Just looking for some quick confirmation from midi-heads out there that this will work. I can’t see any reason it wouldn’t. Saving cash for op-1 + mpc1000 and figured 2nd hand Ipad mini 3 will cover most bases for now.
Plan is
OT
Kenton 5 splitter.
Out to 4 synths/samplers + Ipad.
Any recommendations on a cheap/solid midi > Ipad midi cable? I assume I could also ditch the Kenton and use only the OT + Ipad (with midi cable) for simple/portable setup.
Just wanna check there’s nothing I need to watch out for with bringing an Ipad in to the equation.
I don’t see any issues with that, although I haven’t used the Kenton.
Personally, I use an older Griffin Studio Connect with a 30 pin to Lightning adaptor for my iPad 4, and it works great. I have yet to find a dock that meets all my needs, so I decided to go with the least expensive and most flexible option I could find. I was concerned about the RCA connections, but I really don’t notice any impact on the audio signal.
The thing with the iPad is that it’s basically a computer. Thus, as long as you stay within a couple of parameters, you can pretty easily hack together a solution without buying something “made for iOS”. The main thing is that anything you use must be class-compliant (ie, does not need drivers installed), and it cannot draw more power than the iPad can handle. I’ve successfully hacked together a setup using a powered USB hub alongside an old Alesis USB mixer and a cheap USB to midi cable, as well as using a Novation X-Station. In both cases, I used the Lightning to USB adaptor (and you’ve got to get the Apple version-the generics will not work), but other than that I was using equipment all created before iOS even existed.
Hopefully this gives you some ideas; feel free to hit me with questions.
Ive used a midi splitter from my OT to an iPad before and it works just fine. You can even plug a midi keyboard into your OT and control iPad apps with a traditional keyboard if they don’t already have an interesting built in tactile interface. You will need to buy the apple camera connection kit to provide a USB input to your iPad, and they are like $30 which is stupid, but I’ve heard a small number of people have had troubles with knock offs.
Any generic midi to USB cable will work.
I have that one, didn’t remember it being so costly.
I also have s Kenton Midi USB host so I can use things like the op1 and its sequencers with analogue gear, or to plug a Keith McMillen keyboard into the octatrack for smaller setups. Either works fine with an iPad just using USB, though.
Thanks peeps for the info and links. That griffin dock looks like a good/cheap solution but I’m running out of space atm and looking for a setup that I can both use in studio setup with other synths and samplers via the Kenton, and often minimise and only use OT and Ipad with cables only. I did similar thing to you @Accent with novation Xstation and then xiosynth last time I had an Ipad a few years back. Both worked great as I remember (for both midi and audio interface).
The Kenton usb host box looks handy too. Might look at getting one later when I pick up an op-1.
So with Kenton 5 splitter + (any generic) midi to usb cable + (apple) usb to lighting camera adapter I should be set, thanks for the clarification + reassurance
I’d say the footprint of the Griffin is maybe 3" x 5"…I can measure it for you later if you like. It’s pretty small and compact, easy to fit on a small amount of surface space or toss in a backpack.
Of course, if you only need midi and no audio, then it’s probably not as useful, but if you need a compact and cheap solution for both audio and midi it’s surprisingly better than I expected.
I might actually pick one up. They’re real cheap used on eBay. I imagined it being a dock like the alesis io I had a few years back, which I don’t have desk space for. Was planning on just propping Ipad wherever possible, but the Griffin tilted vibe actually looks like it would SAVE space Prob ideal for cheap studio ssetup. And I can still get midi>usb cables for when I just want to jam on floor/lap/bed etc. Thanks for the heads up on it.
your setup won’t charge the ipad while you’re jamming. that could be a problem, depending on how long you run the ipad and how many apps you’re using simultaneously.
the iConnectMIDI4+ (us$200) has 4 midi ins/outs and connects to and charges your ipad AND connects to your computer in the studio AND sends audio from your ipad to your daw and vice versa AND has a usb slot for plugging in a midi controller to contol everything. you can plug up to 8 usb synths into the device too.
comes with iOS/mac/pc software to configure your midi routing.
it’s more than you want to spend, but it combines the kenton 5 midi thru and the usb host, and nothing else does what it does.
i used to use the original iconnectmidi1 (now discontinued). took me to a whole new level.
Thanks everyone. Loads of good info there. I’d love the iconnectmidi4 but it’s out of my budget atm. I only have £100 and need to buy some cables and other dull stuff… Maybe I’ll pick that up later but for now I just want to get everything connected asap. Going to grab the Kenton thru5 and lighting to 30 pin adaptor + couple of thomann midi to usb cables. (be handy for a little axiom 32minikey I have collecting dust) i already have camera connection kit laying around somewhere…
I got an Ipad mini 2 for my bday a few days ago. Been a couple of years since I used ios for music. Weird how much your take on something can change. I never looked down on it as such before, but never really took it seriously and although I had the alesis dock and akai 49 keys, none of it ever got used so I sold it all. I guess now I have kids it’s kind of a ‘needs must’ thing, but from sitting around with it for half hour here and there I’ve got deeper in to it in 3 days than I did in two years with my last Ipad… Sunrizer, animoog, ims20,beatmaker and funkbox are all sounding way better than I thought they could before. I guess it’s down to my learning a fair bit about programming synths etc since I had the last Ipad. But even so, I’m getting stuff that I way prefer to most of the sounds I’ve dragged out of my mininova. Still prefer my ms20 mini to the app version, but they’re close enough for the app to stand in temporarily whilst writing. Excited to sequence Ipad from OT and start resampling stuff etc.
Hi - I know it is a very old post but maybe I am lucky
“Either works fine with an iPad just using USB, though.”
Do you say that I can use an iPad with its normal USB cable(aka charging cable) - go in with that into the KENTON Midi USB and I can steer with my iPad all my midi hardware connected to the KENTON?
No, you need that midi 5 pin to usb cable linked in the original comment (or anything similar). After that you should be all set up. I can’t remember if it works directly, or only through the Kenton. I don’t have a working iPad at the moment. The midi to usb cable also has to be plugged into an Apple camera connection kit to change its port from thunderbolt or usb C to regular old usb.
Ahh - okay I see - thank you so much - that means that you cannot use any synths’ dedicated midi-usb socket with an apple iOS device - you have to take the CCK with a dedicated midi interface 5-din and go into the midi 5 din midi socket the synth has (if it has still one)… woooowww - bravo apple bravo
