iPad as a serious musical instrument

[Reezekeys]

1 hour ago, Joe P said:

I'm looking to use a 9th Generation iPad model A2602 with Lightning connector and 1/8" headphone out to run Korg Module with my retired Alesis QS8 via 5 pin MIDI.  Is it as simple as buying iRig MIDI 2 and taking the audio out the headphone jack?  

 

Yes. Two things give me pause about the iRig. First, it seems to use a very non-standard cable (mini DIN to lightning). Don't lose it - you probably won't find one at a Best Buy or Apple Store. Second, no pass-through for power to the i-device. If your battery can handle the iRig without giving you the dreaded "not enough power" alert, and the drain isn't too bad then the lack of power pass-through may not be a big deal.

 

For connecting my iPad and iPhone to 5-pin midi I use the Apple USB3 CCK and a iConnectivity mio 1x1 interface. Way clunkier than the iRig but it gets the job done, and I can keep my iPad charged. For the times I use USB midi from my controller, I power that from the CCK as well. My iPad's battery alone can't handle that so I need the power cube.

[Joe P]

Reeze many thanks for your reply - I was kinda counting on it! 😄  So  I plug one MIDI cable of the iConnectivity mio 1x1 interface into my KB MIDI out, and plug the USB side of it into the CCK, and the Lightning side of the CCK into the iPad.  Is that right?  Where does the power come from?  Is one of the MIDI pins power?

[Reezekeys]

2 minutes ago, Joe P said:

So  I plug one MIDI cable of the iConnectivity mio 1x1 interface into my KB MIDI out, and plug the USB side of it into the CCK, and the Lightning side of the CCK into the iPad.  Is that right?  Where does the power come from?  Is one of the MIDI pins power?

 

The USB 3 CCK has its own lightning port that connects to power. The original USB 2 CCK only has a USB jack, no lightning port. You might be able to get away with the older CCK as the mio likely doesn't present much of a load to the iPad, so the iPad won't give you the "not enough power" alert. Of course the battery percentage will go down with time but depending on how & where you use your rig, it might not matter. I'm doing gigs and using the CCK to run my Roland controller so I'm always connecting to power.

 

A downside to the mio is the permanenly attached cables, which are on the short side. This shouldn't be an issue if you have your iPad near your keyboard.

[Joe P]

I understand now, Reeze.  Thanks!👍

[JoJoB3]

I can't even take anything from Apple seriously.  Hardware for infants. I'm sorry.

(yes, heed all dongle warnings from iUsers!)

[drawback]

So let’s all make music on a Kindle, shall we?

[AnotherScott]

5 hours ago, Joe P said:

I'm looking to use a 9th Generation iPad model A2602 with Lightning connector and 1/8" headphone out to run Korg Module with my retired Alesis QS8 via 5 pin MIDI.  Is it as simple as buying iRig MIDI 2 and taking the audio out the headphone jack?  

 That would work, but instead of the iRig MIDI, I'd go for s USB-MIDI interface (e.g. Roland UM-One, iConnectivity mio 1x1, or CME) attached to the Apple Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter just because that would allow you to leave the charger plugged in.

[Red Ranger]

I use an iRig midi 2 and plug the USB end into the CCK that AnotherScott linked to above, so the ipad is powered throughout the gig. It works really well, but I agree with Reezekeys that the mini DIN is the scariest point of failure. I handle it very carefully! If the ipad were a critical part of my rig, I'd have a couple spares or use a different solution, but it's only for B3-X on a few tunes so I can get by if it fails.

[AnotherScott]

36 minutes ago, Red Ranger said:

I use an iRig midi 2 and plug the USB end into the CCK that AnotherScott linked to above, so the ipad is powered throughout the gig. 

 

Oh, right, I forgot that the iRig MIDI 2 includes a standard USB attachment in addition to the lightning, so yes, that works to accomplish the goal as well.

[SonicKeysII]

I am a newbie here.  Experimenting with my Yamaha YC61 as a top board and my Casio PX-5S as a bottom board.  My Yamaha board and my new IPad works well with a simple USB C to USB B cable.  I Midi'd my YC61 to my PX-5S with standard 5 pin midi so that I could play the sounds coming from my YC61 on my PX5S.  I was hoping that the IPad sounds which are hooked up by USB to the YC61 would transfer down to the PX-5S through the 5 pin midi and they do not.  Am I doing something wrong?  Is there a way to do this or do I need a separate midi hook-up on my PX-5S?

