I-Rig for Android arrives

imalone

Mainly support for higher end samsung at the minute, but it's finally here:
http://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/irighda/

underdog

Oh I may not need an iPad after all.

dafuzz

Huzzah!

grungebob

Its only for devices with android L, so if you have any device older than a nexus 5 it isn't going to work. I waited and waited for this but in the end I went iPad and have been well happy that I did. I have a nexus 5 too so will wait and see

imalone

grungebob said:

Its only for devices with android L, so if you have any device older than a nexus 5 it isn't going to work. I waited and waited for this but in the end I went iPad and have been well happy that I did. I have a nexus 5 too so will wait and see

Yes, my phone wont do it, but might well determine what my next one is, or see if I can get a cheap Note 3 after Christmas.

digitalscream

This. Is. Awesome.

@Drew_fx

underdog

Seems my HTC one stands a chance of getting updated to lollipop, so that'd be nice.

digitalscream

grungebob said:

Its only for devices with android L, so if you have any device older than a nexus 5 it isn't going to work. I waited and waited for this but in the end I went iPad and have been well happy that I did. I have a nexus 5 too so will wait and see

It's only a matter of time, though - most recent devices will be getting Lollipop pretty soon.

The good thing about supporting Android is that the hardware is cross-platform so audio interfaces will work with PCs, as opposed to the iDevice-compatible stuff which only works with (certain generations of) Apple gear. 

Drew_TNBD

Groovy pants!

shuikit

FYI - Lollipop has come out for the Nexus 4 and (I think) the 1st gen Nexus 7. 

digitalscream

I have to say, it does worry me that all the IK software only works with the Samsung Professional Audio SDK. I hope they rectify that, or at least that there's a plan for the SDK to be usable with non-Samsung phones.

EDIT: Then again...their USB interfaces will work with any phone, so if somebody (eg Positive Grid) comes up with an alternative which works using the base Android audio SDK, that'll work too. IK will just lose out on the software side of things.

grungebob

shuikit said:

FYI - Lollipop has come out for the Nexus 4 and (I think) the 1st gen Nexus 7. 

are you sure its not a beta? My Nexus 5 is still to receive an over the air update.

The problems I envisage with android versions is not all handsets/tablets have the same internal hardware so may not be 100% compatible with all software and so make it harder for the developers than it was for apple products? 

digitalscream

grungebob said:

shuikit said:

FYI - Lollipop has come out for the Nexus 4 and (I think) the 1st gen Nexus 7. 

are you sure its not a beta? My Nexus 5 is still to receive an over the air update.

The problems I envisage with android versions is not all handsets/tablets have the same internal hardware so may not be 100% compatible with all software and so make it harder for the developers than it was for apple products? 

I'd guess that any hardware issues are more down to CPU grunt and available RAM than anything - remember that phones are designed with real-time audio in mind in the first place, so all have to be capable of that. Seems to me that the enhancements in Android L are mainly a case of exposing that level of audio stream priority to applications other than the phone app.

Any device which gets the L update is basically guaranteed to be from the last couple of generations of mid-to-high level devices anyway, so they should easily have enough power to do it (ie at least 1GB RAM, dual core 1GHz+ at a minimum...which is the same spec as most iPhones).

Hertz32

I saw it, and I'm still buying an iPad on Friday anyway, despite having an android home environment.

Yeah, Amplitube is out for Android now, but other dev's will still take a while to catch up and bring out their software too. I have a 2nd Gen Moto G that should be getting the Lollipop update soon, and may buy a small, cheap interface to have it as a backup to the iPad but iOS still beats Android when it comes to Inter-app audio support in the form of AudioBUS, meaning that I can run JamUP, BIAS and then record into Cubasis simultaneously. That, and the fact that there are far more interfaces for iPad than there are that will be compatible with android, you might find that most android interfaces are 3.5mm based for a while, as I don't think Micro USB can power a full external interface. You may find the iRig is cross compatible though, along with the Jamup Plug. 

In all fairness, that's probably enough for most of you guys who just want to jam with it, but if you want 24 bit lossless audio likt the iPad is capable of, then it's probably not enough. Along with the fact that I don't want a phone's DAC colouring the tone.


It's been a LONG time coming for android to support USB audio, and I think they've come across it just a little too late to catch up with iOS in the musician market. However they may find it helps them out with USB DACs and the Audiophile market. Just my two cents though. 

digitalscream

I think you're making a lot of assumptions there. Amplitube explicitly supports running as a plugin within a mobile DAW, as will others that come out.

