16gig ipad..how is it working out for you ??

[el-bo (formerly ebow)]

Money aside, just remember that there is no ability to increase the storage space. What you get is what you get. iCloud is for backup only. Even the smallest music apps eventually use up a ton of space with iPads inefficient design. I ran out of space on my 32gb ipad with zero music, zero photos, zero videos and minimal games and other apps.

Like others have said, buy the newest and biggest ipad you can. Buying a 16 gb and even a 32 gb ipad is a total waste of money and time if you plan to create any music with it.

Been there and done that.

Mike

once again, the advice to buy the biggest you can afford is all good....but i can't make the jump from a 200 euro machine to a 600 euro machine in my current financial position, just for another 32 gig which we all know is daylight robbery, and we all know is still never gonna be 'enough'....


if it were an all in one solution then i might try to push it, but that money (which is barely there anyway) would be much better served spent on an ipod touch....then i have a working media player, camera, video camera and gaming machine that will have more space

it did dawn on me that i could even defer the audio recording to the ipod touch, which i would be sure to buy with more space

[audientronic]

do you game on it ?? No

do you have samples and loops ?? Yes, the Alchemy app is over 500MB for me

what kind of audio are you recording ?? just audio from the apps.

not looking to doubt, just to get a better picture

Garageband + Auria + Alchemy = 1.5 GB. That's with no projects in memory for GB or Auria.

Decent synths can be 300MB a pop.
thumbjam = 400
drumjam = 325
nave = 238

It adds up.

You can do the Cloud thing, but it gets old when you're doing it every time you want to use something new. not to mention those times when a favorite program gets updated into a broken state or is otherwise incompatible with Apple updates, then you can't use that program because you can only download the latest. So you need to go back to hard syncing on your machine, etc., etc...

But hey, you still have an iPad...

[el-bo (formerly ebow)]

It sounds like you will be okay with the iPad2 you are being offered, especially if you plan to get an iPod for music. Take advantage of cloud services like Dropbox, Google Drive etc.
Adding more space to iCloud is actually pretty inexpensive too in comparison to others.

good suggestions re: cloud services....thanks

oh, and it's an ipad 3

IMHO if you have an iDevice, just spend the $25 and get iCloud. If you listen to a lot of music and find your iPhone/ipad filling up quickly, iCloud just pushes music and pictures off of itself to clear up room as needed.

And I'm using 16 and 32g ipad 2's and have no problems running a bunch of music apps with and without audiobus. Personally I don't much care for making music inside my iPads, so I haven't tried some of the more CPU intense daws (auria, cubasis, ect.)but any of the others I've tried ( nano, garage, bm2, ect) work just fine with no trouble or signs of bugging out or crashing. And that's running a full audiobus with a fair amount of audio and midi tracks.

will definitely look into the cloud

like you, i have no real interest in the 'bigger' ios d.a.w's....had beatmaker and nanostudio on my ipod touch 3g, and though they were a little fiddly i did get some great stuff going in nano...didn't really hit it off with beatmaker, and i'm pretty sure it's not a universal app so wont be buying it again on ipad (especially given the big sample footprint)

nano and garage look like all i would need to get ideas down while away from my main d.a.w, but i can't wait to use all of the more innovative music-making apps that just trip me out

[whyterabbyt]

Garageband + Auria + Alchemy = 1.5 GB. That's with no projects in memory for GB or Auria.

Well my Alchemy folder is 1.1Gb, with two or three extra libraries. But its the only one that exceeds 250Mb.

Decent synths can be 300MB a pop.
thumbjam = 400
drumjam = 325
nave = 238

Nave and iMaschine are the only other ones Ive got that get near to 200Mb. NAVE is 198Mb on my system, btw.

Most of the ones Ive got seem to be around 30-50Mb. As I say, that includes all the Korg stuff, the Moog stuff, and things like Audulus, Jasuto, Thor, imPaktor, and Magellan. And 'self contained' studio applications like Rhythm and Rebirth are about 15Mb each, as are Mixtikl, Sunvox, and Nanoloop.

