Monitoring and I/O on 3rd Gen iTouch

[Adam]

Hi. I've just stumbled across your wonderful software and am considering an upgrade from my iTouch, 1st gen in order to get it. My primary goal is to do multitrack draft songs while walking. I currently carry a Sony ICD recorder to capture song ideas, but having a multitrack would be simply unbelievable!

I have a Mikey, which I currently use with my Nano to record scratch songs at band practices, but it would be incredible to have a more comprehensive recorder wherever I go, and I wouldn't mind walking with the Mikey-Attached iTouch while walking if that is the best way to do it. What I don't understand is how I will monitor on the Touch with this software when recording. When I plug my Mikey into my 1st Gen Touch the audio I/O 1/8" jack is entirely blocked by the Mikey. I know Mikey has a very tiny speaker suitable for assuring that something actually recorded, but I'd never use it for monitoring. So, is there some sort of additional adapter port that is used with the Mikey?

Forgive me for not knowing, but does the 3rd Gen iTouch have a built-in mic? Is that the preferred method for users getting vocal audio (parts of songs) into the recorder when they are on the move? I know I'd sacrifice quality, but maybe this arrangement is good enough.

Also, as a 1st gen Touch user, I am not familiar with the audio I/O. Would I need to buy some sort of breakout cable to get access to both output and input when not using the Mikey? I did browse the Forum before asking these questions, and did notice some conversation about cables for the Touch, so feel free to refer me back to that thread if it is the right place for me to be.

Finally, with respect to monitoring, I mean being able to hear my previously recorded tracks while recording new tracks. I also mean being able to hear my voice in my headphones (i.e. the record-armed track) while I am recording, whether I am recording the first pass or I have already recorded other tracks. Is all of this fully implemented in the Multitrack/3rd Gen iTouch? Forgive me for asking, but I once bought a Tascam Porta 02 casette "Multitrack" that amazingly did not allow for the user to hear what had previously been recorded while tracking. After the purchase the store salesperson said "What did you think you were going to get for this amount of money?" So, I've learned to ask stupid questions.

Finally finally, with respect to Multitrack, are there any performance differences between the 8mb iTouch vs the 32 or 64GB units?

Thanks for what seems to be a superb product. Once I get clear on the monitoring and I/O setup, I think it will be hard to resist this upgrade. And thanks for reading a very long post for a potential $15 sale. I really do appreciate what you have created.

--Adam

[pwnified]

You could try a dock extender as mentioned in the 'Input Options' thread, this will allow you to plug in headphones for monitoring while recording. For playback into an amplifier or mixer you could just use a mini stereo plug. Definitely stay away from the 8GB 3rd generation touches, they are not really 3rd generation. Instead, go for the 32GB or 64GB 3rd gen as it has the faster CPU (and a bunch of recording space)

HTH, and thanks for your interest in MultiTrack.

[jorgren]

My 3rd-gen 32 GB iTouch came with the iPhone-type earbud/mic/remote control. The mic is fairly decent, for something so microscopic. Elsewhere on this forum you can see my posts on connecting a guitar directly to the earbud port, if you're so inclined.

[Adam]

I've now read the I/O posts on the forum, and I still have a few questions relating to a 3rd Gen 32 or 64GB iTouch (thanks for the tip about not buying the 8GB). Again, I would be happy to just experiment with this on my own, but to buy this software and make it work I'd have to ditch my 1st Gen iTouch and buy another. Hence my questions:

1. If I am using the Apple-supplied headphone/mic combo and I am walking outside, is that workable? I am trying to create scratch/draft songs, so I am not trying to create a noiseless studio in an environment that of course has inherent noise. I don't mind the sound of my own feet walking, or birds or dogs or the occasional car, but if there were continual rubbing noise from the headset cable that would probably be a problem. Others on the forum have said that the mic will pick up the motion of the cable. Is the cable motion likely to be too much for this kind of arrangement to work? Also, will mild to moderate wind be likely to overwhelm the mic entirely? Has anybody experimented with coverings to address wind concerns?

With respect to the dock extender, I just need to be clear about something. Is it 100% clear that stereo audio output goes to the iTouch 1/8" jack when a Mikey (ver 1.0) is plugged in via an extender? Has one of you kind people done this? If the extender/Mikey will take over the audio output and cuts off audio to the iTouch 1/8" jack, I'm out of luck for multitrack recording, and should just stick with my 1st Gen iTouch.

