Just got an iPad, now what?

bmot · Post by **bmot** » Tue Jan 12, 2016 4:23 pm

Got an iPad Air 2 last week, mainly for sofa surfing since my old Windows pad died. But I tried out a few free music apps and was pleasantly surprised, it is a very responsive controller and I think I could actually use this thing for music! I currently have a table full of hardware and don't touch the PC except as an audio/video recorder.

So if you have nice recommendations for me please add them below. Also, I have an old MS20 controller from the original KLC, will hopefully incorporate that too so any tips on using it or other usb/midi hardware would be great

dkcg · Post by **dkcg** » Tue Jan 12, 2016 4:36 pm

iConnect midi interfaces, I have the smaller usb one that I use with Genome on the ipad once in a while to sequence the Buchla through midi.

Works great with an ipad for midi and ipad audio (even tho it's technically a midi interface).

arbito · Post by **arbito** » Tue Jan 12, 2016 4:50 pm

Drum machine = patterning

boboter · Post by **boboter** » Tue Jan 12, 2016 4:56 pm

Enter the following:
https://www.muffwiggler.com/forum/

crawling wind · Post by **crawling wind** » Tue Jan 12, 2016 5:32 pm

Visit here: https://forum.audiob.us

Best place for iOS chat.

Post by **Kent** » Tue Jan 12, 2016 5:57 pm

What's next? Hang your head in shame for buying yet more Chinese made stuff that you probably don't need in order to accomplish your goals.

- Sent from my iPad

bmot · Post by **bmot** » Tue Jan 12, 2016 6:03 pm

Thanks for the audiobus suggestion, I'll spend some time there learning a bit. Glad to see using multiple apps together is possible, although I hadn't actually thought about it. Still not sure about which interface but I'll look into that iconnect after the KLC controller is sorted.

I was vaguely aware of the iPad world but now I'm having to learn a lot of new things as my most recent computer based software is Live 7 (which is ancient by now). I did search the forum but the most recent discussion wasn't recent. Is that what the muffs forum link was getting at? If not, then I didn't understand the other 2 replies so I can't give feedback on your ideas. Thanks though

GovernorSilver · Post by **GovernorSilver** » Tue Jan 12, 2016 6:10 pm

Kent wrote:What's next? Hang your head in shame for buying yet more Chinese made stuff that you probably don't need in order to accomplish your goals.

- Sent from my iPad

bmot · Post by **bmot** » Tue Jan 12, 2016 6:11 pm

Kent wrote:What's next? Hang your head in shame for buying yet more Chinese made stuff that you probably don't need in order to accomplish your goals.

- Sent from my iPad

Haha, good one

i only bought it for sofa surfing,really I did! but since my wife found out how much it cost I should try and make some music to help justify the cost

GovernorSilver · Post by **GovernorSilver** » Tue Jan 12, 2016 6:11 pm

bmot wrote:Thanks for the audiobus suggestion, I'll spend some time there learning a bit. Glad to see using multiple apps together is possible, although I hadn't actually thought about it. Still not sure about which interface but I'll look into that iconnect after the KLC controller is sorted.

I was vaguely aware of the iPad world but now I'm having to learn a lot of new things as my most recent computer based software is Live 7 (which is ancient by now). I did search the forum but the most recent discussion wasn't recent. Is that what the muffs forum link was getting at? If not, then I didn't understand the other 2 replies so I can't give feedback on your ideas. Thanks though

A lot of the iPad talk here is the Music Software forum but the Audiobus forum is probably the best one.

bmot · Post by **bmot** » Tue Jan 12, 2016 6:14 pm

GovernorSilver wrote:
A lot of the iPad talk here is the Music Software forum but the Audiobus forum is probably the best one.

Hmmm, didn't look there. Feels free to move the thread, although I am interested in audio and midi hardware interfaces too

jules · Post by **jules** » Tue Jan 12, 2016 6:43 pm

I've got one of the first version of the iPad (no camera, three to four times the weight of the current ones..), initially bought to control ableton via touchOSC.
It really looked like the dream tool for software control.
It took me less than a few weeks to realise that nope... It doesn't replace knobs and sliders. My fingers need real knobs and sliders on an hard control surface.

