DAW/softsynths + touchscreen?

[Alex E]

Anyone ever try something like that?

We have an HP touchsmart PC sitting on the shelf at work. I've tried using hobnox audiotool on it during a break, but our Wifi connection blocks the website when our connection is actually working. So unfortunately I can't really even try that out.

[tekkentool]

For live use with something like TouchOSC I can see it, as far as programming/production I can never imagine it being faster than a synth that has been designed around being quick to use on a software interface such as massive.

[CS_TBL]

One can probably operate a softsynth by touch. But I estimate this will be true for synths based on only some of the basic features. Once synthesis models get complex, with thousands o' features, then buttons 'n things get small. Otherwise it wouldn't fit screens. And a mouse cursor is decent to point at tiny things, your finger sucks big time in such situations.

And yes: I know I'll be riding my hobby horse again, but the only external interface suitable for FM8 would be FM8 itself. Forget all these cheap knob controllers with 8..32 knobs, it just doesn't work for the hundreds o' parameters which all do something relevant.. unless of course you'll settle down for the easy editing page.

So, yes: when a synth isn't big, external controlling (including touch screens) it can work.

[mp3]

I actually think a dual-digitizer (or strictly pen) tablet is a better option than a finger-based touchscreen. I have an older Gateway pen tablet (e-295c) that I set up as a softsynth host and it works a treat, albeit being a little slower CPU wise. It really really really opens up software interfaces; so much so that if I wasn't so heavily invested in the Mac platform, I might actually switch to one full time. I loaded Ableton Live onto it, and it was a real revelation...

There's only one Windows dual digitizer (or strictly pen) tablet being made nowadays that runs a 'real' CPU (and not an Atom), the Asus EP121. I think Samsung just released one recently too, but its a C2D running at a lower clock speed.

[Ashe37]

you can use a stylus on most touchscreens... I use a Nintendo DSxl stylus on my M3...

[mp3]

Well kinda... You have to get the right stylus for a given touchscreen technology, but from what I understand, capacitive touchscreen stylii aren't nearly as accurate as digitizer stylii. The capacitive tips are, by necessity, wider, and thus less accurate. I think that's an important consideration when you're talking about crowded DAW/softsynth interfaces. (There are other small disadvantages as well - one example being tooltips: you can't 'hover' the mouse with a capacitive stylus because you have to touch the screen to move the mouse, but that's a click...).

Nowadays everything uses capacitive touchscreens, except the handful of dual-digitizer tablets that have both a capacitive layer and a wacom-style digitizer layer. That's how tablets such as the Asus I mentioned are able to achieve both finger (capacitive) and pen (digitizer) input. Best of both worlds, the convenience of the finger, the accuracy of the pen.

The M3 uses the now-obsolete resistive touchscreen technology, which basically responds to point pressure. You could use a q-tip if you wanted to.

[Ashe37]

I have used a q-tip.... well, the plastic stick from one... my fingers are too big to be able to use the sequencer.

[astroidmist]

The PC version of MultitrackStudio (Pro Plus) works with a touchscreen.

http://multitrackstudio.com

[BlackGnosis]

In before Jazzmutant Lemur.

HURR DAFT PUNK POKES PRETTY BUTTONS. (any "live" vid of whats going on in the pyramid they're twiddling knobs and poking random buttons and messing with the screens of everything. If only they were actually tweaking stuff... No worries, they're masters of visual showmanship which is why all those knobs, buttons and fancy gizmos are there.]