Tascam iU2 mobile interface

[echologist]

looks like these are only hitting stores march 25th

wonder if they're first waiting for apple to release IOS 5.1?

oh well, mine on order from same day music anyway

[Michaelogoe]

*BUMP* So it's the 9 April 2012. Still no signs of any user reviews or anything? I'm too low on $ to spend at the mo, but would really like to replace my iRig + iRig midi for 1 port based solution... Anyone

[echologist]

expecting mine tomorrow. will post my findings asap

[Michaelogoe]

Great! Thumbs pressed so it goes well

[Storms]

I think this device is too cheaply made to be reliable or have good sound quality.

Here is my iPad studio setup - it works pretty damn good:

Windows Laptop running Ableton Live -> Tascam US-800 (picked up on eBay for $99, 5ms latency ASIO)

iPad 3 -> Another Tascam US-800 connected via SPDIF to the other US-800.

MIDI in/out connected between the 2 US-800s.

I have an NI Maschine on the same computer with my MIDI keyboard connected to it's MIDI in/out.

This setup is awesome - I can record MIDI in on Ableton through Maschine or the MIDI keyboard. I can send MIDI out to the iPad and record pristine 44khz/16 bit audio directly into Live. I can also use the iPad as a MIDI controller for soft synths and VSTs with TouchOSC or Lemur.

With this setup, I can load Sunrizer or any other synth and control it just like a real outboard MIDI synth and bounce it down to digital audio with no loss whenever I feel like it. I can run more than one synth at a time and put each one on a different MIDI channel. It's really awesome.

Tascam US-800s are dirt cheap on eBay. Their 64-bit Windows 7 drivers suck, however, and if you try to use it as a non-ASIO sound card the memory leaks will kill your system. However, if your laptop or computer has another built in sound card for Windows system sounds, and you only use the US-800 for ASIO, it works fine. It's got a ton of inputs and outputs, and you can even route separate outputs to dual headphone jacks for live monitoring and click tracks. Outboard effects loops, everything is possible with this.

[satchnut]

How are you connecting the US-800 to the iPad?

[Storms]

How are you connecting the US-800 to the iPad?

Camera connection kit. The US-800 is class compliant MIDI and Audio. It also works in Multitrack DAW with 8 inputs and 6 outputs. You can run an outboard effects loop.

[DrApostropheX]

How are you connecting the US-800 to the iPad?

Camera connection kit. The US-800 is class compliant MIDI and Audio. It also works in Multitrack DAW with 8 inputs and 6 outputs. You can run an outboard effects loop.

Yeah, but can it charge the iPad whilst it's plugged in?

[Storms]

How are you connecting the US-800 to the iPad?

Camera connection kit. The US-800 is class compliant MIDI and Audio. It also works in Multitrack DAW with 8 inputs and 6 outputs. You can run an outboard effects loop.

Yeah, but can it charge the iPad whilst it's plugged in?

No, but the new iPad gets roughly 12 hours of running time in most synth apps. They beefed up the battery to give you 10 hours playing 3d games, but synth apps and other 2d apps don't take nearly as much juice.

I've yet to finish a 4 hour studio jam session with less than 70% or so, and I have the screen lock disabled. 10-12 hours is more than enough time.

[sonicflux]

I think this device is too cheaply made to be reliable or have good sound quality.

I don't understand your reasoning. You don't say that you have tried the IU2, but you state it's too cheaply made. In your next breath, you extoll the virtues of the even cheaper US800. Using that standard, the US800 should be worse than the IU2.

Care to elaborate?

The other benefit of the IU2 is that it doesn't require an external power supply. I don't like the fact that the dock connector cable is hard wired to the unit, though.

[DrApostropheX]

The other benefit of the IU2 is that it doesn't require an external power supply. I don't like the fact that the dock connector cable is hard wired to the unit, though.

Yeah, I'm not thrilled by that either. Is it really hardwired, or is there a port inside that little compartment. It's not a dealbreaker, but if that cable ever breaks or gets worn...

[sonicflux]

Is it really hardwired, or is there a port inside that little compartment.

The first (and only, for the time being) review on Amazon confirms that the dock cable is attached. Honestly, it probably wouldn't be much of a problem to replace if it broke, but I feel it is a questionable design decision.

Of course, they could have gone the route of Apogee and had a propriatary jack for the dock cable, and then sold replacements with a huge markup. That wouldn't have pleased me much, either.

If it gets decent reveiws on audio quality, I'll be getting one just for the portability and versatility.

[polaris20]

I think this device is too cheaply made to be reliable or have good sound quality.

Why would you possibly make this statement when you've never even used it? That's like me saying. "the Line 6 James Tyler Variax guitars aren't very well made since they're made in Korea, and the models aren't at all like the originals" when I've never even played one.

[Storms]

I think this device is too cheaply made to be reliable or have good sound quality.

I don't understand your reasoning. You don't say that you have tried the IU2, but you state it's too cheaply made. In your next breath, you extoll the virtues of the even cheaper US800. Using that standard, the US800 should be worse than the IU2.

Care to elaborate?

The other benefit of the IU2 is that it doesn't require an external power supply. I don't like the fact that the dock connector cable is hard wired to the unit, though.

Just looking at the switches on the bottom of the unit, and like you mentioned, the dock connector being hardwired. No power supply, relying on bus power. I'm sure the AD/DA converters are not the best.

The US-800 might not be the best interface, but it does have 96khz/24-bit support, phantom power, and decent pre. It's light years ahead of the IU2 in basic functionality and quality. I mean, you're comparing an interface that's $369.99 retail vs. a $149.99 retail interface. There's bound to be some upgraded circuitry in there.

[echologist]