The iPad then transformed into my "carry around library", and I've got to say it's brilliant for that. It's a different reading experience when compared to real books, but it works for me. The fact of having all books, papers (pdf, research papers) in this small thing is brilliant.

Other usage: iTunes remote control, address/phone book, and dictionary.
The internet doesn't work for me on these thing (probably because it's an old bulky and slow model).

Dcramer · Post by **Dcramer** » Tue Jan 12, 2016 6:46 pm

Audulus 3, a modular app for the iPad is a great way to stay creative when you're not with your gear

lamouette/rck · Post by **lamouette/rck** » Tue Jan 12, 2016 7:15 pm

[video][/video]

dumbledog · Post by **dumbledog** » Tue Jan 12, 2016 7:57 pm

Korg Gadget is really, really, really good for sketching out sing ideas. It goes on sale quite often but it's worth full price anyway.

Fugue Machine is also great as a compositional tool.

This thing here is pretty good for using all those sequencers in the real world: http://www.iconnectivity.com/products/m ... nnectMIDI1

ignatius · Post by **ignatius** » Tue Jan 12, 2016 8:11 pm

chop your vegetables.

richard divine posts some cool app stuff on his instagram. seems there's lot's of FX and sample mangling stuff out there.

Blairio · Post by **Blairio** » Tue Jan 12, 2016 9:27 pm

I guess you could run Garageband on your iPad. That plus a midi/audio interface would be quite a powerful combo.

Samaepstein · Post by **Samaepstein** » Tue Jan 12, 2016 11:04 pm

My quick 2 cents. Go slow! I bought up a bunch of cool enough apps for "cheap" that I really never used in a bit of a frenzy. Lots of great stuff out there just advising to pace the purchases until you really sink into the iPad workflow or in my case, until your kid discovers/snatches your iPad!

Dancing_Bananas · Post by **Dancing_Bananas** » Wed Jan 13, 2016 1:17 am

Check out Borderlands. It's a granular sample processor that can record it's own samples if I'm not mistaken.

Haven't used it myself but I've seen some very interesting videos of it and it's the real I want an iPad.

peripatitis · Post by **peripatitis** » Wed Jan 13, 2016 2:14 am

best device ever designed for the loo.
only ued it a couple if times for music, the software for kyma and the one fr max....Cant say i was impressed by it (generally touchscreen) as a controller...

Madrayken · Post by **Madrayken** » Wed Jan 13, 2016 2:21 am

Audiobus
Sunrizer
Samplr
Turnado
Loopy
Crystalline
Camerakit + Korg nanokey

Done

Seriously, there is pretty much no point buying anything after those. I've made more music in less time with that little setup than with any other hardware/software setup.

bmot · Post by **bmot** » Wed Jan 13, 2016 2:32 am

Good ideas cheers. I like the succinct rundown Madrayken so I'll look at all those ideas. I'll definitely take the "go slow" advice, i don't want to sink hundreds more into this when I could have spent it on, say, a bugbrand weevil 2015 (oh, I actually just did that!) or some other hardware. I like knobs. But I liked the Korg KLC, will try to resurrect that on the iPad with the mini controller that has sat looking pretty since I stopped using my pic, and look how I can add it as a separate hardware instrument into my existing flow. Or maybe I'll just shove the f'king iPad up my arse like the nice girl says.

r05c03 · Post by **r05c03** » Wed Jan 13, 2016 8:47 am

Borderlands.

iVCS3.

GovernorSilver · Post by **GovernorSilver** » Wed Jan 13, 2016 9:11 am

bmot wrote: Also, I have an old MS20 controller from the original KLC

We all missed this bit, probably because KLC is not a popular enough acronym these days.

