IPad........ how do you use it?

[kgdrum]

Hi I'm thinking about getting an iPad Air,besides the convenience & fun factor,how useful are these?
How are people using these besides,email,Internet and DP Control?
Verizon has a pretty nice promotion and part of me says its a good deal and my other half thinks it's just a fun toy......
Comments, input and suggestions appreciated.

[stubbsonic]

It is a fun toy, and in some ways can be a serious tool.

I am NOT a fanboy. My opinions about it are mixed.

GREAT FOR: metronomes, tuners, some synths, drum machines, electronic music, some effects, watching streaming media, painting, video-telecommunication.

GOOD FOR: reading, scanning a document (in a pinch), shooting video, taking pictures, some games.

WHAT I DISLIKE: I don't use it for music playback, nor email, nor messaging (I prefer other tech for those tasks). I don't love how it feels to hold it, I never feel like I'm doing it right. "Is my hand on the lens?!" I don't like using a touch screen all that much. My fat hand blocking my view while I'm trying to see what I'm changing and how much. The closed ecosystem means that you have to do everything through iTunes-- purchase music, software, move files, etc. etc. With some devices you want to connect, you have to purchase a $30 camera connection kit, and even then, you can't charge the iPad while you are using an external MIDI controller (unless you buy another device).

The cost of some very good apps is often surprisingly cheap. With synths and effects, they vary greatly in quality & sound. There are some MUST HAVES (seriously!). And some that have been pretty disappointing. Inter-app audio & MIDI has improved, so that makes some more things possible.

All that said, it is powerful and versatile tool, and I have no regrets. It's reliable, and occasionally offers a pleasant surprise or two.

[billf]

Some of the things I find it good for:

* PDF Manuals. I much prefer hard copy manuals, but there are many that are PDF only. Those go on my iPad so I can look at them without having to leave the program in question.

* Watching video tutorials while trying the same things on the program on my Mac

* Sheet music/lyric display. Very handy to put on a music stand.

* Quick capture of song ideas. Sometimes something will pop into my head, and the iPad is great for capturing before I forget it

* Tuning and such

* Quick capturing of video

* It has potential as a remote audio recorded for grabbing sound samples



Things I wish it did better:

* DP Control is not working for me on iOS 7.1. I don't have Logic 10, so right now the iPad is not too useful to me as a touch controller for a DAW

* Getting aforementioned PDF's into the iPad is a bit of a kludge. It works, but it's not typical Apple-smooth IMHO



Things I do not care about:

* Using it as a remote DAW. If I have a need for this, my preference is a laptop

* Buying into all the audio plugins and stuff for iOS. This is why I have a MacPro

* Games… no time, don't care

* Any sort of editing, be it graphics, video, audio. Again, that is a job for the MacPro

[stubbsonic]

Great points.

I should also mention that Dropbox has become my main way around Apple Inc. ®.

So PDFs go into a Dropbox folder and I can just choose the ones I want when I want 'em.

[MIDI Life Crisis]

I still have an iPad 1 and use it a lot in unexpected ways.

For rehearsing silent film scores for performance I pop it on the piano music stand or on a mic stand with the optional holder for movie playback. Also for studying the film on planes and otherwise.

uRig MIDI let's me hook up my DX-100 under battery power to run the Alchemy iPad app as well as KASB, SampleTank, Animoog, TwistedWave, etc., in live shows (usually theater and comedy shows).

Obviously for all things internet and DTP on the road, watching TV and streaming movies in hotels that don't carry the channels I like.

Lots more. I just used it to work on my taxes today (a first for me), check traffic and news, get directions, maps, and on and on. Very useful. I do want a newer model but the original is really holding up well.

I'd suggest going for it and if you're on the road a lot, consider the 4G version. WiFi is great but not always available. Monthly charges for 4G is cheap.

[James Steele]

There's also a great Strobotuner app by Petersen for the iPad. Combined with something like the IK iRig, it works great.

[groove]

Apart from the usual suspects Pages, Numbers and stuff,

V-Control Pro to control DP (writing automation with it is a breeze).
Lemur (I customized my entire LASS rig with it)
TouchOSC (easier to customize but limited compared to Lemur)
VI Pro Remote (to control Vienna Instrument Pro)
Animoog and Filtratron from Moog (there are so many great synths now for the iPad)

During recording sessions in another studio, Avid Scorch for my Sibelius files (as a backup in case I loose a paper score or part, need to transpose a cue or print an extra part for a musician.)

For leisure, iBook, the MUBI app (an indy film VOD) and Medici.tv (classical concerts). I watch these two with Airplay and the AppleTV.

Have fun.

[bayswater]

There is an iPad here I can use whenever I want, but I find that between a MBP, an ebook reader, a BCF2000, a Keylab, an iPhone and an iPod, the iPad doesn't add much. If my ebook reader dies, I'll might get a Mini, but not a full size iPad.

[cuttime]

Couldn't do without Instapaper, DropBox, AudioBus, forScore, or MIDI Designer. Actions for iPad is rapidly becoming indespensable, as well as several excellent VNC controllers out there.

