needed.

But it can't be the Mac, you still need both. I don't, I only need this tiny, little tablet to do all of those things, at least as well as your individual components. And all for less than $600.

[lunardigs]

The pocket DAW of the future I want, would be the size of cellphone, have at least 2 legit mic-pres onboard, using microdot connectors. Plus, an ambient mic, ideally two, and, at least two 1/8" outs, AND, some strategic hardware buttons .... It'd be like a field recorder, but entirely smaller, with a quality touchscreen.
Then, aside from the most basic 'record now' accompanying software, it would be open enough that you could put just about anything on it, like Flatpaks, or .debs, and maybe eventually, a refined mobile DAW might come along to suit it.
Give me one of those, and I'll start writing/contracting software for it and release it for free; that's how enthusiastic I would be about it.
I want something super convenient, go-anywhere easy and inconspicuous to capture real location stuff.

[BONES]

I wouldn't want anything so specialised. I prefer to have a Windows computer that can run my DAW software as well as a desktop computer can, otherwise it's just one more thing you have to take with you, which defeats the purpose of simplifying for me.

[lunardigs]

Yeah, I hear ya ... I just want a field recorder with BALLS. That's all.

[vstdls]

But seriously? You use one device for everything? You don't own a phone?

In my last position I eschewed the provided MacBook Pro and conducted everything from a Samsung Dex phone for 2.5 years. No problem. Not to be cool, but I didn't want to be seen with one in a leadership position, while trying to balance budgets.

Apple is so far behind the ball in regards to convenience and features, but light years ahead in marketing.

You got me Bones, I might scope out a Legion. I've got a spare audio interface kicking around already.

[BONES]

I just made a really cool discovery - you can use Studio One Remote with Studio One on the same computer. That means I can run the remote application when I am using the Legion Go without the big monitor, which will make it even better for live performance.

[Hewitt Huntwork]

I'm really intrigued by the original subject of this post. This is not exactly the same, but it could belong in the discussion.
https://paintaudio.com/products/computer-effects-ce1

[BONES]

That's not even in the spirit of the original post. The whole thing about the Legion Go is that it replaces all my other computing devices. This thing is just one more CPU in your life, on top of all the others.

[Hewitt Huntwork]

That's not even in the spirit of the original post. The whole thing about the Legion Go is that it replaces all my other computing devices. This thing is just one more CPU in your life, on top of all the others.

I mean I know you found a great solution for you and I find it intriguing because you're using something that is marketed for a different use and it seems - spec wise - to be a much better value than other comparable hardware. Do you agree with that? Sorry if I am slow on the uptake... I guess I remember now, that for you it does other non-music computing tasks. But one does need a controller and an interface, and the thing I shared the interface is inbuilt. It is a Windows 11 machine. I'm not an expert on processors. Is it inferior to the processor in the Legion Go? Is there something you need that it won't do? I'm not trying to suggest it is better or that you should switch - I'm trying to educate myself. You are literally (so far) the only person I've encountered online sharing this approach, so, I'm braving your legendary prickliness in an attempt to learn from the source.

Full disclosure though, MY primary interest is not replacing every CPU in my life. I am a partner to someone who needs a lot of care, and I'm just looking at not having to be at my big, beautiful desk in order to be productive. I could just get a laptop, but the thing you're using or the Ally alternative both seem like better values than the laptops I've shopped. I know I shared a lot here. I don't expect you to address it all. Thanks for reading.

[Uncle E]

The Legion Go seems hard to beat. Used ones with 2TB sell for around $500. My laptop works for my needs but I completely understand the appeal of this for live musicians.

[BONES]

I mean I know you found a great solution for you and I find it intriguing because you're using something that is marketed for a different use and it seems - spec wise - to be a much better value than other comparable hardware. Do you agree with that?

Absolutely.

But one does need a controller and an interface

Not actually necessary, I can get work done without either. But I am certainly not going to get up on stage without a decent audio I/O device and a MIDI keyboard.

It is a Windows 11 machine. I'm not an expert on processors. Is it inferior to the processor in the Legion Go? Is there something you need that it won't do?

It doesn't seem to support touch on the main screen, so it would need a mouse. From the couple of videos I scrubbed through, it seems very specifically to be a tool for guitarists, not keyboard players, so it would also need a MIDI controller.

Looking at the specs, it is a very entry-level CPU, the kind you'd find in cheap Chromebooks. It's integrated graphics would also be useless for my graphics work.

I could just get a laptop, but the thing you're using or the Ally alternative both seem like better values than the laptops I've shopped.

Have you had a look on eBay? Two or three year old Surface Pros are always available at ridiculously low prices. People seem to buy them, ex-lease, in job lots and sell them individually on eBay. I've bought several (for other people) and we haven't had a dud yet. Something like THIS ONE.

[Hewitt Huntwork]

Thank you, Bones!