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iPad at NAMM
I still remember how NAMM 2011 (or was it 2012?) was literally evolving around the back then relatively new iPad and everyone was excited about it. So much new music hardware and software was introduced. Also the birth of the first serious DAW Auria. Boy was I excited about the future of iPad music making.
Now 13 years later: NAMM 2024 + iPad = NOTHING! (correct me if I’m wrong)
What happened? What went wrong?
Any chance of revival?
Will the same happen to Vision Pro?
Comments
I see iPads all over the music production world. Many of the top electronic music youtubers feature them from time to time and apps like Drambo, iPad Logic and others are regularly discussed on Elektronauts, Gearspace and others, + featured in magazines. If it took center stage back then, it was only because it was new and fresh.
iPad production was never going to dominate this world or overtake PC but it’s a tried and true tool that many people use and appreciate for what it is.
Well I mostly was pointing out the disappearance of the iPad on NAMM.
That to me clearly indicates a loss of interest in the iPad as a music making device.
Also in forums like Gearspace the iPad seems to be a bit of an ugly duckling of the music industry. A category cramped into 3 subcategories.
Don’t get me wrong. In my books the iPad is an amazing and perfectly capable music device.
I just don’t understand it’s rather subpar image in the context of music production.
Is the iPad still seen as a toy? Is it iPadOS with its limitations?
It’s definitely not a lack of hardware specs (anymore).
Part of the problem - and it's the same thing that makes this a difficult niche for YouTubers in the space - is Apple's withdrawal of the affiliate program 5 years ago. Big online music news websites have a choice - publish an article about an iPad app with no affiliate link, or one about a desktop app or a piece of hardware which does have an affiliate link. Guess which they're likely to choose? And given how devastated the media industry has been in recent years, you can't even really blame them for that. But it is a HUGE factor in the lack of attention given to iOS apps by major music publications, and so it is also a huge factor in the lack of awareness among the music-making community about how capable iPads are now.
So, it's not that the iPad is seen as a toy, it's just that there's no money in talking about it, compared to desktop plugins or hardware.
The iPad with its small screen just isn't the right device for working within a linear timeline, which is what most people on Gearspace are used to.
Extended desktop and switching UIs into a more zoomed out "desktop mode" could change that, but there no demonstrations of this.
I think most people who can afford the Apple ecosystem can also afford a desktop computer as a more convenient solution for timeline based music production.
A personal example:
Before I bought my current iPad (9th gen) recently I was considering switching from Ableton to Logic on the iPad and try to replace my desktop for the most part, but couldnt find any workflow examples about how the extended desktop mode would actually be like, and after asking around the verdict was that it's basically just a blown up tablet view.
That's why I've decided to treat the iPad as an ipad and stay away from the stage manager stuff for the time being. For me using Apple is about maximizing convenience and user experience. And iPad apps that emulate Grooveboxes, samplers, mixers, effects and desktop DAW controllers deliver on that front for me, timeline based DAWs don't.
Its the same for art & design apps like Affinity. I like Procreate on the iPad, but couldn't get warm with shrunken desktop apps with too many features like Affinity. DAWs kinda fall into the same category. The iPad apps most people here love like are more like Procreate, they're focused user experiences.
@Gavinski said:
Comissions still exist for eBooks I think, but last time I've looked stuff up in the iBooks store there were no iPad music production books, which is kinda crazy. It's hands down the best format because you can include audio and videos in the Apple iBooks format and use it in slide over mode alongside music apps.
These are the audio related books in my library, looking forward to adding more:
I've actually decided just now that I'm going to compile information about the necessary tools for iBook production. Last time I've looked into it years ago people were using Apple Pages, but there might be other ways.
Well…for one they started calling them pro devices with $1800 price tags and thunderbolt 4 ports but no audio driver support…
Anyone remember the fuss that Beatmaker caused when it gave away for free Beatmaker 3 during the NAMM show a few years ago? A nice gesture.
Just to be clear - Auria DAW on iPad was not released under NAMM2011, it was released under 2012…
Also, iPad anno 2011 and iPad anno 2023 can’t be compared - then, just a bigger iPhone that lacked technology to use it in Pro music making - now, great CPU:s, great internal storage, USB-C, fast charging, Audiobus v3, AUv3 support, pencil support, mouse/keyboard support, hispeed WiFi, hispeed Bluetooth, AirDrop…
The list can be made longer that shows that nowaday iPad Pro M1/M2 is as good as an highend laptop.
