SAMSUNG SOUNDCAMP UPGRADE SYNAPSE CIRCUIT

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT
SAMSUNG SOUNDCAMP UPGRADE
GALAXY NOTE 4 &
GALAXY S6 / S6 EDGE

Goodhour, Synapse Circuit Readers! How are you? It’s great to see you as always! I hope that you are tip-top and getting on well with your tech! You have to start doing some tech projects and stretch your knowledge! Challenge yourself! Check this article out on the advantages of building your own website: Vital WYSIWYG Web Design & HTML5 Animation & Multimedia

Did you get a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 or Galaxy S6 / S6 Edge? Have you dipped into the art of music making? You should!

#Samsung #Soundcamp

SOUNDCAMP 5.3.2.5
The last time I played around with Samsung’s Soundcamp that came preinstalled on my Galaxy Note 4 I thought it was really promising... True to form Samsung has updated it twice this month alone! It looks and feels better! But I think that there is still room for improvement!

But I have to say that it’s a great pleasure to play around with Soundcamp as it stands... Here’s where I think it can be improved:-

DOUBLE TAP
Recording MIDI input in real time can be daunting for non-musicians so it would be useful to double tap on a track and you get the MIDI editor so that you can enter notes in what is known as “step time” (for all you non-musicians out there).

DRUM KIT
The drum kit features traditional and electronic percussion which sound great; I just would like to be able to create more drum kits through using high quality samples in the WAV format and to graphically configure the look of my custom made kit with supplied graphics or my own!

ADDING NOTES
It would have been advantageous to add notes during playback; this would increase creativity thus productivity.

Another useful aspect would be to keep the note length the same as the last note entered; occasionally I would input a longer note than intended and would have to erase and re-enter.

GENERAL INTERFACE
I would like to add a magnifying glass – so to speak – to zoom in on the interface. I would also like to be able to scroll more efficiently on the tracks and MIDI editor in general. There were times when I found it a little cumbersome to go directly where I wanted to go to do some fine editing.

MORE INSTRUMENTS
I think that more instruments are needed and I am sure that they will come as Samsung appear to be very serious about this baby! I would like a sample player that allows me to reshape the sound beyond the original by various sound shaping parameters that include effects such as distortion, delay, resonance and more besides!

CONCLUSION
Despite my list of improvements I think that Soundcamp is very usable! It’s great for beginners and seasoned pros! In fact season pros will take to it like a duck to water!

Another small thing... I would love for Samsung to create a handset for musicians that features some air shifting front-facing speakers! The Galaxy SoundWave... Hmmmm... In any event I will be using Soundcamp!

Thank you so much for reading Synapse Circuit!

Expect more reviews, news, opinions, competitions and more from Synapse Circuit! 

GALAXY S6 EDGE REVIEW PART TWO SYNAPSE CIRCUIT

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT
GALAXY S6 EDGE REVIEW
PART TWO

Goodhour, Synapse Circuit Readers! It’s great to see you as always! I hope that you are well and enjoying the wonderful spring weather! How are your tech projects coming along? Let me know! I am knocking around on G+ and you can let me know what you are doing!

I am going to continue with the Synapse Circuit penultimate definitive Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge review! Synapse Circuit tells it like it is! Get comfortable... Get a hot or cold beverage and a healthy snack... Okay, get an unhealthy one if you like! Lol!

#Samsung #GalaxyS6Edge #TheNextGalaxy #UnpackedEpisodeOne2015 #GalaxyS6 #GalaxySEdge #GalaxyS6Accessories #GalaxyS6EdgeAccessories #GalaxyS6BatteryPack #GalaxyS6EdgeBatteryPack

PART ONE: AFTERTHOUGHT


I have decided to uninstall the Nova launcher and give TouchWiz on the Galaxy S6 Edge a chance... I feel that I may be too dismissive even though the source of frustration is the immovable Flipboard homepage, not being able to add apps to a folder from within the folder and that there is no infinite scrolling of the homepages. I want to test S Voice as a way of interfacing with the handset. I still don’t like the TouchWiz keyboard! I forgot to mention that the folders can be assigned five different colours: green, orange, lime green and grey; it would have been even better if we could add our own through tapping the palette icon which hides the colour choices.

