Is there such a thing as the perfect environment to build your mixes and songs?  Some would say that the dimly lit studio, padded from any outside distractions is the best place to let the idea from the head.  Others say that escaping the bustles of city live and into the outskirts of the town is a better place to get away from it.  Perhaps being surrounded by nature makes up for the amount of technology that is being shoved in our faces daily.  One thing that is for sure, is that that we don’t need to bring the studio with us.  We only need a small device with a decent internet connection. [embed width="656"]http://youtu.be/725hSQWiwog[/embed] Producing or editing on the go might become more popular than producing with our butts in an office chair.  The issue with producing on the go is finding the right sort of interface that will allow us to make changes – but not so much that we are lost with complex functions and ideas at the tips of our fingers.  The popular host Soundcloud has initiated a new way to edit tracks on the go and it allows the cloud storage of SoundCloud to become the host where the files are ultimately shared. http://djworx.com/mixvibes-cross-dj-soundcloud-on-the-go/

The integration of laptops, smartphones, tablets, and computers is happening quicker that we all expected it to.  While some manufacturers are busy working trying to blur the lines between each type of devices, I feel that others have stake in keeping things separate.  Apple products from laptops, to tablets, to phones all share similar operating profiles – but there is a dynamic gap between them all.  Apple doesn’t want you to own a laptop that can be a smartphone, and they don’t want the iPhone taking the place of the iPad.  There has been some thoughtful separation of these devices for the sake of marketing and strategy. Those who aren’t part of the Apple clan have been seeking out better options, options that will actually let them bridge their devices together.  Tablets still have their share of flaws like the inability to plug in peripheral devices, or even the lack of computing power compared to a similarly priced desktop.  Smartphones also have their limitations, mainly the lack of usable screen space.  Hybrid laptops will be coming out soon and hopefully they will find ways to combine connectivity, versatility, as well as portability while keeping everything nicely packaged in the process. http://createdigitalmusic.com/2013/06/as-touch-and-windows-converge-potential-for-performing-music-live-djing/

Performing with a tablet instead of hardware wired in sequence seems like a real taste of the future, or at least a step in the right direction for future music makers.  It currently has not overtaken the need or want for better hardware and MIDI technology, but I think that due to pricing constrains the lead will become much closer in only a few years.  Currently, these tablets are really only limited by artifacts such as latency or hardware connections.  Other than that, it is really up to the developers to make something that can be useful to a musician.  One of the key elements that make app A better than app B, is the performance value. A performer on stage who uses an iPad doesn’t want to worry about performance issues.  You’d think that a computer would be able to keep up with a piece of hardware, but sometimes the operating system can cause constraints that are unavoidable.  The other problem is the layout of these programs.  Too much functionality often means that navigation will suffer in some way.  You need a way to allow the musician to access areas of the program without having to sit down and squint at the screen.  http://www.djtechtools.com/2013/06/09/great-apps-for-live-producing-performance-on-ios/

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