iPad interfacing with other gear - what works for you?

The Lounge Other Gear
#1

Hello! does anyone know how I can could these three things at once:

  • Receive Midi from a midi keyboard into the iPad (USB)
  • Send iPad audio to my mixer
  • Receive power i.e. charge iPad

This thread:

…talks about the topic in the context of Digitakt. My use-case here ideally involves no Elektron gear but rather the Simply Piano app on iPad. If I were to involve a Digitakt I guess I could set some midi channel on which to send midi kb data that passes through to the iPad, and the audio of the iPad would go into the DT (same USB cable), and then out of the DT’s audio outs. But would like to not use the DT for this.

I’ve seen this thing (and also some Amazon knock-offs)

…where I could plug in my midi keyboard awa charge it, but how would I get audio out of the iPad? I guess I need some kind of combined audio/midi interface – any good suggestions? Something that doesn’t need its own power supply?

I have the UMC222 and Midisport which are audio and midi interfaces, respectively, but seems I need a bit of both…. Thanks :slight_smile:

#2

This?

I just bought the older version that is not usb-c. One cable to the iPad provides power, midi and audio pass through.

Are the UMC222 and midi sport connected to a Mac? If so, maybe you can bypass all this and just connect directly to the Mac.

#3

The iConnect will do it. Or you can use a USB-C PD hub and plug everything into that.

1 Like
#4

I use a hub as mentioned above. For audio, you will need a USB C to audio out dongle. Plug that into the hub and away you go! I used to do that all the time and it was fine for me. Good luck!

#5

For MIDI I‘m using WIDI Master, a Bluetooth dongle powered over MIDI DIN. For my DX7 for example I can use the Dixie IPad app to design sounds in real-time. Even loading cartridges etc. works in real-time that way. Pretty amazing.

#6

I use a hyperdrive 6 in 1 adapter with launchpad pro and midi fighter twister piping midi in and audio out via its 3.5 jack into my Allen and heath zedi 10… stays charged via the pd input on the interface… simple but effective…

#7

I use this hub with my iPad Pro with USB-C:

You can then plug in 2 USB devices and 1 USB-C audio dongle and get USB-C power to it.

So that means you can connect a MIDI keyboard to the Hub to play the iPad synths and the audio can be routed over the 1/8th USB-C audio dongle to anywhere:

2 Likes
#8

Just grab a hub and be future proofed.

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1 Like
#9

Thanks everybody, really useful…!

@echo_opera, for that Anker hub, am I right in thinking that you plug that straight into the iPad, i.e. no need for a ‘camera adapter’?

#10

Get a standard, affordable (in your budget) class compliant, 2 channel in and out audio interface with midi, and appropriate adaptor/dongle for your model of iPad (either lightning or usb-c).

The power will come from your standard iPad usb charger.

Focusrite, Presonus, M-audio and similar companies will have choices in the $75-150 range, on up to whatever you wish to spend.

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#11

I am using the Korg Plugkey. Works like a charme and no need for Camera Adapter

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#12

Here’s how I do it.
Lighting to USB adaper in ipad.
Ipad power adapter goes in that.
Midi keyboard goes in the usb socket.
Ipad audio goes out the headpone socket.

Super simple.

#13

Correct. If you have a USB-C based iPad it works directly plugged into the iPad. You only need the Camera Connection dongle if it’s USB-A (or whatever the previous gen was called). I use the CCK Dongle with my older 7 Port USB-A Hub.

#14

I got one of those Anker USB-C hubs that @echo_opera mentioned. When plugging in the iPad, it doesn’t charge. The little circle light lights on the Anker up but not sure what that means. I also get this symbol (a dongle) top right on the ipad intermittently, that I haven’t seen before.

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I think I need a more powerful wall-wart perhaps? Found the original wall wart and cable. But when I plug in the iPad through the Anker, the iPad does still not charge. But gives me a different icon, not showing the battery strength. yawn tech idiosynchracies.

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Any tips? perhaps I just got a lemon… :lemon:

#15

I have to use my MacBook Pro wall wart to give it power to the HUB and my iPad and any USB device connected to it. Seems to work. I hope it isn’t having any adverse affect to my devices though. :upside_down_face:

Right now the setup is powering my iPad Pro, my Polyend Play and the SP 404 mk2 all over USB-C.

1 Like
#16

Got one of these in the end, seems to be doing the job just fine! (Was pricier than I thought it would be though!)

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