So, the future of the iPad platform will grow - last year releases of music software proof that…
Oh was it Namm 2012 then? You might be right. My bad.
Yes I absolutely agree iPad was a bigger iPhone back then.
But how come it got so much attention at NAMM while being literally crippled back then and now you won’t find a single article connected to NAMM while having specs like a Mac.
I’m not trying to load off my pessimism. I’m genuinely wondering.
Yes that’s a good point! Press and media is always a big factor. I wasn’t aware of that.
Yes the lack of proper extended monitor support is a huge problem! While it would only be usable with mouse and keyboard it still would be a great extension!
I’m also hoping for bigger iPads (even 16”) and a more open iPadOS that is more similar to MacOS. Future will tell..
I’m glad I never had an audio driver issue with my iPad. Core Audio / MIDI always worked perfectly for me with external hardware.
I see an increasing number of iPads being used alongside modular/hardware rigs, so people are cottoning on to the potential. But I also still see dumb comments like “I didn’t know iPads even had audio outputs”. And we all know the “can you really make music on an iPad?” type of thing that’s enough to make you want to throw bricks…
Most of it is lack of awareness, or people who looked into it a decade ago and haven’t seen how things have developed. And that isn’t likely to change in the immediate future due to what @Gavinski pointed out above.
Best thing we can do to spread the word is use the things visibly, so people start to wonder why and how. And hope more people with a profile start to feature iPads and iPhones. The fact they turn up in the live rigs of J-M Jarre and Tangerine Dream has to be a plus.
On the up side, the recent influx of desktop plugin devs bringing stuff to the platform is a sign that things may be changing. I presume a lot of that is coming off the back of Logic’s release. Which is great, but I worry slightly that people wedded to a certain way of working on desktop will try Logic and be disappointed, while missing things like AUM that are a whole different experience, rather than a sub-par attempt at copying a desktop workflow. NB sub-par in terms of it not being the same experience as using a linear DAW on a giant monitor, I’m not dissing Logic per se.
Edit: added the bit about J-MJ and TD.
If we talk surface devices like iPad and MS Surface Pro - I’m pretty sure that 50% of all touring composers use this devices today, in touring busses, on airplanes, on airports etc.
Much more comfortable than a regular laptop (although that may be more powerful) - an iPad Pro M2 12.9” with a pencil, software for $300 you may do magic with that iPad!
Sure, in the long end we use powerful Macs & Win-machines in the studio, but, we’re not there 24/7…
Yeah..if you don’t mind latency and limited features….it’s the best!
What audio interface are you using?
I’m not using anything near high end and my latency is great at 64 samples. Less than 5ms round trip. Great for guitar processing.
Haha yeah those comments are annoying!
I’m sure we all here heard them.
It’s even more annoying when people hear great music coming out of an iPad but still sticking to their prejudice that iPads are only toys. Or saying “Well it sounds good but it’s not the real deal” or something.
In my case when using it for playing guitar through there are so many advantages. It’s a handy, light weight, flexible and great sounding setup. It’s customisation is limitless and the prices of new effects very affordable. To me it’s just like an amp modeller but with a much better UI and much deeper customisation options.
Oh but it’s not made for guitar only. So it can’t be as good as dedicated guitar hardware. Or as good as a guitar stomp box pedal with DSP inside. It’s always the same bias.
I hope one day that toy image will disappear and people will start associating iPad with pro audio equipment.
Why does an old MacBook still look more pro on a stage than a recent iPad Pro? 😄
A combination of an Apple Silicon iPad + lightweight smart glasses (Xreal, or upcoming Visor from Immersed) has a lot of potential with a better extended desktop mode. Unlike Vision Pro those glasses just replace a screen, they look like sunglasses and cost like a decent monitor.
Same here. I don’t know what @nerve is talking about.
After “trying” to use, and fighting with Windows desktop machines for years (f%$k you Asio4all!) and all of the other issues (like noise) it was like the clouds parting and a beautiful new light dawning on me when I discovered the iPad for music making, and I mean especially being a guitar player!
