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andyP
On July 2nd, I received my Lenovo C440. This is the first time I've had a Lenovo Essential PC and I didn't know what I was expecting. I've tried a few of them out before at retail stores (which I thought were great to use), but this is the first time I've owned one. This is also my first brand-new computer since 2004 (when I got my ThinkPad R51), my first desktop since 2002 (when I got my IBM NetVista A22p), and my first All-In-One PC. Since 2004, all of my computers have been second-hand ThinkPads (T41, 600, & T60 - all which I still have).
I was very excited when I got my C440, not only because of what I just mentioned, but also because I desperately needed a new system. My T60 was the only computer I could use and I had to do all my tasks in one computer, which made it pretty difficult to focus on particular tasks. In addition, (although it runs pretty smooth) my T60 was getting too slow for my primary task: Pro Audio. So I needed a new computer to do those tasks.
Design & Features
The C440 looks sleek and elegant. It has a glossy front-panel and feels solid. The stand is made of metal and holds up really well. The screen can be rotated 5 degrees forward and 25 degrees backward. My particular unit came with an Intel Pentium G2030 3.00GHz processor, 4GB of memory, a 1TB HDD, a CD/DVD burner, 6 USB ports (with two of them being USB 3.0 ports), an HDMI port, headphone and microphone jacks, an SD/SDHC/SDXC/MMC/Ms/MS-Pro slot, a built-in camera, built-in wireless, an ethernet connector, a 21.5" 1920x1080 multifunction touchscreen, and Windows 8. In addition, it comes with an AC Adapter, as well as a USB keyboard and mouse.
Keyboard, mouse, and touchscreen
The C440's keyboard is an island-style, USB keyboard. It is great to type on. It feels comfortable and responsive. It actually has a feel similar to a ThinkPad keyboard. The mouse also feels great and is wonderful to use. It is a USB, three-button mouse with left and right buttons, as well as scrolling button in the middle.
The C440 has a touch-enabled screen with multiple functions. This is the first touchscreen-equiped computer I've ever had and I can tell you right now that it is a lot of fun to use. Not only that, but it also comes in handy for certain tasks and is very useful (as you'll see a bit later). It is smooth and responsive, with a clear and crisp screen.
Performance
For a value-priced AIO with an Intel Pentium G2030 processor, the C440 is fast.
When transferring a 23GB file to and from my external hard drive, my C440 came out on top. It took my C440 about 12 minutes to do the task, while it took my T60 about 11/2 hours (maybe even 2 hours) to complete the task. When converting that same file into a .zip file, once again, my C440 came out on top. Unfortunately, I can't remember how long it each took them to do the task. All I know is that my T60 took longer. In addition, when doing both of those tasks, I was able to do other tasks on my C440 - something I couldn't do on my T60. I can't multitask on my T60 because then it would slow down and whatever program I opened would take a long time to do so.
I produce music (as well as DJ). One of the things involved in music production are samples & loops. Before I decide to use any particular sound, I have to preview the sounds in my sample package. One of the ways I do this is by clicking on each individual file. On my T60, I have to open Audacity to preview those samples. This is pretty tedious because I have locate the file (using the open function in the program), load it up (which takes about a second since these are short files), close it, and then do it all over again. On my C440, there's this Windows app (that comes with the PC) called Xbox Music. With this app, I can just click on the sample I want to hear, listen to it, and then click Alt+Tab to go back to the file where my samples are housed and do it all over again. This technique is much smoother, simpler, and quicker than on my T60.
While installing music programs on the C440, I noticed a clear difference in the speed of the installation of those programs between my C440 and T60. I installed a total of 13 VSTs including 5 software synthesizers (FM8, Massive, Reaktor, Kontakt, and Absynth) , a sampler (Battery), and 7 effects (Driver, RC24, RC48, ) - as well as the DJ software, Traktor - which are all from Native Instruments. Even though I didn't write down the amount of time it took to install them, it was clear that my C440 installed them faster than my T60 did. In addition, I can even use the touchscreen on my C440 to tweak my VSTs, which makes creating and enhancing (mixing) sounds faster.
