KVR Audio

Bip104 · Post by **Bip104** » Wed Mar 02, 2011 10:49 am

Hey everyone,

I'm thinking about buying an iPad soon, as a result of the iPad 2 possibly being announced soon, I figure I can get one for a decent price. I know that multi-tasking was introduced in the last OS update, which has me intrigued. But I'm curious to know if what I want to do with an iPad is possible currently. Ideally, I'd like to simply emulate my monitor screen on the ipad, allowing complete control over Live and access to all my VSTs. I assume that isn't possible (or usable) at the moment, as I haven't found much information on it. In that case, using either TouchOSC or Touchable, is it possible to mirror the Mixing section of ableton on one tab, and access the plugins on each channel, loading a custom-created template when opened, and containing relevant parameter information for the current patch? I know I have high hopes for what the iPad will do for my workflow, but I ideally like it to be an all-in-one regarding plugin/DAW control, and I see no reason why that shouldn't be possible at some stage, if not today.

Any eye-opening is appreciated, cheers!

Dewaine · Post by **Dewaine** » Wed Mar 02, 2011 2:16 pm

I do not have or use live, so I really don't know... but until someone comes along to help you that does.... this looks interesting... http://liine.net/livecontrol/

siriusbliss · Post by **siriusbliss** » Wed Mar 02, 2011 4:26 pm

For now iPad apps for this type of application are mostly relegated to being a 'smart monitor' for driving/triggering/launching loops or cells in live.

The other end of the spectrum is what Alesis is doing.

So - so far - mostly just smart windows into environments and/or stand-alone synths, etc.

Greg

olja · Post by **olja** » Wed Mar 02, 2011 4:57 pm

I don't use Ableton Live myself but I did bring my iPad to a friend who has it and tried touchOSC with Livecontrol there. It was very much fun, great template for live with pages for clips, mixer, X/Y pads, sequencer etc and it had a 'device' page as well which automatically mapped the effect parameters on the selected track to a number of dials on the iPad. We only used Live's internal effects though, not sure how well it works with other VSTs. I only played around with it for an hour or so but it seemed to work very well. I got really tempted to get Live, and he will surely have to buy an iPad now. So, yes definitely check out LiveControl on the link above.

On the subject of emulating the monitor screen, I'd love to have that function too but it doesn't seem to be possible yet. There's an app called iDisplay which adds the iPad as an extra screen, but all the reviews are pretty bad, doesn't look like it's working very well. And then there's some VNC apps, I've tried iTeleport that let's you remote control your computer from the iPad, it does work but you only move the mouse cursor with your finger and it was pretty laggy as well. Would be interesting to hear what anyone else knows about these kinds of apps though.

justin3am · Post by **justin3am** » Wed Mar 02, 2011 5:19 pm

I've been using TouchAble on my iPad for a little while. I like it a little better than Live Control for controlling the Session view in Live, because it displays clip names and colors. Both of these apps as well as Griid (another Ableton Live controller) require a server/interpreter application to be run in the background which is my only gripe. I commonly forget to run the background application before launching Live and then I wonder why my iPad isn't making the connection.

It is a really cool way to use live though. I have my studio setup so that my computer is on one side of the room and my synths and stuff are on the other, so it's nice to be able to have my iPad as a remote control that I can carry around the room.

Bip104 · Post by **Bip104** » Wed Mar 02, 2011 7:01 pm

Thanks for the replies everyone, think I will be purchasing an iPad in the end. Even if it can't be used for everything I want it to, I'll no doubt get the use out of it.

On the topic of screen mirroring, I was just reading up on the iPad 2 announcement and it looks as though (don't quote me) there may be an inbuilt app for just that task provided as standard by Apple. Could be interesting.

I don't really use clip view overly extensively, and have a launchpad if it's an absolute necessity in a project, so clips aren't my real concern. Mainly I'm after something for controlling just the mixer section (for volume/send automation, track arming/muting etc) and MIDI control over synth/effects/filter parameters for automation. My main worry is being able to control multiple sets of plugins, effects and lives mixer without having to close and re-open a program, or switch MIDI channels and such every time. Is this possible with LiveControl, TouchOSC or any similar programs?

I also quite like the look of Audinika's Soundprism. Anyone have any idea how well multi-tasking is integrated in the new OS and if the iPad would have enough RAM to run both Soundprism and a program such as TouchOSC and Livecontrol at the same time?

Thanks for the help so far guys!

justin3am · Post by **justin3am** » Wed Mar 02, 2011 7:26 pm

Multi-tasking only works for certain applications as far as I know. I can leave iTunes running while I search the web but none of the audio/music apps I've tried work in the background.

Bip104 · Post by **Bip104** » Wed Mar 02, 2011 7:33 pm

Cheers Justin, that shouldn't be too much of a problem... I can always switch programs for chords/melodies and keep one for automation and control. Do you know if (with custom templates) Touchable or TouchOSC would allow for control over Lives mixer as well as a number of different VSTs and effects?

justin3am · Post by **justin3am** » Wed Mar 02, 2011 7:47 pm

Yes, it's great for that. With Live Control, if I remember right, the mixer is on a separate page from the clip launch view. The device page presents 8 parameters at a time and you can bank through to additional parameters, and devices pretty easily. There is also an X/Y page you can assign parameters to.

Bip104 · Post by **Bip104** » Wed Mar 02, 2011 10:20 pm

Alright, guess thats settled then. I'll wait a couple of weeks for the buildup to the iPad 2 and try and get my hands on an iPad on the cheap.

Back on the topic of screen-sharing, has anyone actually used programs like iTap/iTeleport/iDisplay and had any luck? This would be absolutely perfect for my needs (if it's functional enough), but I've heard that lag can be a real issue, and the controls can be a nightmare as finger presses simply move the mouse cursor around, which means no multi-touch and I suppose kind of destroys the intuitiveness (is that a word...?) of the iPad.

Still, it'd be nice to hear what people who have any hands-on experience with these apps have to say!

C-note · Post by **C-note** » Wed Mar 02, 2011 10:59 pm

Add Cubase IC and Omni TR (Omnisphere) to the list of apps using iPad as controller

siriusbliss · Post by **siriusbliss** » Wed Mar 02, 2011 11:22 pm

Bip104 wrote:Thanks for the replies everyone, think I will be purchasing an iPad in the end. Even if it can't be used for everything I want it to, I'll no doubt get the use out of it.

On the topic of screen mirroring, I was just reading up on the iPad 2 announcement and it looks as though (don't quote me) there may be an inbuilt app for just that task provided as standard by Apple. Could be interesting.

Yes, iPad 2 has screen mirroring - and handles HD.

Greg

Bip104 · Post by **Bip104** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 8:55 am

From what I've been reading up, it looks as though (with the new HDMI connector) you can mirror the iPads screen onto a larger display, not sure if that will work in reverse, but hopefully someone can come up with an app to do so...

Still not sure how the touch capability will be handled though

hjorten · Post by **hjorten** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 2:55 pm

I'll steal this thread a bit cause I've been sort of considering getting an iPad 2 when it hits Sweden.

However, I would like to know if there are any apps (ugh, how I hate that word) that can play/loop several sounds at the same time, and that I'd for example be able to mute/unmute effects, and also if it has a mixer. Odd sentence I know, but I don't really know how to explain it better.

memyselfandus · Post by **memyselfandus** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 3:13 pm

can you use a Mouse with the ipad 2?

Question for all iPad owners