A recent study I came about suggested that in the last two years or so desktops and laptops have lost significant ground to tablets when it comes to everyday use. So what does this mean regarding to music-making?
A lot depends on how mobile music-making tools develop in the near future. Apple’s inter-app-audio (IAA) is one major step toward a more integrated system in making music by using several apps simultaneously. Were there a VST instruments and FX standard for iOS at some point, the scales would keep turning even faster.
One important viewpoint is the supply and quality of apps. The ‘deep sample it to death’-strategy familiar from workstation libraries won’t work in tablet environment because of the limited storage space.
So instead of sample playback software, the app world users favor physical modeling software, since it requires less resources. There are only so many 500 Mb sample-based instruments that can be installed on a tablet without jamming it completely.
Some major library players like 8DIO and Sonokinetic have recently indicated that they have interest in dwelling deeper into the world of tablets. This is interesting since both of them have so far relied heavily on mainly large, deep-sampled libraries.
Making ‘light’ versions of those libraries for tablet use would probably not lead to success. Instead the interface and overall playability should step forward in the production process. Just think for example about ThumbJam, one of the first iOS apps in music making, which is still very much relevant because of its flexibility.
As a bonus, it would really interesting if there were iCloud or iTunes specifically for sample content. Nowadays sample libraries are sold in chunks, but as in the case of iTunes, people prefer buying specific files instead of ready-made packs.
Thus instead of IK Multimedia SampleTank for iOS there would be a light player software with an ’empty tank’, however with the possibility for buying individualized in-app sample content. In a way the Alchemy iOS version has done that already, but still the content in it is sold in prepacked form instead of individual sample files.
Ultimately the desktop/laptop world and tablet environment are probably set to merge also in music production. There are relatively big bucks in the game so it is nice to see which competitors play their hand most wisely.
Missing Sample 