My wish for TouchWiz on the Galaxy S6 Edge / S6 is that it gets updated to be the same as what is currently on the Galaxy Note 4!

GALAXY APP STORE


Above: The mobile DAW with great potential, Soundcamp. It's available on the Galaxy S6 Edge / S6.

As well as being able to download applications that you may have missed from previous TouchWiz versions such as S Translate, S Note and camera modes you will find apps for the edge screen that can let you know who’s calling, RSS feeds and a specific news feed for a German newspaper / magazine. You will be pleased to know – if you are musically inclined – that you can download the Soundcamp digital audio workstation to compose music! You can also download the Samsung Video Editor application along with some themes for Party, Action, Family and others. Although the Galaxy App store has specific Galaxy based apps the store is populated with general apps that can be had in the Google Play Store. Again, I would prefer the Galaxy App store to just feature apps developed by Samsung or in conjunction with to avoid unnecessary app duplication. I’d rather have 100 new apps from the Galaxy App Store than all these duplicates. It makes me wonder what is happening with Tizen as I would have thought that Samsung would be busy with the Tizen operating system and building up the applications that can either be compatible with Galaxy handsets or made available on the Google Play Store. Hmmmm...

SNAPPY
Personally I would never associate the world “slow” with a Samsung flagship and the 64-bit Exynos system on a chip is extremely fast! It didn’t come as a surprise that Samsung used its own processor over the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 chip; if anything I wondered why it took them so long considering Samsung makes chips for a number of manufacturers including Apple. It is said that Samsung will manufacture the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chip!

For those who aren't into tech, the advantage of the Samsung 64-bit Exynos chip over the Snapdragon 810 is that it is 6 nanometers (nm); the Snapdragon 810 manufactured in 20nm to the Exynos 7420 14nm. The smaller the nanometer number the more battery efficient and faster the chip is. Apparently! This is what I have understood as the reason why Samsung has bypassed the Snapdragon 810 chip. I have been reading that handsets using the Snapdragon 810 tend to overheat. I want to get my hands on one of those handsets asap! Also Samsung has obviously perfected the art of the SoC (system on a chip) for mobile device beyond its competitors. This is why I pick Samsung above anything else for myself but I would happily tell you about other handsets – good, bad and in-between!

I did find that the Galaxy S6 Edge got quite warm when downloading Google app updates and YouTube videos. But I will have to write up the test with everyday usage and then some! I prefer to take my time and do the review in what I feel is the right way to go about it.

ON EDGE
To be honest the dual edge screen does seem more cosmetic than useful – at least in my reckoning. Sure, I can assign 5 contacts to 5 different colours on either side of the edges so that when the handset is faced down I can see who’s calling me as the screen lights up in the colour associated with a contact. There’s also a simple 7 hour clock that can be activated by rubbing the edge of the screen, plus you can get weather information too. And as mentioned earlier you can download specific edge screen apps to see who is calling and to receive new feeds. Yet the protective case defeats the purpose – unless you purposely leave the flip open! Well, what are the chances of an object dropping on the Gorilla Glass 4 screen on the bedside cabinet? If you are like me you’d get the Galaxy S6 Edge because it looks different – futuristic. I am sure that developers will make more use of the edges. I am actually quite happy with what the edge part of the display can do. It would have been a boon if the Samsung cases had cut outs for the edges. Hmmmm... That’s a bit of a design headache... But that’s what 3D printers are for!

I do feel that the dual edge screen is an innovation; it fulfils the purpose of quick information when you need it without having to unlock the handset.

BATTERY OBSERVATIONS
I have yet to give the battery a good testing but while I have been testing the user interface / functionality the battery goes a long, long way before showing signs of depletion. In fact at the end of test period I would have over 50% battery left after a couple of days so I am really looking forward to taking the Galaxy S6 Edge out on the road and push usage beyond how I would typically use a main driver.

