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Android Cellphones Google Handhelds Upgrades

Android M To Embrace USB Type-C and MIDI 106

Posted by timothy from the loving-arms-of-a-robot dept.
jones_supa writes: USB Type-C connection is showing up in more and more devices, and Google is rolling support for the interface in its Android M operating system. The most significant additions relate to the USB Power Delivery spec. Charging will now work in both directions. That effectively means that Type-C devices can be used as external batteries for other devices. Android M is also finally introducing a feature that musicmakers have been long asking for: MIDI support. This builds on some of the audio features Google introduced in Android 5, including reduction in latency, multichannel audio stream mixing, and support for USB microphones, amplifiers, speakers, and other accessories. As others have written, music and media creation apps are much more prevalent in iOS than they are in Android, and Google hopes turning that around.
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Android M To Embrace USB Type-C and MIDI More

Android M To Embrace USB Type-C and MIDI

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  • The future of MIDI (Score:5, Informative)

    by suso ( 153703 ) * on Thursday May 28, 2015 @02:11PM (#49793305) Journal

    One might be thinking right now: MIDI? Wasn't that what my dad used to listen to music [youtube.com]?

    However MIDI has proven to be quite adept as a protocol and file format being now 30+ years old with only a few minor revisions. This year some major improvements are being announced with the release of MIDI HD Protocol, which will allow for more control and expressiveness as well as network connectivity and will
    be MIDI 1.0 compatible. So in the future you may be able to use your Android phone's touch screen and accelerometer as a MIDI controller.

    • Good to hear about MIDI HD! The link below sheds a bit more light. I'm hoping it'll eventually come in a wireless flavor. I have too many damn MIDI cables going every which way...add audio and power to that mix and it's a mess.

      http://www.synthtopia.com/cont... [synthtopia.com]

    • If you compose music on a computer, you almost certainly still do it with MIDI. All the new highly advanced synths and samplers still use MIDI as their input for data. Everything from big dollar stuff like Native Instruments Komplete down to freeware. MIDI goes in, sound comes out.

      In some ways it surprises me since you'd think they would get around to improving it (there are some things MIDI leaves to be desired) but on the other hand it does work well for nearly everything and there's something to be said

      • The most urgent deficiency in most music software and the MIDI protocol itself is the fixation on the 12-TET scale.
        The new MIDI HD protocol fixes this issue with its "Direct Pitch" feature that lets you define arbitrary notes.
        However most composing software still offers no practical way to edit music in other scales.

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]

        It's time for music to evolve. The grim reality however is that popular music has been getting more bland for the last 50 years:

        • It is a good balance between getting a good 3rd, 4th and 5th and not getting too complex. You have to go to 29-TET before you get a better perfect 5th and 41-TET to get a better major 3rd. Gets a little complex musically to represent and deal with all that, not to mention design instruments that can play it back.

          So remember that ultimately music is all math, and as such some things do end up being "better" than others musically. I'm not saying we shouldn't have the capabilities to use other scales, I mean c

    • MIDI has a few surprising applications. Fireworks, for example. Running a firework show is really a matter of setting of lots of igniters with precise timing over the course of an event - and that's exactly the sort of thing MIDI does well. As far as software is concerned, it's just a strange type of music where every note gets played only once.

    • So in the future you may be able to use your Android phone's touch screen and accelerometer as a MIDI controller.

      Or you can just use OSC [wikipedia.org] as a protocol and do that right now with a handful of DAWs and VSTs. I've been using OSC on Android for about 2 years now with TouchOSC [hexler.net]. I use Renoise and Ableton mostly, and those work well enough with that.

      On that matter, let's be honest, a touch screen isn't the greatest replacement for buttons, sliders and knobs really. I almost always prefer using a piece of kit as compared to a touchscreen, with the exception of X/Y pads for controlling things like filters where you control cut

    • One might be thinking right now: MIDI? Wasn't that what my dad used to listen to music [youtube.com]?

      Oddly, I also used to used to use a Midi of an entirely different type [flickr.com] (*) to listen to music "back in the day" (cough). Always used to find it strange that MIDI had the same name as cheap all-in-one 80s hifi systems...

      Get off my lawn et al.

      (*) That's not actually mine- which I got rid of around a decade back- but it's the exact same model

  • and Google hopes turning that around.

