Using phone as a multitrack recorder: technical question

[mcnach]

5 hours ago, uk_lefty said:

I've got the smaller Q502 and it's great. Great as in, I want to make multi track recordings with a USB interface and I can have a mic and acoustic guitar or bass in at the same time. It's a bit cheaper, and I'm sure there's more complicated mixers out there but this just works, and I've never even bothered with the manual. 

 

I have one of the older Behringer labelled mixers, pre-USB era (I got mine in 2001 or so), the 1002 model equivalent. I love it, that's why I considered their Xenyx USB range. The 502 looks just right too, a good compromise between size and features. The 302 can be USB-powered, which can be a nice feature, but it was the 502 and the 802 that were tempting me the most.

It turns out that the Focusrite Scarlett Solo works well with the tablet and can be powered up through the USB, which is nice: fewer cables and it means I can record anywhere without external power. Two inputs (microphone/instrument) as well, so if you are happy to record one thing (or two) at a time, the Solo is fine, but it doesn't have the additional functions that a mixer gives you. 

So many interesting options!

 

 

[mcnach]

5 hours ago, Woodwind said:

I'll eventually be moving to multitracking my demos on my phone so this thread has been very useful.

 

Thank you!

 

I haven't tried the Focusrite Scarlett Solo USB interface with my phone because it cannot power the Solo, but I intend to try the additional cable with an external power pack and see if that works. If it does, that would be the ultimate record-anywhere solution, as I may not have my tablet with me always, but I'll always always always have my phone. A lot of modern phones are able to power an USB peripheral directly 'though.

While an external interface is not necessary, these USB interfaces make recording extremely easy without worrying about latency etc, it all happens under the bonnet and you just plug and play. The Solo in particular is quite flattering for bass without any additional processing, so I prefer to have it at hand. N-track comes with some free FX including guitar and bass amp simulations. They're not amazing, but they can be pretty useful too, although I generally prefer the sound of the bass straight from the Solo.

[mcnach]

I tried my mobile phone (Motorola G5S Plus, 3 years old) running n-track with the Focusrite Solo powered externally using a special cable attached to a power pack. That didn't work well. It did for a while, but it was unreliable with dropouts. Part of it may be my phone (whether using the phone or a tablet I'd advice to reboot and start a fresh session unless it's got tons of memory/cpu spare) as it was running a million things, but I also got a warning saying the Solo might not be able to receive enough power. 

I'll try again using a charger rather than the powerpack and see. 

[mcnach]

Well... I tried my phone running n-track and plugging the Focusrite Scarlett Solo to it via USB but using a separate mains charger rather than the power pack I used yesterday.

It didn't fix anything: dropouts and other glitches.

Ah, I hadn't restarted my phone... so I do that. No improvement.

Then I had a thought... and turned the airplane mode on. Success!!! I made a quick drum track, recorded two basslines and 6 guitar tracks... no problem.

I guess the newer tablet has enough 'oomph' to not be troubled by other processes running but the phone is old and pretty full.

So there you go: use a USB interface and forget about messing with latency, even on an untidy 3 year old phone. Record demos anywhere.