As an artist and musician I have such a love/ hate relationship with my ipad and iphone(my main art devices). Most iOS updates gives me options I never asked for while taking away things I needed.
I would’ve agree completely at the time of this video. 2 years has seen lots of improvements with the iPad and apps. As a older more traditional style musician , it’s integrated into my workflow. It’s a whole new world for me. It’s becoming less of a toy and more of a very capable and inspiring platform. Cost wise and portability. Integration with audio interfaces. I wouldn’t be afraid if the iPad was my only way of creating music.
Hey Michael. I just wanted to say that i think you are doing something truly amazing in today's world: showing people a way forward to make their lives better and asking almost nothing in return. Most importantly, there is no HIDDEN AGENDA and even more importantly, you take care to be HONEST and tell the TRUTH! Thank you for doing what you do. To be honest, seeing your work gives me hope for the future of humanity. That might sound like I'm being over the top for no reason, but I really feel that way. It's so inspiring to see people out there trying to help people because it's just the right thing to do! Cheers to you in the new year my friend, and keep making great MUSIC while you're at it! - @bobbymobetta
I obviously agree with you. But iPad has incredible apps, synths and other music making stuff. I have a 2020 iPad Pro 11 inch with 256 gb. I move files from cloud storage once in awhile. Yes, it's a pain. Gréât vidéo. Keep them coming
Agreed. Not even to mention that Apple doesn't support their obsolete devices, that are still usable, just like my iPad3, which latest possible iOS version is 9.3.5. Anyways, I still have some apps that are working (almost) fine there, such as Lemur, Beatmaker 2/3 or some synths like the ones from Arturia or Sunriser.
Products feel more durable but they definitely don’t last as long anymore. There’s definitely a problem with mainstream electronics now. I totally agree with you on this
@Joel Taipa corporations using capitalism for the wrong reasons. if i had my own business, ima make my money. who doesnt want money? but that doesnt mean ill do my employees dirty like most corporations
I agree with you on some of the points like audio Jack and needing an extra port on the iPad Pros. In regards to sample base instruments and audio eating up memory, Apple has made it possible to work on external hard drive for some time now. I tested it with Garageband, connected my ssd and created a project from my ssd and it was fantastic. The problem here is that audio app developers haven’t implemented this feature yet, due to the fact that most of iOS music creators are still on older version of iPadOS for safety reasons and developers don’t have the resources to support both older and newer features. If the majority of us updated to the current os version, i believe we would see a huge improvement in this aspect.
I was able to make music on my 2017 iPad fifth generation and my iPhone 7 which each only had 32 GB of storage. I don't know what you guys are talking about. These tech items are modern marvels of creativity.
I love your content Michael but, I disagree with you here. I bought a 2021 11” M1 Pro 1TB reconditioned and saved £600. It’s the most incredible music making experience. I don’t regret it at all.
@@ZTAudio Word. What did he say that's wrong or what are the counter points bcuz I'm currently trying to decide between what to buy for mobile music making and currently im thinking of just getting a cheap Asus Flex for same price of ipad but the power of a Chromebook
@@Byronic19134 Generally he oversimplifies almost everything to the point where he's spouting nonsense. Take for instance his iPad "rant". He fails to recognize the importance of a mature application ecosystem, or how many applications are available on the iPad which cost considerably less than their Windows/Mac counterparts. Example: Want a top-notch Tonewheel organ? IK Mulitmedia's B-3X is $129 for Windows/Mac, but only $65 for iPad. Same sound quality. He'll tell you can get some clonewheel app for cheaper or "free" but will fail to actually take into account sound quality or a complete comparison of features. He seems to have you convinced that you can buy a cheap laptop, and do everything you could do with various pieces of hardware. You can't, and the options he presents as "free" are all predicated upon you already owning a pretty powerful laptop and a quality audio interface. He either doesn't know better, or he doesn't care. And I haven't even begun to detail just how deceptive his claims are on a wide swath of particulars.
@@ZTAudio I think he’s trying to counterbalance the rich cool kid marketing vibe, and saying that making music is actually really accessible. I definitely didn’t get the vibe that he saying that free stuff will have feature parity with paid stuff. He clearly buys tools himself.
I Agee but the music Synth apps aren’t available on windows nor android that’s why I got a iPad used it’s a shame these apps developers only make a apps for only apple platforms that’s the real problem
I really like what your saying about apples device obsolescence and how hardware is designed to maximize sales and software to minimize functionality. I just got an ipad mini for making music but it's for a pretty specific reason. I travel/live out of a backpack, and I really want to start learning about music production. The new iPad mini is definitely limiting in terms of interface because of its size but it's also the only device this size that has the capability and apps is does. I personally can't really afford to carry much with me. so I want to carry something with me that's functional enough to learn from and capable enough to interface (with adapters of course) with more powerful devices when I find someone using them
You are not wrong, though the port problems can be remedied fairly cheaply with an anker 7 hub. I hook it up to power, and it carries an Audient id4, and a minilab with plug and play.
I’m still using my 2015 12.9” iPad Pro. Yes with many instances of auv3 it gets sluggish but it works; 4gb of ram luckily (I can’t believe your 2017 has 2gb ram…what were they doing releasing that two years later with half the ram for a “pro”). You’re absolutely right about the keyboard. I got one and it wasn’t working after only 2 years - absolute overpriced garbage. I’ve considered upgrading but I mean, why? It still works for what I need it to. I got it new and the pencil wasn’t cheap, needed a keyboard, needed the camera kit…it added up to be a pretty penny but I’ve gotten windows laptops that lasted shamefully shorter. The lack of headphone jacks on later ones really makes me not want to upgrade. Frankly I think iPads are a good deal for music given the lifespan. However I would almost certainly say to buy used. I won’t be buying a new one again. My model can be gotten for absurdly cheap now, and compared to the newest gear influencers are pushing it can do WAY more for a fraction of the price. Is it shiny and new? No. But it is more capable than the shiny new Push for example. Keep on preaching man. You’ve got a great message, informative and entertaining.
I upgraded from a 128 gb IPad Air 2 to a 2020 12.9 inch IPad Pro with 1tb when it came out. I did miss the headphone jack and being able to plug in a midi controller while using headphones but I got around it, I bought the Korg Microkey Air 37 and connect via Bluetooth and use the Apogee Jam + to plug in heads and my guitar, then when recording vocals I use the Apogee Mic +, I would say. 1tb is more than enough in most cases. I don’t see myself buying an M1 IPad Pro anytime soon, at least not for music, I also use my IPad for graphics and videos editing so depending on what apps we see in the future, like maybe FCP for the IPad ? And maybe not even then. I would just say at this point if you’re going to do audio production on the IPad just go for 500 gigs, you may not even need that but since you can’t install more storage better safe than sorry.
The iPad can accept usb-c external hard drives for storage. That’s how i work around using the iPad and having a small internal storage……..now the headphone problem is something I’ve always had a problem with. It can be labeled “PRO” and it doesn’t cater to pro users.
Ipads can be great! I feel it's important to have a mix of tools. I use a combination of ipads, eurorack, and elektron groove boxes. Also custom instruments and effects made from raspberry pi's. Currently helping a friend recover from investing too much into the iPad ecosystem. He started in the very beginning from the first iPad and ableton version. It gets messy, especially when you rely on apps pulled from the app store. This results in needing to have older ipads around locked from updating. then those fail so now you need to find a used one in mint condition and hope you can sync and side load the older os and apps. Apps can work great for years then new IOS versions can prove to have more challenges and the devs just give up or releases get worse or just stop happening. People usually navigate around this. Setups and workflows are short lived. This would not be an issue if my friend did not have a stroke a year back. His 2nd DJ gig after recovery fell apart due to due to iOS and app updates. major interface changes on his DJ app. muscle memory and workflow flushed down the toilet in an instant. not a good look to fall apart live especially when your just springing back from semi paralysis. The ecosystem is cheap though it comes with a price. everything is temporary, be prepared to work out a new workflow every couple of years. I am now getting him to integrate iOS with dedicated hardware. This hardware will have the same workflow until it breaks.
you raise a lot of good points. and it's true: while the cost of entry might be attractive in some scenarios, given relatively cheaper software on iOS, that cost-benefit ratio will certainly flip after a couple of years given the generally speaking shorter (useful) lifespan of iOS hardware, as well as the yearly major iOS releases breaking some apps. that might be temporary, until a free or paid app update arrives, or the indie dev just gave up/lost interest. Often it's these more "out of the box" indie/small studio app projects that make iOS unique and deliver great bang for the buck - while they last. Heck, these updates might even all of sudden turn some 3rd party hardware accessories into useless garbage, because it's not recognized properly anymore...
