Cloud Based Recording

[deanguidry]

Just throwing this out for discussion. I'm in the process of implementing a cloud based database for a large corporate client of mine. It struck me that this might be the future of the DAW, given the speed of fiber optic networks currently installed in my home town and elsewhere in the country. In cloud based computing software resides on a server on the "internets". In my client's situation, we'll be maintaining a database available to many with varying degrees of permissions. Large companies are migrating to this format to save money on implementing their own server applications. Basically, anyone with a computer with access to the internet can use the software, so hardware incompatibilities are eliminated.

The same set up might have applications with the DAW provided upload and download speeds are lightning fast, as they would be in a fiber optic configuration. And maybe this is what's happening with these online session websites I surfed into recently...I don't know. Anyone care to comment?

Edit: Check this out: http://www.insidehomerecording.com/?p=762

[Shan]

It's definitely a future alternative that many have started a few years back already. Digimix which has now been acquired by cloud app gurus Aviary will make some good forward progress. Audiotool has really been pressuring Adobe to add better audio functionality to Flash with low latencies etc and pusshing forward with success. REAPER is definitely a perfect candidate as the app is smaller than most websites these days and they also have NINJAM which allows musicians to jam online in real time, even in REAPER via the NINJAM plug-in. Many of us have been doing session work online for years. There are now many plug-ins, apps and web based sites to make the process easier. Source-Connect, Source-Live & Talkback, and eSession are a few of the many I can think of. Online apps will give some serious competition for those who don't act on this now. Even my own personal entertainment which I have little time for is online via places like Hulu, digg, online radio stations, iTunes music store etc. Join them or get left behind. I've seen some open source devs demonstrate some insane low latency solutions for the internet.

As a side note, DigiDelivery which was the old Rocket Network integrated was doomed from day one. They just don't "get it". Applying those old school business models to the internet is doomed for failure.

Shane