iPad for pads

[Karl Sutton]

I was thinking about picking up a small controller to set atop a grand piano to run an iPad with some pads & the occasional non-piano sound.

 

Would love some insights on rigs that have worked well. Which apps? I could probably get an iPad 4 or an Air 2, or a mini 4. (Have credit at a store) and I was thinking about the IK 37Pro or a Novation 49. I'd like to have something small so I can use it for travel too.

 

As for the audio do i just run the 1/8 audio out to a 1/4 adapter into a direct box to go to the PA?

 

Thanks in advance for any tips or even pointing me to a thread where this may have already been discussed ( I didn't see any when I searched)

[MoodyBluesKeys]

I use an iPad mini2 32GB and also an iPad 3 32GB. In addition, I have Korg Module and a few add-ons on my iPhone 6.

 

I'm running 1/8 audio to a 1/4 adapter and a DI. Note that you need a THIN 1/8 plug on the iPad end if you are going to have it in some cases.

 

There have been a number of threads on iPad, many of them tend to be named after various apps.

 

I have the full Korg Module with all of their add-on patches loaded on the two iPads - and I setup the User Bank to have the various patches that I may need, so they are close to each other and can be switched easily. All told, I have several hundred patches available just in Module, though there are 10 or so that are frequently used (and somewhat modified)

 

Get a FULL charge on the iPad before the gig (I use an older Camera Connection Kit, but the newest one does have a Lightning connector that can be used to keep the unit charged. Set the screen brightness visible but not super bright. ALWAYS go into Airplane Mode (shuts down cellular and wifi). ALWAYS set the screen not to go back to Lock Screen.

 

Other apps that I use frequently: AniMoog, occasionally Galileo Organ (when I want to be able to use drawbars), iFretless Bass (works midi or can use a bass guitar like fretboard on screen to play it). I have a number of other audio apps that don't get used as much.

 

At the moment, I have a 49 key Samson Carbon MIDI controller. I also frequently use the iPad at church for Hammond patches, and drive it with my Kurzweil PC3. I'd like to have a small Bluetooth MIDI keyboard.

 

There is a Yahoo Group for IOS music makers.

[Hoochie]

The Apogee One is a really nice bit of kit for getting the the best

audio from an iPad.

It keeps it charged. The built in mic is pretty good.

The sound is much more open to my ears. It's Apogee after all.

 

The output on the iPad itself is good.

The Apogee is better. Enough better for you is up to you.

It just all feels more robust. Sound. Connections. All of it.

 

 

John

[Karl Sutton]

Is there significant latency using an iPad as a synth?

[MoodyBluesKeys]

Guess it depends on a few things:

How sensitive a performer is to latency - I don't really notice any latency in my use, even on the older ipad 3 (which is definitely slower loading stuff), but I don't normally use it in a situation where I'd be playing (example) a lot of notes simultaneously with a lot of sustain use. Many of the apps limit polyphony more on slower iPads.

 

Another would be heavily loading the iPad, such as running several different apps at once on different MIDI channels, or maybe trying to use Galileo Organ with dual manuals and pedals.

 

By contrast, when I was using a Pentium III 1G Compaq notebook a while back with B4, FM3, and the NI one that emulated a Prophet V, running into an ASID eMu 0404 PCI; I could notice the latency.

 

Definitely get at least 32GB memory on the iPad, 64 or 128 even better (admittedly, I have everything I really NEED with 32, and that even includes Microsoft Excel, OneNote, PowerPoint, and Word for general use)