Overall, the C440 is quick on installing (and running) programs, as well as transferring files. Not only that, but it also allows you to multitask while doing those tasks.
Windows 8 & apps
This is the first time I've used Windows 8. It was a big upgrade from Windows XP (which I was using on my T60 this whole time). I was amazed over how fast and simple it is. It boots up and shuts down quickly. Not only that, but its fun to use too - especially with a touchscreen (since it was optimized for Tablet and touchscreen use). It only took me less than an hour to get used to it. I found out in the process that a lot of the functions which I used in previous Windows Operating Systems where still there. Learning how to get around the new interface wasn't so hard - I just played around for a while and learned those skills in the process.
I installed 9 apps from the Windows App Store, all which installed quickly without any problems. Most of them were drawing and music apps, as well as a game ("Endless Skater") and The Weather Channel App. This one particular app I installed was a virtual piano that you could play with the touchscreen. It was a lot of fun - It was like playing an actual piano. With the drawing apps, you can use either your mouse or finger (on the touchscreen) to draw - which are also a lot of fun. Playing games in the touch-enabled C440 is a lot of fun as well. Apps like The Weather Channel App and music listening apps run unobtrusively in the background; they don't slow down the system at all.
Conclusion
The C440 is a great All-In-One PC for work and play. I've been enjoying my C440 - I can't get enough of its touchscreen, reliability, and speed. It sure is a lot of fun to use. I would recommend it to anyone.
I'll be posting two additional reviews on the C440 soon. One will be focused on touch and the other one will be focused on music (Pro Audio).
More pictures of my C440 can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24995561@N05/sets/721
Moderator note; picture warning added Forum Rules
Ever since I first got my Lenovo C440, I've been using it primarily for Pro Audio (music production). The C440 does it's job quite well, with its fast CPU (3.0GHz), big hard drive (1TB), decent amount of memory (4GB), and touchscreen. In this review, I'm going to show everyone how its like using touch when working in music production.
The programs I chose for this review are Massive (a Subtractive synth), FM8 (a Frequency Modulation synth), and Traktor (DJ software) all by Native Instruments to show how its like to make synth patches and DJ with touch. Additionally, I chose to use the Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), FL Studio by Image Line, to showcase how its like to produce, mix, and put together tracks with touch. If you work in music, then you'll probably be familiar with these programs. I chose these programs simply because I use them on a daily basis - its where I make all my sounds/synth patches, DJ, and produce and mix.
I think this review will be a great resource for anyone thinking about producing on the C440 and/or touch, as well as anyone thinking about using any of the programs I'm using.
Massive and Touch
Massive is a subtractive synth that is popular with a lot of music producers - most notably Dubstep/bass music producers. You can see that it has a lot of knobs, faders, slots, and a whole bunch of other things. It has 3 ocsillators, a modulation oscillator, 2 Filter sections, a noise section, a feedback section, 2 Insert sections, an amp section, 2 FX sections, an EQ, macro controls (which are used to assign certain effects and controls to unify them when creating music), envelopes, LFOs, a voicing section, a global section, a bypass section, a master section, as well as a few other things I didn't mention. All these features are used for shaping the sound you desire to have.
Adjusting the knobs and faders in Massive using touch is effortless and quite smooth, since they're pretty big. This is a good thing because those are the features you're going to be using the most to shape your sound, so it'll allow you to work more quicker compared to a mouse (although, I have to say that if you're going to work with a pointing device, use a TrackPoint. It'll be smoother, quicker, more precise than a mouse.) Turning the oscillators, filters, and other headers on and off is pretty simple - just tap on the little circle next to the text of the header to turn it on or off.
