I know mobile DAWs and setups are sometimes looked upon as being the cheap imitators of something much more powerful (and rightfully so, in most scenarios), but I’m considering actually putting together some kind of budget tablet / phone rig in order to capture more unique sounds to play with later.
I don’t know if I’m alone in this, but it seems like the cost of multitrack recording on the go has been dramatically decreased, especially if you’ve got a phone or tablet lying around, thanks to mini-DAWs like Cubasis (I’m eyeballing that one right now), FL Studio Mobile, and others. It also seems as though more interfaces are being supported even on Android as time goes on, making it just that much more appealing.
I also figured this could serve as a catch-all for mobile / limited-resource setups and workstations people use when they’re on the go or want to do something out of the studio. I can always use more excuses to go outside when resources and time permit, so tell me (if you’d like to share):what’s your rig like?
I do all my field recording with an old Tascam DR-40 and external mics as needed. I’ve had more elaborate setups in the past and that’s all that survived multiple purges and selloffs.
I’ve never really thought about actual DAW/multitrack recording in the field, and I’m not sure I’d personally have a use case for it, though I guess it could be handy for some people depending on what you’re doing. Stereo has been enough for me.
Honestly, nothing I record is going to survive contact with my DAW so perfect fidelity is way less important than having something convenient at hand when cool sounds happen or I get the urge. If I want high fidelity rain on the roof or birds chirping I’d probably just buy a sound pack or something.
Everything in the bag: recorder, mics, cables, wind screens, ear buds, extra batteries, bendy tripod thingy, clothes pins, blue tack, bail wire, sunblock, first aid kit.
I can take that wherever the hell I want to, and it’s great. Might not have any hardware superpowers, but I don’t need them…
I don’t so much like the idea of mobile DAWs like FL mobile, just because mobile devices are such a PIA to use for anything when compared to a computer, so I just keep my laptop in good condition and ready to go.
Have a look at digital multi-track recordwrs like a Zoom r8 or Tascam. Record onto sd card. Some will work on batteries. Can take anywhere for multi-track. I have used a Zoom R16 for a few years tracking stuff in different areas..then bring it back to the computer and import files into DAW