Day 24 – Making Music with the Surface Pro Windows 8 Tablet
Teaching and Learning with a Windows 8 Tablet
4/04/2013
Welcome to Day 24 of working with a Microsoft Surface Pro Windows 8 tablet for educators. Today I will demonstrate the versatility of the Surface Pro by creating an original musical composition using the Acoustica Mixcraft program.
4/04/2013
Welcome to Day 24 of working with a Microsoft Surface Pro Windows 8 tablet for educators. Today I will demonstrate the versatility of the Surface Pro by creating an original musical composition using the Acoustica Mixcraft program.
The barriers to entry for any digital creative activity have once again been lowered by the Surface Pro.
Today, it is often our imagination that holds us back from creating amazing digital works. The tools are here, it is what we choose to do with them that matters. I always get a kick out of people that put artificial limitations on PC’s. I often get the reaction of “I didn’t know you could do that on a PC”. Yes, yes you can, it just takes a little time and your imagination.
Below is a screencast that I created using the Surface Pro with a short demo of the Mixcraft music program. This screencast barely touches the “surface” (sorry, couldn’t resist, …again) of what is possible using the Surface Pro to make musical compositions.
The Acoustica Mixcraft program has a street price around $50 - $80 US and is basically a music studio in a box. Version 6 is compatible with Windows 8 and works great on the Surface Pro. If you are into creating your own music Mixcraft is for you. You can use the music you create with your school projects and not have to worry about copyright issues. If you buy in volume there are substantial discounts for quantity purchases as well.
The first loop-based music programs came to market in the late 1990’s for the PC. Sony’s Acid Music was an early pioneer and is still available today. Acid is a little more sophisticated program and is targeted at professional musicians.
Mixcraft, in my opinion, is a better choice for aspiring musicians as it is easy to learn and use. Don’t be mistaken though, Mixcraft can be used to create professional level recordings.
Update: April 9, 2013
I found this Music Teachers Guide that is a very good overview of Mixcraft Version 6 for use with students. http://www.acoustica.com/mixcraft/v6guide.htm
Update: April 9, 2013
I found this Music Teachers Guide that is a very good overview of Mixcraft Version 6 for use with students. http://www.acoustica.com/mixcraft/v6guide.htm
I recommend that you use a mouse with the Mixcraft program on the Surface Pro as the Mixcraft program utilizes the traditional desktop interface and the screen is packed with options. Many of the controls are small so I often use the digital Pen that came with the Surface Pro to make selections.
You might also consider changing the resolution of the Surface Pro display from 1920x1080 to 1368x766, this makes the interface appear a little larger on the Desktop screen. A second monitor might also be a solution by using the Surface Pro’s display port.
When I use the loop-based portion of Mixcraft I think about “painting music” using the digital Pen. I use the digital Pen to paint musical measures by pressing and dragging the Pen across the screen as you will see in the screencast.
Since the Surface Pro is a hybrid device, the dual-personality of the modern interface and the desktop interface gives you access to the best of both worlds. Until the developers catch-up with the newly designed modern interface we have the luxury of using most of the existing applications that bridge this divide, backward compatibility is appreciated.
The modern Start Screen interface is designed with a touch-first experience using large touch targets for new apps. There are however, millions of legacy programs, like Mixcraft, that still work with the Surface Pro, thanks to the backward Desktop compatibility.
I do not worry much by comments from the techno-blogosphere stating there are “only” 50,000 plus apps in the Windows 8 app store. That’s more than enough to keep me busy for the rest of my life. I focus on getting things done and I have yet to run into a situation where I cannot find a solution either “old school” or “new school” for completing the major work that I do day-to-day with the Surface Pro.
To get an idea of what Mixcraft music creation program can do please watch and listen to the screencast demo posted above.
Until next time...
Keep on Learning,
Keep on Learning,
Tom Grissom, PhD
Follow me on Twitter @tomgrissom
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