What to do when you make Surface music production tutorials on Youtube, but don’t have enough money to get one of the shiny latest-gen Microsoft machines? The answer to this question, for computer music veteran Robin Vincent at least, is Kickstarter.
The story started when Vincent bought a Surface Pro 3 to test out how good a multi-touch-first computer with be for music production: having a whopping 20 years of experience in the industry starting from 1996 seems to make one wants to try out some new tools once in a while. Vincent also has a business building specialized personal computers for music production, or “audio PCs,” and write articles for audio magazines, so he has plenty of credibility when it comes to music making.
Vincent’s first video turned into a series that lasted a whole year. Seeing him completely enamored with the flexibility of the Surface and releasing well-made, detailed videos covering everything Surface and music production-related is fun to watch. From reviews of various professional music software suites running on the Surface Pro 3 and even a whole live performance, to reviewing the Surface 3, to how the Surface Pen can be used for some serious music manipulation, Vincent covers it all.
[pullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Here is a real pro giving us a glimpse of some real-world professional use cases.[/pullquote]
The videos are as captivating as listening to a smooth British voice talking about stuffs he really knows about, on the backdrop of funky music, while looking at a Surface Pro 3 work its magic can be. And there’s a lot of cool information: here is a real pro giving us a glimpse of some real-world professional use cases. Sure enough, Vincent’s series have received some well-deserved attention, enough for him to get invited to Microsoft’s October device event, where the Surface Pro 4 and the Surface Book graced the public eyes for the first time.
Unfortunately, Microsoft’s goodwill didn’t extend to also giving Vincent a Surface device for review, and while he’s smitten by the hardware (aren’t we all?) and really wants to show just how much better the Surface Pro 4 would be for making music compare to the third generation, he doesn’t have a device nor the funds to get one, per his words. And here’s where he needs your help. So check out the Kickstarter page and see if you’re interested (we don’t know how recent information regarding Surface Book availability in the UK will affect one of his stretch goals, however.)
Microsoft has never hidden their intention to appeal to the creative crowd with the Surface line, and many artists in all mediums are promoting the Surface. Here is one such champion for Surface in the music industry, and as Microsoft itself recently made a case for Surface for the musician, it would do well for the company to also support these dedicated fans and artists. After all, look at all the good they have done with giving fans like Sean Ong and Gabe of Penny Arcade the chance to really promote their hardware; why not have another in music production?