Counting, Ive got about 50 audio-generatinh applications of one stripe or another installed, including many of the best-received, so I actually find it hard to believe Ive managed to luck into avoiding all those 'decent' ones which can be 300Mb a pop. I guess they're the sampler/rompler ones, but they're not for me, especially with the prospect of endless in-app purchases for more content.

[el-bo (formerly ebow)]

do you game on it ?? No

do you have samples and loops ?? Yes, the Alchemy app is over 500MB for me

what kind of audio are you recording ?? just audio from the apps.

not looking to doubt, just to get a better picture

Garageband + Auria + Alchemy = 1.5 GB. That's with no projects in memory for GB or Auria.

Decent synths can be 300MB a pop.
thumbjam = 400
drumjam = 325
nave = 238

It adds up.

You can do the Cloud thing, but it gets old when you're doing it every time you want to use something new. not to mention those times when a favorite program gets updated into a broken state or is otherwise incompatible with Apple updates, then you can't use that program because you can only download the latest. So you need to go back to hard syncing on your machine, etc., etc...

But hey, you still have an iPad...

as much as it is a huge achievement, i see no situation where i would use auria in lieu of logic

i have a copy of thumbjam in my itunes app section...i used to enjoy that

i am no synth hoarder on my main d.a.w and i hope for that trend to continue...i can see it mounting up, but i think i just need to approach it with a bit of organisation

for instance, if i have garageband running on ipad and ipod, i'm guessing the projects are compatible....so, i can do the midi composing on ipad, using the bigger interface, then transfer over to the greater space on the ipod to add audio ...in all likelihood, anything worth doing properly will be imported into logic to work with anyways

the audio recording would also just be a scratchpad thing, like a place holder...i'm guessing the ipad mic might not be good enough quality to do the whole thing itb

haha, sorry guys...i know it now seems like this was a wasted thread, and that it was a foregone conclusion already, but it really wasn't....i had been thinking all of yesterday to sell it and buy a bigger model....but this thread has kinda helped me to calm down and just appreciate it for what it is - a cheap re-entry back into ios-ville (and an escape from android )...there's alway next year to think of upgrading...at least by that point i will, from my own usage experience, know without doubt what amount of storage i need/could get away with

[el-bo (formerly ebow)]

do you game on it ?? No

do you have samples and loops ?? Yes, the Alchemy app is over 500MB for me

what kind of audio are you recording ?? just audio from the apps.

not looking to doubt, just to get a better picture

thanks for answering...how many projects do you keep on the go at one time ??

cd quality stereo seems to be rated at 11mb per minute in stereo...so a 5 minute , with 8 audio tracks would work out as 440 meg.....it would seem perfectly seem perfectly reasonable for me to only need a few work-in-progress type things going at any one time...it's different if you are going to be away from the studio for days on end maybe..but then the cloud could also help out there, while leaving a set of necessary core apps on the ipad

sometimes restrictions can be good....i went from a 64gig ipod touch, and 80 gig video (one stolen, one sold) to using a 4gig nano for the last 2 years....the need to constantly erase and reload the ipod led to me making much better use of my itunes library and playlists....i don't need to carry 10 years worth of continuous music, only enough music that i want to hear between charges

But hey, you still have an iPad...

[audiojunkie]

I'm going to chime in here and tell you that I have an iPad 2 16Gb, and I regretted it almost immediately (look back here in the threads to see my comments about it). 16GB is just too little if you are going to try to do any work on an iPad. My next one will be 128GB for sure! I have every good music app available on in the app market (or very nearly so). I have many if not most IAPs for these apps too. I am only able to keep about 1/3 of them on my tablet at any one time. I've had to be VERY selective and choose carefully, and STILL I've only got about 2Gb of space available. Sampletank takes 1 Gb. Alchemy EASILY takes up more than that (nearly 2Gb with everything). The iFretless products are both around 350Mb each. Jamup Pro and Ampkit are both near 200mb. Auria is HUGE (note, delete the demo file to reduce the size). Nave is nearly 200Mb. Thumbjam can get HUGE 700+Mb. I could go on and on. Do you like BS-16i and all the high quality professional and free soundfonts that you can use with it? Plan on several Gb for that. Oh, do you multitrack record? You've got to plan for that. The demo song that came with Auria was about 300Mb--probably a normal size for a multitracked project that ends up becoming a three and a half minute song in the end. Do you plan on working on more than one song at a time? You had better consider that. There is so much to plan for that isn't expected at the time of purchase.