[Shooshie]

The Strobosoft by Peterson tops the list of music utilities. Amazing and indispensable. I'd buy an iPad just for that alone if it were the only app I ever used. But I use the iPad for much more.

The first thing that comes to mind is emergencies. The iPad is always my first grab in emergencies, because when I lose power or internet, it's my connection to the world. During a 4 day power outage during an ice storm last December, I charged it in my car. It was a little weird using an iPad by candlelight, shivering in wool while our gas oven in the kitchen and gas space heater in the bathroom kept the house above 45 degrees. (outdoors was 12° to 19°). I also used the car for grinding coffee, which we'd make with a Mellita filter. We drank a lot of coffee then.

Two weeks ago, AT&T linemen disconnected our phone/DSL line by accident. I caught up with them and had them plug it back in. The next guy up the pole did it again. Likewise, I got him to plug it back in. It happened 5 times over three days, and the fifth time I didn't catch him in time. I was without phone and internet for a week. It was a new cable in the alley, and our line doesn't match the colors it's supposed to. Long story, lot of frustrations, and I learned a whole lot about how AT&T is put together (and I now know my cable pair number and the binding post numbers at the pole and the junction box, and no, they really don't match), but the point here is that I had the iPad or I'd have gone crazy. I used about $50 worth of data during that week.

Then there are tornados. We've dodged tornados with nothing but the iPad for our guide. I bought one for my mother, who lives right in the path of some of the biggest tornado outbreaks you hear about every spring. They are glued to it during tornado season, and dive into the cellar with the iPad to tell them when the coast is clear. The best app, by the way, is Intellicast HD. Buy the full version without ads. I've tried over 30 weather apps, and this beats them all by miles and miles. (accurate, up to the minute information is what saves lives when a tornado is on the loose)

Musically I've bought all the apps, but I've got an expensive studio of big computers that do all that stuff far better and easier than the iPad, so the majority of it is just "interesting." I have recorded with a DAW or two, and sure, it's fun to know that I just did something on what amounts to a flat piece of glass that 30 years ago took a million dollar studio, but in the end I prefer the flexibility of laptops and Mac Pros for the stuff I do. I've seen kids performing with iPads, and power to them. I bequeath that technology to their generation, if they wish. I'll stay with what I use here.

However, certain things are indispensable. The Peterson StroboSoft tuner deserves another mention. Another tuner that's nice is Cleartune. My metronome of choice is Clockwork. There is a collection of meters and tools under a single app called Audio Tool which I often find useful. A sound pressure meter I like is SPL Meter.

Here are the DAWs and instruments that I think are worth checking out, but there are surely a hundred more since I collected these which are probably even better. I stopped buying music apps about a year ago.

• • DP Control (when it works, this is an indispensable app for Digital Performer)
  • Auria - If you want the iPad DAW experience, this is the one. Up to 48 tracks at 96K, 24 bit. Watch out for the in-app purchases. They can make it more expensive than DP if you buy all they have to offer. But I do have to admit that this is an amazing app.
  • MultiTrack - has "DAW" on the icon, and most people seem to call it "MultiTrack DAW," but the name is just MultiTrack. This is a workable multi-track audio recorder, but its features are hidden behind things that pop up when you need them. Thus, it's not nearly as intuitive as Auria, and it's a little harder to figure out even once you've found all the controls. I can imagine getting good at it, and things working easily and quickly, but... well... Auria is the one you want.
  • Pro Keys - keyboard experience on the iPad. It ain't no Steinway, believe me, but it's kinda fun to play with. I'd be terrified to perform live on this thing, as there is no tactile feedback to tell you if your fingers are in the right place. You can't look away. Still, muscle memory works to some extent.
  • Addictive Synth - Now this thing is great! In addition to fantastic presets, you can draw in the wave shape you want. Takes no particular skill, but is fun to play with. I can see using this as a real instrument. The keyboard acts as a ribbon controller once you've pressed the keys. If you like synths, you'll like this.
  • SoundPrism - THIS is an instrument you can play in a live setting. It's unlike any instrument interface I've seen, and playing it more resembles a harp combined with a keyboard. You'd have to see it to appreciate what I'm saying, but it's got wonderful possibilities.
  • AniMoog - has that analog synth sound, and the keys are programmable for the tonality you want. If you want more of that Moog flavor and control, this is it. I assume that it is made in conjunction with (or by) the people who make the Moog instruments, for it has the Moog name in it. Certainly one of the best synths on the iPad.
  • Music Studio - a DAW with Logic-like tracks for which you select instruments with little icons of the selected instruments (not all the sounds have icons). It can do a lot, but I'd classify it more as a Casio for iPad. Kids probably would have a lot of fun with it, though it's intended for everyone. Enjoyable, maybe useful.
  • Notion - Score engraving made easy on the iPad. This is very intelligently made. It could be extremely useful for composition, and I'm not exaggerating. It's amazing for something with such built-in limitations as the iPad. Don't knock it until you've tried it.

