QUARK Play vs GCS Model 8 Mobile

QUARK Play easily transforms up to four iOS devices into a wireless, quadraphonic sound system. Place iPhones, iPads, and/or Macs around the space (or connect them to bluetooth speakers), hit play on the host device, and build a true, immersive surround sound environment anywhere. The Quadraphonic Universally Accessible Resource Kit (QUARK) is open source software used in Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) and similar platforms to encode four channels of discrete audio into two channel (standard stereo) audio, then back to four channels again. This allows for the distribution of four-channel spatial recordings via widely accessible two-channel formats such as vinyl, cassette, and radio, as well as digital platforms such as YouTube, Spotify, and Qobuz. QUARK is made possible by dublab & the National Endowment for the Arts.

GCS Model 8 is a free, pocket-sized 8-track tape DAW for iPhone. It has a full blown physics engine which runs in the background and models classic reel-to-reel machines and various formats ranging from LoFi cassette to HiFi 1" tape. The engine is the exact same as the one used in the professional desktop recording version, but still runs very nicely on iPhone. GCS Model 8 for iPhone is completely free, with no in-app purchases, subscriptions, or ads. I really want people to have the engine as a fun tool for mobile settings without any sort of catch. Features: • 8-track recording with a real tape transport (play, record, rewind, fast-forward, punch, scrub) • Analog tape physics: adjustable wow, flutter, stickiness, head gap, hiss, and age • Built-in effects and tape techniques: reverse, SOS, punch, click track, loop • Built-in instruments: A-1 Mono Synth, A-10 Poly Synth, Glissandio (Ondes Martenot style slide synth), Stage Keyboard • Voxtone Drum Machine: synthesized analog drums with a dedicated step-sequencer (MATRIX) and live-trigger (PADS) view, plus two sample-based kits (808, Acetone) • 8-pad MPC-style Pad Sampler: load your own samples or mic them in directly, with pitch, trim, and gate controls • Reels: save, load, and share your sessions • Bluetooth MIDI keyboard support • Importing recordings to hit them to tape • Sound of Sound looping (Fripp style) • Formats: cassette, 1/4", 1/2" and 1" - along with various presets •Most of the features found on the desktop version Reels you create on iPhone move over to GCS Model 8 for iPad and GCS Model 8 for Mac/Windows, which add more tracks, more effects, and full export/mixdown for when you're ready to take a session further.