Adjusting the envelopes without touching any knobs is pretty effortless - just move the envelope around until you get the desired sound/shape. Inserting modulation sources (the blue and green rectangle-shaped boxes with crosses on them) into modulation slots (the little square boxes under the knobs and faders) is quite fun - just touch and drag a modulation source into a modulation box (make sure to touch again) and adjust the amount of modulation you want by dragging the slot up or down (this is another feature you'll be using the most). I have to admit, adjusting the modulation amount can be a bit tricky, since it can feel pretty cramped. I mean, why wouldn't it? The boxes are pretty tiny - especially if you've got big hands.
Selecting an option from the one of the popup menus on top of many of the sections using touch can be a bit tricky but isn't so bad overall. Selecting the popup menu itself is pretty smooth, but once you get to the options, it can feel a bit cramped (this is very likely more severe if you got bigger hands). It can sometimes feel like you are going to choose the wrong option, but this is really a small inconvenience. The same goes when adjusting the pitch of the oscillators.
Adjusting the other features - like on the LFOs, Performers, Steppers, and Voicing is more smoother than on the previous features I just mentioned, since most of the controls are bigger. You just basically do the same thing as all the other controls: touch, turn, drag, adjust, etc.
FM8 and Touch
FM8 is an FM Synthesizer that is well known among plenty of music producers. Since its an FM synth, it can produce a lot of detailed, unique sounds. Despite this, it is underrated among a lot of produers. As you can see it looks very different from Massive, while at the same time, they have some features in common and in some ways, work similarly. Like Massive, it has a lot of knobs, faders, and envelopes. But it also has some features that Massive doesn't like an algorithm (which is common in FM synths), a morph square, an arpeggiator, and 6 oscillators ("A-F", plus "X" and "Z"). It has a browser (where you can browse for presets - which are synth patches which are already made), an attributes section (which is basically the same thing as the browser, only the patches are categorized by the type of sound and instrument), a master section, an effects section, an arpeggiator, an easy/morph section, and an "expert" section. The expert section is what's pictured above and this is where you create your sounds. If you look closely, you'll see that there are subcategories (the little boxes) under the expert tab. This is where the operator, envelopes, modulation, oscillators, and a few other things are located.
Adjusting the knobs, faders, and envelopes in FM8 using touch is like in Massive - smooth, effortless, and efficient. However, in order to put additional points on the envelopes to shape your sound, you'll need to right-click with your mouse. But afterwards, you'll be able to shape them with touch.
In the algorithm (which is also called the "FM Matrix"), you'll see that the operators ("A-F", "X", and "Z") are in there, as well as some white boxes with numbers on them. The operators in the FM Matrix function as modulators, which you turn on and off (when its lit up, its on. When its gray, its off). When you touch one of the modulators, you'll get directed to the ocsillator's section, where you'll see its ratio (where you adjust its pitch), offset, waveform, envelope, amplitude, and a few more things. However, if you want to turn them on or off, you'll have to right-click. The white boxes are carriers. Its where you adjust the volume and distortion levels of the oscillators. In order to activate or adjust a carrier, just touch one of the light-colored boxes (including any of the bottom boxes) and drag it up or down. To deactivate a carrier, just tap it two times or drag the box all the way down (note: for the carriers on the very bottom you'll need to tap on them two times to deactivate them).
Adjusting some of the smaller controls (like those in the operator and algorithm sections) can be quite tricky. Since they're smaller than a lot of the other controls, it can feel cramped. Like in Massive, It can feel like you're going to click on the wrong option. But overall, its only a minor inconvenience.
FL Studio and Touch
FL Studio is a popular Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), used mostly by EDM and Hip-Hop producers. When you open it, you can see the mixer, FX rack, sequencer, pattern window - among other things. You have everything you need to make music.
