KVR Audio

BlaNoMus · Post by **BlaNoMus** » Thu Sep 27, 2012 2:01 pm

I use the iU2 for some time and it's working perfect for me.
It's conencted via an powerd USB-hub. Connecting with the dock connector did not work and is not very usefull to me anyway. Via the hub I can connect USB controlers.

If I would need een interface now I would go for the new DUO-CAPTURE EX from Roland http://www.rolandus.com/products/details/1248/498

polaris20 · Post by **polaris20** » Thu Sep 27, 2012 3:43 pm

BlaNoMus wrote:I use the iU2 for some time and it's working perfect for me.
It's conencted via an powerd USB-hub. Connecting with the dock connector did not work and is not very usefull to me anyway. Via the hub I can connect USB controlers.

If I would need een interface now I would go for the new DUO-CAPTURE EX from Roland http://www.rolandus.com/products/details/1248/498

Why even bother with the iU2 at all then, if you're just going to use a hub? there are plenty of USB interfaces that work with the iPad, the CCK, and a hub.

sold · Post by **sold** » Thu Sep 27, 2012 5:23 pm

I would like to see a better effort than what Tascam made with the iU2. The concept is great, but the execution is lacking in certain areas. I still think it is the best iThingy specific interface to date, but that is because no other manufacturer has bothered taking the mobile music production market seriously. Audiobus will help make proper music production on iDevices a reality, which should at least make manufacturers take more notice of the capabilities of tablet pc's for mobile recording and performance. If Tascam have discontinued the iU2, that is a real shame. I'm glad I bought one. Otherwise, a simple device like the Behringer uca202 though the cck would suffice, unless you want midi control or a midi foot switch. Maybe people should start appreciating that the technology that is in their hands is more capable than they know. And I am not just talking about consumers.

P.S. I realize that people are getting good results using powered usb hubs and certain audio interfaces and midi to USB adapters and whatever else, but these options restrict the portability mobile devices offer. So it's a stupid workaround. No offence meant.

audiojunkie · Post by **audiojunkie** » Thu Sep 27, 2012 6:25 pm

BlaNoMus wrote:I use the iU2 for some time and it's working perfect for me.
It's conencted via an powerd USB-hub. Connecting with the dock connector did not work and is not very usefull to me anyway. Via the hub I can connect USB controlers.

If I would need een interface now I would go for the new DUO-CAPTURE EX from Roland http://www.rolandus.com/products/details/1248/498

Wow! Thanks for bringing this to my attention!!! I now know what I want to get!

--Sean

audiojunkie · Post by **audiojunkie** » Thu Sep 27, 2012 6:27 pm

sold wrote:I would like to see a better effort than what Tascam made with the iU2. The concept is great, but the execution is lacking in certain areas. I still think it is the best iThingy specific interface to date, but that is because no other manufacturer has bothered taking the mobile music production market seriously. Audiobus will help make proper music production on iDevices a reality, which should at least make manufacturers take more notice of the capabilities of tablet pc's for mobile recording and performance. If Tascam have discontinued the iU2, that is a real shame. I'm glad I bought one. Otherwise, a simple device like the Behringer uca202 though the cck would suffice, unless you want midi control or a midi foot switch. Maybe people should start appreciating that the technology that is in their hands is more capable than they know. And I am not just talking about consumers.

P.S. I realize that people are getting good results using powered usb hubs and certain audio interfaces and midi to USB adapters and whatever else, but these options restrict the portability mobile devices offer. So it's a stupid workaround. No offence meant.

Did you notice the above-mentioned Roland duo-capture ex?

--Sean

DrApostropheX · Post by **DrApostropheX** » Thu Sep 27, 2012 6:49 pm

Or the Alesis IO4 which offers 24-bit audio capture (2 channels) or 16-bit (four channels) and MIDI I/O.

sold · Post by **sold** » Fri Sep 28, 2012 12:20 am

I had not seen either of those interfaces actually. The Alesis looks good, but one feature I would require that seems to be missing is the ability to charge the iPad while using it when near an electrical outlet. It's a handy feature to have. And it's nice that there are compatible devices, but I would like to see some dedicated interfaces that don't suck mainly for that reason. Unless there is a workaround I'm overlooking.

Aural Chaos · Post by **Aural Chaos** » Fri Sep 28, 2012 12:32 am

Any idea of street price on the Roland one?
Guessing it is not out yet?

BlaNoMus · Post by **BlaNoMus** » Fri Sep 28, 2012 8:54 am

polaris20 wrote:
BlaNoMus wrote:I use the iU2 for some time and it's working perfect for me.
It's connected via an powerd USB-hub. Connecting with the dock connector did not work and is not very usefull to me anyway. Via the hub I can connect USB controlers.

If I would need een interface now I would go for the new DUO-CAPTURE EX from Roland http://www.rolandus.com/products/details/1248/498
Why even bother with the iU2 at all then, if you're just going to use a hub? there are plenty of USB interfaces that work with the iPad, the CCK, and a hub.