@@XanarchistBlogspot Understood, i was just venting. 2 weeks later... I am still dealing with restructuring my friends studio and DJ setup away from being 100% Ipad. A healthy mix of gear is critical for long term setups.
Will do, but spoil alert, I would suggest just stay with what you already have. If you have windows device then try MPC Beats, if Mac then GarageBand, they're all free and great to make music. If you only have Android device then go with FL Studio Mobile, it almost has every thing you need to make all kinds of music, composing, recording, mixing and mastering. Smart devices are over powered nowadays, all new devices coming out are all not must have, imo.
I upgraded to iPad pro 11" and i couldn't be happier! USB-c is a game changer! I can hook up my iPad right to my MC707 or any other class compliant gear, like magic!
this is a great summation. I was borderline getting a new ipad for live performance upgrading from my old original IPAD air which no longer supported or updating my music apps . I tried out a new ipad connecting to my pa system via the usb/headphone adaptor and had huge issues with the sound constantly muting itself !!! stick with the old one or return to using a laptop I guess
Meh a lot of ipados softsynths are equal to the desktop versions for 1/10th the price. Getting a used 2018 iPad Pro and a used 2015 MacBook Pro with Logic on it, is a pretty stellar music making combo in 2022.
i use a usb hub on my 11” M1 iPad pro. lets me charge it, use midi drums & a headphone dac. got to write it off for tax too. its the only apple product i own, & even though i wish it had 3 usb c ports & a sd slot im still pretty happy with it.
Im still using the first iPad Pro 12,9 and it’s still an amazing piece of hardware the battery while beat making on the go lasts for around 6 hours. I can load around 60 auv3. Plugins in AUM without problems.
The only pro for ipad for music making is appstore with some really nice affordable music software not available anywhere else at least at that price.... so one decent ipad with 3.5mm headphone jack won't hurt to handle those specific apps, but otherwise - yes, completely agree to your point of view!
I'm still using two 2018 iPad Pros and no issues with Beatmaker 3/Garageband along with using it as a controller for Logic Pro X. I bought a newer iPad last year and returned in a week. They're making it impossible to use right out of the box for music production. You have to purchase Air Pods and other Apple wireless/cable audio devices if you want to get the full experience of music production. The 3rd party add-ons are also expensive.
@@playpm That's why I had to purchase a lightning cable with stereo input for headphones/earphones, USB camera port and SD reader slot. Although these parts are cheap, the more add-ons you need, the more expensive it gets over time.
This is absolute nonesense. The new entry level iPad's are perfectly capable, but obviously the more you spend the performance. The latest iPad's are almost as good as a Mac. Anyone that makes music knows that you use an audio interface, and don't care if the headphone jacks exists or not. I have never purchased anything more than a 256GB iPad, and I've only half filled it. Can you imagine how many apps and DAW's I have installed on my iPad? As a developer of iOS music apps it is important for me to test all my apps alongside other apps. If things were as bad as you suggest I would need several iPads just to store all these apps. As for audio, you can store thousands of hours of audio on an iPad, or offload it to iCloud, as storage is cheap.
Love this channel! This is the only video of yours that I have disagreed with. My 2019 iPad Air with 256GB has held up extremely well as a portable instrument for live sounds and processing. I think that an iPad can be an ultimate GAS therapy device: a portable computer with an incredible, affordable ecosystem of apps that is always expanding and updating. I have compared new gear to iPad Apps and, most of the time, there is a cheap app that does as well or better than the latest piece of gear. Finally, the USB-C adapter that I use is non Apple brand and works very well for plugging things in like a keyboard, pads, or an interface.
tbf mentioning how a 2019 device has "held up extremely well" just goes to show how used we all have gotten to short-lived disposable hardware. that shoudln't even be worth mentioning.
@@offTheMedsYe Absolutely a fair point. Apple gets no love ever in that department. In this case, I didn't mean so much as hardware as I meant with hardware device innovations, as iOS software instruments, effects, DAW's, etc. have continually updated to keep pace (or are ahead in some cases).
Still using my 2016 iPad Pro (the first one on the market) for audio and video production. Perhaps I’m wise by buying the top model and not getting some skimpy ‘lite’ version.
Edit: Sorry I see you mention this @3:05 but using the $60 usb-c “camera” powered-adapter + an entry level $429 9th gen iPad isn’t a huge investment imo considering the many other uses an iPad brings to the table (outside of music production..) One storage workaround I’ve found is the same _USB-A/C Camera Adapter_ you use to connect any USB MIDI sequencers/samplers to the iPad can _also_ be used to attach your external hard drive/USB storage devices to the iPad as well (I’m on the 10.2 9th gen iPad 64gb)
Agreed on the sentiments regarding a new iPad VS an older iPad. Moved from an iPad 6th Gen to an iPad Pro M1. I definitely liked having the USB-C port and it's been amazing. But not being able to use a headphone WITH the built-in microphone has been such a letdown. Which is sorta expected. Apple makes their softwares work well for a wide range of devices. At the same time, it limits what current developers can do, because they have to design for a wide range of devices. I'm still amazed that my iPhone 6S can run apps like Cubasis, Drambo, and more that my current iPad Pro M1 can also do. The performance gains from the apps I frequently use aren't enough to justify the price. I'd say if you have an iPad from 2017 or later, unless you need the better display, USB-C port, do not need a headphone jack, I'd say wait. I should make a video on this soon as well. Thanks for sharing your experiences, Michael. #SEONN
I mean, yeah, they're good with supporting older devices with their OS updates; but not being able to select input/output devices while having the balls to call that a "pro" device is just laughable.
Definitely agree with the overpricing comments and the removal of the audio jack on iPad is pure money grabbing absurdity. But in my opinion, I do find iPads to be long lasting with a very high roi. Software support is pretty hard to do very long term, which we can not blame Apple exclusively for and I do think it has improved compared to the first iOS products. I am until today still impressed by the speeds of my 2017 iPad Pro 12,9 and make pretty much all my illustrative work and music on it, mainly with Korg gadget, which I have never really known to hiccup much, even with plenty of layers. I got the 256gb and it has never filled up so far. Also still rocking the og iPhone SE which runs so smooth still and got 7 years of updates, which barely any phone on the market has ever received.
Is it to much to ask that they keep maintaining the backward compatibility for older systems ? A setup becomes like a customized instrument and tool. Only way to preserve it for the future seems to be to clone it when fine tuned, and leave one of them in the freezer in case the original breaks down.
Not having a analog mic, headphone jack, ethernet, usb a,c and hdmi is sad. You’re right it’s all about the money. For 16 g of ram and 1 tb on m2 Mac that cost almost $3000.00 is insane. I have both windows and Mac however there is more options with windows like expanding ram and storage for starters.
Agree on this. My g7 iPad is the only Apple gear i own and i bought it in the first place to convert and edit files for some of my agency customers. I wanted to use it for me as a portable music studio but ran into several annoying issues that made me return to my Win10 laptop. Cubasis and many softsynth apps itself offer really a great intuitive user experience, but when it gets to a stable connectivity with outboard gear, organizing files and backup your data on your own storage devices the fun quickly ends. Offering only 5GB of free iCloud storage to backup a 128gb device and blocking any other way to do it shows the general mindset behind Apple´s sales strategy. Not my cup of tea anymore.
IMO when it comes to getting the best out of apple ecosystem while desiring things like stability, connectivity and not running into artificial boundaries set up by the OS at every second turn, mac is the only way to go.
