Hi everybody.
Just wondering.
I’ve been a busy little bee lately, and I’m contemplating getting a PDA to keep myself together.
I’ve also been curious as to the possibility of doing some sequencer type stuff on a PDA.
Anyone in here have any experience with PDAs and audio/midi?
Check out minimusic.com. With an older serial Palm Pilot you can sequence external MIDI instruments with that suite. Any MIDI sound module with a serial PC/Mac “To Host” port will work; you can also make up a Palm serial to MIDI cable from schematics on the web, or use a simple 1 in 1 out Mac serial (not usb) MIDI interface. With a newer Palm device you can sequence internal sounds.
For Windows Mobile devices there’s Bhaji’s Loops and a few other choices.
Check out a blog called “Palm Sounds” for other ideas.
I also own a device called a Roland PMA-5, which is a 300 instrument Sound Canvas with an integrated touch screen sequencer. Sounds awesome, interface could use some work. There is also a series of Yamaha portable sound module/sequencer devices called QY(number)
I was contemplating getting a WIndows Mobile 5.0 device and running Griff.
It seems like a very capable device.
I think I like the idea of a phone that I can compose full sequences on.. :o
How good is it, that we now live in the future! :
I too have used the pma-5 and thought it was very cool to show off but comes up alittle short compared to how spoiled we are with nowadays stuff.
I’ve never heard of the PMA-5, I now have and I WANT ONE!
I have got a QY-10, I got it for a really good price as it’s near mint with original packing. It’s a little fiddly to program, I kinda wish i’d gone for a QY-20. Still, as I say, I bought the 10 for about £20 intending to circuit bend, but it’s too nice!
How good is it, that we now live in the future! :
i was watching back to the future 2 recently and realized that the “future” in that movie is only 8 years from now.
Heh. The QY-10 was one of the first pieces of music kit I ever bought. What a POS. “A little fiddly to program”?? Yeah, just a tad. :
If you want a serious QY check out the QY-70 and QY-700 at the link above. I was lucky enough to find the PMA for a couple of hundred $AU in a pawn brokers. I love the way the Roland soundset sits in a mix, and the preset loops are even useable. But the QY-70/700 are much more sophisticated sequencers, have better FX, audio in, a mini keyboard etc etc etc.
The touchscreen on the PMA sounds like a good idea, but in reality it’s a bit of a pig to navigate, and it’s not backlit. That said, it’s certainly usable, and it’s an essential part of my live jamming rig. Key-locked distorted guitar feedback whammy bar action, oh yeah ;D
BTW PMA=“Personal Music Assistant” ;D