# Pure Paddy Goodness... - Site: Analog Industries - Author: Chris Randall - Date: 2010-04-27 - URL: https://analogindustries.com/2010/04/pure-paddy-goodness/ Can I get a witness? I've been saying since the iPad was first rumored that TouchOSC and its ilk are the "killer apps" for such a device, and tonight I was led in to the light. People, I'm gonna need an a-men for this bitch. TouchOSC is, of course, what it is, and everyone knows what it is: essentially a JazzMutant Lemur clone for iStuff. And the Launchpad and APC-40 are, obviously, what they are: controllers for Ableton Live. Let's accept those as immutable facts. Now we come to the tricky part: TouchOSC can conceivably control Ableton Live, but you've got a lot of hoops to jump through, and it'll never quite be as sexy as an ACP-40, really. Or will it? I took the above screenshot from my iPad running TouchOSC with something called LiveControl. This is a free package consisting of a Python script which interfaces with Live in the same way as a Launchpad or APC-40, a template for TouchOSC (iPhone or iPad), and a listener application that takes the place of Pd or OSCulator. With this entire package running (it took a couple minutes to configure properly, but wasn't anything drastic) I've got a full clip launching panel **with clip names**, natch. I've also got full channel control, device control, a sequencer, and an X/Y pad. Now, to be clear, it's a little bit hinky in operation. Sometimes the names don't update immediately when you load a new song, and the sequencer in particular, while crafty, feels a touch jank-esque, but on the whole, this rig is the motherfucking bomb. Or, to look at it another way: total cost is $509 and you not only get a full APC-40, but you can also check your email and look at porn, two things the APC-40 is singularly unsuited for. Launchpad: sold. It is totally obviated by this bad boy. [LiveControl page.](http://livecontrol.q3f.org/livecontrol/) [TouchOSC page.](http://hexler.net/software/touchosc) Anyhow, I don't know how I missed this shit. It must have got lost in the deluge of iPad nonsense leading up to, and immediately following, the Launch. Thanks to DJ Twitch for hipping me to this scene. ## Comments (20) **sqook** (2010-04-27): Erm, I assume you mean the APC-40, right? Maybe the ACP-40 can look at pr0n, though... I dunno. **syikom** (2010-04-27): No touch sensitivity for drum pads or keys, that's my only bugbear otherwise great.I think it wont be long before there are many slick iPad apps that will do this in some shape or form **space_monkey** (2010-04-27): I need one, but it's not coming out in Japan for another month. I want to wait for the 3g version anyway. **Chad** (2010-04-27): How's the sequencer? **b.phenix** (2010-04-27): I happened into a bar last Friday where the 'DJs' were using this exact set-up. It was your typical modern mash-up DJ thing but they were able to move up from behind a laptop and were able to jump about with the crowd and, as a result, much more interactive and entertaining on average. **aKido** (2010-04-27): Thanks for the tip CR. _aKido **DL White** (2010-04-27): Isn't this just a high potential pain-in-the-ass, loose connection when what we really want is a touch screen laptop and for Live to be multi-touch enabled? I have an Acer 1420p - (microsoft gave them out at dev conf last year) and it's a great netbook- sized laptop. Dual procs, 6gb memory, and more with a touch screen. Works decent with Ableton but any "shift+click" or "right+click" can't be done by touch screen alone. But for launching clips, drag and drop samples, etc. it works great and I don't need a second box of any sort. Street price will be around $600 and it's a full computer, unlike the iPad. **scientist** (2010-04-27): ^^what he said^^ all this 'plug x into y and configure z to port abcd so omfg can interact with wtfbbq' seems (or will seem, when the tech catches up) like a bunch of nonsense when the ideal is to control the software directly, on the device on which it runs. **Chris Randall** (2010-04-27): Oh, you're all absolutely right. I tend to forget that I don't play live any more. My needs are as follows: I'd like something I can move around my studio with and launch new record clips, and control the tracks, while my (not-mobile) music PC does all the heavy lifting. In this manner I don't have to do the "hit record and spin in my chair real quick in one measure, and remember what the fuck I was playing" thing. But you're both forgetting