I totally agree, Michael. I love iPad and iPhone apps so to keep working within the iOS ecosystem I use multiple older iOS devices so that multitasking isn't an issue. I have old iPad 3rd and 4th generations that I use as dedicated devices for specific things (the 3rd gen is a Samplr machine, for example, and lives in an Alesis ioDock that was supercheap because nobody cares about 30pin accessories now). It all links together via MIDI so I don't need to worry about running out of CPU power do I don't need to give Apple any more money 🙌
@@playpm I don't look at it as a bad thing, though. I get all these devices that people think are worthless & I make music with them so they can live a new life, free from SIM cards and social media apps 😉
Could you list your setup? Would be great to use as a guide for those of us who want to put together small and portable ipad based setups with external sound interface.
ive been using my phone with fl mobile thats almost 7 years old, as an 8 dollar DSI from japan running Korg M01, with a modded GBA using Bleep & Nanoloop2 this has been my set up for year , but if your just trying to make music on an ipad i use to use tabletop its enitre free daw or caustic
the problem with Apple is eventually you will have to buy it again to move forward with the platform. Once they antiquate the device through planned obselence (stopping the updates) you ending either buying new or buying newer used...
I got an amazon fire 10 hd 144$ canadian and used {fire tool box} don't work with midi controllers but koala sampler {14$} who can say no to a 150$ sampler bass is a bit quiet but I tend to use yamaha mt5 or kz zsx iem
So almost a year later I come here to say: all you need is a samsung tablet (there are several good ones nowadays with 3.5 jack and expandable memory ) with Koala Sampler, and a windows pc with Serato Studio or Ableton Lite (can be Suite if you want 🏴☠) for finishing tracks.
Correct, I also made this mistake, iPads cannot match music making on a real computer and very difficult to get the music you make from the iPad to your computer DAW. I love Apple but iPads are not even as powerful as phones now. iPads are not professional tools for music, they are good for art and design (with Apple pencil etc) and students etc. Spend your money on a Macbook or Mac Mini M1 (and max out the RAM) that can run real software and be hooked up to USB hubs to connect other gear in real time. The people on here that say they are great are not demanding users, they are using them for ideas and fun etc or for playing some instrument apps live. The storage, thoughput and I/O is where iPads fall down. In addition iPads have earthing problems with the mini jack connectors which makes live audio output very noisy and prone to interference. By comparison when you use a computer for music you hook it up to a high speed low latency audio interface with balanced connectors.
agree 100. I can see how iOS has some cool unique apps, and that once you've become "sucked in" so to speak it can be hard to live without that specific piece in your workflow. BUT compared to mac, both in terms of hardware (ppl need to look beyond merely CPU) and restraints created by the OS, iPad always has been a crippled toy (especially if your use cases go beyond just music). me personally, I don't see building a whole workflow on iOS apps, as the obsolescence and frustration that comes with that is pretty much guaranteed if you look ahead a couple of years. jm2c ymmv
That's why iPad beat making is only good when you use pre-made loops or for recording synths via midi into your PC's DAW. Making a full track with iPad on Garageband, Beatmaker 3 or Cubasis becomes a headache.
Did you edit out eye blinking for more dramatic effect? lol I’ve been using a new iPad Pro for about a year and it’s been mediocre experience really. Too much clunkiness with routing external audio, gear connectivity and file management. It’s great if you are using just one instrument with audio over usb or internal apps only. I guess the MacBook Air solution would be way better, but man, two usb-c ports…
The only thing I agree is that the lack of 3.5 mm is a pain in the ass I have a 2018 iPad Pro 256gb and 4gb ram and I’m Pretty happy with it, I don’t have any problems with storage, ram or performance But here’s my “hacks” to work well with it I connect all my setup to a usb hub and then I use a 2 meter usb A to usb C cable that goes Into my iPad, that way my iPad still looks good cause it’s just 1 cable instead of a big dongle The audio interface I use has audio out , that way I can both use the midi or audio IN while also getting audio Out instead of using the iPad speakers (for serious music production you need monitor speakers and studio headphones that require preamps so you wouldn’t use the 3.5mm out anyway) I use an external Drive or usb sticks for storage and backups of my projects I wouldn’t say iPad music production is bad, it’s just different than doing it on a desktop or laptop environment The only thing I wish for is melodyne and logic for iOS Idc if it’s expensive I like iPad Workflow the most vs desktop or laptop
Lot of folks having a great experience with iOS music making software and the internal routing etc are blinded to how exploitative apples hardware model is. Just wish Droid was better for apps and audio routing
I am in the same boat. It is frustrating- some parts are great- and look back on Microsoft’s history of abusing its power, and Google just cancelling products, or not doing more to help deal with fragmentation. I like your approach- vote with your $ and be vocal so that there a hope for change. No more hat shitting!
Michael, after 10 years making, producing (and also djing, no complaints here) music in Ios, and owning a 2017 Ipad I bought my first M1 Macbook Air (coming from a long, 25 years Windows usage) and.... I don't come back, I don't buy apps anymore on Ios, because the os in itself if too damn fu****ing crammed, boxed, closed, and the tablet format (you must use it with hands) simply it's not as versatile and comfy as a desktop solution, I mean, not as an almost free Ableton Live Lite and a bunch of free vsts. Apple decided not to let Ios to fly as it could, so for me it's fine, but I won't buy another Ipad too. At the end of the day, in a tablet format you can't run a proper daw, with lots of modulations, sound design space, and stuff, you simple can't; or at least, maybe you can with efforts, with too many workarounds, it's simply not worth it!
Man I totally feel you!!! And I don't buy new iOS apps for quite a long time too, there're just too many great free daws and plugins to use, and yes I played with Ableton live lite, it's so all-in-one solution, it feels a relief to finally get away from those work around all over the place!
@@playpm Yay, and there's more. In a tablet format (in that sense, Ios ot Android is the same) doesn't give you enough information layers on a single screen, UNLESS you start paging, menu diving and so. Yass, AUM and au plugins are damn nice, powerful, high quality in themselves, but it's the whole workflow that's a mess, especially when you have to perform operations on multiple clips/channels/files, because you can't select'em all, or you have to do it in a silly way. Things like that makes music producing a nightmare, something similar to editing excel files on a 1989 Dos desktop XD
Ios at the moment is quite nice if you have a... how can i say, a singer/songwriter approach. A few tracks, vocals are the most important thing, and no more... in that situation, it's easy to craft a product, but it's not the same when you are trying to fit many neurobass lines with 10 drumkit sounds. It's an import/export nightmare, it's no fun.
@@playpm ableton's built in synth stuff like operator is so fun to mess with, I wish it wasn't so expensive but as long as I don't have commercial success that doesn't matter yet ;)
It entirely depends on use case. Ive used ipads for about 8 years and i can strongly say its been a better purchase than any other computing device. But definitely dont buy it JUST for music, or you might be dissatisfied. If apple finally ports macos to ipads though, laptops will become a hard sell
Apple rumors are a hell of a thing. Ive definitely been waiting for it. Theyre already SO close with the universal chips and some of the new features. I bet itll happen within the decade
Spot on. I have an iPad Pro and have even made a record using a fairly old iPad the 2012 model. Having said that it will never be as good as a laptop running a daw. Of course it has good points such as being self contained, good software etc but it still always feels like a toy thanks to Apple’s ridiculous policies such as preventing any sort of ssd upgrade, no dedicated port etc. But here is the biggest kicker, I recently bought an Acer R5 471T i7 version for $250 AUD!!! I can run a full daw on it, more powerful software etc. it is a 2 in 1 model with a touchscreen so can be as self contained as the iPad. Apple to be fair are moving towards making the iPad a more serious computing device with the M1 version so let’s see how that develops.
I do not agree at all. I love my iPad pro. I can hook it up with the rest of my studio with only one plug. I would love to have a 3.5 mm audio jack because it would make charging when using it stand alone with headphones much easier but for the rest I'm fine with it. 256GB is a fair amount of storage too if you work only at a few projects at the same time.
I hook mine up to an mpc one and midi clock sync the two for an amazing experience with the AUM or NanoStudio 2 or Gadget 2. And for drawing too…amazing…no regrets in buying my M1 iPad Pro…I love this thing!
Great video! I have a big windows desktop for production, but what do you recommend for live performances? I'm looking to play a few synths but worry about buying a laptop. I just picture windows trying to do an update mid-song or some sort of latency at the critical moment.
Appreciated. Maybe try freeze those tracks you don't intend to play live, use them with only mute and solo, this will free lots of CPU power. And before your gig, rehearsal a few times, make sure the most CPU intense part won't get you audio click, then you're good to go live.