    If only google could install some competence in the people who approve the summaries here. Turning that around would be almost a miracle.

  • What /. doesn't want you to see -- (Score:4, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 28, 2015 @02:14PM (#49793333)

    http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/05/sourceforge-grabs-gimp-for-windows-account-wraps-installer-in-bundle-pushing-adware/

    SourceForge grabs GIMP for Windows’ account, wraps installer in bundle-pushing adware

    • Indeed. I know Slashdot is inconsistant with regards to how old a story is before it's posted here, but this story is pretty high profile and has been shown on virtually all tech-related sites so far... except for Slashdot, who's owners also run SourceForge.

      Slashdot are acting exactly like any other commercially-run institution - pretending that bad news which affects their reputation doesn't exist.

  • And all 9 Android/MIDI users were happy (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    Seriously, if you're doing sound work, get a workstation. Just because you have a pimp phone doesn't mean it should handle everything.

    • Seriously, if you're doing office work, get a typewriter. Just because you have a pimp desktop doesn't mean it should handle everything.

      Seriously, if you're doing gaming, get an XBone. Just because you have a pimp desktop doesn't mean it should handle everything.

      Seriously, if you're listening to music, get an MP3 player. Just because you have a pimp phone doesn't mean it should handle everything.

      Do you see how ridiculous this is?

      There are serious benefits and advantages to convergence: using one device for

      • I think that MIDI support in and of itself is fine, but Android has so many other things that would be useful to so many more people. How about mounting network drives so that you can access them in every application. How about integrating Google Drive so that applications can access files without the application developer having to write code specifically to handle it?

        • Or how about Bluetooth audio that actually *works*? https://code.google.com/p/andr... [google.com]

          The thing to keep in mind is that Google doesn't have a one-track mind. They don't have 1 developer who can only perform feature development work on one thing at a time. MIDI support has very likely been a side project brewing for a number of years that finally now is stable enough to release. Meanwhile, they have lots of other people who have little to no clue what that guy was doing with MIDI because they spend a lot of t

        • The bothersome thing here though is that MIDI support should be pretty much baked in to the base OS. Doesn't Android support ALSA? Doesn't ALSA have MIDI?

          I mean, iOS has had MIDI support since iOS 4.2.

          While a tablet isn't going to replace a full soundboard soon, for musicians on a budget or a bunch of folks getting together for a jam session it's great. Unlike a soundboard it fits easily into a bag and goes where ever there's a flat surface to put it down on.

      • Not very many people have ever dropped their DAW down the toilet.

  • Great! Now I can drain my battery even faster!

    • I think this has a very practical purpose: by allowing the charging circuit to operate at the same time as power flows out of the host, it will allow something like this:

      USB Keyboard = K
      USB Mouse = M
      Powered USB Hub (connected to wall socket) = H
      MHL adapter (USB-C to HDMI with a female USB-C socket for accepting peripherals and power) = P
      Smartphone = S

      K and M --> H --> P --> S

      USB hub provides power to K and M and provides data and charging to S

      Not sure if this is how it will actually work, but they

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

        That works already. I've tried it, minus the mouse. The phone charges, the keyboard was powered from the hub, HDMI output worked.

  • As long as manufacturers do not start making Apple of themselves by having their own proprietary port, that's fine.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

      As long as manufacturers do not start making Apple of themselves by having their own proprietary port, that's fine.

      Rumor has it that the reason we have USB C is because of Apple. Basically Apple got fed up of the USB guys for having rather annoying connectors (especially ones that only go in one way - a royal PITA for mobile devices).

      So rather than having yet another designed-by-committee connector, Apple basically gave it to the USB IF for free, with knowledge that it contains all the things Apple likes -

      • Rumor has it that the reason we have USB C is because of Apple.

        Rumors are probably wrong. If Apple wanted to make their connector standard, they would have given their dock and lightning connectors. Instead, they compete against a standard connector again.

          • It'd be nice if their latest ridiculously-thin laptop had more than two ports on it, and one of them for headphones.

            You get one port, and it's used for charging as well as USB. Want to plug in a USB device? You've got as long as the batteries last.

            They succeeded in making an ultra-super-thin laptop - but at the cost of expecting people to fit a USB3 hub in their bag as well.

            • Or expecting people to use dropbox, airdrop, soundcloud, etc. for file sharing and bluetooth for accessories.