Originally I did not plan to use it this way. It looked like a nice compact solution for on the road with only a iPad. When I'm with the band I use it with an hub. The Roland interface has the advantage of working also on battery's.

echologist · Post by **echologist** » Sat Sep 29, 2012 11:48 am

temperamental is how I would describe the connectivity between the ipad and my IU2. have notfigured out why the ipad sometimes recognizes it and why other times it does not

audiojunkie · Post by **audiojunkie** » Tue Oct 02, 2012 6:27 pm

I have always liked Roland gear, and it seems that the Roland duo-capture ex is going to be the leader of the pack. However, it's more pricey than I will be able to afford. I'm looking at the possibilities of these:

http://www.behringer.com/EN/Products/UCA202.aspx

http://www.logilink.eu/showproduct/UA00 ... anguage=en

If anyone has any ideas that might be better than this combination, I'm definitely open to suggestions.

--Sean

oly · Post by **oly** » Wed Oct 03, 2012 12:58 pm

After 6 months of irritating frustration with my iU2 and crap support from Tascam I've now connected my iPad 3 running iOS 6 with the latest GarageBand via the camera connection kit, a cheap old powered Trust 4 port hub and some USB cables. Now it works great. Only down side is I can hear the occasional click when playing guitar - probably the cheap USB hub or something but it's not enough to cause a problem.

The iU2 is a great idea and a great design, it has all the features I want and most of the others don't. People moaning about build quality is daft, it's a cheap little product and hasn't been designed for the road, so what! Apple are the key problem here and they have stuffed up Tascam badly as they have done with others (the Alesis IO dock seems to have lots of problems too). Basically Apple weren't ready for this whole IO thing and haven't dealt with it very well.

In the meantime it would appear that the vendors approach to iPad is rapidly changing away from the 30 pin dock connector to USB via the camera kit. This makes sense in lots of ways as all other devices connect to hardware via USB. So long as you can get digital in/out in a sound card you don't really need much else.

Saying all that I am very annoyed with Tascam support as they should have released information to state clearly "You can switch to 'computer' mode (as opposed to 'iOS') and then connect via USB, but you might need a powered hub and it will work fine till we sort our issues" rather than just staying tight lipped and making customers work it all out .... I have had some rather unpleasant conversations with Tascam on this topic. Other vendors are much more in the modern age (Presonus, Behringer) and their support guys will talk to customers on the forums and have sensible conversations about problems .... rather than refusing to talk to the general public like Tascam.

Overall conclusion is Roland are on the money with their new duo-capture ex, it's pretty much identical to the iU2 except it has battery support so you don't need the USB powered hub and it's ruggedised.

One last irritation remains - the camera kit from Apple is crap build quality and doesn't connect securely, they should be shot for not putting a USB port in the iPad.

echologist · Post by **echologist** » Wed Oct 03, 2012 1:05 pm

oly wrote: they should be shot for not putting a USB port in the iPad.

damn straight!

rockstar_not · Post by **rockstar_not** » Wed Oct 03, 2012 1:17 pm

oly wrote:After 6 months of irritating frustration with my iU2 and crap support from Tascam I've now connected my iPad 3 running iOS 6 with the latest GarageBand via the camera connection kit, a cheap old powered Trust 4 port hub and some USB cables. Now it works great. Only down side is I can hear the occasional click when playing guitar - probably the cheap USB hub or something but it's not enough to cause a problem.

The iU2 is a great idea and a great design, it has all the features I want and most of the others don't. People moaning about build quality is daft, it's a cheap little product and hasn't been designed for the road, so what! Apple are the key problem here and they have stuffed up Tascam badly as they have done with others (the Alesis IO dock seems to have lots of problems too). Basically Apple weren't ready for this whole IO thing and haven't dealt with it very well.

....

Saying all that I am very annoyed with Tascam support as they should have released information to state clearly "You can switch to 'computer' mode (as opposed to 'iOS') and then connect via USB, but you might need a powered hub and it will work fine till we sort our issues" rather than just staying tight lipped and making customers work it all out .... I have had some rather unpleasant conversations with Tascam on this topic. Other vendors are much more in the modern age (Presonus, Behringer) and their support guys will talk to customers on the forums and have sensible conversations about problems .... rather than refusing to talk to the general public like Tascam.

This basically mirrors my experience with TASCAM and my US800 (which instead of fixing the issue or refunding purchases to customers, they simply drop the product from the product line). I was hoping for better with the iU2, as I am actually really digging having GarageBand on my iPhone. Way more usable than I expected. I was hoping the iU2 would be a more useful thing to buy for doing music with the iPhone than one of the iRig type of devices. But it looks like they are hiding again after a great idea/bad execution nightmare like the US800 was/is.

I will lurk this thread until something truly useful for iOS and USB comes along. The DuoCapture is not the answer from what I can tell. I see the FocusRite iTrack Solo as a dual interface device, but can't tell if it works with iPhone. The Griffin thing looks interesting but no USB for when you might want to use it with a non iOS device.

audiojunkie · Post by **audiojunkie** » Wed Oct 03, 2012 3:12 pm

Just curious, why do you think the DuoCapture is not going to be a good answer? It does everything iU2 can do, is self powered, works on other computers, etc., etc. Roland hardware is always solid. The only thing I can see as a bad thing, is that it is expensive--otherwise, it looks like a solid hit.

--Sean

Tascam iU2 mobile interface