I’ve been thinking about this for a while now, and if you follow me on Twitter you may have heard me rant about it a while back. Right now, with an iPad Camera Connection Kit ($30, even less if you get only the USB connector on ebay – just make sure it’s official) and a powered USB hub (give or take $25 new) you can connect just about any of the gear that you already have to your iPad. Some of which you can even connect without a hub. I just feel like a lot of the major ‘iPad compatible’ gear is drastically lacking at least one important feature. The Akai SynthStation 49 drastically lacks knobs and sliders, the iO Dock doesn’t work with USB MIDI controllers unless you’ve got a computer in between it and the controller, or unless you want to do all of this, ect… What do you guys think? Is there any iPad specific gear that you’re considering? or using? Or is it all just marketing hype? Leave a comment below!
I just recently got a simple and cheap midi to usb cable, and I was very happy to find out I can use it with the camera connection kit. Saved me from buying a $50 ipad midi device!
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The behringer iSudio iS202.
I wait since almost a year for it. Because the “simple” setup just with CCK to midi is a bit dangerous within live-acts because of crashes, sudden shutdowns with data loss i had…leaking power when using wireless midi a.s.o….
The iStudio has everything to control inputs, headphones and monitoring in its right place…feels much better than the Alesis’ ..it runs on battery, is charging while using it!!! Its got real midi i/o plus it passes USB-Host and lets my gear (25 Key uControl a BCR rotary…with a little desktop mixer connected to a pair of 3031A monitors and a b2 pro mic) really fit together. I am not yet shure if the output is balanced but i know the quality of the mic preamps is at very good high studio level.
And i look forward to the excellent CMD DC-1 padcontroller for beatmaker ,-)
http://www.behringer.com/assets/iSTUDIO_WebBrochure.pdf
http://www.behringer.com/assets/MM1_DV1_DC1_PL-1_LC-1_WebBrochure.pdf
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I use the irig keys, fully 30 pin compatible with no other hardware, lightning needs adapter at this stage as no lead, do I need knobs and sliders. No, my irig is for simple playing/composing not performing. Yes having knobs and sliders is good fun as I also own a Roland A500 Pro and cc’ing to the knobs and sliders does add that extra dimension but it isn’t portable enough, for my spur of the moment messing.
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do u use it with your iPhone or iPad?
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We need all the features of the akai EIE along with spdif and charging in a dock type enclosure. I’ve been telling this to anyone who will listen that the EIE and the cck is just about perfect for the iPad. Most apps use 44.1/16 bit anyways…
I like what akai did with the fly as far as the internal battery too…
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The ONLY hardware I am considering right now are:
1. iConnectMIDI 4+ – charges the iPad, digital audio stream to PC or other connected device with no A/D required, connected devices accessible over WiFi
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oh yes, that’s going to be amazing!!!!!! i can’t wait (seriously, they better hurry the heck up.)
can’t wait to be hookin’ up Animoog, sunrizer, and a whole tone of other apps to Ableton Live.
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The ONLY hardware I am considering right now are:
1. iConnectMIDI 4+ – charges the iPad, digital audio stream to PC or other connected device with no A/D required, connected devices accessible over WiFi
2. Apogee Duet for iPad – quality A/D and pres, charges iPad when plugged in.
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good point. interfaces that charge the iPad too are worth it (imo)
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After having tried a lot of stuff (iRig, iRig Mic, Apogee Jam, Tascam iU2, Akai Synthstation 25 and iConnectMidi), I would answer exactly the same! As a mobile singer-guitarist-beat maker-synth tweaker, I need an audio interface with 1 or more inputs, 1 or more output, USB midi and the ability to keep my iDevice in charge… So I’m considering to buy the new Duet or maybe the new iConnectMIDI4+.
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I figured I can get the best of both worlds by connecting a Duet to the iPad and having that interface provide charging power and then connect it’s USB MIDI interface to a iConnectMIDI4+
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I wonder if it’s possible to make a cable that lets you charge your iDevice and use an accessory, like a charger cable with an extra female lightning/30 pin port…
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I have got the Alesis I/O dock and to me it has been almost perfect from the start. my only frustration is that there is no way to sum the two inputs to mono, so unless the app individually handles that issue you end up with sounds from external gear like guitar, coming out of one ear only.
As for the USB issue, is there any reason to suspect this won’t solve the problem with the IO Dock using a B type port?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/USB1-1-TYPE-TO-CABLE-1-8M/dp/B0018D1NKE
I am guessing seing as there is the invasive hack to add in pysical A type ports, the I/O dock “understands” midi messages coming in through usb, its just the wrong cable for normal usage? in which case, this should let me hook up something such as my MicroStation which has a B type, into the Btype input of the IO Dock and then allow me to play into the Ipad from the Micro Station? well at three quid it seems worth a punt.
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The main problem with charging at the same time as functioning as a host, is that there is no spec for “upstream charging port”. The A port on the CCK is designed to supply power, in accordance with USB specs, so cannot accept power for charging. The only way to combine charging with host is via the native 30 pin or lightning connectors, So that has to be an iThing-specific piece of hardware.
To date this combination is only supported by the more sophisticated boxes like the Alesis and Behringer docks. To date, these have all been solipsist designs, assuming implicitly that you have no use for other peripherals. Fail. I’m with the rest of us – the _only_ box I’ve seen that solves the expansion part of the picture combined with charging is the iConnectMIDI4+.
That being said, and without the 4+, I’ve run several hours on internal battery without coming close to depletion, so for me it is the expansion capabilities of the 4+ more than its charger that is important. Especially the digital domain audio transfer, and the A port so I can plug in a decent D/A output device (like my Mobile Pre, or an Apogee, or a Focusrite box).
