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Sync hardware to iPad without an interface?
I’m looking at the Link to Midi app. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/link-to-midi/id1066216595
I have an Air4 and I’m thinking of getting a Roland TB03. I’m trying to work out if I would require a midi interface to send clock sync via Link to Midi, or is it just a case of connecting via usb?
The Roland website says ‘ Back in the studio, the TB-03 can send control information via MIDI or its USB port, the latter of which also functions as a audio interface‘. I’m just not sure whether or not I should expect it to accept midi clock via usb?
Is it only ‘class compliant’ hardware that will do this? - I don’t think the Roland Boutique range is.
My first preference would be to have the TB - 03 slaved to the iPad.
So do I absolutely need a midi interface to clock/bpm sync hardware with an iPad or can it be be done via usb only?
Thanks
Comments
Another possible approach: Connect a Yamaha MD-BT01 to the MIDI ports of the TB03 and use wireless MIDI over Bluetooth. Latency is quite low and Link To MIDI has built-in latency offset correction. I find wireless the most comfortable solution with MIDI.
Right thanks. That sound interesting. How is that linked in to a session? I notice in AUM that there is a Bluetooth ‘find and connect with devices’ in settings. Is it just a matter of enabling this then ‘send midi clock’ in the ‘clock options’ menu then setting the TB’s clock to external?
Having said that - I’ve just noticed that there is an ‘Auto’ and a ‘usb’ setting in the TB manual that says that midi clock that is input to the usb will automatically dictate the tempo. So that looks promising 😃 Sorry, I should have looked at that first. I was in a spin 🤡. I got in a real mess a while ago trying to do this with the TB3 (not 03) which ended in failure.
So its really quite straightforward... right? 😛
In fact this has given me an idea for another thread Pure Acid vs TB-03... I’ll just get to that now.
Cheers
Exactly.
FYI Roland USB usually isn’t class compliant / compatible with iPad
OK so let me get this right. A hardware instrument has to be ‘class compliant’ or else it will not receive midi clock via usb. Is this correct?
If that is the case then it is not possible to send clock messages from an iPad to a non class compliant instrument (despite both having usb) since drivers are not available for the iPad unless you purchase a midi interface Is this also correct?
Where is the instrument expecting to get it’s messages from via usb? Is it meant for other instruments that also have usb? Or is it just laptops or what is it? What about Macs?
What about android? Could my Samsung phone sync one via usb? I could then Link to a session.
How do you find out if an instrument is class compliant? If there is no mention of it being so on their webpage, do we assume it’s not. Is that how it works?
Roland make no mention of the need for Drivers on their website for the TB-03 😕.
Class compliance means the device can operate without specific drivers. OS provides a generic driver for generic operations. This applies to all OSs, but on desktop you have an option to extend generic operation by installing driver.
CC is precondition for your iDevice to recognise ext.hw. Once it’s recognised it’s down to the hw how sync is handled.
Class compliance lets you use the hardware box with your iDevice so they can talk MIDI. If it's not, you need drivers (like for Win and Mac) but since you can't install system drivers on iOS, the only way to communicate is over a separate (class compliant) interface or Bluetooth MIDI dognles.
MIDI clock support is independent from that, some support receiving, some support sending, some both.
It's either mentioned in the description or they say it's "iOS compliant". No mention usually means it's not.
Good question. Sometimes they offer drivers for Win and Mac although the device is class compliant or has at least a switch to enable it.
It's best to ask Roland support or find someone who owns one and can tell.
Most hw should work fine (most are based on generic midi specifications).
I don’t have Roland hw, but I imagine if you plug it into your iDevice it would be recognised as a midi device, but only on desktop (with drivers installed) can it be used as audio interface - meaning:
it’s CC midi device, but not CC audio device.
OK thanks everyone. I think I’ve found a simple solution to this. Through my foraging and research etc I have only recently discovered that the Berhinger TD-3 has a very good pattern editor (for pc only I think) which makes writing patterns quite simple, also the TD-3 is true analogue. Not only that it has a sync in jack which will receive sync clock messages from Korg SyncKontrol, which has Ableton Link. Not only that - the TD-3 is much cheaper. So I will likely go down this route.. particularly because I can get two for less than the price of one TB-03.
Thanks everyone!
I use The Missing Link to solve clock issues with my hardware, if that helps. One knob to control them all...
http://circuithappy.com/products/themissinglink/