Is the iPad the Future of Virtual Synth Control?

[jonnyG]

i fjazzmutant is brillant enough, theyll sell the lemur OS/app in the app store for 100$ and make 10 times more money than by selling lemurs

I hope so for their sake. However, there will still be a market for rugged controllers - the iPad (or any other consumer-grade tablet) isn't going to stand up too well to club/gig use.

My thoughts too. despite the cost of the Lemur it is a dedicated controller with a dedicted OS. I'm sure that people who can jusify the purchase will continue to buy them for the ruggedness, functionality (and I'm asuming here) support. If Jazzmutant could port the software reliably to the iPad (and assuming Apple would sell it) I don't think they'd lose a massive number of Lemur sales. Only they can do the math though. Not that the iPad sports anything as humdrum as MIDI ports...

[SolarRainUK]

But the point here isn't a TouchOSC/Lemur-like "virtual" controller -- rather the ability to pull up the interface itself, so you have, say, a CS-80V and "pull" the sliders or "turn" knobs. I know an iPhone app exists that kind of does that now -- to see the screen and mouse around w your finger. and TouchOSC let's you create yur own controller maps. But the iPad seems way more suited to giving the player control over already existing user-interfaces w its size.

Well, I don't suppose that'll happen until multi-touch screen computers are cheap and widely available.

I believe there are already multi-touch screen monitors already though? I seem to remember seeing one made by HP I think? I guess that would do what you want and give you direct touch control of any interface on you bring up on the monitor. But I assume they're quite expensive.

With the iPad, quite a lot of legwork will be required.

Anyway, slightly off-topic..I'm quite surprised the iPad has generated so much negativity, given what it can do for the price. Also, knowing Apple, it will become cheaper and much improved (hopefully with multi-tasking) in the next version..

[Funksploitation]

Not for me it won't be. I have a Nocturn and a ZeRO SL Mk II so I couldn't give a damn about touch screen sof any description. I like my real knobs and faders just fine.

[Gamma-UT]

I believe there are already multi-touch screen monitors already though? I seem to remember seeing one made by HP I think? I guess that would do what you want and give you direct touch control of any interface on you bring up on the monitor. But I assume they're quite expensive.

Those costs will come down. Atmel bought one company that threatened to sue Apple over multitouch and is making multitouch controllers for OEMs. Sharp has an alternative technology based on optical sensors that is some way away from commercialisation but would have as many touch points as pixels. So you're going to see more of these devices.

Lenovo recently launched a netbook with multitouch, although attached to a keyboard. So there will be a lot around, give it a year or two.

Anyway, slightly off-topic..I'm quite surprised the iPad has generated so much negativity, given what it can do for the price. Also, knowing Apple, it will become cheaper and much improved (hopefully with multi-tasking) in the next version..

The amount of publicity that Apple generates always leads to a backlash. It does look like an overgrown iPhone, so there is a bit of a 'meh' factor. And the situation with 3G (another phone contract?) doesn't help, although there's not much Apple can do about that - that craziness is in the hands of the phone companies.

[Naive Teen Idol]

Not for me it won't be. I have a Nocturn and a ZeRO SL Mk II so I couldn't give a damn about touch screen sof any description. I like my real knobs and faders just fine.

I like my Remote SL, too -- but I also like using synths with the UI's they were designed to have, not some cobbled together version that I made myself.

I mean, this is what I'm talking about:

Being able to zoom in on the envelope section of a sophisticated virtual analog like the CS-80V and move all four ADSR sliders simultaneously. Then being able to drag the UI to the ribbon controller section where you can use your left hand to play to multi-touch trills. Pinching your thumb and forefinger together and rotating them to turn a knob that controls the speed of an arpeggiator.

I would think the Arturias and GForces of the world would really want really want to encourage this kind of software.

(and let's not get into the "But it would crimp sales of the Origin!" argument just yet, ok)