Hacker News Reader

Comment by tptacek | Hacker News Reader

It's a firsthand assertion from Damon Albarn, announcing what is probably going to end up being the best-known creative output to ever use the original iPad. It's newsworthy.

View on HN

I don't think he was suggesting that it's not newsworthy, just that he had an expectation, as did I, to get an insight into the apps used during production.

Yes, how you produce serious music on an iPad is a valuable question...

The next version of iPad is apparently going to support MIDI (presumably through am expesnive proprietary dongle like the iPad does for hooking up cameras to download photos).

I enjoy making beats with the KORG iELECTRIBE on my iPad but I doubt he'd be making whole albums on it

Video of KORG iELECTRIBE for iPad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeVx5PQERKE

This version of the iPad supports MIDI. It's not really the iPad hardware, it's the software. iOS 4.2, which releases in a few days, has MIDI hardware support via WiFi MIDI or MIDI over USB, using the USB connector included in the Camera Kit ($30 for usb port and sd card reader). The 4.2 betas have already been tested with different external hardware.

He specifically said he's making the album on the iPad. Why doubt it?

Aren't there a bunch of serious multitrack recording apps already available for the iPad?

Just knowing that someone says they did something, even granting that it's true, isn't all that useful, and really only newsworthy if what's being claimed is some how truly remarkable (like cold fusion using common kitchen utensils or something).

I've no doubt you can produce music on an iPad. I want to know what kind, how complex, what audio quality, using what software, etc.

It is truly remarkable that Damon Albarn is doing a Gorillaz-branded album entirely (or even mostly) on an iPad; he has ready access to every conceivable piece of studio technology, and is instead using the $1-$50 recording apps on the app store.

"he has ready access to every conceivable piece of studio technology, and is instead using the $1-$50 recording apps on the app store."

Was that in the linked article?

Is there a $100 recording app in the store? Sorry, I didn't know. I do have an inkling how much a pro setup costs, though.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com