Right now my guitar rig is definitely not “high end”, and only consists of a Mooer multi-effects pedal (GE-200) run into my Scarlett 4i4 3rd gen interface, which is plugged into a USB-C hub, (along with a few other pieces of hardware, like my DM12, LPPMK3, KB&M, etc.) which is plugged into my iPad Pro M1, and I’ve never had a better setup.
I will say that part of my problem when I was using Windows PCs for music, was that I was using my “gaming PCs” or that my computers always served multiple roles, and gaming was a big part. There was always fan noise for one thing, but also noise in the lines from interference by just being near computers with guitar pickups, especially back in the day when we had CRT displays.
Now there’s none of that. I actually remember thinking “wow!” about how quiet everything is.
Latency? I honestly can’t remember the last time I had to think about it, to where I’d want to measure it. Doesn’t even cross my mind any more. Again, another thing of the past, and something I used to struggle with on the PC.
And lastly, I am curious about what any of these “limited features” are. Can you please elaborate on this, and maybe list them?
+1
I think pro audio manufacturers just got a little burned early on incorporating iPads into their gear when Apple started releasing more iPad sizes and changing the connector. It’s a lot more work developing gear meant to work with a tech device from another company, especially when that other company is constantly making small changes to drive more interest from their own customer base.
Some of those early Alesis and Mackie mixers that had iPad interfaces were door weights only a year later due to this.
lol I really shouldn’t say that, because it was all of the other drivers and stuff that didn’t work, and all the headaches associated with them, then along comes Asio4all to put a giant bandaid on it and “fix” everything.
So I guess it wasn’t really asio4all’s fault, but man, I don’t miss those days..
Oh yeah the good old Windows times. I mostly have positive memories as I made my first baby steps on Windows with nice cracked software and lots of curiosity.
But no turning back after my beautiful 2007 aluminium iMac arrived. I was sold in the moment I opened the packaging and fired up GarageBand for the first time
Yeah audio processing on Mac/iPad was always flawless for me. Kudos to the Core Audio devs! What a rock solid piece of code.
Good point!
To this day I feel sad about it.
Yeah I remember that. Specially the Alesis dock and how they tried to keep it compatible with adapters. Their red guitar dock got me very excited. It just never got released
If some random Alesis person should read this post: It’s not too late! I’m still waiting :-D
A stand like this with cutouts for iPad + controllers, usb hub and interface caddy in the back would be nice.
Absolutely!
-No driver support of any kind
-Not able to open a plugin window on an external monitor
-Not able to use an Ethernet adapter and Wifi at the same time
-no AVDECC AVB controller
-strict file system
And what is the OP witnessing?
The entire ecosystem is a paywall…with limitations being seeded with every ‘advancement’
and don’t get me wrong…I was more optimistic then most…I saw great promise…still do…but clearly Apple has bigger fish to feed… @apple
Yeah, iPad may look useless is your eyes, but, a lot of wonderful music can be done albeit your ‘limited feature’ list…
But, you can connect a lot of advanced audio interfaces, especially Apogee is working great on iPad Pro without certain drivers.
AVDECC AVB controller - do we average people really need that?
Question, why do you need both ethernet and WiFi simultaneously? Explain.
The file system is what it is, but I can whatever I want with my files, in and out, from both USB-C harddrives/flashdrives and from 1TB SD-cards - also can also shuffle files easily in and out of my 2TB iCloud Drive.
Can you give us an example when go limited to the iPads file system?
Besides the cost…the Pro’s are far from Pro…
The thing that puts people off is the connectivity. Once you have a hub and all this stuff attached to it, most of the advantages of the iPad are gone.
When Apple (or other consumer electronics companies) call something "Pro", I don't think they actually mean for industry professionals.
It is more of a marketing term for "high end, fully featured and more expensive model".
Unlike Sony, who have a real "pro" broadcast division that makes very expensive video gear for TV stations and film companies - stuff that ordinary people would never buy.
Yes.
Prices for storage are another one, boosted by the overly restrictive iPad file system.
And availability of quality sample libraries yet another - some areas are covered, some aren't.
All these are considered essential for many when doing music production seriously/professionally.