I use a decade-old IBM laptop for live performance. I run generative patches on it, not just simple playback of loops. Works perfectly. Cost about $400 after upgrading the drive to a fast SSD and doubling the RAM. Every part is user-serviceable so I am not dumping crap into a landfill like Apple prefers. Kind of depends on what you need.
My Ipad air 3 of three years old is still working perfect, mostly on stage so I don’t need a pro and if I would need more power and memory I probably would buy a computer. The dongles don’t bother me. Yes Apple is after our money, so is every other company and buying Ipad apps still is much cheaper than buying computer programs or VST’s and my Ipads last for years giving me plenty of time to save for the next even better one. So I am still very satisfied with my Ipads, Logic on Ipad even made it better and simpler for me.
its all true. so i dont work in daw anymore when i travel. i just create music via analog. then import into a daw when i get home. I cannot multitask on ipad with just 1 usbc port. i need to charge, transfer files, plug in an external ssd, plug in my dac and headphones. Imagine if apple just integrated dedicated ports on the ipad -like a tablet/laptop hybrid. So now, its just easier to bring a laptop for travel or invest in a true desktop setup at home.
I bought a 7th-gen iPad (and 📷 dongle) 21 months ago for less than $400. The storage capacity is 32 GB. 🤦🏿♀️ I admit to being a serious packrat, but I still cannot explain what files are taking up _all_ of the space. It seems the low price was a lure, so 🍎 could chain me to their cloud storage subscription. 😾 I must resist… I have yet to achieve a satisfactory backup. I do not use iTunes, and I’m already paying for Google One not iCloud. File management on iOS seems like an afterthought or perhaps a bad joke. Transferring documents and photos to a USB stick is slow, and often leads to incomplete or corrupted copies. Occasionally, the system will off-load an important app, then refuse to re-install it. So I can’t export my old GarageBand projects until I’ve cleared ‘enough’ storage. I cannot access my bookmarks from Brave browser until I wipe the storage. Discord? Google Drive? nope. Oh boy, iOS has now ejected a big piece of my AUM workflow, so much fun. 😭
@@Taeodoestech Does that work well for you? I’ll give it a try, but I’m skeptical that iOS will treat a big disk in a hub better than a stick by itself…
after my ipad 2 quit working after a certain IOS update, when they clearly slowed down old models so youd have to buy new ones, i never bothered with any other apple product ever again, and what i dont get: why are ALL tablets so damn aweful in the processing department? why does my samsung note 10+ have 6 gigs of ram but an 8 inch samsung tablet from the same year has barelly 2 gigs and runs choppy, yet has 4x the space inside for more parts? all tablets are like this , theyre slower than phones, yet have the space to be easily running laps around the fastest phones, until they fix that garbage nonsense , ive given up on tablet devices, especially when, like you said, you can buy a laptop for cheaper and get way more out of it, i spent 1800 dollars on my laptop a couple years back when i was having a good year, you know what that got me? 20 GIGS OF RAM! 20!!! telling me they cant put more than 2 in a tablet, is horse sh**
As a windows guy I bought ipad for for procreate and drawing in general. By now, it just pretty much lies on my table unused. Laptop (especially windows laptop for me) is just so much more versatile I see no point in using ipad
Solution: 3rd party gear for dongles (some higher end ones work really well and are supported by Apple) and buy last gen. You can get an M1 iPad now for pretty good prices
Exactly. Apple is an expert of trapping you in it's hardware ecosystem and keeping you there even when they aren't giving you your money's worth. It's one of the most exploitative tech companies ever.
Appreciated man, tbh I only sketch ideas and teach music creation on my iPad now, I tend to use my laptop more and more, using GarageBand and lots of dope 3rd party plugins, most of them are free. I've finished a few commercial tracks all within GarageBand, it's really versatile.
I am very happy with my iPad Pro M1 and would not return to a laptop. You can buy external storage as well. It is very fast with an amazing screen, speakers and pencil. I have the magic keyboard and very happy. Money well spent.
careful with the new macbook pros. their RAM and Hard drives are soldered into the motherboard so if anything breaks its not easy to recover your data. older models you could just take your hard drive and put it on a new computer, this ones you have to send to apple or a specialty shop. NOT PRO PRODUCTS AT ALL
Thanks for reminding, my preference is M2 air, but the base model SSD speed is ridiculous. And to be honest if not I need to compile codes for my iOS apps, I am super happy with my MacBook air 2014.
Not my experience at all. I have a Pro 11 2020 and pro 10.5 both 64gb. They work fine with what I do, but I mostly jam out using Drambo and a few other apps. Stuff just works. When I do multitracking I just power on my iMac 27” with logic. Doing multitracking on a laptop is already too painful imo. Sorry to hear you’re not hav8ng fun with IPads,
As an artist and musician I have such a love/ hate relationship with my ipad and iphone(my main art devices). Most iOS updates gives me options I never asked for while taking away things I needed.
and THAT is a huge problem. Taking away something that is working is a no go. You should def. go laptop to have a stable base.
i never updated past ios10 because reasons, but mostly... i had too many 32 bit apps i still enjoyed using.
So true
I would’ve agree completely at the time of this video. 2 years has seen lots of improvements with the iPad and apps. As a older more traditional style musician , it’s integrated into my workflow. It’s a whole new world for me. It’s becoming less of a toy and more of a very capable and inspiring platform. Cost wise and portability.
Integration with audio interfaces. I wouldn’t be afraid if the iPad was my only way of creating music.
Hey Michael. I just wanted to say that i think you are doing something truly amazing in today's world: showing people a way forward to make their lives better and asking almost nothing in return.
Most importantly, there is no HIDDEN AGENDA and even more importantly, you take care to be HONEST and tell the TRUTH!
Thank you for doing what you do. To be honest, seeing your work gives me hope for the future of humanity. That might sound like I'm being over the top for no reason, but I really feel that way. It's so inspiring to see people out there trying to help people because it's just the right thing to do!
Cheers to you in the new year my friend, and keep making great MUSIC while you're at it!
- @bobbymobetta
Appreciated man, I'm not sure if I deserve this compliment, I'm just a shrill for cheap shits lol. Happy new year!
Ipad ver1 still runs korg ims20 perfectly fine
You dropped this 👑
I obviously agree with you. But iPad has incredible apps, synths and other music making stuff. I have a 2020 iPad Pro 11 inch with 256 gb. I move files from cloud storage once in awhile. Yes, it's a pain. Gréât vidéo. Keep them coming
100000% explains my applie/ipad experience
I have a iPad Pro 2020 12.9. 512gb and I completely agree with everything you said.
I love this video. The truth hurts sometimes. Thanks!
Agreed. Not even to mention that Apple doesn't support their obsolete devices, that are still usable, just like my iPad3, which latest possible iOS version is 9.3.5. Anyways, I still have some apps that are working (almost) fine there, such as Lemur, Beatmaker 2/3 or some synths like the ones from Arturia or Sunriser.
Products feel more durable but they definitely don’t last as long anymore. There’s definitely a problem with mainstream electronics now. I totally agree with you on this
not mainstream electronics, but corporations. capitalism its not for the people
@@pianoatthirty marx has been warning us about it for 200 years now. its not fashionable.
@Joel Taipa capitalism isnt the problem, its corporatism. socialism and communism are horrible
@@lee_drifting brother you cant dissociate capitalism from corporations. we're on a techno feudalist society
@Joel Taipa corporations using capitalism for the wrong reasons. if i had my own business, ima make my money. who doesnt want money? but that doesnt mean ill do my employees dirty like most corporations
I was into iOS Music Making scene since ~2010 as well, and for me most favorite era was really the "early" one, 2009-2016 maybe.
Really loved all that creativity with apps when it was "niche". Sorry if i sound hipster-alike :)
I agree with you on some of the points like audio Jack and needing an extra port on the iPad Pros.
In regards to sample base instruments and audio eating up memory, Apple has made it possible to work on external hard drive for some time now.
I tested it with Garageband, connected my ssd and created a project from my ssd and it was fantastic.
The problem here is that audio app developers haven’t implemented this feature yet, due to the fact that most of iOS music creators are still on older version of iPadOS for safety reasons and developers don’t have the resources to support both older and newer features.