that there are uses for both Live and methods of controlling Live that don't involve standing in front of pasty-face hipsters. For "rocking out" in a "bar" you're far better off with a LaunchPad. Even a touch-screen laptop is bad in that context. But for my needs, the above-described methods are perfect. -CR **synthetic** (2010-04-27): I'm hacking your next show from the audience, triggering Eagles and Yacht tunes during your set. My iPad 3G arrives on Friday, I plan to spend the weekend messing with TouchOSC. :) **fussylizard** (2010-04-27): I got my wife an iPad for her birthday (really, it was for her!) and she let me install the Korg iElectribe app on it. Loads 'o fun if you are into the "groovebox" thing. It would be super-cool if you could control it remotely, but it's still a lot of fun as-is. I'd never really appreciated the wide array of sounds that can be made with just a single osc with a decay envelope, a pitch LFO, and a pitch mod depth... **inteliko** (2010-04-27): Ive been nerding out over this idea on youtube the past few nights setting up an Abes mega controller. I'll wait until there is a Jazzmutant MU clone b4 I come close within a foot of this...BTW, you using that OSC editor app? makes shit dead easy..drag drop knob slider clip etc..you just gotta do everything sideways while creating your template. Virtual MPC pads on an ipad scare me... just asking to be broken not even leaving the coke tray app useful! **angstrom** (2010-04-27): A similar thing but slightly more "not here yet" is http://www.midipad.de/ it's very Ableton-centric http://www.midipad.de/Website/launchView.html **bmedich** (2010-04-27): It is, in fact, super cool. Paddy goodness, indeed. **DL White** (2010-04-27): Regarding the Korg electribe app. Why the hell isn't that thing available on windows and macs as a VST for $20.00. they'd sell a ton of them and it would be way more useful than on an iPad. Don't get me wrong, I think the iPad is a pretty cool toy, but everything I see on it I'd like to have on my laptop for the same price. Why is the iPad getting such a discount on the cost of these apps? Every musician I know owns at least one PC or Mac and usually at least 2 - a laptop and a big box. Right now way less than 1% own an iPad. What's the bigger market? I truly just do not understand why the iPad is getting the flyer here on price. Is it the touch screen? I'm sitting on a touch screen laptop now (I know I'm ahead of the curve on the touch laptop, but still). Is it the ability to give Apple 30% of your revenue? Is it the control over apps and the lack of hacked sharing of apps- if so then make your software $10-20/user and no one will mind paying. **stepwriterun** (2010-04-27): You don't see the Korg Electribe app as a VST because Korg has their head up their ass. Think about it, their Legacy series actually sounds good, especially the Wavestation, but their shitty execution of the copy protection scheme, absolutely useless user site, and craptacular support make me and many others loathe to ever buy another Korg app again. As for the ipad electribe, I won't waste my money on it when I get an ipad because it is less functional than a real ER-1. Sure it's about $100 cheaper, but with a real electribe I can sync it to my other gear, I get multiple outputs, and there are real knobs. **Chris Randall** (2010-04-27): iElectribe is the first app I bought for the iPad. Other than verifying that yes, it is exactly what it says on the tin, I haven't run it again. I look at it more as a proof of concept rather than any actual usable app. If it was a VST, I might give it a second look, but probably not, frankly, for the reasons stated above. -CR **ashtarbrian** (2010-04-28): well having just purchased the apc40 two months ago, looks like it will be on ebay soon.... funny how i could justify the $375 on that, and am holding off on the ipad... stupidstupidstupid. **Marc Nostromo** (2010-05-04): What about the physical side of things ? A real controller with knobs you can twist beats the shit out of any pouncey touch device.. it's like a watching porn vs getting laid situation. For me launchpad + nanoKontrol combo = win. The nanoKontrol, dispite it's cheap price is a fantastic hands on device. **gw** (2010-06-07): launchpad + ableton is something i've wanted since liveV.1. risking redundancy i'll say the launchpad + numerology is a wrecking ball at any price. i do see an itouch in my near future, though. as an alt/touch screen alone it's worth every cent.