Android L actually supports *any* class-compliant audio hardware, which means that an awful lot of people won't have to buy new kit at all. It also opens up the possibility of just plugging your phone into your effects unit (eg Zoom G3) and recording direct from it with a standard cable that most people will have lying around.

Never underestimate the power of using industry standards (as opposed to the Apple way of doing it, where every generation of device requires a device-specific set of cables and adapters). There's also the fact that Android is a nicer environment to develop in, and far less likely to pull the rug out from under you at a moment's notice.

Everybody said that Android came into the market too late to take the smartphone crown from Apple, because Apple stuff does everything better etc etc. Android usage went past iPhones within a year, and now they're lucky if they manage to ship 20% as many devices as get out the door with an Android OS on.

Be careful of making predictions

Hertz32

Fair enough @digitalscream I just feel it wont be as complete as iOS until big DAWs get onboard such as FLstudio, Cubasis and Auria.
Yes android is nicer to develop for, however it'll still be buggy for a while.

I await being proved wrong though, and I want to be. I fugging hate apple

shuikit

grungebob said:

shuikit said:

FYI - Lollipop has come out for the Nexus 4 and (I think) the 1st gen Nexus 7. 

are you sure its not a beta? My Nexus 5 is still to receive an over the air update.

The problems I envisage with android versions is not all handsets/tablets have the same internal hardware so may not be 100% compatible with all software and so make it harder for the developers than it was for apple products? 

Yes, I'm sure, I flashed the factory image of lollipop onto my nexus 4 over a week ago.  Factory image (ie resets the device to factory defaults) tend to come out a lot sooner than the OTA update version.

From my point of view, I mainly run Android but have an iPad 2 which I've had for a a few years and so have half an eye on looking at a new tablet.  The main reason for me considering another ipad is the music stuff, that's despite not even using the ipad for music related tasks all that often.  If this is the beginning of Android getting more and better music related applications and hardware then great and it could be decision made for me!

grungebob

I've been an ardent android supporter from day one, you can see the root drive, drag drop files, execute most if not all file formats but I got really annoyed with bugs in apps and endless frozen screens and shitty app support that on my last visit to the states I bought an iPad air and a iphone 5s.

Apps work as they should now, great support and the music apps ( even garageband) are great, ive gone from mindless doodling on the guitar to writing loads of ideas and riffs and capturing them easily with great sound. Thats worth the apple tax alone! I'll go back to google as soon as they get their act together again.

imalone

digitalscream said:

I have to say, it does worry me that all the IK software only works with the Samsung Professional Audio SDK. I hope they rectify that, or at least that there's a plan for the SDK to be usable with non-Samsung phones.

EDIT: Then again...their USB interfaces will work with any phone, so if somebody (eg Positive Grid) comes up with an alternative which works using the base Android audio SDK, that'll work too. IK will just lose out on the software side of things.

Hertz32 said:

I saw it, and I'm still buying an iPad on Friday anyway, despite having an android home environment.

Yeah, Amplitube is out for Android now, but other dev's will still take a while to catch up and bring out their software too. I have a 2nd Gen Moto G that should be getting the Lollipop update soon, and may buy a small, cheap interface to have it as a backup to the iPad but iOS still beats Android when it comes to Inter-app audio support in the form of AudioBUS, meaning that I can run JamUP, BIAS and then record into Cubasis simultaneously. That, and the fact that there are far more interfaces for iPad than there are that will be compatible with android, you might find that most android interfaces are 3.5mm based for a while, as I don't think Micro USB can power a full external interface. You may find the iRig is cross compatible though, along with the Jamup Plug.

 

"iRig HD-A features superior digital audio quality and offers a premium 24-bit A/D converter for a crystal clear digital signal that’s free from noise and crosstalk." That is they're doing the hardware too. USB-OTG interface.

Danny1969

The thing is even if you can get get your iRig low latency enough in Android to support recording it still won't help you playing live. Just about every single desk now has an ap that supports remote mixing with the ipad and personal monitoring mixing with your iphone. Having the right phone can be the difference between having a great monitor mix or putting up with what someone thinks you want these days. Shame cos Android devices are cheap as chips in comparison

digitalscream

Danny1969 said:

The thing is even if you can get get your iRig low latency enough in Android to support recording it still won't help you playing live. Just about every single desk now has an ap that supports remote mixing with the ipad and personal monitoring mixing with your iphone. Having the right phone can be the difference between having a great monitor mix or putting up with what someone thinks you want these days. Shame cos Android devices are cheap as chips in comparison

Funnily enough, I've not played a single gig (or been at a single gig) where an iPhone was required to get a decent mix, on-stage or off.