              I think we might see another USB port on the next version, but I think that's missing the point.

          • Yeah, one device out ot how many? 20? 19 more to go.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by jo_ham ( 604554 )

          They want a standard but good USB connector for the laptop and a proprietary port they control for the phone.

          That's why they gave USB-C away for nothing.

          It's the same reason they gave away the mini-displayport connector for free too - they want it to be a standard.

          The phone port though, they want to control because they want to control the peripheral market for the iPhone and iPad. The peripheral market for computers they don't care about, but they would rather that the connector of choice be a good one.

      • Probably Apple looked at what they did for USB 3.0 and decided it was fairly stupid, since now a USB 3.0 cable won't fit in anything other than USB 3 ports.

        When did this happen? I've got a USB 3.0 cable plugged in to a USB 2.0 slot charging my phone right now.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Guspaz ( 556486 )

          No, you don't. Micro USB 3 connectors are stupid wide (we're talking as wide as a full-sized USB connector), and are not compatible with micro USB 2 ports.

          The reverse is sort of true (you can plug a micro 2 cable into a micro 3 port), but since the ports are such different sizes, many consumers probably wouldn't figure that out.

          • He didn't say mini

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by Guspaz ( 556486 )

              There are not any phones on the market that have full-sized USB sockets, so a "USB 3.0 cable" that connects to a phone must be using a micro connector (there is no mini variant of USB 3).

              • ? USB cables typically have A connectors on one end and another on the other end(in this case, micro B). USB 3.0 A works in standard USB 2 or USB 3 ports.

                • Re: (Score:2)

                  by Guspaz ( 556486 )

                  So your phone has a micro USB 3 connector on it, not a USB 2.0 port as your original post stated.

                  This doesn't change the fact that a micro USB 3 cable will not fit into a micro USB 2 port.

                  • I didn't say it did.

                    OP said: Probably Apple looked at what they did for USB 3.0 and decided it was fairly stupid, since now a USB 3.0 cable won't fit in anything other than USB 3 ports.

                    I said since when since my USB 3.0 cable works just fine in USB 2.0 ports. No one said anything about micro or mini.

                    • Re: (Score:2)

                      by Guspaz ( 556486 )

                      You said "plugged in to a USB 2.0 slot charging my phone", and since there aren't any phones with full-sized USB ports, that means the phone's USB 2.0 slot must be micro, and a USB 3.0 micro cable can't be used on a phone with a USB 2.0 micro port.

                    • Yes, plugged in to a USB 2.0 slot on my computer charging my phone. I never stated overtly or insinuated that I had a type A slot on my phone. That's stupid and ridiculous. Again, OP said USB 3.0 cables don't work on USB 2.0 slots. The default cable type is type A, with special non-standard connectors on the other end for nearly every major manufacturer. Without specifying a specific type, the only assumption to be made is type A, and type A is backward compatible.

                    • Re: (Score:2)

                      by Guspaz ( 556486 )

                      OP could have worded it more clearly, but was correct in that USB 3.0 cables do not work on USB 2.0 phones. They are not backwards compatible. You're using a USB 3.0 cable with a USB 3.0 phone.

      • It is more likely that Apple designed USB-C at the same time they designed the Lightning connector. They opted for the Lightning connector and decided to gift USB-C. It is in Apple's best interest for USB to have a good connector.

        Looking at how horrible the USB3 connectors are, it all makes sense. USB 3.1 was announced far to quickly for it to have been planned at the time USB 3.0 was being specified. And there was no design debate - the new connector was basically just announced. Looks like someone

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Guspaz ( 556486 )

          It's possible that the only reason that Lightning made it into phones was because they wanted to get rid of the 30-pin connector, but USB-C was still a few years away. Or that USB-C was too big, since USB-C sockets are a bunch thicker than Lightning sockets and when Lightning was introduced, Apple probably had a decent idea how thick their upcoming iPhone and iPad products were going to be.

          • Or the Lightning connector was selected because it was superior (it really is nice) and allows Apple to limit what accessories are made for iOS devices. Apple are control freaks - the Lightning connector gives them more control.

  • manually set app permissions please.

    I think it's odd that the "flashlight" app wants to get into my contacts,and even stranger that Google lets them.

    • "Feature request: manually set app permissions please."