STANDBY FOR PART THREE – THE FINAL PART OF THE DEFINITIVE PENULTIMATE SYNAPSE CIRCUIT SAMSUNG GALAXY S6 EDGE REVIEW

In the third and final instalment I will be looking at media consumption and the camera. I figure it would make more sense to break up the review in parts than to give you the whole review at once! I would like to think that I am thorough (as I can be)!

SAMSUNG HAS THE EDGE
My observations thus so far with regards to the smartphone marketplace is that the Galaxy S6 Edge / S6 have really captured the market in an unprecedented fashion. I can see that many former iPhone users have traded in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus models and continue to do so at a never before seen rapid rate. Earlier on today a friend from Denmark informs me that she has the upgraded to the Galaxy S6 instead of going for her usual “premium” iPhone. I was taken aback as she was a staunch iPhone user! Wow!




Above: The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus trade-ins continues to rise. Former iPhone users are trading in their iPhones for the Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 Edge and other flagship Android handsets. The pictures were taken at various computer exchange shops around Central London over the weekend. 

As I stated in part one of this review: Samsung have created a new standard of “premium” that makes these new Galaxy S models very, very desirable.

Previous Galaxy S handsets had everything but this “premium” look and feel. Unlike HTC, Samsung have always managed to combine a decent build, design, powerful components inside and a decent camera! While HTC got all heavy metal with the One M7 – 9 there are still issues with the camera. Can Samsung keep its crown for the best camera on a premium handset with the Galaxy S6 Edge? You will find out in the next  and final instalment...

Thank you so much for reading Synapse Circuit!

Expect more reviews, news, opinions, competitions and more from Synapse Circuit!

Please check out the Synapse Circuit site here: SynapseCircuit.com

Synapse Circuit for tech news, opinions, articles, reviews and competitions. You will find interactive PDF magazines, videos and links to free legal software! Check it out at Synapse Circuit dot com

SAMSUNG SOUNDCAMP REVIEW SYNAPSE CIRCUIT

Above: The acoustic drum kit can be swapped out for 3 electronic kits. I wish there were more kits and more to a kit i.e. 16 percussion instruments instead of 8 (as shown). 

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT
SAMSUNG SOUNDCAMP REVIEW

Goodhour, Synapse Circuit Readers! How goes it? I hope that all is well with you and yours! I also hope that there are no glitches in your tech!

That’s right, you read it correctly: ‘Soundcamp’. No, I’m not referring to my light lisp. Soundcamp is a digital audio workstation (DAW) for the composition of music. The only catch, at the moment, is that Soundcamp is only available on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4. It has taken me a little while to take a proper look and now I can let you know what I think... Read on!

#Samsung #Soundcamp #GalaxyNote4 #GalaxyS6 #GalaxySEdge #GalaxyS6Edge

UNDERSTATED
It’s funny... ...yesterday I wrote a piece on Samsung’s ability to market its products. Soundcamp is one aspect of Samsung that is shouting out for a bit of exposure. I have feeling why that Samsung is keeping Soundcamp on the down-low (these odd street expressions).



THE BAD-ISH NEWS
Apart from being an application that can be, for now, found solely on the Galaxy Note 4, the Soundcamp interface works backwards to the way I (and most computer musicians) compose. What I mean by this is that you have to record manual playing on a selected instrument such as the Keyboard, Drum, Heat Synthesizer and a few other instruments. So, you hit the ‘record’ icon on the instrument interface and you play away – if you have manual dexterity. I do not! From there you can go to the track interface and double click on the ‘recording’ produced. In case you aren’t familiar with how a DAW works what is usually recorded is note information (MIDI). Therefore you can go into the track and edit the note placement which is quite easy to do. Oh, you can add an Audio Track too!
















Above: Shows the recording of my inept manual playing on the Drums (and Keyboard) interface(s). Then by going to the Tracks part of the interface I double click on a track and then can edit the beats (in the instance of the Drum recordings). Using the Keyboard you are then presented, naturally, with keys that correspond to the notes of the piano keys played. Of course, you can then change the key / notes to suit when editing.

