If nothing else then the album has brought mobile music making to a the attention of a wider audience, but whilst that is good will it have a lasting impact or be seen as just a gimmick? I guess that's my problem with it.
But I'm interested to hear what others think about it and if you think it will inspire others to follow?
iPads at the Apple Store
14 comments:
I hear you. I like gorillaz but this album fails to impress so far. Read the kit list, heaps of hardware was used so I guess all the iPad did was record it, and maybe sequence, much like any old laptop. I can't decide if it's significant or not...
i know people that consider it one of the best
tastes different
I don't know about the kit list but I read the app list, 20 apps used seems significant to me. I don't think the Gorillaz need the "iPad apps used" to increase their sales. They would have done fine without them. This gives more credibility to the iPad as serious musical composition tool. Most people seem surprised when I tell them it was made using all of these apps. Surprised like "wow, I didn't know the iPad could do that!".
I Was impressed with the musicality of many (not all) of the tunes.
Damon's vocals and some of the acoustic gtr tracks really glues things together for me.
A success in my ears/mind.
Could someone point me to the list of apps used please?
Thanks!
Burg - I hope Ashley doesn't mind me mentioning this, but we took the list from Gorillaz own page and added links to all but one of them (we couldn't find that one) here at iPad Creative.
What defines "mobile" today?
Of course form factor is the first thing that comes to mind, but besides that? The OS? Why would the ipad be considered a "mobile device" and not a Windows/Linux tablet of the same size?
A good operating system is scalable and will work on any type of computers, from the smallest ones to the biggest ones, whatever its called a computer, whether is a desktop, a laptop, a tablet or a pocket one, its still called a computer.
I don't like all those new "mobile" OSes,.. its not that they're bad, its just that I don't see the reason to break up with older OSes except than creating a new business market. I don't like how all those new "mobile" OSes are not compatible with their "non-mobile" counterparts.
Really who believes IOS, Android, and other "mobile" OSes are better than Windows, OSX or Linux? Will you really care about "mobile" OSes when someday you will use the same OS across all your devices?
When a corporation puts a brand on it, its not a computer anymore, its a console. Call them Xbox, Wii, Ipad, whatever, they're all consoles which business model is to not allow people to use their hardware freely so only the creators of said console can control and profit from it. Which is not a crime in itself, I like my consoles and I know it takes guts and creativity to put on a good product ... but I really hope this is not where the future of computing is heading.
I like the sound of it, but I'd prefer they stuck to the concept, rather than buttressing the tracks w/ extra hardware.
it's a diary. nothing more, nothing less.
when I try to picture a musician-on-tour recording daily, while traveling the country, the album sounds different than without that knowledge.
I hear moments of great inspiration, and I hear moments of boredom, just playin' around with another iPad-app to, maybe, find a spark of yesterday's inspiration.
that's what makes this album important. you just need an iPad and some apps to make something as personal as a diary.
Liking your point Rob, it puts the iPad, like any mobile device as a means, not a means to an end, I agree that I like to hear the feeling of a song and if they've done that then that's one thing so many studios lose, so respect
I'd follow up on Rob and Hatter's comments. I don't think the use of the iPad is the most significant point in this album/event. Being able to construct an album as a sort of diary, while on the road, no studio and presumably much less overhead of all kinds, that has strong value to me.
I'm not a musician, I'm a storyteller, who includes some music in my sets, but this same ability is going to make a huge difference in how, and how often, I can create material to sell/give out.
I'll buy that, Kelvin, except that the additional use of a Korg Vocoder, Ukelele, Microkorg, Omnichord, Moog Voyager, Melodica, Guitar, Piano, and Korg Monotron is not my idea of constructing "..an album as a sort of diary, while on the road, no studio...".
I can't really get my Piano into the trunk of my Yaris.
I'd like to see it done exclusively on iPad / iPhone / etc. as a proof of concept; that a great, cohesive record can come from the cabin of a Toyota (and the occasional back of a diner). Use of a piano doesn't strike me as a "no studio" production.
Really enjoyed the discussion on this topic and I'm glad I waited for the hype to settle from the original release.
I think we do need to hear more music made solely with mobile devices whether as a diary or another way to tell the story.
Kelvin, if you're reading the follow up comments I'd really like to hear from you on how you're using mobile music tech in storytelling. Please get in touch.
Oh yeah, and Phil, thank for posting that link to the list of apps used. Very useful I must post a link to it for anyone who missed it.
I could not get the album to play in Safari for the longest time. (the link, by the way, is http://thefall.gorillaz.com/) So, I thought it was called "Fail" for me until I remembered to turn off Click-to-Flash.
How ironic that an album made on an iPad cannot be played back on an iPad!
I also noted: "Mixed by Stephen Sedgwick at Studio 13. Mastered by Geoff Pesche at Abbey Road Studios." The next challenge will be mix and master on an iPad...
Musically, it's good. I like the idea of creating a musical journal and breaking the idea that something has to be slave over for months in a studio to be worth listening to.
Nice job, Damon.
Post a Comment