iPad v Laptop+audio interface in terms of sound quality.

[zerocrossing]

So I came across this: http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2012/ ... k-preview/ a few minutes ago and right off the bat I was all, "Man... the iPad is really shaping up to be quite a little portable system...

but how far is it? How are people getting sound out of it, just via it's stereo output jacks? Do these new apps rival the output of what you can expect from say a program like Reason? Not in terms of features, I mean how do they sound? I wonder how far away we are from being able to run a DAW with a few instruments and an amp simulator with the quality of Amplitube 3 with low latency. I wonder if we're there yet with iPad 3 or will it take a few more iterations before processor speed can really do all of it.

[ford442]

i am pretty sure that Reason on iPad would sound just as good - think about the plugs that tax your DAW and that is the limit of a mini computer - you won't ask an Atom CPU to do Diva or ACE, but it can do reason all the live long day.. The iPad has a similarly small, low power CPU..

[UltraJv]

IOS dosnt allow for plugins so no matter what CPU power, youre stuck with standalone apps like Reason.

[ford442]

IOS dosnt allow for plugins so no matter what CPU power, youre stuck with standalone apps.

some devs are making iPad versions of their VSTs that will run in special hosts. so, the paradigm is about to shift.. however, i do still think that a laptop is better since it has full DAW functionality.. i heard that Daftpunk made a whole album on an iPad and it was terrible..

[UltraJv]

IOS dosnt allow for plugins so no matter what CPU power, youre stuck with standalone apps.

some devs are making iPad versions of their VSTs that will run in special hosts. so, the paradigm is about to shift.. however, i do still think that a laptop is better since it has full DAW functionality.. i heard that Daftpunk made a whole album on an iPad and it was terrible..

One app has FX compiled into it. The FX are compiled into the specific app. You wont be able to use them in other apps. So they arnt plugins. The paradigm isnt going anywhere

[zerocrossing]

IOS dosnt allow for plugins so no matter what CPU power, youre stuck with standalone apps.

some devs are making iPad versions of their VSTs that will run in special hosts. so, the paradigm is about to shift.. however, i do still think that a laptop is better since it has full DAW functionality.. i heard that Daftpunk made a whole album on an iPad and it was terrible..

One app has FX compiled into it. The FX are compiled into the specific app. You wont be able to use them in other apps. So they arnt plugins. The paradigm isnt going anywhere

I don't understand how the iOS doesn't allow for plug ins. My Hipstamatic app allows me to buy and use lots of different camera simulations. All I do is download and they're available to me. How is this different than in an audio program?

[ford442]

do you understand that the iPad does not use an x86 processor? it uses ARM which is like what phones use - imagine trying to load Volcano 2 on your current cell phone.. there is none of the implementation which took steinberg and others 15 years to create so far.. so, we need to have coders making ARM operating systems fully capable of multi-tasking..

i didn't mean to distract the conversation completely away from audio fidelity - that is up to the DAC of the pad.. and i don't own one to know for sure..

for now - i would lean toward a Win 8 tablet for music..

[ZenPunkHippy]

I don't understand how the iOS doesn't allow for plug ins.

One of the reasons iOS is known as "the walled garden" is because apps are basically kept completely separate from each other. My app cannot access data in your apps folder, and vice versa.

Plugins need to install to a common folder so that the host app can see them. Since apps and installers can't access any part of the disk that is not previously allocated to the app, this is not possible.

Apps such as Hipstamatic that appear to allow plugins are actually using a workaround whereby the "plugins" are purchased as in-app content, and are either installed or unlocked through the app, residing only in the folder designated for the host.

I don't think this this will change for a while, at least until Apple provides some solution such as issuing special security certificates that authorise the type of behaviour required by plugins.

What I am sure of, though, is UltraJv chiming in to say "it won't ever happen"

Peace,
Andy.

[iPlogger]

The sound from the iPad is very good. There are two ways to get sound out. You can use the small headphone out which I've done live. I was worried at first, but it has sounded great. A little extra hiss in the mix, though. Or, the better solution is using a device to attach directly to the 30-pin dock connector providing a digital, and hopefully cleaner, solution.