Now, if you are going to just get NanoStudio and use the built-in synth and drums, you'll probably be OK. If you are going to get Meteor and a few synths and DM1 and Audiobus, you'll probably be OK. Otherwise, I recommend saving your money and investing in more storage. It really is worth it!

--Sean

[audiojunkie]

Here's another thing to think about when you have very limited storage space and suddenly find that you need to offload something--have you ever tried uploading 250 Mb to Dropbox? Remotely?

--Sean

[Karmacomposer]

It's obvious your mind is made up because of finances. I feel bad for your eyesight. iPods and iPhones are simply tiny!

My advice: save up your money for a 64gb or 128 gb model. Also, second hand models can be bought on Craigslist, GameStop and other stores. Google 2nd hand or used iPads 64gb or 128 gb. You'll be surprised at the fact that you can find them at almost 50% off.

The expensive part is the ipad. The apps are cheap. Save up and buy the largest 2nd hand or used one you can find. You will not regret it later on. Buy the iPod or 16gb ipad now and you will most certainly regret it right away.

All these people are giving you great advice. Why not listen to it.

Mike

[el-bo (formerly ebow)]

Here's another thing to think about when you have very limited storage space and suddenly find that you need to offload something--have you ever tried uploading 250 Mb to Dropbox? Remotely?

--Sean

i am perfectly willing to concede that i could find myself up against these limits sooner than i think, but it's something i guess (helped by this thread) will be shown only by my own experience

i know my posts ramble, but i have tried to make clear that i have no interest in the kind of apps/usage/content you talked about in your earlier post

my main tools for composition and recording wold likely just be nanostudio, garageband (and if i can choose not to install any loops i will) and sonoma 4-track

have no need for auria...have no interest in sampletank or any soundfonts or big sample collections...no interest in a single loop etc and as much as i love camel audio to bits, along with all their desktop stuff, i have no real interest in alchemy mobile aside from the templates to remote control the desktop version of alchemy

this leaves me with a possibly very lean app profile...of course, i want to use other synths, but many seem to fall well within the space i will have

the biggest thing for me to juggle would be audio recording, but as i have said there is a possibility of sharing these duties with an ipod touch

i have a choice between an ipad 3 16gig, in immaculate condition, shipped with 2 cases for 200 euros or an ipad 4 32 g with no case for 470 euros....

270 euros for a 16gig storage boost and a one revision upgrade...makes no sense to me,,,for that 270 i can get a refurbed ipod 5th gen with much more storage, a better camera and video camera experience, the ability to share compatible projects with ipad, and a much better gaming experience (for me)

[el-bo (formerly ebow)]

my mistake..a refurbed ipad 4 32 gig would set me back 509 euros without a case...so i'd be looking at a 340 euro difference...for what ?? 16 gig , and a small incremental power and ram increase

[el-bo (formerly ebow)]

It's obvious your mind is made up because of finances. I feel bad for your eyesight. iPods and iPhones are simply tiny!

My advice: save up your money for a 64gb or 128 gb model. Also, second hand models can be bought on Craigslist, GameStop and other stores. Google 2nd hand or used iPads 64gb or 128 gb. You'll be surprised at the fact that you can find them at almost 50% off.

The expensive part is the ipad. The apps are cheap. Save up and buy the largest 2nd hand or used one you can find. You will not regret it later on. Buy the iPod or 16gb ipad now and you will most certainly regret it right away.

All these people are giving you great advice. Why not listen to it.