If the majority of us updated to the current os version, i believe we would see a huge improvement in this aspect.
Thanks for this, I'll keep the external SSD project solution in mind, that's awesome to know!
I was able to make music on my 2017 iPad fifth generation and my iPhone 7 which each only had 32 GB of storage. I don't know what you guys are talking about. These tech items are modern marvels of creativity.
What music? lol beats are not music... it's just small sec looped forever easy shit for kids
@@montazownianr1 i disagree. & you're assuming i'm a beat maker. We'll pretend that's the case. Make music how you like! 🙌
@@montazownianr1assuming can make you look like the first 3 letters of assuming
Awesome. Telling it like it is. Thank you.
I love your content Michael but, I disagree with you here. I bought a 2021 11” M1 Pro 1TB reconditioned and saved £600. It’s the most incredible music making experience. I don’t regret it at all.
glass touchers and pad pushers unite
Michael has considerably less knowledge than he pretends.
@@ZTAudio Word. What did he say that's wrong or what are the counter points bcuz I'm currently trying to decide between what to buy for mobile music making and currently im thinking of just getting a cheap Asus Flex for same price of ipad but the power of a Chromebook
@@Byronic19134 Generally he oversimplifies almost everything to the point where he's spouting nonsense.
Take for instance his iPad "rant". He fails to recognize the importance of a mature application ecosystem, or how many applications are available on the iPad which cost considerably less than their Windows/Mac counterparts.
Example: Want a top-notch Tonewheel organ? IK Mulitmedia's B-3X is $129 for Windows/Mac, but only $65 for iPad. Same sound quality.
He'll tell you can get some clonewheel app for cheaper or "free" but will fail to actually take into account sound quality or a complete comparison of features.
He seems to have you convinced that you can buy a cheap laptop, and do everything you could do with various pieces of hardware. You can't, and the options he presents as "free" are all predicated upon you already owning a pretty powerful laptop and a quality audio interface.
He either doesn't know better, or he doesn't care. And I haven't even begun to detail just how deceptive his claims are on a wide swath of particulars.
@@ZTAudio I think he’s trying to counterbalance the rich cool kid marketing vibe, and saying that making music is actually really accessible. I definitely didn’t get the vibe that he saying that free stuff will have feature parity with paid stuff. He clearly buys tools himself.
Logic for iPad changes everything
Help,I'm a musician looking for an affordable set up to record my songs.Ipad air has some up sides.Can anyone help with my mini setup?
I Agee but the music Synth apps aren’t available on windows nor android that’s why I got a iPad used it’s a shame these apps developers only make a apps for only apple platforms that’s the real problem
I really like what your saying about apples device obsolescence and how hardware is designed to maximize sales and software to minimize functionality. I just got an ipad mini for making music but it's for a pretty specific reason. I travel/live out of a backpack, and I really want to start learning about music production. The new iPad mini is definitely limiting in terms of interface because of its size but it's also the only device this size that has the capability and apps is does. I personally can't really afford to carry much with me. so I want to carry something with me that's functional enough to learn from and capable enough to interface (with adapters of course) with more powerful devices when I find someone using them
You are not wrong, though the port problems can be remedied fairly cheaply with an anker 7 hub. I hook it up to power, and it carries an Audient id4, and a minilab with plug and play.
I’m still using my 2015 12.9” iPad Pro. Yes with many instances of auv3 it gets sluggish but it works; 4gb of ram luckily (I can’t believe your 2017 has 2gb ram…what were they doing releasing that two years later with half the ram for a “pro”).
You’re absolutely right about the keyboard. I got one and it wasn’t working after only 2 years - absolute overpriced garbage.
I’ve considered upgrading but I mean, why? It still works for what I need it to. I got it new and the pencil wasn’t cheap, needed a keyboard, needed the camera kit…it added up to be a pretty penny but I’ve gotten windows laptops that lasted shamefully shorter. The lack of headphone jacks on later ones really makes me not want to upgrade.
Frankly I think iPads are a good deal for music given the lifespan. However I would almost certainly say to buy used. I won’t be buying a new one again. My model can be gotten for absurdly cheap now, and compared to the newest gear influencers are pushing it can do WAY more for a fraction of the price. Is it shiny and new? No. But it is more capable than the shiny new Push for example.
Keep on preaching man. You’ve got a great message, informative and entertaining.
Bluetooth MIDI and headphones are available.
Buy now and you get (unfortunately not for a limited time) free latency and crap sound.
I upgraded from a 128 gb IPad Air 2 to a 2020 12.9 inch IPad Pro with 1tb when it came out. I did miss the headphone jack and being able to plug in a midi controller while using headphones but I got around it, I bought the Korg Microkey Air 37 and connect via Bluetooth and use the Apogee Jam + to plug in heads and my guitar, then when recording vocals I use the Apogee Mic +, I would say. 1tb is more than enough in most cases. I don’t see myself buying an M1 IPad Pro anytime soon, at least not for music, I also use my IPad for graphics and videos editing so depending on what apps we see in the future, like maybe FCP for the IPad ? And maybe not even then. I would just say at this point if you’re going to do audio production on the IPad just go for 500 gigs, you may not even need that but since you can’t install more storage better safe than sorry.
The iPad can accept usb-c external hard drives for storage. That’s how i work around using the iPad and having a small internal storage……..now the headphone problem is something I’ve always had a problem with. It can be labeled “PRO” and it doesn’t cater to pro users.
Ipads can be great! I feel it's important to have a mix of tools. I use a combination of ipads, eurorack, and elektron groove boxes. Also custom instruments and effects made from raspberry pi's. Currently helping a friend recover from investing too much into the iPad ecosystem. He started in the very beginning from the first iPad and ableton version. It gets messy, especially when you rely on apps pulled from the app store. This results in needing to have older ipads around locked from updating. then those fail so now you need to find a used one in mint condition and hope you can sync and side load the older os and apps. Apps can work great for years then new IOS versions can prove to have more challenges and the devs just give up or releases get worse or just stop happening. People usually navigate around this. Setups and workflows are short lived. This would not be an issue if my friend did not have a stroke a year back. His 2nd DJ gig after recovery fell apart due to due to iOS and app updates. major interface changes on his DJ app. muscle memory and workflow flushed down the toilet in an instant. not a good look to fall apart live especially when your just springing back from semi paralysis. The ecosystem is cheap though it comes with a price. everything is temporary, be prepared to work out a new workflow every couple of years. I am now getting him to integrate iOS with dedicated hardware. This hardware will have the same workflow until it breaks.
you raise a lot of good points. and it's true: while the cost of entry might be attractive in some scenarios, given relatively cheaper software on iOS, that cost-benefit ratio will certainly flip after a couple of years given the generally speaking shorter (useful) lifespan of iOS hardware, as well as the yearly major iOS releases breaking some apps. that might be temporary, until a free or paid app update arrives, or the indie dev just gave up/lost interest. Often it's these more "out of the box" indie/small studio app projects that make iOS unique and deliver great bang for the buck - while they last. Heck, these updates might even all of sudden turn some 3rd party hardware accessories into useless garbage, because it's not recognized properly anymore...
Good idea
That is a fair criticism. This video is just clickbair though.
@@XanarchistBlogspot Understood, i was just venting. 2 weeks later... I am still dealing with restructuring my friends studio and DJ setup away from being 100% Ipad. A healthy mix of gear is critical for long term setups.
Do a video of whats good to get for a budget.
Will do, but spoil alert, I would suggest just stay with what you already have. If you have windows device then try MPC Beats, if Mac then GarageBand, they're all free and great to make music. If you only have Android device then go with FL Studio Mobile, it almost has every thing you need to make all kinds of music, composing, recording, mixing and mastering. Smart devices are over powered nowadays, all new devices coming out are all not must have, imo.
Koala sampler
Just watched again and laughed so much. Especially the end comment “Apple or Banana”.
Your videos are so good man
Can you recommend some andorid tablets for music production
I upgraded to iPad pro 11" and i couldn't be happier! USB-c is a game changer! I can hook up my iPad right to my MC707 or any other class compliant gear, like magic!
I got it "refurbished" for $600. totally worth it.
My only question is....how much for Banana tablet???
