Somethings brewing ... 15th wiki-versary ahead

Yoho folks, it's been a little while, but here I is with a few things I'd like to share with you today.

Yes, you read correctly, wikiloops is turning 15 years old on april 1st, and I have a little something prepared that will have to do as my personal present to this teenage community.

I have this feeling that there might be mixed reactions a-coming, that's basically why I am seeking your feedback today, and why I would like to give some ahead of time info, here we go:

I have been working on a wikiloops mobile app (two, as one needs separate code for android and iphones, we'll support both OS). Yay!
The android one is ready for testing, I am still awaiting the go from apples app store as I type, so, after the initial app of wikiloops went off-market in 2016 for some reasons, it is happening this time around, and that is good news for wikiloops.

Now, what does the app do?
It is not an exact copy of what wikiloops is on the web, so, you might actually be missing things like the forum, your messages or the shoutbox chat in it's first version.

It does offer the full track search engine + filters,
a newsfeed (currently only supports track related interactions + a few extras, no forum post notifications or image upload notifications in the v1-app),
a place to store & playback bookmarked tracks (unrelated to playlists on wikiloops)
AND (drumroll by MrBaer here : *rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr* )
a thing I called the "Field Recorder" (*splash!*).

That's right, the app includes a very simple recorder which allows both template recordings and basic remixes, recorded from your devices mic (or attached hardware) and mixed with the backing with a very rudimentary mixing interface.
Comes equipped with a "share" button to upload the result as a remix to wikiloops - *boom*.

I have been experimenting with that, and handling the latency on mobile devices turned out to be quite a pain, but after a lot of attempts and adding a "adjust latency offset" interface in the app, the results were pretty good - if you do not expect a polished DAW result from your phone, that is.

I do love the thing, as it really lowers the technical bar to participation on wikiloops by a mile,
and really integrates better to my current family life compared to setting up three mic stands and wiring up the mixer...
To me, such "field recordings" are a different type of recording that should not be compared to any DAW production, I do like the loFi aspect and the limitations, the single takes and the adrenaline,
and to me, not having all these fancy buttons and mixing options helps me to stay creative and in a fun mood instead of drifting off to mixing madness, as DAWs tend to lead me off to.

My sincere hope is that there are some folks out there who may love to enter our creative collaboration world thru this gate, and yes, if someone uses it to add spontaneous lyrics to some track whilst riding a car or sitting in a bathtub, then that is absolutely what this is meant for - fun.

Now, since I am addressing the existing community here, let me state that I am as curious as you are about what the field recorder will be in a year from now,
as there is no telling about how this will be used by you or potential new members.

Should anyone feel like "uh, I don't really enjoy someone raiding my polished recordings with something they recorded on a PHONE!", then rest assured, I feel you, too.
That's why any track created with the app will be labelled with an extra "field recorder" label from day one on, and I'd be happy to offer a "no field recorder tracks on my newsfeed" option if someone feels that is needed.

I do hope these two wiki worlds will co-exist nicely, and I do not see why they should not... and of course, you are invited to give feedback and help improve the app to the point where you are happy with it.

If there is interest, I can share some screenshots of the app on here later, or invite you to beta test (android only at this time, sorry).

Thanks for checking this out & looking forward to your thoughts!


p.s.
and thanks for 15 years of community support - YOU made this happen, including the app development.

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Without thinking this through, it sounds like a great idea.

As to the implications: I think this might lead to an even bigger bottleneck regarding the max 6 musicians limit. We`ll just have to see how this works out.

Overall - again just reading tea leaves - I`d think this might develop not into an extention of the WL as we know it today but to a partition with two distinct communities. But as long as they inspire each other everything will be fine.

Either way, both will be interesting.

Count me in for beta testing

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Cool stuff Dick, always worth trying out new things. If it works, great. If not, it was a learning experience. 👌👍👍

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I would never use a phone (at least I don't think I would) doesn't appeal to me but then again I'm old haha My 40 something nephew makes music on his Iphone fairly often and it doesn't sound half bad. I'll let him know if and when this gets a green light as he's already a member here. I don't think my android would record as well, although I've never tried. Everyone has their nose in their phone these days, so it might be a fantastic idea. :O:D I think the results could be entertaining as well. Just sing into your phone .. how easy is that haha. :D

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