[Baldwin Funster]

As far as I know, audio over 5 pin midi does not exist. 

[Thethirdapple]

@SonicKeysII Greetings, nothing you are doing wrong, simply being that the PX does not output audio thru usb nor 5-pin midi. Only thru the audio out jacks... to a mixer or audio interface or even the audio in jack of a computer. 

 

The 5-pin midi connection allows you to play(control) one keyboard while hearing (triggering) both.

 

The USB port on the PX is only for data transfers.

 

 

 

 

PEACE

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[Meta]

Quick update: I'm enjoying an iPad v9 running Camelot Pro. Easily switching between iterations of PianoTeq for acoustic pianos, electric pianos and clav; KingB and VB3M for Hammond; OBXD, Moog Model D and Moog Model 15 for synths; and AudioLayer for sampled strings, brass, woodwinds, special FX, etc.; along with a few other keyboard plugins here and there. Plus running the THU plugin for guitar amps/cabs/FX, violin FX and even vocal FX. Along with a few other FX plugins.

 

A stereo Steinberg audio/MIDI interface handles the i/o via the Apple camera control kit dongle to adapt to USB (since the v9 iPad still uses a lightning connector). I might get a 4x4 audio i/o interface in the future for more flexibility but for now the Steinberg is doing fine. Plugged it in and it just worked, no special drivers or setup needed (but they do have a handy app interface if needed).

 

For complex band shows I can set up songs and quickly switch between songs and scenes that completely reconfigure the keyboard, guitar and violin setups as required, hosted via Camelot.

 

For solo shows, Camelot plays and syncs w/backing tracks mixed from what I played on my solo albums, and it switches scenes for me throughout the songs. It's like having a roadie backstage changing the keyboard sounds and levels during the show. So I can play one keyboard and cover all parts as they occur, while Camelot automatically changes patches/levels without having to lift a finger off of the keys. Likewise on guitar, solos can automatically turn up where appropriate and entire amp/cab/FX setting can change at different synced points in the song - all I need to think about is performing the parts, no dancing on stomp boxes.

 

So far the iPad v9 handles it all without breaking a sweat, even when I combine (w/layers or splits) multiple synth plugins or have extensive guitar amp/cab/FX chains. Or even both at once, no problems so far.

 

Any MIDI keyboard (or USB MIDI with a USB splitter) will work with this setup. I'm currently using an Arturia Keylab61 MII which is fairly portable (Camelot can be set up to automatically transpose the keyboard synced to wherever 61 keys aren't enough). I'll be doing a road show coming up where I'm not even bringing a keyboard or guitar, just plugging in what they have - via MIDI for the keys, a guitar cable for the guitar or electric violin, plug in a mic (my vocal levels are premixed as well) and off we go.

 

Bit of a learning curve with some of the interface designs (some things feel peculiarly hidden in Camelot for example), and I have a few more goals to tackle, but the time spent has been worth it.

 

And yes, I still have dedicated keyboards and guitar gear as well, and can choose whatever is most appropriate depending on the gig. It's nice to have such great choices, and it's amazing that an iPad rig can do so much. I've done similar things with a laptop, but the iPad makes for a simpler setup. Bonus: Camelot can also show PDF lyrics or charts. For my solo shows it can't (yet?) control video playback or DMX lighting, which I will eventually need, but I appreciate it for what it can do right now.

[D. Gauss]

On 8/8/2024 at 10:13 PM, AnotherScott said:

 That would work, but instead of the iRig MIDI, I'd go for s USB-MIDI interface (e.g. Roland UM-One, iConnectivity mio 1x1, or CME) attached to the Apple Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter just because that would allow you to leave the charger plugged in.

 

For less "sore thumb stickling out" dongle woes, consider buying the 11 buck m-vave wireless BLE midi adapter off Aliexpress.  Added bonus: this also prevents those crappy, super annoying USB ground loops from happening.