You can also edit the velocity of a note or beat. As you can see you can change the intervals i.e. 1/8, 1/16 and so on. It works very, very well as a DAW (digital audio workstation). One of the best interfaces I have seen on an Android app that is very close to what you get on a PC or Mac.



Above: Save your projects and go back and edit to completion. 

What I would prefer is to be presented with a few empty tracks and to add instruments as and when; upon adding an instrument the MIDI Editor pops up so that I can input notes / beats in step time. And I would like to also to double click on a bar measure, fill it with notes / beats and extend the bar to as many bars as I wish or to double click on a bar anywhere on the track and be able to keep the tracks separate from other edits within the same track.

The next thing I would like is to be able to add at the very least 16 instruments and at the most as many as the CPU can take! You can only add up to 6 instruments at a time which is still pretty good.

Compared to other DAWs currently available for Android Soundcamp could do with a little reworking.

PRO AUDIO & INSTRUMENTATION
Another thing that Samsung keeps quiet (no pun intended) is that it has a professional audio system that allows for USB audio devices to be connected and to keep latency to a minimum. I would like to see Samsung do ads that showcase the strong audio capabilities.

You can download free and paid for instruments. You get a free version of AmpliTube effects unit to enhance tracks. There’s a version of AmplitTube that you pay for that extends the capabilities and that will cost you £13.99! AmpliTube is by IK Multimedia and is renowned for professional software and hardware on the PC, Mac, iOS and now Android. You can purchase an iRig HD guitar interface to connect your guitar or bass for direct recording into the Soundcamp and other compatible DAWs. Also check out iRig Recorder for recording vocals, etc. There’s also a microphone that fits into the headphone jack for a more professional recording. You also get EZ Voice from IK Multimedia made specifically for recording vocals.



Above: The Galaxy App Store showcasing other apps to download for use with Soundcamp. Some of these applications will only work with Soundcamp. 

There’s also a guitar app, Guitarism – Pocket Guitar by Rhism LLC that costs £3.27 that adds acoustic and electric guitars.

VERDICT
I would say that Soundcamp has great potential; it is usable once you get to know how it works. A musician with manual dexterity i.e. he or she can play an instrument or used to playing into a virtual instrument interface will find it immediate. But those, like me, who prefers step-time input can work with it but would like to be presented with the MIDI Editor in the first instance.

I hope Samsung continues to develop this brilliant application and possibly add support for VST instruments and effects – that would be something! VST stands for virtual studio technology which has been created and developed by Steinberg of the famous PC DAW, Cubase! Anything is possible!

I would advise the Samsung developers to take a look at something like Caustic 3 for Android, iOS and PC by Single Cell Software to get an idea of how excellent a music interface can be. I would like to see a mastering suite of effects such as a compressor, stereo enhancer and so on.



Soundcamp has a great looking GUI (graphical user interface) that mimics the recording studio environment very nicely! Just look at the image above!

Samsung are on to a winner!

SCORE
3 / 5
A SYNAPSE CIRCUIT SOLID SILVER


With a bit more development Soundcamp can be another unique selling point for the Galaxy Note 4 and other premium Galaxy handsets – hopefully! I am also hoping that Soundcamp will be also available for the forthcoming Galaxy S6 & S6 Edge. Roll on, Samsung!

Thank you so much for reading Synapse Circuit!

Expect more reviews, news, opinions, competitions and more from Synapse Circuit!

Please check out the Synapse Circuit site here: Synapse Circuit.com

Synapse Circuit for tech news, opinions, articles, reviews and competitions. You will find interactive PDF magazines, videos and links to free legal software! Check it out at Synapse Circuit dot com

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT GOOGLE PLAY TODAY: IS APPLE APP STORE SO GREAT?

Above: Apple Play Store.
Below: Google App Store.
Do you see the similarities?

