Paul Woodward

Do you use it more like a stylus? I use my iPad pro primarily for art and design (Procreate, Onshape 3D CAD). The haptic feedback, barrel roll, squeeze gestures and reportedly improved battery are all useful improvements...plus I have nearly lost it several times so find my is priceless. Used my old one to death so a new version at the same price would have been a no brainer.

The AI mastering feature that came in the last update rarely doesn’t seem to get talked about much. Neat little feature which I have used on a few tracks I thought were well mixed, 30 seconds later, they sounded much better.

I bought the base Mac Mini M1 and added a Samsung T7 external SSD which, in real use, runs as fast as the internal drive. Sits discreetly behind the mini and, as @AnotherScott said, saves a lot of money as well as being a portable source of all your sound sets and samples etc.

I guess we will find out on Monday 🙂

For Mac, the requirement is Ventura 13.5 or later. Stem splitter and chroma glow require Apple Silicon. iPad version needs a Bionic A12 processor or better (8th gen iPad for example). M1 recommended for version 2 and necessary for the stem splitter. So, AI features (other than the two above) can be used on most devices meeting minimum spec.

Interesting that they are touting the neural engine in the M4 for AI performance in Logic Pro 2, but similar features are in Logic 11 and Apple dont stipulate the need for an M class chip to run Logic on the Mac. Surely AI should perform well on any recent Apple device…

It’s a free upgrade for existing owners, albeit just an upgrade to 11.0 on the Mac, not really version 2. The iPad upgrade is also free for existing subscribers.

Reason I grabbed a 9th gen before stock went...

Cool, I can update for free on Mac, but still wish there was an outright purchase for iPad (and discounted)...

Annoyingly, the Pencil Pro won’t work with the M2 iPad Pro nor do older devices work with the new iPads. It’s essentially a reboot for the iPad range leaving a whole range of devices (four pencils?) and accessories that might not work together if you don’t do your research. I guess Apple are hoping people will just keep it nice and simple and buy into the new gear and then they can phase out older models/accessories?

Interesting that the 10th gen has gone down to a new low price making it a very tempting offer as a sound module/music tablet. I was poised over the buy button for the pencil pro....then I realised it won’t work with what is still today, the latest iPad Pro

I didnt expect the M4 to be honest, despite it being 'leaked' earlier. This is the second time they have put the newest chip into a tablet rather than a laptop. You would like to think that would be some sign of real grown up programs and soundsets coming down the line....

Similar, pro M2 for work (graphics etc) and a gen 9 with the Keystage as a sound module (and a couch surfing tablet)

This is the thing with Apple, they keep pushing tech that few of us really need day to day. You can do amazing stuff with a standard iPad from a few years ago...and it niggles me that, unlike other tech such as games consoles or synths, they never really 'max' out a device with any apps or applications before releasing a new '4x' better model. I mean, what will push an M2 to the limits and now we have M4.

https://www.apple.com/uk/ipad-pro/

Maybe at the developer conference? Nothing today, it was all about AI, OLED, Final Cut and Logic, as well as the speed increases and being the thinnest Apple device ever...

Looks an absolute beast in terms of spec, but do we need a device that thin? Final cut and Logic both getting new versions so something for musicians and artists today. Logic Pro 2 now has session players as well as drummers, and new effects and mastering options. BUT, my M2 has had about 10 hours use since I bought it less than a year ago and I have yet to own any iPad released within about 5 years to break a sweat so I think my wallet is safe....although the Pencil Pro was tempting for the artwork I do...shame it's not backwards compatible 😞

Yes, but it was a physical upgrade offered to address a key missing feature from a flagship board while other manufacturers offered it. Yamaha’s flagship has Poly AT, it leaves Roland’s a little behind on specs given its a ‘new’ board. As for Korg….

My cynical self wonders if they will offer a Poly AT upgrade next like the Nautlius….

I tried running the Yamaha YC and CK through the amp and pedals to get more grit and they worked fine. There are dedicated apps that might be more live friendly, but it works fine and you can dabble for free. It’s under the guitar amp section.

I don’t believe there is any analogue input on the iPad and the headphone jack is just a line out. You need a USB audio interface connected to the iPad to get the audio in to the effects apps. You can then either line out through the headphone jack or back out the usb interface. Your mini should be fine but, if you decide to upgrade, the iPad 9 was the last to have a headphone socket. Once you get it working, worth having a play with GarageBand effects pedals for free.

I have been watching AI closely within design and education and what I am (personally) realising is that the value of tradition, craft and skill is increasing as AI churns out sterile images, text and music. I'm sure it could crank out a banging techno track, but it will never have the heart of a human. This value of tradition and skill is what we need to embrace and support and just let AI do all the grind which is what it does best 🙂 Nothing AI produced will have genuine value. It's that failry talentless person most of us has met who has no original ideas, but copies bits from everyone else and tries to make them their own, but never quite gets it.

Are you pairing with a keyboard or just playing on screen? The CME Xkey is a nice 'visual' companion to iPad and it has poly AT 😉

What ‘workstation’ features are you specifically requiring? I too was after the same and decided on a Korg Kronos 88. I then realised I didn’t need many of the ‘workstation’ features, so I got the Grandstage and connected it to my DAW. Much happier and saved a lot of money.

I loved my CP4 and felt no love for the CP88 which is it's direct replacement. If I didn't have a Grandstage I might be in the lookout for another.