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Looking for a tablet for live performance
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Kysora
Here's a quick description of my current setup: I have a guitar + effect pedals and a Korg N1 going into a 4 channel mini mixer, which outputs to a loop pedal and finally to my guitar amp.

I recently got Camel Alchemy on PC and I love the drum and soundscape patches, I really want to incorporate them into my live setup and a tablet plugged directly into that mini-mixer would probably be the best way to go about doing it, but I know absolutely nothing about tablets aside from the fact that I'd prefer one with Windows instead of Android. Are most capable of running a DAW (probably FL studio) + Alchemy without major latency/lag problems? Does anyone have any recommendations? Cost is a concern, I don't want to spend more than a few hundred bucks at the most but I don't want to waste money on something that can't run programs like these.

Looking at Newegg I found this one, is there any reason this wouldn't work? Seems like a pretty good deal but again, just want to make sure.

Thanks in advance.
cryophonik
The best way to control Alchemy on your PC is by using Alchemy Mobile Pro on an iPad. It works pretty flawlessly here. However, I'm assuming that don't already have that app and, since Camel Audio was bought by Apple, that's probably not currently an option. But, maybe Apple will release something in the future that will work.

In the meantime, I'd suggest going with an iPad and the Lemur app. Then, you can just build your own custom controllers, complete with animated modulations. Lemur is only compatible with iOS and Android. You can use it over wifi or cabled and it has very low latency. It would require you to know/learn some basic coding but, hell, if I can do it, anybody can. Plus, there's a huge user library of Lemur templates available for free, so you can easily copy code/modules from existing templates.
djnitride
Yep, Lemur is where its at for iPad.

TouchOSC isn't bad either but there is far more content and possibilities with Lemur.
Kysora
quote:
Originally posted by cryophonik
The best way to control Alchemy on your PC


sorry if I wasn't clear, I'm not looking for a way to control anything on my PC. it's too much to drag around with me, that's why I'm looking for a tablet with a windows OS that can run a DAW + alchemy with no issues. the files I have for alchemy wouldn't be compatible with an iPad and I'm not particularly interested in getting one unless there's some massive benefit to them over a windows OS tablet that I'm not aware of.
cryophonik
OK, gotcha. Sorry, I have almost no experience with Windows tablets, so I can't help.
Kysora
well then let me pick your brain about ipads since I know nothing about them, would an ipad be able to run Lemur as well as the DAW that it'll control? the drum patches in Alchemy are the primary reason I want to use it but the loops would have to be premade anyway, I suppose I could always export mp3s from my PC and use those on an ipad. lemur does look pretty cool.

is this something a 1st gen model would be able to handle? something around $200-300 would be perfect, I can't afford much of anything above that.
cryophonik
quote:
Originally posted by Kysora
would an ipad be able to run Lemur as well as the DAW that it'll control


Lemur is just a controller app that you can use to control a DAW, synth, effects, etc. It doesn't make sounds or load sounds. If you're going to put some sort of DAW app on the tablet for triggering loops/samples, then you wouldn't really need Lemur.

quote:
Originally posted by Kysora
the drum patches in Alchemy are the primary reason I want to use it but the loops would have to be premade anyway, I suppose I could always export mp3s from my PC and use those on an ipad.


There are apps for iOS (and presumably Windows and Android) that allow you to import and trigger audio loops and samples. I don't have much experience with them, although Loopy HD is supposedly one of the better apps.

https://itunes.apple.com/app/loopy-...&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

Hopefully, somebody else here has some experience with these.

quote:
Originally posted by Kysora
is this something a 1st gen model would be able to handle? something around $200-300 would be perfect, I can't afford much of anything above that.


I have Lemur on both my iPad 4 and my iPad1, but I installed it on my iPad1 a long time ago and I am now stuck at an older Lemur build because the latest versions require a newer iOS than the first generation iPads can handle. So, buying an iPad1 to run Lemur is probably not advisable and I'm not even sure that it's still possible to download the older iPad1-compatible version of Lemur from the App Store(???). You should be able to buy an iPad2 or iPad Mini for well under $300, though, and that will be fine for running the latest iOS and Lemur. Hope that makes sense.
vinceGOLD
interesting and got me thinking...

you could most certainly run a Daw and VST's on a very cheap
win8.1 tablet. Tablets start at 79 dollars with quad core atom
1.3 ghz chips and 1 gig of ram (Walmart)



However running what you need..(FL with ALchemy...)
(Alchemy states....... intel core2duo and 2 gigs of ram minimum)
(FL stipulates needs a 2ghz single core Pentium 4 minmum, and 1 gig ram)

it will be a close'ish call on a cheap tablet. You'd maybe just about get some very basic usage out of it.
There are 3 things the tablet is fueling with horsepower. (Win, Daw, VSTi)

but i am not sure if the Alchemy requirements can be somewhat
accomodated by the hardware requirements of the daw

But on a more expensive tablet with better chips it could give
somewhat entry basic simple usage.

Higher price tablets use better quad core
chips....(but not much better)

The Alchemy softsynth VSTi could run on any daw. THere are lots of low horse power daws. Audio Evolution.

but check this up.

Today, THe blurb on even basic win8.1 tablets says the atom chips are very very good. Baytrail.





V
vinceGOLD
Hello

There seems to be comments on the web about win 8.1 tablets
and how touch screens don't match-up with the tools your running
and so forth. (native windows tools)

I don't know much about that but i have had Android tablets where
you just use a usb keyboard and mouse on USB?. No touch pens or
such-like are needed. Then interactivity does not seem an issue.

(Portable handhelds and how desktop tools display)"interact"

V
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