Outside of that, iThing specific hardware is not really an issue. Lightweight portable USB peripherals – pot boxes, audio/MIDI I/O, gateways to the rest of the studio – would be of general use for gigging iThing or not.
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I use the Alesis IO dock which is great no qualms at all. I also use Padkontrol with BM2 through the IO dock. Akia MPK mini give pads, keys and knobs and works standalone with CCK.
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I have researched every piece of potential hardware to use with iOS since music making apps starting appearing. iOS music apps are years ahead of dedicated iOS hardware. 90% of the hardware people are using are USB 1.0 class compliant devices with a camera connection kit. The devices are not designed to work with iOS, they just happen to work because they are class compliant, and if you read on forums many don’t work 100% and have issues. Until more professional hardware devices are designed specifically for iOS with a direct connection to the dock connector, Music making on iOS will remain a joke compared to Music making on PC’s, especially if you look at the cost. An iPad cost more than a windows based PC or laptop, so why would you even consider iOS. Think about it. (and don’t tell me a laptop or tablet is not portable enough)
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@saw, rather negative, aren’t we? Your opinion, OK, but yours, not an intrinsic property of the iPad.
The real point of using the iPad is in the feel, in the instant response to impulse wherever you happen to be. Mice basically suck for making music.
And all of this is in flux, is evolving rapidly, as more and more experimantation – unleashed by the iPad touch UI – feeds back into hardware and software designs, on all devices. It is far from a joke now, and will only get better.
“They just happen to work because they are Class Compliant” – er, that is the whole point of Class Compliance. No happy accident at all. It is BY DESIGN. I absolutely hate having to find drivers for audio devices on my big machines.
“a joke, especially if you look at the cost”
An iPad is not merely an expensive alternative to a Windows PC. Add in the cost of your Synth Apps and the iPad actually starts coming out costing less than that PC. Not that I would seriously consider any PC costing less than $600 for music work anyway. The cheap ones are built with only Office as a performance consideration. Add in a monitor and the iPad choice is getting to be a no-brainer if you are going to rely on only one or the other, and not have room or budget to enjoy the synergy of having both. You are going to want an external USB audio interface whichever you choose – none of the computers or tablets offer anything better than “consumer” grade audio on their built-in output jacks. The PC DAW is going to set you back another several hundred dollars, vs max $50 for Auria or Cubasis on the pad. And since the work is done in the digital domain, and you are not relying on headphone outputs, the sound quality is the same.
And if you have the budget, just get them both and quit complaining. I have both, Reason and Logic on my Mac with dual monitors, probably 80 or so Apps on my iPad that together cost less than Reason + Logic. And with the 4+ on its way, the integration promises to be seamless.
And still I find myself using the iPad preferentially because it just feels so good. I frequently reach out to touch the Mac monitor and curse these days.
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Exactly right – the iPad + dozens of fantastic apps is outstanding: the combination of touchscreen + portability + no QWERTY keyboard is unbeatable for mobile music making, and it turns into “hardware” for studio or stage when you plug it into something like the IOdock.
That being said, there is no reason why touchscreen PCs (e.g. Lenovo’s adjustable 27″ all-in-one) couldn’t be great for music apps. Touchscreen-optimized Live and Reason would be quite nice!
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It seems like a lot of us really just want something that will keep our iPads charged. I wish there were a standard powered USB hub that had enough juice to charge an iPad, while of course transmitting my MIDI data and my audio data ( from any class compliant DAC). That would give us as users the option to use our existing audio interfaces. Anybody found such a hub?
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More and more I’m realizing that reducing “friction” is incredibly important. If I have to plug three things together before doing what I want to do, I’m not going to do it as often and impulsively than if I can just plug one thing in.
The more bits of gear involved, the fewer places I can effectively set them up.
The more portable a setup is, the more places I’ll carry it and have more opportunities to use it.
Specialized iOS gear may be something I use in limited situations, but those are situations in which I wouldn’t have worked on music in the past.
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- which makes the Akai SynthStation 25 (and its successors) plus iPhone such a slam-dunk for backpack gigging. Though why they chose to implement their own protocol and not class compliant MIDI through the 30 pins connector I cannot guess. At least MidiBridge can provide Virtual MIDI ports for it when connected that way.
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The Apogee Duet looks nice, but really all I want is something like the iRig MIDI, which charges the iPad and costs about $60, but with USB instead of 5-pin MIDI.
It’s simply annoying that the CCK doesn’t have power passthrough like the iRig MIDI and Apple’s own HDMI adapter, both of which have little sockets that you can plug a power cable into.
The iConnectMIDI4+ looks like a winning device because it is the only thing I’ve seen which charges the iPad and accepts USB connections like the CCK.
I am also very attracted to the Alesis IOdock (and Behringer iStudio, if it ever ships) because 1) they charge the iPad and 2) you just slide in and go.
I agree about the SynthStation25 – it’s a wonderful device that turns an iPhone (if you have one that fits in it at least) into portable “hardware” synth. And if you plug it in, it charges the iPhone!!
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The problem I have with something like the iO Dock is that it is too likely to become obsolete whenever I buy a new iPad. Having just upgraded from a 3rd generation to a 4th generation iPad, I’m glad that I’d gotten the StudioConnect instead of the iO Dock.
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I have an iO Dock. I thought it was awesome. Until I wanted to plug a keyboard into it with USB. :(
And then I got rid of my iPad 1 because it was time. And so far there are no docking stations for the new iPad lightning connector. I agree with Robert Fisher, I feel like I’ll be buying a new dock with every iPad upgrade.
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