There are others on my iPad, but I'll stop with those. The others mostly duplicate the above, and not always in easy or intuitive ways. Still, they work, and you can make music with them.

The iPad has pretty much anything you need to keep busy with music when you're away from the big computer. Is it ready for prime time? Some of these apps definitely are. It's just a matter of your motivation to find the best way to fit it in to what you do. If you are motivated in that direction, the tools ARE there.

Shooshie

[mikehalloran]

I have an iPad 1 and an iPad Air. The 1 is limited to iOS 5. This makes it useless for certain iCloud apps like Pages and a few other apps that I use which is why my kids gave me an Air for Christmas.

I have a nice leather case for my Air with a Bluetooth keyboard. The best thing about the keyboard is that it has arrow keys - makes it easier with some web sites and essential for SalesForce. I can turn the keyboard off or remove it from the case (held in place by a magnet that also puts the iPad to sleep and wakes it up) or fold it under when I don't want to use it.

Ionic Bluetooth Keyboard Tablet Stand Leather Apple iPad 5 iPad Air Case (Black/ Brown)
http://www.amazon.com/Ionic-Bluetooth-K ... B00EKXB9ZI

The best thing about them is that I can enter notes or work on a document or enter a contact in my database on any device including my iPhone and it is available on the others. I use it in the field instead of my laptop and it's been useful for the book that I'm writing. I can record interviews and use Dragon Dictation to turn those into text. Then I go to my iMac and edit without having to import my notes - they're already there.

Those who have met me know that I am handicapped and have little use of my left arm. The iPad allows me to gig again. I plug it into a PA or bass rig, fire up GarageBand, open the Smart Bass and, by touching the glass, I am a bassist again. I'm good enough so that I can play without looking down and sing while I do it. The upright basses have their uses as well. is it as good as the real thing? Hell no but it allows me to play at all.

I also use it as the sound engine when I play some keys in my oldies band. The Line6 Mobile Keys 49 weighs 6lb and is bus powered by the iPad - reduces battery life by only 10% when connected. The Hammond organs in GB aren't bad for gigging live and I've recorded them a couple of times. On the 1, it has an annoying sleep issue - it the iPad goes to sleep, I have to unplug and reconnect the cable to make it work again. With the Air through the Apple lightning adapter, no issues. Again, I take an out through the headphone to the PA or an amp. Guitar Center has it for $99.
http://line6.com/mobilekeys/

There's only one stereo mic that plugs in directly to the lightening connector, the Zoom iQ5 but it works ok. I use it plugged into my Air or iPhone 5S. If you have the 30 pin connector, there are a lot of choices.
https://www.zoom-na.com/products/field- ... ophone-ios
I use it mainly to record interviews for my book.

I don't use the iRig or Apple Camera Kit so I don't know them.

[twistedtom]

I am on mine now, I use it for the internet so I do not have to turn on my main computer, it is fast and easy to use. I use it to control DP from where I play guitar. I use it as a remote reorder for capturing sounds. I use it to take and show art, photography and video clips that I have done. I use it in most of the ways others here have said. When I decided to buy one I was not sure how much I would use it, but I use the hell out of it.
ONE THING YOU SHOUD GET IS A BLUE TOOTH QUARY KEYBOARD LIKE THE WIRELESS APPLE ONE, typing on the iPad is like doing it on a phone, with a keyboard you can use short cuts and navigate the iPad with ease, it almost makes it like a laptop. I had one of the Pad cases that comes with a keyboard but the keyboard was not very good so I got a real one, I kept the case, I also have a carry case to put everything into.

[stubbsonic]

There has been some confusion about using the "mic input" of the headphone jack. This may have been a feature in iPad 1 & 2 (not sure), but it no longer exists in gen's 3 & 4.

I made a pleasant discovery that with my iPad 4 and the Apple CCK, I can directly connect my Zoom H2n as an audio interface. Also, I can connect an older, externally powered, class-compliant USB hub and connect both the H2n and any class-compliant USB keyboard controller at once. Granted for all that wiring (and powering the hub) it is less portable, and the laptop is where I would go first. But if there is a particular iOS app I want to access, this works well.

A couple apps that deserve a mention: Positive Grid makes something called BIAS which is a guitar/bass amp modeler for the tweaker. They also make something called JamUp Pro which is an effects chain. If I were to choose one, it would be the latter, as it includes a nice variety of amp tones. Both are a little glitchy for me, but I can't tell if that is because of the Griffin device I'm currently trying for i/o. I need to test it with the H2n, and see if it works better. I suspect it will run perfectly on an iPad Air.

The DM-1 is a very fun drum machine with tons of cool sounds. Only does meat-n-potatos meters, but the interface and workflow are top-notch.

My favorite metronome is Metronomics There is an HD version, which I also have, but I'm just used to the original version.

[MIDI Life Crisis]

Speaking of the H4N, American Music Center has them on sale for $219. That's a steal! Now back to our regularly scheduled topic...

[cuttime]

...and I noticed that nobody has mentioned that MS Office is now available for iOS.