Android or iOS Dilema

[ODH]

Here's the thing.

I've had an iPhone (5) for three years now and I love its music making apps.

Trouble is I increasingly detest pretty much everything else about it, and about Apple in general.

I'd really like to go back to Android and as far as I can see I have two options with regard to music making;

1. switch over to Android apps, which would be a step in the dark as I know nothing about them (although from what I understand they're inferior)

2. keep my iPhone handset just for music making, as a dumb terminal with no telephony or Wi-Fi (remove the SIM card), and get a different Android handset for phone stuff.

I'd rather do the latter but I don't know if the iPhone will continue working like that.  I'd really like to hear any experiences / insight / advice / other suggestions?

Nick

[Oldrottenhead]

you could get an ipod touch, i believe you can get all the apps like thumbjam etc but without the telephony.

[Hook]

#2 if you have to make a change, your phone will work fine without service. You will still be able to connect to wi-fi, surf & download. It will basically be a ipod.

You won't be able to make any recordings with android. The latency issues (I guess) are such that the apps are all worthless. A few soft synths might be able to plug into another recorder but even then they are quite inferior. It's truly amazing what apple apple has done with music apps. The quality and quantity of incredible sounding and amazingly useful apps is mind-numbing and the poor quality of Android is equally mind-numbing.
With all that said, if anyone could make something impressive with an android I would bet on you.
Good luck and rock on!

[Johnny Robbo]

I've had four Android devices: a tablet & three phones. I would not go near Android again with a barge pole. It is, in my experience, the most glitchy, unstable, useless, insecure piece of garbage imaginable. I once had an iPod classic, but hated the way it made me use it's proprietary software for even the simplest of tasks... why do I need to use iTunes to transfer music to what is essentially just a USB storage device, for example? I can do that in Windows Explorer... or at least I can with any other mp3 player.

My solution would be to try the Windows phone route - my missus has one, as does my best mate & both of them swear by the rock-solid stability of their devices. I would imagine (but don't quote me) that there'll be plenty of music making apps for Windows.

As for me, Ive gone back to the 1990s with a basic talk & text handset... an old brick-sized Nokia 

[ODH]

Thanks guys.  It's reassuring to know I can keep my phone without telephony, that's probably what I'll end up doing.  Before this phone I had an Android one, I remember it had a very nice drum machine app, but I only used it to play out as an input into my Zoom R16, you couldn't record onto the phone in any way or have apps interact with each other.  And I don't have any particularly fond memories of the phone or its OS in other ways.

As for me, Ive gone back to the 1990s with a basic talk & text handset... an old brick-sized Nokia 

That solution appeals to me.  Does it have Snake on it?

[alfstone]

No doubt, iOS.

Android is NOT for music at all.

Alfredo

[Geir]

For the time being the iOS apps are so much better and there's so many more of them that's it's really no competition at all. I guess the latency is one of the reasons for that, and as Android phones are getting better that will hopefully change. But until most android phones have dealt with at least the latency issues I guess there's no incentive for the app developers to  make android music apps. That said if you're using an external keyboard I don't think the latency will be such a big issue. Even on the iDevices there's a noticeable lower latency when using say an iRig keyboard than using the onscreen keyboards. BUT the flexibility of the touch-screen can't be replaced by any connected device. AND the assortment of apps for iOS is so overwhelming compared to the Andoid apps that there really isn't any choice if you're serious about using a phone/tablet for music.

I do hope it changes, because I to would really welcome a competition to a system that I both love and hate !

[64Guitars]

I pretty much agree with what everyone else is saying, especially Geir's well-thought-out and well-worded post. I've never owned a mobile phone, so I can't speak from experience, but from what I've read, Android is becoming a much more capable OS for music-making than it was in the past. The problem is that music app developers are still ignoring it and all the best music apps are only available for iOS. There are a few exceptions, of course, and maybe someday there will be tons of great music apps for Android. But, sadly, that day hasn't arrived yet.

The only thing I'd like to add is that maybe a phone isn't the best device for making music. I think an iPad would be much better. If I'm not mistaken, Android devices are a lot cheaper than comparable Apple products. So why not get a cheap Android phone just for phone calls, texting, etc. and get an iPad for the music apps? Then you'd have the best of both worlds. And if you happen to hear of an interesting music app for Android, you'll be able to try it out on your phone.

There's a topic on Android music apps here:
https://songcrafters.org/community/index.php?topic=18002.0

I've played around with Caustic 3 on my desktop computer and I'm quite impressed with it.

[Flash Harry]

Do not under any circumstances look on the internet for a free-to-use Windows application called SharePod because using it circumvents all of Apple's DRP stuff which is clearly against what Apple wanted for their iCrack.

Do not download it.

Do not copy it to any Apple iPoddy device.

Do not run it with your iPoddy device connected to your PC without iTunes running, because it provides access to your music that you store thereupon without Apple wedging it's corporate ass between you and your property, which would be anti-consumerist and downright Un-American.

You have been warned.

[Speed Demon]

Flash, I'm going to download Sharepod just to make sure it doesn't work as you described.
After all, we don't want Apple to lose a dollar. Might hurt their bottom line.
A swift kick in the Baby Maker might catch their attention much quicker.

I have some apps on my iPad that produce good effects but using it to produce music is a
royal pain in the ass. Not worth the time/trouble in my opinion. Music programs on the PC
have far more and better options. I've gotten excellent results using Adobe Audition.
A vast number of excellent plugins work well with it. I have over 50 of them installed.

64Guitars, what is Caustic? A stand-alone program or a plugin?
How is it used?