There are already several good DAWs and a few amp apps. It's surprising what is out there and it continues to surprise me what continues to come out.

[IncarnateX]

There is not any audible difference to me between my soundcard and the iPad out that makes any difference. I record, mix and master everything at 16/44,1 so I just need a decent standard card. The build in soundcards of the Laptops I have owned have worked all right in this respect -except one, that was very noisy- and so does my iPad 2.

With respect to the "plug in" side topic, I'd say that it will take years to make the iPad able of just reaching 50% of what a laptop with a daw can do, especially regarding the amount of plug ins. Thus if you want your iPad to work like a PC you are going to be dissapointed for yet a long time to come.

If you are able to compromise though, the current development has some interesting second-best choises to consider if you want to make music on an iPad.

1. Stick to a full studio like NanoStudio, Beatmaker 2 or Meteor. Load them with your favorite samples and use their build in synths, drummachines and samplers. With a good lib, there are enough to keep you going for years depending on your skills.

2. Make midi sessions with Virtual Midi instruments ( there are lots of cool synths and drummachines, vocoders etc.) and record it to your PC. There are further developments going where the apps audio outputs can be routed to each other and recorded internally on the iPad.

3. You can mix the above approaches with a studio like Beatmaker 2 or Meteor with midi, where you can have a session going in the app and sync it with virtual midi gear. You can then record it to your pc or record the VM instrument within itself and paste it to Beatmaker 2 or Meteor's internal session.

What you gain with an iPad is touch screen control and nothing else IMO. If you are not ready to downgrade the freedom and diversity of your PC daw significantly, you will be dissapointed and should stick to your laptop.

Cheers

[gtg605]

There is not any audible difference to me between my soundcard and the iPad out that makes any difference. I record, mix and master everything at 16/44,1 so I just need a decent standard card. The build in soundcards of the Laptops I have owned have worked all right in this respect -except one, that was very noisy- and so does my iPad 2.

With respect to the "plug in" side topic, I'd say that it will take years to make the iPad able of just reaching 50% of what a laptop with a daw can do, especially regarding the amount of plug ins. Thus if you want your iPad to work like a PC you are going to be dissapointed for yet a long time to come.

If you are able to compromise though, the current development has some interesting second-best choises to consider if you want to make music on an iPad.

1. Stick to a full studio like NanoStudio, Beatmaker 2 or Meteor. Load them with your favorite samples and use their build in synths, drummachines and samplers. With a good lib, there are enough to keep you going for years depending on your skills.

2. Make midi sessions with Virtual Midi instruments ( there are lots of cool synths and drummachines, vocoders etc.) and record it to your PC. There are further developments going where the apps audio outputs can be routed to each other and recorded internally on the iPad.

3. You can mix the above approaches with a studio like Beatmaker 2 or Meteor with midi, where you can have a session going in the app and sync it with virtual midi gear. You can then record it to your pc or record the VM instrument within itself and paste it to Beatmaker 2 or Meteor's internal session.

What you gain with an iPad is touch screen control and nothing else IMO. If you are not ready to downgrade the freedom and diversity of your PC daw significantly, you will be dissapointed and should stick to your laptop.


Cheers

As above. But keep in mind, we have already dealth with new ways of making music many times.
Nanostudio is awesome. If you know how to make sound the Edensynth is perfect.
( I have re-created all my favourite sounds with it )
And if you know how to mix a track it's very good too.
Less is more.
I find Nanostudio and Garageband to be very efficient generally. But only because I spend time with them. Most users want to have that instant hit feel.
The press of a button and there you go....
The simplicity of these apps actually demands more of the user.
But if you spend some time on it you will make great hits, an you will have a great time doing so
Going from FL Studio, and many others, I have to say that iPad is promising.
For now I dont really need my pc to make music.
Again, less is more
( But I am a generator tweaking genious, so.... )

Best regards.

Mik,GTG synths.

[BertKoor]

The sound from the iPad is very good.

Somebody has already taken RMAA tests on it.
Frequency response from 40 Hz to 15 kHz = +0.03, -0.15 dB
That's surely good enough for Rock'nRoll

[iPlogger]

Great! Thanks for the test result information. That's helpful.