Can you recommended some andorid tablets for music production!
this is a great summation. I was borderline getting a new ipad for live performance upgrading from my old original IPAD air which no longer supported or updating my music apps . I tried out a new ipad connecting to my pa system via the usb/headphone adaptor and had huge issues with the sound constantly muting itself !!! stick with the old one or return to using a laptop I guess
I love this guy 😀
Suggest something from the android end. Device and Daw wise
Meh a lot of ipados softsynths are equal to the desktop versions for 1/10th the price. Getting a used 2018 iPad Pro and a used 2015 MacBook Pro with Logic on it, is a pretty stellar music making combo in 2022.
i use a usb hub on my 11” M1 iPad pro. lets me charge it, use midi drums & a headphone dac. got to write it off for tax too. its the only apple product i own, & even though i wish it had 3 usb c ports & a sd slot im still pretty happy with it.
Im still using the first iPad Pro 12,9 and it’s still an amazing piece of hardware the battery while beat making on the go lasts for around 6 hours. I can load around 60 auv3. Plugins in AUM without problems.
Glad you chose the bigger one, it has 4g of ram, but the smaller one only has 2 :(
You are the greatest!!!!
The only pro for ipad for music making is appstore with some really nice affordable music software not available anywhere else at least at that price.... so one decent ipad with 3.5mm headphone jack won't hurt to handle those specific apps, but otherwise - yes, completely agree to your point of view!
That's why I still use my iPad, for those blooming great design and great idea apps.
Yeah had to buy a new iPad and was really disappointed that I can't just plug in a 1/8" audio cable. Grr.
Lost me when they removed the 3.5mm jack. Which phone did you get?
I'm using an android device now, it's Redmi K30, mid-range one but good enough for Koala Sampler, Caustic and FL Studio Mobile, with 3.5mm jack.
I too quit iPhones when they took the 3.5mm jack away - courage!
Word! I still love my 2018 Ipad 128 GB
Real talk!!! ❤
I'm still using two 2018 iPad Pros and no issues with Beatmaker 3/Garageband along with using it as a controller for Logic Pro X. I bought a newer iPad last year and returned in a week. They're making it impossible to use right out of the box for music production. You have to purchase Air Pods and other Apple wireless/cable audio devices if you want to get the full experience of music production. The 3rd party add-ons are also expensive.
NEVER use Bluetooth headphones for music production! You can't stand the latency.
@@playpm That's why I had to purchase a lightning cable with stereo input for headphones/earphones, USB camera port and SD reader slot. Although these parts are cheap, the more add-ons you need, the more expensive it gets over time.
This is absolute nonesense. The new entry level iPad's are perfectly capable, but obviously the more you spend the performance. The latest iPad's are almost as good as a Mac. Anyone that makes music knows that you use an audio interface, and don't care if the headphone jacks exists or not. I have never purchased anything more than a 256GB iPad, and I've only half filled it. Can you imagine how many apps and DAW's I have installed on my iPad? As a developer of iOS music apps it is important for me to test all my apps alongside other apps. If things were as bad as you suggest I would need several iPads just to store all these apps. As for audio, you can store thousands of hours of audio on an iPad, or offload it to iCloud, as storage is cheap.
Love this channel! This is the only video of yours that I have disagreed with. My 2019 iPad Air with 256GB has held up extremely well as a portable instrument for live sounds and processing. I think that an iPad can be an ultimate GAS therapy device: a portable computer with an incredible, affordable ecosystem of apps that is always expanding and updating. I have compared new gear to iPad Apps and, most of the time, there is a cheap app that does as well or better than the latest piece of gear. Finally, the USB-C adapter that I use is non Apple brand and works very well for plugging things in like a keyboard, pads, or an interface.
tbf mentioning how a 2019 device has "held up extremely well" just goes to show how used we all have gotten to short-lived disposable hardware. that shoudln't even be worth mentioning.
@@offTheMedsYe Absolutely a fair point. Apple gets no love ever in that department.
In this case, I didn't mean so much as hardware as I meant with hardware device innovations, as iOS software instruments, effects, DAW's, etc. have continually updated to keep pace (or are ahead in some cases).
Still using my 2016 iPad Pro (the first one on the market) for audio and video production. Perhaps I’m wise by buying the top model and not getting some skimpy ‘lite’ version.
Edit: Sorry I see you mention this @3:05 but using the $60 usb-c “camera” powered-adapter + an entry level $429 9th gen iPad isn’t a huge investment imo considering the many other uses an iPad brings to the table (outside of music production..)
One storage workaround I’ve found is the same _USB-A/C Camera Adapter_ you use to connect any USB MIDI sequencers/samplers to the iPad can _also_ be used to attach your external hard drive/USB storage devices to the iPad as well (I’m on the 10.2 9th gen iPad 64gb)
(But Apple is obviously fucking brutal & capitalist scum)
You could also get an used or refurbished iPad Pro 2018 or 2020 those two still give top performance
What do you recommend as a mobile alternative
Smartphone you already have?
Agreed on the sentiments regarding a new iPad VS an older iPad. Moved from an iPad 6th Gen to an iPad Pro M1. I definitely liked having the USB-C port and it's been amazing. But not being able to use a headphone WITH the built-in microphone has been such a letdown.
Which is sorta expected. Apple makes their softwares work well for a wide range of devices. At the same time, it limits what current developers can do, because they have to design for a wide range of devices. I'm still amazed that my iPhone 6S can run apps like Cubasis, Drambo, and more that my current iPad Pro M1 can also do.
The performance gains from the apps I frequently use aren't enough to justify the price. I'd say if you have an iPad from 2017 or later, unless you need the better display, USB-C port, do not need a headphone jack, I'd say wait.
I should make a video on this soon as well. Thanks for sharing your experiences, Michael.
#SEONN
*This is exact what i think too ;)*
*Apple only gets me, if they sell a 15 Inch (or bigger) IPad Pro, or i wait some more Years ;)*
I mean, yeah, they're good with supporting older devices with their OS updates; but not being able to select input/output devices while having the balls to call that a "pro" device is just laughable.
totally agree with you ...
I gotta say, my ipad pro 2018 doesnt have the aux port anymore, and i cant connect a usb midi device and an aux port at the same time
You can if you use a usb hub
I know people don’t like dongles but I’d rather use my iPad with a dongle than switching to laptop or desktop
@@VictorIbelles i got a isb c to 5 usb female adapter, and a usb to aux adapter. but when i plug them in i get no sound
@@rizen3467 that’s weird usually that should work
Try it with another adapter or another usb to aux
@@VictorIbelles i tried out 2 usb hubs, maybe its the usb to aux dongle
@@rizen3467 when you connect the midi and the aux port at the same time does sound come out through the Ipad speakers or it doesn’t give any sound ?
Definitely agree with the overpricing comments and the removal of the audio jack on iPad is pure money grabbing absurdity. But in my opinion, I do find iPads to be long lasting with a very high roi. Software support is pretty hard to do very long term, which we can not blame Apple exclusively for and I do think it has improved compared to the first iOS products. I am until today still impressed by the speeds of my 2017 iPad Pro 12,9 and make pretty much all my illustrative work and music on it, mainly with Korg gadget, which I have never really known to hiccup much, even with plenty of layers. I got the 256gb and it has never filled up so far. Also still rocking the og iPhone SE which runs so smooth still and got 7 years of updates, which barely any phone on the market has ever received.
Is it to much to ask that they keep maintaining the backward compatibility for older systems ? A setup becomes like a customized instrument and tool. Only way to preserve it for the future seems to be to clone it when fine tuned, and leave one of them in the freezer in case the original breaks down.
Not having a analog mic, headphone jack, ethernet, usb a,c and hdmi is sad. You’re right it’s all about the money. For 16 g of ram and 1 tb on m2 Mac that cost almost $3000.00 is insane. I have both windows and Mac however there is more options with windows like expanding ram and storage for starters.
Agree on this. My g7 iPad is the only Apple gear i own and i bought it in the first place to convert and edit files for some of my agency customers. I wanted to use it for me as a portable music studio but ran into several annoying issues that made me return to my Win10 laptop. Cubasis and many softsynth apps itself offer really a great intuitive user experience, but when it gets to a stable connectivity with outboard gear, organizing files and backup your data on your own storage devices the fun quickly ends. Offering only 5GB of free iCloud storage to backup a 128gb device and blocking any other way to do it shows the general mindset behind Apple´s sales strategy. Not my cup of tea anymore.
