# Alternatives to running Lemur on a Tablet



## will_m (Jul 23, 2017)

I'm currently using Lemur on a Samsung Tab Pro 10.1, I have a custom template that has buttons for common midi/audio functions, adding tracks, and track visibility settings.







My issue is that the tablet screen keeps flashing and I think its on its way out. A few people have mentioned that tablets don't do too well when left plugged in as it affects the battery.

I might end up having to get it repaired or get a new tablet so I was wondering if there are any other options for running Lemur or an alternative on something that is a bit better at staying plugged in on wall power?

I've seen JXL and a few others have a large touchscreen monitor running something that looks like Lemur but I didn't think Lemur ran on anything but android/iOS.


----------



## IoannisGutevas (Jul 23, 2017)

Well those screens that Junkie XL and Hans Zimmer are custom build templates for their workflow. That doesnt mean that you cant do at least 90% of what they do with Lemur. There are alternatives but lemur is the most customizable and most flexible if you know how to use it. 

There is Metagrid which is really easy to setup but there are not faders (not yet at least), but if you are using only buttons its a great solution to setup your template there. Also it comes pre-build with templates for several DAWs and apps like Photoshop and you can setup to control almost any application you run in your pc with it.

Another alternative is TouchOSC. Its like lemur, a bit easier to configure but Lemur can go a lot more in depth in coding and configurability than TouchOSC.

Also there is this solution for better connectivity (i use wifi with loopMIDI but if some say that this is better), https://www.iconnectivity.com/products/midi/iconnectmidi4plus/ . 

If you are using Cubase, this is hands down the best option that you can find using Lemur : https://www.midikinetics.com/products/composer-tools-pro/ . All products from MidiKinetiks are pure gold. Composer Tools Pro + C_Brains are the best controller that you can have for Cubase. If you are using Cubase you should check it out.

Lastly there is no right or wrong in leaving your tablet plugged in on wall power. Repairing it or getting a new tablet depends on how much the repair costs and what kind of new tablet you wanna get and what budget you have.


----------



## Øivind (Jul 23, 2017)

one alternative is to use something like Remix OS, which is Android for PC http://www.jide.com/remixos-for-pc tho i think they are gonna focus on business forwards so the downloads for public might go away soon.


----------



## will_m (Jul 23, 2017)

IoannisGutevas said:


> Well those screens that Junkie XL and Hans Zimmer are custom build templates for their workflow. That doesnt mean that you cant do at least 90% of what they do with Lemur. There are alternatives but lemur is the most customizable and most flexible if you know how to use it.
> 
> There is Metagrid which is really easy to setup but there are not faders (not yet at least), but if you are using only buttons its a great solution to setup your template there. Also it comes pre-build with templates for several DAWs and apps like Photoshop and you can setup to control almost any application you run in your pc with it.
> 
> ...



Thanks! Really helpful stuff. I have C-Brains from MIDI kinetics which is great, to be honest I'm really happy with all the functionality I have with Lemur and my custom template etc. It's more that having it on a tablet means you need to have it plugged in all the time, I also need and app to keep the screen on all the time.




oivind_rosvold said:


> one alternative is to use something like Remix OS, which is Android for PC http://www.jide.com/remixos-for-pc tho i think they are gonna focus on business forwards so the downloads for public might go away soon.



Interesting option, I'll have to download it and see what I can get to work. With this option would I basically load lemur through the Remix OS and then attach a touchscreen monitor to the PC? Would it then be possible to just have the Lemur app open on the touchscreen only. 

I wonder if the Remix OS has any performance hit or would interfere with my setup in any way?

A third option I thought might work is getting a small android tv box that I can run Lemur on then attach it to a small touchscreen monitor. Would probably be the same cost a new tablet but maybe better for keeping it plugged in.


----------



## Øivind (Jul 23, 2017)

I have never tried Remix OS so i am not sure how it works performance wise, but i do believe that it is pretty darn decent from the reviews i have read. Also Android supports mouse and keyboard so you do not initially need a touch screen to test it out.

Yeah an Android TV box might be worth checking out, you can get those pretty cheap. And i think you can make any monitor touch friendly with some touch overlay, but those might be pretty costly.

A fourth option might be looking into Chromebooks that have Google Play access and touch screen (many of them do). They are usually rather cheap compared to touch monitors, but again, i have not tested this.


----------



## will_m (Jul 24, 2017)

oivind_rosvold said:


> I have never tried Remix OS so i am not sure how it works performance wise, but i do believe that it is pretty darn decent from the reviews i have read. Also Android supports mouse and keyboard so you do not initially need a touch screen to test it out.



I've looked into Remix OS a bit more and it seems that it doesn't run within Windows but boots directly from your drive, so I'm not sure that would work for me.

I did find a program called Bluestacks that runs in a Window and is Android Emulator. It let me install Lemur so that could be an option.

I think I'm leaning towards an android box with a small touchscreen monitor though, I could have it running all the time and it wouldn't interfere with my main set-up.


----------



## gadgetsz (Jan 12, 2021)

will_m said:


> I'm currently using Lemur on a Samsung Tab Pro 10.1, I have a custom template that has buttons for common midi/audio functions, adding tracks, and track visibility settings.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thats a complete other question but:
How can you asign a "fill"-color for a button? My buttons only show border colors.


----------

