Indamixx to launch Linux-based tablet for musicians

Low cost tablets with low power processors are hot these days, but despite the success of consumer-oriented devices which run mobile apps and surf the web, tablets can be useful in a variety of different contexts. HP sees its Windows-based HP Slate 500, for instance, working well in retail settings or restaurants, allowing workers to take inventory, enter orders, or input other data from the business floor. Now a company called Indamixx is working on a slate for a different audience: Musicians.

Indamixx already offers netbooks and notebooks with custom Linux software and a suite of applications for creating and editing music. Now Create Digital Music has a first look at the company’s upcoming tablet.

The computer has an Intel Atom processor, 2GB of memory, 3 USB ports, VGA, Ethernet, and mic and headphone jacks. Basically, the tablet is pretty much a netbook with extra RAM and no keyboard. But with the right touch-friendly music production apps, you might not miss the keyboard at all. The operating system is based on MeeGo Linux, which is already optimized for small screen devices with Intel Atom chips.

The tablet won’t actually be available for purchase until May, 2011, so there’s plenty of time for the specs, software, and other elements to change. There’s no word on the price yet, but it’s kind of hard to set pricing on this type of device this far in advance.

Just don’t expect it to be dirt cheap. While it’s true, Indamixx products are often based on open source software, the company brings a lot of expertise to the table when developing software for its mobile computers, and that’s what you’re paying for. If you know your way around Linux and open source audio software you might be able to build your own portable music studio from an existing mobile tablet. If not, the Indamixx solution might be worth checking out… eventually.

You can find more details about the hardware and software at Create Digital Music.

Posted on Friday, October 29th, 2010, 3:41 pm by Brad Linder | 6 Comments

aftermath

“If you know your way around Linux and open source audio software you might be able to build your own portable music studio from an existing mobile tablet.”

This is very true. Actually, the beauty of open source software and companies like Indamixx or System76 is the expansion of choice. You can set it all up yourself, or you can buy a system that’s professionally setup and supported. Open source software is kind of store that gives away free lumber. Anybody can come in, take as much wood as they want, and do whatever they want with it. If you want to build a new fence, you can come get yourself some wood and build it or hire somebody to build the fence for you out of the wood. Either way, the wood is free. Companies like Indamixx have a HUGE advantage over the individual hobbyist. They’ve perfected their setup. Each individual hobbyist who tries to duplicate their setup is going to reinvent the wheel. In contrast, Indamixx has extensively tested and debugged their setup and it “just works”. That’s cool stuff for somebody who is attracted to open source software but don’t have the free time to compliment with the free materials.
Anonymous

Built on Atom, this will be more for music-hobbyists, not actual musicians.
aftermath

That’s pretty wrong. I know far more music and audio professionals who leverage netbooks as part of their professional workflow (which I know isn’t would you’d expect) than use Apple products of any kind (which I know isn’t what you’d expect). Granted, the Atom isn’t all that great at integer code, and you don’t want to do a lot of hardcore DSP on such a device. However, for recordists, for field producers, and for composers, the Intel Atom is a HUGE value proposition because if allows them to take their Windows and Linux environments (which dominate) into a highly mobile context.

However, where you’re right is that hobbyists will get a lot of mileage from something like this as well.
Pingback: Indamixx to launch Linux-based tablet for musicians | Maemo Meego
Ronaldjstewart

Funny thing is we really are not just jumping into the Tablet market now.
Do your homework and you will see that the company who owns and distributes Indamixx, Trinity Audio Group Inc. has been building Professional Audio Tablets since 2005. Google Trinity DAW.
Don’t forget TAG Inc. came out with a second audio tablet in 2008 with Samsung and Intel… called Indamixx. It’s who we have always been. Producing mobile digital audio workstations is why the company started in the first place. Indamixx won Remix magazine ‘Most Innovative’ Product of 2009 way before the HUGEly popular IFAD.

Sorry to burst your bubble on the whole ‘Atom can’t do professional audio production’ comment, but clearly you have not used one of our custom audio OS, real time ultra tuned solutions. I have run 54 wav tracks in one session of Ardour. The comment of DSP not cutting the mustard is laughable since all of our LinuxDSP ‘suite’ of mastering plugins were designed by a former designer at Sonic State Logic (12 years) and these plug-ins are optimized for Atom. Actually, it’s a global first. Just like our ArdourXchange solution allowing an entire Pro Tools session to be imported to our machines. Neither of those two solutions are ‘free’ or purely an open source play. Linux does not mean always free. BTW software such as energy XT and Renoise which we also distribute on all of our hardware products are not free either. For the record we are not totally free open source software play but hybrid based on platform appliances. Lastly, we do not charge for ANY of the open source portions of our products. What we do is negotiate a lower overall price and pass that savings onto the end user / customer. However we do debug, optimize, support, maintain, port and package many portions of our open source components, but do not charge our customers for this. The truth is we have a very healthy, beautiful and profitable Linux model that works at national retailers and I cannot say that for Google or Caonical.
Biggie Smalls said it best ” But you don’t hear me though”.
What you should be all huffy puffuy about is how awful all the news media outlets no longer source good stories to report on (successful or not) ahem’ gizmodo and engadget but continue to report on another ridiculous I product from China or crappy vaporware that we will never see here and will never impact any ones lives for the better… oh yeah it came it blue….
Pingback: Indamixx prepara un tablet per musicisti | Netbook News

Indamixx to launch Linux-based tablet for musicians

Featured Articles

Recent Posts

Mini PC comparison table

Popular Discussions

Featured Video