      From TFA: "You don't have to agree to permission that don't make sense to you. Now, apps will ask when you first start them which device functions they want access to. You can pick and choose on a per-app basis what is permissible."

      It's about time...

    • AppOps - yes it requires root but it is very useful for turning off permissions that apps shouldn't need.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by koan ( 80826 )

        I'm aware of that, it should be stock.

        It's kind of a "fuck you" to the user that it is not standard.

        • Yes, per-permission settings are the new way to do app permissions in M. They prompt for the permission when the app needs it, so it's much more clear what the permission is used for. In settings, you can view all of the permissions for an app, or all of the apps that have requested a specific permission.

          I'm not sure how well this feature will work with current apps. It will be interesting to see. But it sounds to me like a really positive development.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by mlts ( 1038732 )

      I wouldn't mind something along the lines of XPrivacy (or on iOS, Protect My Privacy) being integrated into Android where if a legacy app wants data, instead of getting an error, it gets bogus information. That way, some generic fleshlight app that asks for everything under the sun including root will be able to fetch data... but it will be all bogus. The ad ID, IMEI, location, username, accounts, list of stashed music, and pictures? Sure, it is valid data, but useless.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by koan ( 80826 )

        But then devs would reject that sort of thing, after all we are the product, which is why they took it out of our hands.
        But it's wrong, and one of the things I hate most about a tablet or "smart" phone, the inability to get things done under the hood without some questionable app that roots the device.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

        That way, some generic fleshlight app that asks for everything under the sun including root will be able to fetch data

        There's an app for that now?

        A) Where do I download it?

        B) Does it need any, er, "peripherals"?

        C) What's the best way to clean cum off a phone?

        Or was it just a Freudian slip?

  • Why does stuff like this require an operating system update? It seems like that is the case for everything in Android: Bluetooth low-energy, usb on-the-go, MIDI, ...

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Dog-Cow ( 21281 )

      Funny that. Updating stuff that the OS does requires updating the OS. Who knew?

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by MobyDisk ( 75490 )

        Other OS's have a concept of "drivers" that allow you to support new devices without the OS manufacturer updating the OS. With Android, it seems like every little feature requires a new kernel.

  • I'm waiting for something to come out that supports 'cassette'.
  • ... enable my car stereo system to control the songs that are played from my Android M device? Just like it can play any iPod/iPhone/iPad? That would be the only selling point for me as far as music goes. Right now, while driving, I can skip songs just from the button on my steering wheel (it's a Subaru Crosstrek) while playing songs from my iPad. I can't do that for my Android devices even if they're connected to the stereo system via Bluetooth.

    • That's your car's fault, not your phone's. The manufacturers lock into a particular proprietary technology and then you're stuck. FWIW, you'd be stuck with a idevice also as apple updates their interface spec.

      What cars really need is a more abstract vendor-neutral interface. (Like a universally implemented USB HID class coupled with a video interface.) Then we wouldn't be stuck with whatever the manufacturer thought was neat 5 years ago.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by jrumney ( 197329 )
      I don't think Android M is going to fix your car stereo. It's not Google's fault that Subaru chose to support Apple's proprietary protocol and ignore the relatively open MTP, or Bluetooth AVRCP, either of which can control most Android phones.

  • This was the most simple and useful USB function and there removed it. It allowed to play with any computers, TVs, or printers with high speed. Compared to MSD, the "new" protocols are slow and poorly supported.

    There removed MSD for the wrong reasons as there is technical solution to provides a snapshot of the internal filesystem as a external view to avoid corruption.The btrfs filesystem support snapshot for example and a gateway could translate the resulting snapshot view in a other filesystem format like

  • Yes, I've read the comments that say "MIDI, what is this 1980-something?" But as a Music Teacher/ Musician that also does theater sound and lights MIDI still has many currently used applications. Sure, MIDI began as a way to listen to music on a computer, back when a few KB was a lot of memory. However, MIDI also has the ability to clock-sync devices for synchronous playback. So if you are at your favorite band's show and the music and the lights just seem to time out perfectly, they probably do because som

  • The problem for android audio is not the lack of MIDI. It is the horrendous latency problem Android devices often have. To feel responsive when being used for live performance, the delay between user input and audio output should be less than 20ms. But as you can see here http://superpowered.com/latenc... [superpowered.com] a lot of Android devices don't meet that.

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