Music technology never stands still, so what exciting new developments should we expect to land in 2015? We ask five industry experts to peer into their crystal balls…
FXpansion
"We'll see hardware synths with software brains, and tablets as powerful as a laptop from earlier in the decade. Windows 10 and Intel Skylake desktop CPUs will make Autumn 2015 a great time to buy a new music PC.
"The other big story will be the Cloud. Will musicians want their software tools on an easy-access subscription like Spotify and Adobe Cloud, or to own and cherish them like a Minimoog or favourite guitar? Answers on a postcard."
Angus Hewlett
Rob Papen
"I seriously don't know! The overwhelming amount of software and choices a consumer can have is dazzling. With software, the sky's the limit. Today's CPUs are powerful enough to do crazy things on a high audio quality level. But are the big steps we saw with software now maybe slowing down a bit?
"Ten years ago, computers couldn't handle everything, and concessions had to be made because of CPU power - but this is not the case anymore. Audio quality is pristine with contemporary software synths and effects. But for 2015, I don't know if there's going to be a big change or another new trend."
Sugar Bytes
"We expect a lot to be happening in the mobile world. The new iPad Air 2 scores a benchmark that's about the same as a 2014 MacBook Air. With processors getting faster all the time, we'll see more-demanding apps, better DSP quality and more fun and usability. Our current project is a Cyclop port.
"We have some exciting products in the pipeline, so for us, 2015 will be busy. One is called Obscurium, which has come a long way and is already being tested by some artists close to us. We're also working on plugin hosting, which should make our sequencer products (Thesys and Consequence) a lot more interesting."
Modartt
"Portability is increasingly becoming a requirement for many musicians who prefer a user-friendly way to transfer software between different devices. There's also a continuously increasing demand for more innovative and versatile virtual instruments that get rid of the traditional technical approach of sampling and static rendering."
Niclas Fogwall
Create Digital Music
"The next Big Data is us. The growing number of biological inputs to technology are a new frontier for musicians and sound designers. Your phone or wearable device will be able to tell if you're losing sleep or you're stressed out, but a musician is the one who can write you a lullaby or help you relax. I'm lucky to be part of two open labs inviting participants tackling the problem (at CTM in Berlin and in Mexico City, with Leslie Garcia), but I think you'll see this throughout 2015."
Peter Kirn