Thanks for any thoughts.

--Adam

[jorgren]

I can answer some of your questions.

I haven't used the earbud mic a whole lot, but in my fairly controlled settings, it hasn't given me a hassle with friction noise. If you are intending to walk and sing (or play?), you may want to clip the cable down to prevent extraneous movement. I don't know how wind affects it, but I would have to assume that a windscreen would be wise. It shouldn't be difficult to cobble something together - a little foam tube, or a piece of fake fur?

I'm curious - do you find musical inspiration hits when you are walking?

I think the question of whether the earbud output still works with an external mic plugged in, is really a software question, so I think pwnified would best answer it.

[pwnified]

Yes, Blue Mikey works fine while monitoring with headphones. But you need to use a pair of headphones without a mic, because the iPhone OS selects the mic on the headphones over the mic on the doc connector.

[Adam]

Okay, it sounds like I have two good options for the input that I want, so thanks for the info. I think I will go forward with upgrading my iTouch and getting this software!

As to recording while walking, Jorgren, I think the biggest thing I have learned is that inspiration doesn't automatically strike when I have time to be creative. Since music can only come in between so many other life demands, I may have only 15 to 45 minutes to do something in a busy week. I do get extended periods in the summer (I'm a teacher) when I can give much more focused attention, but I have had enough times when I sat down to create a song--even having 6 hours open to work on it--and nothing at all came to me except frustration. So, I have learned to "prime the pump" with available tools. One of my best ways to do this is to use a standard USB voice recorder. I essentially journal when I am walking, and sometimes when I am on a driving commute. I get to clear my head, and sometimes something creative comes of it. I bookmark these song fragments and mumblings. When I have time I transcribe the ones that seem useful (I'm also a MacSpeech/Dragon Naturally Speaking user, so transcription is not so overwhelming), and I find that having the ideas on paper makes it easier to put them into song. I also like having the notebook/journal to learn from the ideas that are evolving and from those that are stuck. While this is going on, over busy months, I am also recording snippets of songs in other ways. Often these days I either make them via my Nano/Mikey while practicing fiddle or Mandolin, or I turn to my Ableton/APC40 combination to create simple drum (usually EZ drummer), bass, and keyboard parts. I dump these, maybe 30 or 40 of them over several months since they don't take long to make, to my Nano, and listen to them while walking, sometimes with printed song lyrics in hand: can I make the words I like fit with a riff that I like? I find that breaking the song writing and the music creation into parts helps me to give each more attention, then I bring them together later in the process to create a full song. It seems less frustrating this way, and more reflective, too. For me songwriting is a very reflective process that involves a good bit of editing. While once in awhile I pop off something that sounds good to me on the first pass, usually there's something to wince at.

As to Multitrack, even as a kid I had multiple parts in my head when I was imagining songs. I have never really thought of getting those down while walking because I thought it was impossible, but it is the perfect combination for me. I wonder how it will play out when I get set up with the iTouch/Multitrack combination.

Thanks for asking. Explaining it helps me to clarify my process.

[jorgren]

Adam, very interesting post.

I too have to squeeze music making into the nooks and crannies of a very hectic life. I too have found that the mobile studio concept, and the concept of breaking the task into little pieces actually helps. In the iPod, I have recording apps, synth apps, drum machine apps, and so on. So far, there is no complete workflow in the iPod, but when MultiTrack 2.0 comes out, I think that will finally exist, and all heck will break loose in iPod music.

But for now, I record a part here, a part there, remember to keep them in the same key, scale, BPM, etc, and then assemble them on the computer. When it's easy to pop out a dozen little parts in a session, and I know I can't tweak them to perfection or even hear them together, I find I spit out a lot more material and a lot less performance anxiety. Then when I transfer my bits into the computer, I am a fairly impartial editor, keeping this and tossing that quite casually. So it's been an interesting experience. I can finally make music again. 80% of the work is done during my commute, while sitting on the bus.

Oh, and you may want to look into some of the apps such as from Intelligent Gadgets that can transcribe sound to MIDI, even analyze chords and such. That would give you the musical equivalent of Dragon.