Step two: get addicted to buying apps (such a reasonable price!) and get more than you actually need! 
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I think @myrtorp summed it up quite nicely.
Drambo is the only thing I’d add. It is the most versatile app you can get.
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Thanks! So the camera kit and Aum is all you really need. Will check it out. Thank you!
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Can you recommend a particular adapter - or should I use apples own?
I would highly recommend using Apple original adapter since knock offs repeatedly failed to work as intended
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Once you’re up and running, check out this thread in General Discussion:
There’s also some good information to be gleaned over in the iOS thread on lines:
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I think that the moog apps are pretty worthwhile, but they do go free on occasion so it might be worth just keeping your eyes peeled. They are really my most used sound source on ipad, maybe just pick between the model d and the model 15 and assume the other will be free eventually. The apps hainbach has been involved with seem pretty cool and unique also, especially the gauss field looper.
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DO NOT buy any other adapter for a Lightning-equipped iOS device that you want to use for music making.
I know this sounds hyperbolic, but I’m pretty sure any other iOS inclined Elektronauts will back me up on this…
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100% and it’s the best/most important thing you can buy for iOS music making
As mentioned earlier, AUM and AudioShare are massively useful. Because of the way it works, AUM makes connecting things (both internally and externally) easier than anything else I’ve encountered.
Some apps are coded more efficiently than others (significantly so, in certain cases) which means that you can run loads of instances of plugins from one developer but struggle with more than one from another. Bram Bos is a great example - I’ve got sessions with 8 different instances of Hammerhead running, alongside MIDI and audio effects & the CPU is well inside safe levels. Other creators send my CPU spiking out of control with a single instance.
Apps that I really like:
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Patterning 2. An 8 cell sample sequencer with fantastic sequencing options. It’s absurdly powerful and if it had more cells I would comfortably use it to make complete tracks on. The various other Olympia Noise Company apps are all very interesting too.
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Sector. Created by the same developer who made AUM and AudioShare, it’s a very creative sample mangling app. It’s quite hard to explain. As with all of these, I’d definitely recommend taking a look at some YT videos.
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Samplr. There’s nothing quite like Samplr. It’s sort of a granular app (of which there are numerous great examples on iOS) but that doesn’t really explain it properly. It has a handful of different cells into which you can load a series of sounds and each one can be manipulated in various ways, looped then effected. Definitely another one to watch a video on!
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Spectrum. Ports of some of the Mutable Instruments modules as free iOS plugins. Absolutely essential.
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Atom Piano Roll 2. My personal favourite sequencing app. Sits inside AUM and integrates perfectly with all 3rd gen Launchpad controllers. Ridiculously powerful and beings Ableton style clip launching to iOS.
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Rozeta Suite. By Bram Bos, it’s a collection of MIDI tools that really open things up. I use LFO on every track. A simply 3 LFO utility that you can assign to any parameters you can access within AUM. Also Mozaic is fantastic - an open scripting MIDI toolbox (also by Bram Bos) with a huge amount of user-created scripts on PatchStorage).
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MiRack. VCV Rack on iOS (except it isn’t and maybe don’t actually call it that because people get upset and I do understand why).
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Koala. Like if an SP404 met a PO33KO but it’s £4 or something stupid. Ridiculously fun and creative, Koala also has a huge community including Discord channels, Twitch streams, friendly battles etc.
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Hammerhead. Ostensibly a drum machine but in actuality a very powerful sample player and sequencer with 8 outputs which means you can bring in audio from anywhere and effect them on their own AUM channel.
I could go on, obviously, but these are some of my favourites.
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One more thought: The newer ipads have usb c, so a normal (maybe powered) hub will work. If you have lightning ipad definitely go with original cck. As others have suggested, worked great for me also…
Check out these apps:
Quanta, iDensity, Protokol, AUM, Tardigrain, Synthscaper, Soundscaper
And remember: You can buy all of the apps and if you don’t like them, you can always get your money back with this link: Request a refund for apps or content that you bought from Apple - Apple Support
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Buying too many apps at the same time is the biggest issue! I would start with one and once that is understood try the next.
Wasn’t there an App that syncs AUM to external MIDI?
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been using these for years. 0 issues.
If you want to use the iPad as an effects unit I would suggest using audiobuss rather than AUM. Audiobuss can receive a midi clock. You can also use AUM inside of Audiobuss.
In terms of making noise my go to list is:
Drambo - I think this is the best app out there. I also use it as a AU host much of the time (ie: no audio buss/aum). It can also be used as a fx unit.
Zeeon - I think this is the best sounding synth on the App Store.
The bram bos apps are fun.
I would recommend getting a dedicated sound card for the iPad. I use a Steinberg ur22.
Did you get lucky with this particular adapter, or was it a specific purchase? I’ve seen many posts here (and on other forums) of people having issues with 3rd party lightning adapters.
Good to know there are more affordable alternatives out there!
I just tried it out a few years ago as I wanted an interface and a controller connected and forgo an external multiport powered hub.
Never had any issues with it. Never had to be replaced. Never damaged an ipad or anything connected to the USB. Bought 5 more since. All still working.
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This. 
And more in general I do not like sequencing from iOS-apps for various reasons (often due to lack of transport and advanced midi options).
What I do like: use apps to create sample fodder for my Rytm.
Few suggestions: Borderlands, Shoom, Gauss, Model 15, Mononoke, Animoog, Figure etc. But don’t buy those all at once! 
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Not that Easy when on sale 
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I know this is an old thread, but I must ask - is Atom Piano Roll 2 still your preferred sequencing app, “all around”? I just saw your YT video on AUM x Xequence 2 (which is even older than this post). It looks like a good fit.
Do you typically still use both, (maybe for different uses) or just one?
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It’s funny, I’ve gone through a lot of MIDI sequencing options in iOS and never totally found the “one sequencer to rule them all” to the extent that I’m not convinced I ever will. I still use Atom 2 a lot, but it’s very limited in terms of drum sequencing. It’s great for melodic things and the clip approach is fantastic but I wish it had a grid based accompanying app that worked in the same ecosystem so that both things could operate in the same clip/Launchpad setup.
As that doesn’t (and likely won’t ever) exist, I use Polybeat alongside Atom 2 to provide all the things I need for sequencing drums and nom-melodic samples. It’s incredibly powerful with polyrhythmic functionality, probability and a load more elements that make it ideal for my needs. Also it works really well for sequencing effects which essentially allows me to parameter lock patterns on AUM channels regardless of what signals I’m sending through them. Honestly, what it’s capable of is absolutely absurd!
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