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Hi All,
While recently looking through adds for Control Surfaces for my Sonar x3, I came across an article on an app for iPad called V-Control Pro.
This would allow me to control, (in my case, an already set up workspace in Sonar) using an iPad touchscreen.
I have an A-500 Pro midi keyboard controller at present, which is great for what I want, as a controller when mixing, or generally at my desk.
However the thought of being able to use touch screen gadgets connected to a mic stand seemed an absolute winner, as Ive lost count of the amount of times I have banged my favoutite Guitar/Bass on my desk trying to adjust a level/slider/rotary, while playing/ recording.
Problem is: At present I am a Windows man, don't own an iPhone (Blackberry still integrates well with Outlook email, etc) nor an iPad.
Has anybody tried any of the options available in Remote DAW Control.
I do have other windows laptops, but not touchscreen, so can see a purchase of some similar description iminent.

Sonar x3 Producer, Windows 7 64 bit, Quad Core, 24 GB RAM

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pcrecord Sat, 09/20/2014 - 07:14

I tried a few applications with my Iphone and failed. (was a year ago) I had problems with drivers and integration.
Maybe they put up some new apps but I abandoned the idea. I use remote mouse app in my living room with success but I didn't try it in the studio.

What I did instead is buy a used Mackie control surface and I enjoy it very much. Being an old fart, having knobs and sliders sends me to the confort zone of years of live mixing. It also greatly simplified automation writings. And the customers are always amazed with the flying faders. I may charge 5$ more just for that !! :sneaky:

Si Cassidy Sat, 09/20/2014 - 07:25

Thanks pc
The A-500 has sliders and rotary pots, but the freedom of being a few feet even, away from the desk, would be a great improvement from hitting my guitar.
You know the story, You find a level for the instrument in the phones, then add the other tracks, and need to adjust, thats when I am likely to hit my desk,lol.
I am being a bit fussy, but the idea is great. Have a look at this link.
http://ehomerecordingstudio.com/daw-remote-control/

Reverend Lucas Sat, 09/20/2014 - 10:56

Cassidy,

You might give the app TouchDAW a shot. It's a $5 app that works with Windows and Android, which is the setup I'm running. I found it a bit of a pain to set up, but it seems to run fine once set up. I don't use it for much beyond basic transport controls, but it sounds like that's exactly what you're looking for. It could save you a purchase. Good luck!

Luke

anonymous Sun, 09/21/2014 - 04:42

The best one I've found - without using an actual hardware controller of course - is the AC-7 Core HD app for the iPad. I've tried several others, the AC7 was the best of the bunch in terms of integration and the functions it allows you to control - play, record, arm tracks, input levels, ff, rw, scroll, even some editing - although I don't believe I would ever use my iPad or any remote control app for editing, anyway.

I think the app was around $5 or so - and it supports all the major DAW platforms - PT, Reason, Sonar, Cubase, Logic, etc - although as of this writing, I don't believe it supports Samplitude, at least not the last time I checked... but it might work if I simply selected a generic remote preset in the app.

It does require a network that both your PC and iPad are connected to, also, you need an Midi RTP ( Real Time Protocol) packet, along with a current version of Bonjour, both running/resident on your PC.
I downloaded both for free.

I haven't used the AC7 remote app for a few months now, because this past summer, I switched over from Sonar to Samplitude for good... but when I was working in Sonar, the remote app worked very well. I never had any trouble with it, other than sometimes the app would go idle if it hadn't been used for a half hour or so, but it would reconnect to the PC/Sonar the moment I hit the touch screen on the iPad. There was a settings tweak for this somewhere on the app that would extend the time it took before it went into standby... I just never messed with it.

I'd find it hard to believe that this app wasn't also available for smart phones; although I know there's no way that this would work for me, as my eyes just can't see that kind of detail anymore on a screen that small.

FWIW

thatjeffguy Sun, 09/21/2014 - 09:33

I tried a couple of options a year or so ago (don't recall which ones). The main problem I found was the latency between the iPad and the DAW when initiating control moves on the iPad. This is probably unavoidable but just be aware that it can be a problem. I instead continue to use the long-ago discontinued (why?) Frontier Tranzport remote which works flawlessly.
~Jeff