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT
GOOGLE PLAY TODAY:
IS APPLE APP STORE SO GREAT?

Goodhour, Synapse Circuit Readers! How goes it? I hope that all is well with you and yours! Thank you so much for reading my articles last week! Much appreciated!

Today I was some (ongoing) research into the differences between Google Play Store and Apple App Store... Guess what I discovered...

#GooglePlayStore #AppleAppStore #Android #iOS

SIMILARITIES
Looking at both Google Play Store and Apple App Store I can see that they are very similar at a glance. Delving deeper I looked in the category of ‘Productivity’ to see if I could see anything that stood out from either store.

Remarkably, the apps on the App Store didn’t appear to be as advanced as I thought it would be. When it came to word processing, for example, I found that the two stores were equally matched; Docs (Google) and Pages (Apple) both achieve the same goal in producing documents mixing text and images.

As I keep harping on about, the one difference is that when it comes to video editing this is where the App Store has the slight edge in that the iPhone has iMovie preinstalled and there is also version available for purchase that adds more features. Again, the similarities continue with the amount of video editing apps that offer in-app purchases. However, manufacturers like Samsung and HTC have respective video editing apps of their own making that you won’t find within Google Play Store. I can only hope that Google will produce a video editing app at some point soon! It makes sense as they own YouTube!

Each of the stores has an abundance of games (that I don’t have time to play) and the overall category listing is quite similar too! However, Play Store has the edge in ‘Personalization’ apps to give Android a custom look from launchers to keyboards, wallpapers, icon packs, etc. That said, the App Store has the overall edge in terms of app quality. Some Android versions of iOS apps can be lacking in features and this could be down to the developers shifting from another platform; upgrades can bring these anaemic apps up to scratch. It took the Android Facebook app one heck of a long time to get to be as snappy as it is on iOS!

PREDICTIONS
As I have said, 2015 is the year of Android. All the major manufacturers are gearing up to release 64-bit handsets come March and tablets further down the line. As a result I am expecting a leap in the quality of apps. The games on the Android platform are proving to as financially lucrative as games on iOS. I predict that by summer this year Android games will edge out over iOS in terms of sales. I am going to stick my neck out and state that we’ll see many Android developers taking advantage of the 64-bits thus resulting in apps that appear more like computer software. We should be seeing an exponential leap in the quality of Android apps. We’ll get to understand what makes Lollipop so sweet!

And let’s not forget that Samsung has its own app store, Galaxy Apps, which will feature apps specifically for Galaxy handsets. I think that is a good move on Samsung’s part. Galaxy S6 launch is imminent and I am very curious as to what Samsung apps will compliment the hardware. We’ve already got Soundcamp on the Galaxy Note 4 for music composition and compatibility with IK Multimedia products that specializes in music interfaces and apps to assist musical composition. IK Multimedia has done a lot of apps / interfaces for the iPhone and iPad. The future for Android does look very good indeed – at least on the flagship end of the market. I am very interested in what 64-bits will bring to the mid to high-end Android handsets such as the Zenfone 2 from ASUS; will it be able to handle demanding apps with aplomb as you’d expect from the high end handsets? What will these demanding apps mean for non-64-bit handsets such as the Nexus 6 and Galaxy Note 4? Could it be that app developers will have to create 32-bit versions separately? We’ll just have to wait and see! I admit that many of my predictions in the past have been way off! Lol! But the deeper I get in this technological labyrinth the more accurate my predictions have become.

Quality Android apps here we come!

Thank you so much for reading SynapseCircuit!

Watch out for my follow-up on: ANTISOCIALNETWORKING: THE IMMATURITY OF G+ & THE HELLISH SCHIZOID AUTOMATONS...

You may be astonished! Ha ha!

Expect more reviews, news, opinions, competitions and more from Synapse Circuit!

Please check out the Synapse Circuit site here: Synapse Circuit.com

Synapse Circuit for tech news, opinions, articles, reviews and competitions. You will find interactive PDF magazines, videos and links to free legal software! Check it out at Synapse Circuit dot com

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