Well said and i couldn’t agree more.
If you have a Launchpad you can have some hardware integration fun too:
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Once I heard people say iPad music production is the second best in any aspect. I generally agree and happy with it.
Just so cost effective to have a great music production device that also handle my investment spreadsheet, remote access to my server etc.
A very compact and capable combo!
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I started buying iOS music apps when they started appearing. I have more synths/samplers/daws/grooveboxes/romplers/effects on iPhone/iPad then I would ever use. Yet…I’ve made more stuff with that TE Pocket Operator that’s a drum machine (po-12?). Not to mention Elektron hardware. It’s fun to goof around on iOS, make some sample fodder etc, but that’s pretty much everything I can get out of it.
That said, you can absolutely make awesome stuff on iOS, as professional sounding as anything else out there.
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Technically, the lossless digital internal audio routing of iPad or a computer is more precise if not better. The end result music is purely personal taste.
It is a bit odd to hear iPad “can” be as good as others while iPad/computer deliver the cleanest/lossless audio during the production.
Again end result music is purely subjective
Anyone have thoughts on Patterning 3 thus far?
I never used Patterning 2, so it’s all new to me. The ability to get an evolving beat up and running quickly is impressive. I am also in love with so much direct, quick control over velocity. The quality of some of the Cloud Kits is really impressive- I feel like the sound coming out of it is really strong. (Anyone have any recommendations for favorite Cloud Kits?)
Modulation options are good, especially the Velocity modulation option. I haven’t used the timeline yet, but I feel that can be really nice to sketch out an entire track, and then export out into Logic.
$30 is a lot in the iOS world, but I actually feel like I need to spend time with it for the money I spent.
Would love to hear how others are getting along with it.
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I think the key restriction for me is the lack of native connectivity. My iPad is full of amazing synths and samplers, but my SP-404 has MIDI and audio jacks (and power, which can be important, and removable media). Hubs exist, of course, but there’s a path of least resistance factor that hampers the iPad for me, and means it tends to be used as a portable noodler. But put Sector, Samplr or Fugue Machine in a box with some I/O and I’d be very tempted to pay the price of an iPad for each one. It’s clearly madness, but that’s how it is.
I gave up trusting iPad audio docks long ago because upgrading your iPad usually meant upgrading your dock, but maybe with USB-C established the time is ripe for them to return. Ah, they’ll find a way to ruin it.
As an on-topic bonus, I recently discovered Relic Waves by Alexander Zolotov, a kind of pad-focused extension of his drum-oriented Fractal Beats, and it’s a perfect iPad delight - cheap and absorbing, an endless resource of seeded FM patches with FX that sometimes feels like a budget Soma Labs experience and other times like a Reader’s Digest version of an Autechre album. As a sample source alone it pays for itself in seconds.
I’ve just done a due diligence search and I see it was mentioned a few times earlier in the thread, but I’m still going to enthuse about it for the benefit of those who may have missed it previously (like me).
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I think the time of iPad docks is kind of over thankfully.
I’ve been just using regular sound cards and MIDI controllers and everything just works other than that you only have one USB C so you potentially need to use a hub with a power injector.
At the moment I’m very interested in the new class of devices like the Polyend Tracker+ which seem to have very capable USB C implementations because currently having to hook up power, MIDI and audio in both directions is a total hassle, but one cable to hook two devices is super powerful.
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I’ve tried many hubs and the one I keep recommending is UNI.
It has NEVER failed on me. No weird connection sequences to be recognized. It has a rubber cover that has saved the iPad of getting some scratches and you can change the cable for any desirable one (longer, sturdier connection…). PD input actually powers all the bus powered devices connected to it, so they don’t rely on the iPad’s power. It has 3 USB A, which is not a lot, but I’ve never found the need for anything else than 1 audio interface and 2 USB MIDI devices (more MIDI I/O on the interface if needed).
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iOS has class-compliant support now.
Lightning ports had power restrictions for bus-powered devices, but with USB-C there’s no need for expensive Apple adapters (or third-party ones that might break with updates).
You can use generic type-b to type-c cables/adapters and plug in just about any audio interface.
What I did was buy an “Anker 556” usb-c hub when it was on sale for $60 or so.
It doesn’t need to be anything as ‘high end’, but that one met my specific needs.
The two main things I wanted were a removable cable, and PD passthrough.
- That lets me plug in my iPad with a longer cable, so I can hide the hub away at the back of the desk (they sell a clamp for it too).
- And it provides enough power that the iPad will charge or at least maintain its battery life when running AUM/Loopy Pro, depending on how bright I have the screen.
Two USB-A ports is not a ton, so I have an old 7-port USB2 hub plugged into one of those for my synths/midi controllers.
I don’t know if it’s specific to this Anker hub, but since it uses USB-PD for power, rather than a generic power brick, those devices only power on when I actually connect the iPad - which was a nice bonus.
So all I have to do to set things up is plug in a single cable and it’s ready to go.
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I considered the UNI then got this:
The reasons were that Anker has a headphone out and 60Hz 4k (Uni is 30Hz) however it doesn’t have an ethernet if that matters.
I’ve been using it for 3 months and it hasn’t missed a beat.
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I paged through a couple dozen pages of USB hubs on Amazon and settled on this one:
• No perma-attached cord — use whatever length suits your setup
• USB 3.0
• 100W PD
• Just USB outlets (no HDMI, etc) — mix of type A and type C
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how are you hooking up patterning to push? i have patterning 2 and push 2 not sure if you need 3 of both?
I use this too. It is the best option in terms of cost/function for the iPad Pro/Air with M chip.
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I connect the iPad to the Push with the MCH Streamer USB-to-ADAT adapter. You should be able to use patterning 2 in that setup just fine.
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Is there something like the streamer with 2 pairs of ADAT I/O?
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Good find in a sea of options 
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I can second this. It took me days to search for something appropriate and this was pretty much the only option left. Especially the detachable cable is so very important since that’s the component which will break first. Chances are even higher with this shitty short cables. Don’t even want to know what it does to the host USB C port in the long term because of the torsion.
The SD Card slot is also great for my sample library and backing up stuff. I could need one more USB port tho.
Looking good, this was the thing I wanted in the first place but I figured that the built-in card reader of the UNI is pretty useful. Using another adapter for this is kinda weird. I don’t like chaining adapters.
Unfortunately it seems not to be available in European stores so I missed it. They ship to Europe but it feels wrong to do that for such a generic product.
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I agree about the short cable but you can get extenders for a few pounds.
For what it’s worth, extension cables violate the USB-C spec and may cause problems - potentially being dangerous.
For example: adding a cheap extension to a cable rated for 100W PD could melt the extension or start a fire if it’s not rated to handle 100W itself (if you can even trust the rating for a cable that violates the spec).
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