A lot of the features of FL Studio are pretty easy to adjust and click with touch, since the controls and stuff are pretty big. However, there are a few controls that are so tiny that you have to use a mouse to adjust them. Choosing an instrument from the drop-down menu (Channels > Add One) using touch is pretty smooth - it doesn't feel very cramped. Same thing with choosing an effect from the FX rack. Adjusting the faders on the mixer with touch isn't very challenging either - its pretty decent.
Putting notes on the piano roll is quite efficient - and fun. You just tap on the note lane two times and a note appears. Deleting them is effortless, as well - you just tap on the note you want to delete two times and then its gone. Adjusting the notes can be done with touch as well: just drag your finger and highlight the note (a square will form), and then touch the circle that appears at the end of a note and drag it left or right.
Putting songs together on the sequencer is also fun and efficient - you simply touch and drag them. Want to paste a pattern? Just tap on the sequencer. Need to shorten a pattern? Just touch the end part of the pattern and drag it to the left. Have to delete a pattern? Simply tap on it two times. Need to move a pattern? Just touch and drag. The picture above shows the sequence to a remix of a song that I'm currently working on. I used touch to put it together on the sequencer.
Envelopes, on the other hand, require much more precision in FL Studio so that means you'll have to use a mouse to make them. I work with Dubstep/bass music, so that means that I use envelopes to create my wobbles and other things. This requires that I be more precise so I have to use the mouse to make them.
Traktor and Touch
Traktor is a DJ program that is widely-used by many DJs. When you open it, (if its in "mixer" mode) you'll see a 2 channel mixer, two FX racks, two decks, and two remix decks. You'll also see a browser at the bottom, where you can search for music (MP3 files) anywhere in your computer (or external storage device - if attached). It has everything a DJ needs.
I have to say that almost everything in Traktor can be accomplished with touch. I say 'almost' everything because there a couple of things that you can't really do with touch. It turns out that adjusting the knobs and faders in Traktor with touch is pretty clunky. When I was trying to adjust the faders, they would go whichever direction I wanted them to go (left, right, up, or down) abruptly. The only way I could make them move more more smoothly was if I slowly touched them without touching the fader itself. But even that didn't make it feel very smooth and natural. When I was adjusting the knobs on the mixer and elsewhere with touch, it would either adjust abruptly or it wouldn't adjust at all. Adjusting these two functions takes a lot of effort, so you'll be better off adjusting them with a mouse (it'll even better with an actual mixer or other DJ controller).
Adjusting everything else with touch is pretty smooth and effortless, since all you have to do is tap or drag stuff. To insert a song into a deck, all you have to do is tap and drag the song you want to deck A or B. I would have to say that the funnest part of using Traktor and touch is adjusting the waveforms - it feels like you're using a jogwheel (on a CDJ or DJ interface) or even a turntable. Its also kind of like using the Traktor DJ app on the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch (none which I've tried yet, I've only seen videos of it. If anyone is wondering, its currently only available for iOS).
Conclusion
Using touch made making music fun, quick, and efficient. It felt very fluid, overall. There are a few setbacks when using programs like the ones I used. This is mostly because they're not optimized for touch, unlike some other programs out there (like Stage Light). Most of the controls/functions are simply too small and/or cramped to touch and therefore require a mouse. The makers of these programs can solve this problem by simply making these controls/functions slightly bigger and/or more spread out, or by making versions of these programs that are optimized for touch.
Making music on the C440 is smooth, overall. There are no latency issues, it does not bog, and the CPU can handle all of these tasks (I'm guessing that all this depends on how you're using it. Your experiences might be different than mine). Not to mention, it has a big hard drive to store all of those audio and DAW files.
I believe that touch in music production (Pro Audio) is going to play a very important role in the near future - since it is clear that touch is the future. In fact, I think it already is. Computers are already a very important tool for music and I think that touch is going to make them an even more important tool.
P.S. Here is a mix I made on my C440 just for this review : https://soundcloud.com/projekt61/projekt61s-lenovo
