How are you using mobile devices for your music?

darkwaves

There was a long thread over in the Maschine forum about; well, I don't know what it was about, but a lot of discussion around iPads.

It has be wondering how others are using mobile; either as a primary platform or accessory.

For example; I have a few apps on my android phone and iPad. I'll sit and play with Koala on my phone. I like the resampling workflow and will probably end up syncing a folder of samples over to my phone just to play with Koala. I have Drambo and AUM on my iPad. Sometimes I'll just sit and play with Drambo. Sometimes I'll connect the iPad to my audio interface and route my hardware through AUM.

In both cases, I'm just 'playing'. Exploring noise, rhythm, etc. I'm not truly trying to make a track.

I have a lot of accessory apps that I turn my mobile devices into tools. For example, I have an app that will let me send a note in via midi and it sends out whatever chord I want. I use it on an old Android tablet that's connected to my midi interface. Everything else is connected to the interface too (including my network); so everything has that function now. I use the tablet to control my audio interface's mixer. I have an old surface go running ChordieApp. I'll route a euclidean sequencer from drambo into maschine. I could keep going. I love using my mobile devices this way; especially older stuff I'd otherwise retire.

So are you using any? If so, when, what, why and how?

ShelLuser

Hi there!

Late comment; when I first saw your post I skipped it because... I didn't use mobile at all. Well, that changed a bit but at the same time a small disclaimer needs to go into effect because by no means has this become part of my workflow or my home studio for that matter. To me the whole thing is a bit of a toy, but.. also a really useful toy 🤓

FL Studio mobile.

Some months ago I got reminded about FL Studio and it managed to fill up a major gap in my workflow in providing me with a second DAW which I could easily use in addition to my main DAW (= Ableton Live suite edition). I've been using 2 sequencers from almost ever since I started using Live so when Reason was no longer capable of doing this... I really wanted something else.

So then I learned that FL Studio provides 2 "platforms": their main DAW (available in different versions or 'gradations') and... a mobile version:

Sold separately but I still bought into this. Especially if you keep this into consideration:

See what I mean?

Their mobile version is actually part of the main DAW and as such I can immediately load in everything I've made on the road and add that to my main project(s). Or export the MIDI and use that (or pieces of that).

I don't use this often therefor I don't consider it as part of my workflow. It also doesn't help that this "mobile instrument" constantly crashes as soon as I try to load it when using FL Studio as a VST within Live.

However... it can be lots of fun, and sometimes quite useful to quickly store a melody you just thought off.

nightjar

Such a symbiotic relationship between a mobile device and a "desktop" rig is a natural path that is due for a HUGE evolution now that some mobile devices have reached a tipping point in processing power, storage, and a more "merged" relationship between macOS and iPadOS.

Kubrak

For listening music I use mp3 player. And for storing ideas on the go I use mp3 player. Or paper notepad. It integrates pretty well with my desktop.