Mike

why feel bad for my eyesight

i used an ipod touch 3g for 2 years with no issues, including writing some music..i have a 7" android tablet which i use with no issues

the ipad ONLY came up because i couldn't get a satisfactory full-sized pdf experience out of my 7" tablet or kindle

at that point i discussed with my parents about the possibility of them helping finance an ipad...it would have ended up being an ipad 4 with 32 gig, and would have cost a lot of money..so, my folks suggested i buy theirs for this great price, and my mum would then buy an ipad mini which is much more suitable for her but hadn't been released at the time she bought it

i've been watching the ipad 2nd-hand market for a long time, and i know how much i can buy for, and where from....truth is with something like this i would only buy as a refurb from a reputable seller...that my mum has only used hers for light internet surfing is a much safer choice than just buying second hand from just anywhere....she's also had it in a case since day one so it is in immaculate condition

the money issue is no small thing...and i have come to the conclusion that the difference in price would be better spent on an ipod...the ipad is not gonna provide me with a good camera experience, nor a great gaming experience...it certainly aint gonna function as an on-the-go music player

as for regretting things, it is impossible for either of us to say...putting all my money onto an ipad then stumbling around with a big tablet trying to shoot some video footage is something i could really imagine myself regretting

for what it's worth i can't even afford the ipod yet...have to sell the android tablet and a few other things first

so, without taking a loan this ipad is the only current option..ironically, this thread (and mainly the contrary opinons) have led me to feel confident it will work out for me

i can't save yet as i'm not really earning...besides the reason i needed to get one is for a course i will be starting this month, and teaching also...the music was always an aside, so i can't suddenly delay everything looking for money to appear just to provide a bit of extra space

[St3rling]

As the owner of four iPads, I thought I'd also wade in. 
Out of the four, I have an iPad2 16GB and am more than happy with it. 
I have a large number of apps (including all the others mentioned above and then some! (with the exception of NAVE as I still run iOS5.1.1)) and around twenty LoopyHD projects on it and still have nearly 4GB free. 
If I was using a more traditional DAW, I could limit myself to Audiobus only apps, record at a higher bit-rate and/or resolution, and still be a happy camper.
Basically, you can be happy with a 16GB iPad if you're careful and aware of your expectations - which you very much seem to be. 
If you need any further info, let me know. 

[Karmacomposer]

Young man,

First of all - 16GB + 16GB is a TREMENDOUS amount compared to 16GB.

32GB + 32GB is a TREMENDOUS amount compared to 32GB.

Lastly, it is your Mom that will get the best deal out of this. She has no need for a 16GB iPad because she probably only surfs the internet and does email. Perhaps she plays one or two 2D games.

That is NOT what you are wanting to do.

I know this because my MOM (and i'm old, so she's even older) does the same thing - surfs the internet, does email and plays a few low end games. For her, a 16GB iPad is PERFECT.

For you, a 16GB iPad is STUPID for what you want to do. Not for NOW, but for a few weeks or months down the road when you run into the low GB roadblock.

Since you are a youngun, I doubt you will listen to any of us, even though people like myself probably have 20+ years on you (in my case, probably 30+ years). Trust me, we are wise and knowledgeable because we made the same mistakes already.

Why not benefit from our mistakes and not make any of your own. Pass on your Mom's iPad.

Since you are young, your eyesight is probably perfect. Wait for another 20 years - your eyesight will deteriorate. Of course, by then we will not need iPads. We'll probably fart music and think in Multitrack format.

It's your $$$. Do what you want.

Mike

[el-bo (formerly ebow)]

As the owner of four iPads, I thought I'd also wade in. 
Out of the four, I have an iPad2 16GB and am more than happy with it. 
I have a large number of apps (including all the others mentioned above and then some! (with the exception of NAVE as I still run iOS5.1.1)) and around twenty LoopyHD projects on it and still have nearly 4GB free. 
If I was using a more traditional DAW, I could limit myself to Audiobus only apps, record at a higher bit-rate and/or resolution, and still be a happy camper.
Basically, you can be happy with a 16GB iPad if you're careful and aware of your expectations - which you very much seem to be. 
If you need any further info, let me know. 

thanks...appreciate it

as i said above, it's also the contrary opinons that are confirming i will be alright, as the more i hear of what i won't be able to do, the more i realise i won't be working like that (or with those apps) anyway

i know i could fill the thing in an hour, but i also know now with a bit of care that i can make it work...

it does help that there are a few here who have a similar workflow idea who agree it will work out fine