IMO when it comes to getting the best out of apple ecosystem while desiring things like stability, connectivity and not running into artificial boundaries set up by the OS at every second turn, mac is the only way to go.
Storage issues not true, you can use external drives and sd cards with the correct usb c hubs
This a dope video! Great info! I'ma keep all this in mind lol
I stopped using iPad for music a long time ago , updates made my old apps obsolete
I totally agree, Michael. I love iPad and iPhone apps so to keep working within the iOS ecosystem I use multiple older iOS devices so that multitasking isn't an issue. I have old iPad 3rd and 4th generations that I use as dedicated devices for specific things (the 3rd gen is a Samplr machine, for example, and lives in an Alesis ioDock that was supercheap because nobody cares about 30pin accessories now). It all links together via MIDI so I don't need to worry about running out of CPU power do I don't need to give Apple any more money 🙌
I guess my ipads would end up the same, becoming a dedicated gear which only run a few apps forever :(
@@playpm I don't look at it as a bad thing, though. I get all these devices that people think are worthless & I make music with them so they can live a new life, free from SIM cards and social media apps 😉
Could you list your setup? Would be great to use as a guide for those of us who want to put together small and portable ipad based setups with external sound interface.
ive been using my phone with fl mobile thats almost 7 years old, as an 8 dollar DSI from japan running Korg M01, with a modded GBA using Bleep & Nanoloop2 this has been my set up for year , but if your just trying to make music on an ipad i use to use tabletop its enitre free daw or caustic
Is there any android tablet model that you rate highly?
It would be Galaxy tab s7, but I still recommend a laptop for the most power.
the problem with Apple is eventually you will have to buy it again to move forward with the platform. Once they antiquate the device through planned obselence (stopping the updates) you ending either buying new or buying newer used...
I got an amazon fire 10 hd 144$ canadian and used {fire tool box} don't work with midi controllers but koala sampler {14$} who can say no to a 150$ sampler bass is a bit quiet but I tend to use yamaha mt5 or kz zsx iem
i dont think 128g will fit on that it is better off to save more storage and using it just for basic and simple instruments
So almost a year later I come here to say: all you need is a samsung tablet (there are several good ones nowadays with 3.5 jack and expandable memory ) with Koala Sampler, and a windows pc with Serato Studio or Ableton Lite (can be Suite if you want 🏴☠) for finishing tracks.
Thanks for suggesting, I'm still happy with my MacBook air 2014 and GarageBand 😌
Correct, I also made this mistake, iPads cannot match music making on a real computer and very difficult to get the music you make from the iPad to your computer DAW. I love Apple but iPads are not even as powerful as phones now. iPads are not professional tools for music, they are good for art and design (with Apple pencil etc) and students etc. Spend your money on a Macbook or Mac Mini M1 (and max out the RAM) that can run real software and be hooked up to USB hubs to connect other gear in real time. The people on here that say they are great are not demanding users, they are using them for ideas and fun etc or for playing some instrument apps live. The storage, thoughput and I/O is where iPads fall down. In addition iPads have earthing problems with the mini jack connectors which makes live audio output very noisy and prone to interference. By comparison when you use a computer for music you hook it up to a high speed low latency audio interface with balanced connectors.
agree 100. I can see how iOS has some cool unique apps, and that once you've become "sucked in" so to speak it can be hard to live without that specific piece in your workflow. BUT compared to mac, both in terms of hardware (ppl need to look beyond merely CPU) and restraints created by the OS, iPad always has been a crippled toy (especially if your use cases go beyond just music).
me personally, I don't see building a whole workflow on iOS apps, as the obsolescence and frustration that comes with that is pretty much guaranteed if you look ahead a couple of years. jm2c ymmv
That's why iPad beat making is only good when you use pre-made loops or for recording synths via midi into your PC's DAW. Making a full track with iPad on Garageband, Beatmaker 3 or Cubasis becomes a headache.
Did you edit out eye blinking for more dramatic effect? lol
I’ve been using a new iPad Pro for about a year and it’s been mediocre experience really.
Too much clunkiness with routing external audio, gear connectivity and file management.
It’s great if you are using just one instrument with audio over usb or internal apps only.
I guess the MacBook Air solution would be way better, but man, two usb-c ports…
You caught me lol, that's why I tend to use my dated MacBook Air 2014, which I upgraded to 1TB storage with $100.
Yes. they will shit on your head with shitty products. LOL. Speaking truth my friend. Super hate the single usb-c port.
yee you would have yo buy a camera adapter for the usb or hard drive storage
The only thing I agree is that the lack of 3.5 mm is a pain in the ass
I have a 2018 iPad Pro
256gb and 4gb ram and I’m
Pretty happy with it,
I don’t have any problems with storage, ram or performance
But here’s my “hacks” to work well with it
I connect all my setup to a usb hub and then I use a 2 meter usb A to usb C cable that goes Into my iPad, that way my iPad still looks good cause it’s just 1 cable instead of a big dongle
The audio interface I use has audio out , that way I can both use the midi or audio IN while also getting audio Out instead of using the iPad speakers (for serious music production you need monitor speakers and studio headphones that require preamps so you wouldn’t use the 3.5mm out anyway)
I use an external Drive or usb sticks for storage and backups
of my projects
I wouldn’t say iPad music production is bad, it’s just different than doing it on a desktop or laptop environment
The only thing I wish for is melodyne and logic for iOS
Idc if it’s expensive I like iPad
Workflow the most vs desktop or laptop
Lot of folks having a great experience with iOS music making software and the internal routing etc are blinded to how exploitative apples hardware model is. Just wish Droid was better for apps and audio routing
I am in the same boat. It is frustrating- some parts are great- and look back on Microsoft’s history of abusing its power, and Google just cancelling products, or not doing more to help deal with fragmentation.
I like your approach- vote with your $ and be vocal so that there a hope for change. No more hat shitting!
im not reaally filling up my ipad for that music i just using it just for fun and i using ipad 8 gen
Truth hurts. Chapeau!
Edir: this said, my 10 year old mac is still running like the 1st day. They started fking everything up a bit later...
Totally get it, it's not the hardware issue though.
Michael, after 10 years making, producing (and also djing, no complaints here) music in Ios, and owning a 2017 Ipad I bought my first M1 Macbook Air (coming from a long, 25 years Windows usage) and.... I don't come back, I don't buy apps anymore on Ios, because the os in itself if too damn fu****ing crammed, boxed, closed, and the tablet format (you must use it with hands) simply it's not as versatile and comfy as a desktop solution, I mean, not as an almost free Ableton Live Lite and a bunch of free vsts. Apple decided not to let Ios to fly as it could, so for me it's fine, but I won't buy another Ipad too. At the end of the day, in a tablet format you can't run a proper daw, with lots of modulations, sound design space, and stuff, you simple can't; or at least, maybe you can with efforts, with too many workarounds, it's simply not worth it!
Man I totally feel you!!! And I don't buy new iOS apps for quite a long time too, there're just too many great free daws and plugins to use, and yes I played with Ableton live lite, it's so all-in-one solution, it feels a relief to finally get away from those work around all over the place!
@@playpm Yay, and there's more. In a tablet format (in that sense, Ios ot Android is the same) doesn't give you enough information layers on a single screen, UNLESS you start paging, menu diving and so. Yass, AUM and au plugins are damn nice, powerful, high quality in themselves, but it's the whole workflow that's a mess, especially when you have to perform operations on multiple clips/channels/files, because you can't select'em all, or you have to do it in a silly way. Things like that makes music producing a nightmare, something similar to editing excel files on a 1989 Dos desktop XD
Ios at the moment is quite nice if you have a... how can i say, a singer/songwriter approach. A few tracks, vocals are the most important thing, and no more... in that situation, it's easy to craft a product, but it's not the same when you are trying to fit many neurobass lines with 10 drumkit sounds. It's an import/export nightmare, it's no fun.
@@playpm ableton's built in synth stuff like operator is so fun to mess with, I wish it wasn't so expensive but as long as I don't have commercial success that doesn't matter yet ;)
Challenge your creation with 8 track limitation in Lite.
