I spoke with somebody today that was interested in recording an interview into an iPad mini and it got me to thinking. I have been recording almost every demo I have been working on for the upcoming album strictly with my iPhone using Garageband. I never thought anything of it, other than it was convenient for me, until this gentleman mentioned he was interested in knowing if it could be done.
I don't know how many musicians are doing this right now, but I got an Apogee Jam for iOS devices for the sole purpose of using my iPhone as an idea generator. It's been so much more productive to sit in a well lit, comfortable room than feeling chained to my desk working on the entire computer. I will admit, there are severe limitations to recording onto something like an iPhone, but for getting the good ideas down right when they pop into my head, nothing beats it. It makes it possible to be watching a television show on Hulu, have a bit of a brain lightning strike, pause the TV and make something to work on later. I love the freedom!
When all is said and done, I am willing to bet that more than half of the songs that show up on the record will have been demoed on my iPhone before I put them down in the studio. Technology can be addictive, annoying, and an overall waste of time. But it can also be just the thing you need to capture those short moments in your life that always seemed to be a foggy memory when you need to recall them most.
-Jon