Welcome to 2007. Let's look forward to lots of new developments. Some if this post I used at the tale end of 2006, so you might find it familiar. There's bits and pieces added too!
MiniMusicI'm looking forward to new applications from minimusic. If you look at their
development calendar you'll see what they've got planned for this year.
MixPad has been in beta for a very long time indeed. MixPad is an application for mixing MIDI files.
MixPad is the next application that they plan to release, and, like the others so far it will use the
Krikit sound engine. Once
MixPad arrives you'll be able to create sounds in
SoundPad use them in
NotePad or
BeatPad and then export them to MIDI to mix them in
MixPad. The suite of apps will really take on a new dimension I think with the addition of
MixPad.
Next I hope that there will be a new version of
NotePad. In version 1.5 I'm hoping for the ability to export a song file as a .wav file onto memory card. Things will become very interesting if that comes about.
In theory you'll be able to create a .wav file in
NotePad export it, and import it into Bhajis Loops. That would in effect give you the ability to have sounds created in
SoundPad used in Bhajis Loops. Now that would be interesting. Or indeed, if you made percussion sounds in
SoundPad you could use them (as .wavs) in Microbe and then export from Microbe to Bhajis Loops. I do like the thought of being about to move sounds and files around between all these apps, and I think that is really on the horizon now.
After
NotePad I'm waiting for
SpinPad. I have played with the demo of SpinPad for ages, since the day it was actually released in fact, and I find it so interesting. It is a completely unique interface for making music. I don't know where they got the idea from, but it is great. Again, if this uses the
Krikit sound engine and has the ability to export to MIDI so you can then pick up your work in MixPad, that is going to be amazing. MiniMusic will have done an amazing job.
Of course it doesn't end there... I'd also like to see updates to
SoundPad to include other wave forms, and features like locking banks of sounds. I'd like to see updates to
AxisPad to allow recording of performances, and maybe even export to MIDI?
Finally, I'm holding my breath for
WavePad the Palm OS multi-track digital audio editor. I don't know how it will work, but the idea is a really exciting one.
Pocket PC Applications: SSEYO
I hope that SSEYO will continue to develop their
miniMIXA application, and possibly even port it to the Palm platform? Again, apps like Griff and Syntrax don't seem to be being actively updated, so miniMixa is sort of the only thing left. It would be nice to see more developers joining in.
Hardware:
It is difficult to say what will happen hardware-wise in 2007? Will Apple bring in a smartphone or newton update? Will it have a micro version of Garageband that you can use? That would be fantastic wouldn't it.
New Developers?
I would be great to see some new developers for palm, or pocket PC for that matter. Whilst it is a small market, it is a really interesting one.
What about the blog?
Well, I'd like to add more reviews to the blog and more about development of handheld music applications.
So, all in all, I think 2007 should be a good year.