You should be able to use your MS-20 controller with the iMS-20 app, according to this: http://www.korg.com/us/products/softwar ... page_2.php

"If you have the MS-20 Controller*3 (bundled with the original KORG Legacy Collection software) you can also use it for patching cables!"

iMS-20 is not perfect (my main beef with it is the lack of zoom on the sequencer section; others complain about its MIDI limitations - can only receive on channel 1 or something like that). However, it sounds close enough to my MS-20 Mini to be usable for prototyping sounds and maintaining a personal "patch library" of sorts for the physical synth.

raised eyebrows · Post by **raised eyebrows** » Wed Jan 13, 2016 4:04 pm

Honestly, I've been shocked (as someone who likes hardware) by how large of a part of my workflow the iPad has become since I got it; I was never really enamored of VSTs, either (no moral objections or anything, just didn't click with the workflow), but view the iPad as being a sort of half-hardware half-software swiss army knife, which often proves invaluable to me. I don't even try to create full tracks on it - people do, but I'll admit that I find working in DAW type settings in iOS to be pretty fiddly and annoying (though it certainly can be done, and done well), but these are the uses (and some of the apps) I find most compelling:

The finest small format, affordable sample mangling/granular synthesis hardware ever made:
Samplr: The reason I got an iPad, and an endless delight; the starting point for dozens of my most recent tracks. Genius use of touch surface, and still probably my favorite way to take bitlets of sound and make them into something new - yes, it has limitations, but so does an SP-1200, and like with many classic pieces of hardware, it's limitations are often a source of inspiration. A complete musical instrument.
iDensity/iPulsaret: My two favorite granular synthesis tools anywhere; iDensity allows for layering up to four looping tracks of granular goodness, and can be used to create beautiful ever-changing soundscapes or squalling noise. iPulsaret allows for chromatic/keyboard based playing, and is great for turning snippets of sound into bizarre/unearthly pads.
Borderlands: I use it less than many, but another intuitive and lovely granular synthesis app.
Sektor: Stochastic sample slicing and mangling, intuitive, pretty, fun, and midi slaveable.

As a chameleonic single voice 'synth module':
Tera Synth: (NOT 'microtera'!) 'modular' synthesis, polyphonic or mono, nice effects, some of the (IMO) best/most vibrant/'analog-ish' oscillators in iOS, plus a formant filter, waveguide synthesis, simple FM, and very flexible/weird/good sounding FX.
iSEM: Very nice emulation of the Oberheim SEM - not gonna beat it in a head to head competition (duh) but still very good sounding; great midrangy sounds, takes to external FX well.
FM4: Clean, simple, elegant, good-sounding emulation of yamaha 4op FM machines (including emulation of the aliasing/noise on some of the classic hardware, if you want to turn it on): replaces my TX81z pretty damn impressively.
Poseidon: Really entertainingly weird spectral/wavetable synthesis; bright, buzzy, flexible and good sounding (waldorfian) drive options, plus very nice and easily pushed-to-the-limit FX and morphing filters ala the Emu zplane stuff. Shit loads of fun.
(there are TONS of other synth apps, but they aren't my main focus; plenty of other good shit i haven't mentioned though)

As a flexible/odd MIDI controller, sequencer, arpeggiator:
Lemur/Touchable: Provide a wide variety of ways to interact with synths or software as infintely customizable control surfaces
TC data: super deep and interesting program allowing for a wide range of touch-surface specific and expressive playing techniques
xynthesizr: fantastic polyphonic arp/step sequencer
chordion: turns the ipad into a sort of pseudo omnichord, great for messing with various chord progressions/voicings

Fun, flexible, FX unit:
No, it's not going to beat out an Eventide when it comes to detailed, complex reverbs, nor will it out-filter an analog low pass or whatever, but there are a lot of useful, interesting one-at-a-time FX apps: Audioreverb, the whole AUFX lineup but AUFX dub in particular, weirder shit like Muckraker (far out/freaky distortion, and free), Flection (waveshaping), CSSpectral (resonator, waveguide reverb, granular delay, spectral resynthesis, etc etc) all get plenty of use from me. And though I use them less, some multi-FX apps (Flux:FX and - less effectively IMO - Turnado, Effectrix, or DFX) aren't going to replace super high end competitors but can certainly give any Kaoss Pad a run for its money.

Hope that wasn't too overwhelming: just sometimes feel the need to proselytize for the damn thing as someone who knows the limitations of the software/hardware (sometimes the Audiobus Forum can be a little too credulous as far as 'this thing can replace all hardware!' type posts go) but still loves the shit out of it. I mean, what OTHER granular synth can I bring with me on the fuckin' bus, and actually get productive work done with?

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Just got an iPad, now what?

Just got an iPad, now what?

Re: Just got an iPad, now what?

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