Good audio-midi interface for iPad Air 2?

[duncanm]

Would this be a good option? I assume that for some others, the fact that it only works with USB power kind of defeats the point if you want to do it 'on the move', but thought I'd ask!

That will work provided you are OK with the iPad not being charged during use. The power to the USB hub only provides power to the KA6.

yeah, that would be fine. 8 hours at a time is long enough Cheers!

Then again, a thought; NAMM in a few weeks and Arturia making noises about how they're going to 'change the world' of audio interfaces...wondering if it's worth waiting!

[bmrzycki]

Then again, a thought; NAMM in a few weeks and Arturia making noises about how they're going to 'change the world' of audio interfaces...wondering if it's worth waiting!

That's where I'm at. Jan 22 isn't far away and I've waited this long. Let's see if something good comes out.

[aMUSEd]

Yeah I'm doing the same.

[mandolarian]

Me too.

I love joining a good cause....what are we waiting for exactly?

[duncanm]

Actually, reading about, Arturia are saying it's a 'high end' interface i.e. expensive. Which is fine if you're a professional, but i'm definitely not.

[bill45]

This was recommended to me:
http://us.focusrite.com/ios-audio-inter ... track-dock#
It's one of the few with lightning connector

[Breeze]

I got an Air 2 as well. My old iPad 2 feels like a truck beside it....

I want to be able to keep I/O in the digital domain. Using the iPad as an effects box means being able to process I/O with low latency. Here's my requirements:

1. MIDI I/O
2. Digital SPDIF stereo iPad Audio I/O, 24-bit, and up to 88.2/96 kHz operation
3. Analog Headphone Monitoring
4. Clock lockable to external clock (SPDIF and/or Wordclock)
5. Low latency operation.
6. Powering the iPad while connected.
7. An iOS app that allows interfacing and configuration.

It's hard to find something that provides all that and works elegantly. It's why I've held on to the deprecated 8-ch Tascam interface I have, though I haven't had a chance to test it with the Air2 yet. The next IConnect device might be the one, we'll see. I also find it's still a PITA not having some kind of iOS config utility for audio/MIDI like OS X does.

Overall, I find iPad Audio/Midi I/O messy, with cables, adapters, hub, power.... It's so unlike the usual elegance of the Apple ecosystem. Someone should point this out to Apple....

[bmrzycki]

Just bumping this old thread to say I'm disappointed with the current announcements from NAMM. If anyone has seen a good iOS interface that's slipped under the big news radar I'd appreciate any leads.

(And, of course, the Griffin StudioConnectHD is still vaporware with no news to be seen )

[Mivo]

The only downside is that it wouldnt keep the ipad charged, since no device that relies on the camera connection kit will charge, but you get so much more flexibility

That is a decisive downside, though, at least for me. In my case, this would mean having to use three different things: interface, charger, connection kit (which I prefer to leave connected to the Analog Rytm, so I'd need a second one for €25). If the interface also handles charging, it's one thing less.

Does anyone have first hand experience with the Griffin StudioConnect Lightning? I might give it a try.

[aMUSEd]

Just bumping this old thread to say I'm disappointed with the current announcements from NAMM.

Me too, and looks like the new Arturia one isn't going to be what I was hoping for either.

Back looking at iconnectmidi but I hear they have latency for the audio pass through?

[aMUSEd]

Does anyone have first hand experience with the Griffin StudioConnect Lightning? I might give it a try.

No but I felt the upright docking position the iPad is kept in would not be very useful compared to a more stable slightly tilted but flat position. The Focusrite dock looks like it might be the best one to me right now.

[Breeze]

Back looking at iconnectmidi but I hear they have latency for the audio pass through?

For the older ones but I'm wondering if it's better with the new iConnectAUDIO4+ Audio + MIDI interface. It's the best and closest bet so far for powered integration of an iPad in a desktop DAW environment. The audio specs are not that impressive, but for digital to digital it should be fine.

I don't know if this model is any different, but for the 4+ on the PC they ask you to use ASIO4ALL instead of offering a custom PC solution. And this model only allows connectivity between two devices, while the the 4+ allows connecting 3; this might make latency better but there's no word on latency on any of the specs though it's likely latency is also dependent on the number of channels as well as bit depth and SR. Wait and see, I guess...

[Mivo]

The Focusrite dock looks like it might be the best one to me right now.

More flexible too, it seems. Does it charge the iPad? I may be blind, but I didn't see that being mentioned in the product description.

edit: This review mentions that it does charge the iPad.

[Breeze]

The Focusrite dock looks like it might be the best one to me right now.

More flexible too, it seems. Does it charge the iPad? I may be blind, but I didn't see that being mentioned in the product description.

edit: This review mentions that it does charge the iPad.

2 things I don't like about these docks: 1) they can only be used with certain iPads based on their form factor and 2) they don't pass digital audio directly from the iPad to a computer and vice versa. This is really important to me.

But even with iConnect MIDI there's a problem on the PC: you can't build an aggregate device on Windows like you can on OS X, and the only access to ASIO is through ASIO4ALL. Since you can't use more than one ASIO driver with DAW at one time, it's an unacceptable situation for me: my main ASIO card is wired to my monitoring and all my external devices. But it works fine on OS X.

The only thing that makes sense is to find an interface that can provide USB to SPDIF Digital I/O and lock to external SPDIF clock, which isn't that difficult. But finding one that will recharge the iPad at the same time is; some generic form of the iRig PowerBridge that could provide power and USB connectivity is required.