It entirely depends on use case. Ive used ipads for about 8 years and i can strongly say its been a better purchase than any other computing device. But definitely dont buy it JUST for music, or you might be dissatisfied. If apple finally ports macos to ipads though, laptops will become a hard sell
I've seen a number of reports that it's happening with new M1 iPads
Apple rumors are a hell of a thing. Ive definitely been waiting for it. Theyre already SO close with the universal chips and some of the new features. I bet itll happen within the decade
Spot on. I have an iPad Pro and have even made a record using a fairly old iPad the 2012 model. Having said that it will never be as good as a laptop running a daw. Of course it has good points such as being self contained, good software etc but it still always feels like a toy thanks to Apple’s ridiculous policies such as preventing any sort of ssd upgrade, no dedicated port etc. But here is the biggest kicker, I recently bought an Acer R5 471T i7 version for $250 AUD!!! I can run a full daw on it, more powerful software etc. it is a 2 in 1 model with a touchscreen so can be as self contained as the iPad. Apple to be fair are moving towards making the iPad a more serious computing device with the M1 version so let’s see how that develops.
basic sampling and beats will work on that but some heavy types of funky and pop music is not good for that
I do not agree at all. I love my iPad pro. I can hook it up with the rest of my studio with only one plug. I would love to have a 3.5 mm audio jack because it would make charging when using it stand alone with headphones much easier but for the rest I'm fine with it. 256GB is a fair amount of storage too if you work only at a few projects at the same time.
I hook mine up to an mpc one and midi clock sync the two for an amazing experience with the AUM or NanoStudio 2 or Gadget 2. And for drawing too…amazing…no regrets in buying my M1 iPad Pro…I love this thing!
What's your setup list, so I can get some help understanding how to start my own streamlined setup..
@@dyecaster9341 Are you asking me bro?
I know these companies must HATE you cuz you keep it too real. Only good thing ipads are for is being one instrument machines to supplement a set up.
Michael's reality checks kinda make a lot of other music channels look like prozzies lol
I’d be interested in seein if these newer M1/M2 iPads with ALOT of RAM will change Michael’s mind :)
I love Apple products, but hate paying Apple 😑
Great video! I have a big windows desktop for production, but what do you recommend for live performances? I'm looking to play a few synths but worry about buying a laptop. I just picture windows trying to do an update mid-song or some sort of latency at the critical moment.
Appreciated. Maybe try freeze those tracks you don't intend to play live, use them with only mute and solo, this will free lots of CPU power. And before your gig, rehearsal a few times, make sure the most CPU intense part won't get you audio click, then you're good to go live.
@@playpm thanks for the response! I'm a big fan of your channel.
I use a decade-old IBM laptop for live performance. I run generative patches on it, not just simple playback of loops. Works perfectly. Cost about $400 after upgrading the drive to a fast SSD and doubling the RAM. Every part is user-serviceable so I am not dumping crap into a landfill like Apple prefers. Kind of depends on what you need.
@@endorphinparametric4132 oh but haven't you heard? they use recycled aluminum, and 100% sustainable energy (for their HQ and retail stores, lol) /s
My Ipad air 3 of three years old is still working perfect, mostly on stage so I don’t need a pro and if I would need more power and memory I probably would buy a computer.
The dongles don’t bother me.
Yes Apple is after our money, so is every other company and buying Ipad apps still is much cheaper than buying computer programs or VST’s and my Ipads last for years giving me plenty of time to save for the next even better one.
So I am still very satisfied with my Ipads, Logic on Ipad even made it better and simpler for me.
That whole shitting on your head apples and bananas riff was poetry.
its all true. so i dont work in daw anymore when i travel. i just create music via analog. then import into a daw when i get home. I cannot multitask on ipad with just 1 usbc port. i need to charge, transfer files, plug in an external ssd, plug in my dac and headphones. Imagine if apple just integrated dedicated ports on the ipad -like a tablet/laptop hybrid. So now, its just easier to bring a laptop for travel or invest in a true desktop setup at home.
I bought a 7th-gen iPad (and 📷 dongle) 21 months ago for less than $400. The storage capacity is 32 GB. 🤦🏿♀️ I admit to being a serious packrat, but I still cannot explain what files are taking up _all_ of the space. It seems the low price was a lure, so 🍎 could chain me to their cloud storage subscription. 😾 I must resist…
I have yet to achieve a satisfactory backup. I do not use iTunes, and I’m already paying for Google One not iCloud. File management on iOS seems like an afterthought or perhaps a bad joke. Transferring documents and photos to a USB stick is slow, and often leads to incomplete or corrupted copies.
Occasionally, the system will off-load an important app, then refuse to re-install it. So I can’t export my old GarageBand projects until I’ve cleared ‘enough’ storage. I cannot access my bookmarks from Brave browser until I wipe the storage. Discord? Google Drive? nope. Oh boy, iOS has now ejected a big piece of my AUM workflow, so much fun. 😭
Man you're so brave to buy a 32gb iPad 😂🙌🙌🙌
External SSD, Powered usb c hub, and CCK
@@Taeodoestech Does that work well for you? I’ll give it a try, but I’m skeptical that iOS will treat a big disk in a hub better than a stick by itself…
I agree completely
after my ipad 2 quit working after a certain IOS update, when they clearly slowed down old models so youd have to buy new ones, i never bothered with any other apple product ever again, and what i dont get: why are ALL tablets so damn aweful in the processing department? why does my samsung note 10+ have 6 gigs of ram but an 8 inch samsung tablet from the same year has barelly 2 gigs and runs choppy, yet has 4x the space inside for more parts? all tablets are like this , theyre slower than phones, yet have the space to be easily running laps around the fastest phones, until they fix that garbage nonsense , ive given up on tablet devices, especially when, like you said, you can buy a laptop for cheaper and get way more out of it,
i spent 1800 dollars on my laptop a couple years back when i was having a good year, you know what that got me? 20 GIGS OF RAM! 20!!! telling me they cant put more than 2 in a tablet, is horse sh**
As a windows guy I bought ipad for for procreate and drawing in general. By now, it just pretty much lies on my table unused. Laptop (especially windows laptop for me) is just so much more versatile I see no point in using ipad
I only use thee iPhone SE because I love the synths apps they have
Thank you.
Well Said!🙏
Preach!
Solution: 3rd party gear for dongles (some higher end ones work really well and are supported by Apple) and buy last gen. You can get an M1 iPad now for pretty good prices
Exactly. Apple is an expert of trapping you in it's hardware ecosystem and keeping you there even when they aren't giving you your money's worth. It's one of the most exploitative tech companies ever.
MInd you, *used* Apple hardware can still be pretty good. I'm on a 10yo Macbook pro (running linux, naturally :) ) and it's terrific.
@@mrz80 Linux is lighter than windows so that explains a lot
my 10 years old windows machine works just fine too and i paid less than half for the mac equivalent.
Hey Michael, nice video once again. But what's your current music making setup? Is koala your main music station? Logic?
Appreciated man, tbh I only sketch ideas and teach music creation on my iPad now, I tend to use my laptop more and more, using GarageBand and lots of dope 3rd party plugins, most of them are free. I've finished a few commercial tracks all within GarageBand, it's really versatile.
Спасибо за честность, искренний человек
I am very happy with my iPad Pro M1 and would not return to a laptop. You can buy external storage as well. It is very fast with an amazing screen, speakers and pencil. I have the magic keyboard and very happy. Money well spent.
careful with the new macbook pros. their RAM and Hard drives are soldered into the motherboard so if anything breaks its not easy to recover your data. older models you could just take your hard drive and put it on a new computer, this ones you have to send to apple or a specialty shop. NOT PRO PRODUCTS AT ALL
Thanks for reminding, my preference is M2 air, but the base model SSD speed is ridiculous. And to be honest if not I need to compile codes for my iOS apps, I am super happy with my MacBook air 2014.
Not my experience at all. I have a Pro 11 2020 and pro 10.5 both 64gb. They work fine with what I do, but I mostly jam out using Drambo and a few other apps. Stuff just works. When I do multitracking I just power on my iMac 27” with logic. Doing multitracking on a laptop is already too painful imo. Sorry to hear you’re not hav8ng fun with IPads,