Don Taylor Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 I am not an Apple iDevice owner but I think that I will have to buy one in order to use Michael Eskin's concertina sound samples from a midi input device. But what to buy that I know will work and that does not cost an arm and a leg? When I consult Google about connecting midi to an iDevice then I get conflicting answers. So, if any folks on the forum have successfully used a midi input device (keyboard, concertina, whatever) then would you please tell me what iDevice (model no. and IOS version if possible) and connectivity device you have used. I want to connect a class-compliant USB midi device of my own fabrication. My preference would probably be the new version of the iPod Touch that was released this week. I have no idea if midi would work with it. Don. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Michel Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 MIDI isn't really part of my toolkit, so I don't have any good suggestions regarding an input device. But depending on the software you're using, screen size might be something to keep in mind. I use Auria pretty exclusively on the iPad now (it's not currently MIDI-enabled, but a major upgrade is expected any minute), and it's hard for me to imagine navigating its interface on an iPod screen. Cubasis and some other powerful recording packages for iOS do accommodate MIDI. (I used Cubase for years on a PC and found it a clumsy horror; Auria is vastly better, at least for my purposes.) A compromise might be an iPad Mini. I have a friend who's quite happy using one of these (with Auria) as a dedicated recording device. It's more expensive than an iPod, but an older model (perfectly adequate for this use) would be fairly close in price, depending on the amount of storage you want. And while it's great having lots of room, there are enough ways of offloading big sound files that even a 16 GB model (whether iPad or iPod) ought to do the trick. Bob Michel Near Philly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Taylor Posted July 21, 2015 Author Share Posted July 21, 2015 Thanks Bob, but I am not looking to use the iDevice as a small D.A.W. At least not right now. I just want to connect my own DIY midi device to it and have it play (not even record) sound using Michael Eskin's concertina sound fonts. Sadly, Michael's sound fonts are only available on Apple devices. This article is the best, by far, write-up I have found on the issues involved: http://www.claviercompanion.com/blog/50-connect-midi-keyboard-to-ipad It categorically states that you cannot connect an iPhone or an iPod Touch to a midi device. However, this was written two years ago and maybe Apple has removed some of the restrictions in their software, he asked hopefully??? I suspect that I will have to spring for an iPad after all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Michel Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 (edited) Oh, well, as Emily Litella used to say, that's very different. Clearly I've outed myself as a MIDI illiterate. But a quick search online suggests that all sorts of MIDI devices do connect to an iPod Touch nowadays (e.g., http://www.sweetwater.com/cs--iPod_MIDI). So unless I'm missing something (again), the iPod should do the job. Bob Michel Near Philly Edited July 22, 2015 by Bob Michel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conzertino Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Don, you know about my MIDI concertina-projects! My instrument outputs standard TTL-level MIDI. I then use a cheap standard MIDI to USB kable ( see ebay ) plus an ORIGINAL Apple USB adapter ( cheap copies don't work! ). In fact, I altered the MIDI to USB cable so that the USB now supplies the voltage for the instrument. In fact it now runs off the Ipad / Ipod - usually for several hours with no other powerpack etc. needed. First I bought an IPAD mini 1, which works fine on stage, but next I bought an Ipod-touch ( 5th generation ) which works very well and nicely fits into my shirt-pocket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Taylor Posted July 22, 2015 Author Share Posted July 22, 2015 Robert: Thank you. I read your post as saying that I can plug a class-compliant USB midi device into an Apple USB to Lightning adapter on an iPod Touch 5th gen. and expect it to work. Is that correct? Do you mean this cable: http://www.apple.com/shop/product/MD818AM/A/lightning-to-usb-cable Thx. Don. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Taylor Posted July 22, 2015 Author Share Posted July 22, 2015 Oh, well, as Emily Litella used to say, that's very different. Clearly I've outed myself as a MIDI illiterate. But a quick search online suggests that all sorts of MIDI devices do connect to an iPod Touch nowadays (e.g., http://www.sweetwater.com/cs--iPod_MIDI). So unless I'm missing something (again), the iPod should do the job. Bob Michel Near Philly Bob: Not at all illiterate, I am trying to do something a little different than was originally intended by the midi folks. I have not finished checking out the stuff you pointed me at, but so far they all seem to be for plugging the 'proper' midi connectors (two big round DIN plugs) and converting that to Apple dock or lightning ports. I don't have DIN plugs on my device, just a single usb plug so I don't think they will work for me. Robert's post about using an iPod Touch seems to be pretty close to what I want to do. Don. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wes williams Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 (edited) Don, Just a thought, but as someone who recently was given an iPad Air, maybe you could use bluetooth to send the midi to to the iWhatever. Apple cable interconnects are very expensive, so this may give you a cheaper and less constraining solution in the long run. Google 'ipad bluetooth midi controller' - there are a few about. Edit: My youngest daughter's comment on my iPad was 'Welcome to the 21st Century Dad!' Edited July 28, 2015 by wes williams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Taylor Posted July 28, 2015 Author Share Posted July 28, 2015 Wes: Thx. I have not bought an iThing yet but when I do I will try Bluetooth connections. Don. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conzertino Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 In fact I got the BLE 4.0 connection going, but it is pretty tricky stuff: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nugTz-mpDJI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul_Hardy Posted August 4, 2015 Share Posted August 4, 2015 In fact I got the BLE 4.0 connection going, but it is pretty tricky stuff: Care to elaborate on the trickiness, and what you did to overcome it? I have a midi tina with a wired connection to an iPad as synth and would be interested in possibilities of making it wireless. Regards, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MatthewVanitas Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 Sorry for the delay, but I keep meaning to get around to borrowing someone else's phone so I can take a photo of my own phone plugged into a MIDI keyboard, but I'll just describe it briefly instead: I have a QuNexus small 2-octave MIDI piano keyboard, extremely slim and durable little critter I can just throw into a full backpack with no fear. It takes a mini-to-regular USB cable, and to plug it into my iPhone 6 I use the "iPad Camera Connection Kit" as the makers recommend online, and have had no trouble using that to play through Eskin's ThumbJam app. I tried playing it through a normal Bluetooth wireless speaker but there's just too much latency, so I got a little plum-sized $10 plug-in speaker off Amazon and that works well enough to make it at least as loud as a ukulele or so. If it'd help if I post a photo, let me know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Taylor Posted August 18, 2015 Author Share Posted August 18, 2015 (edited) Matthew Thanks for the info and the offer of photographs. I don't need the pics as I now understand, I hope, Apples to midi connections. I finished up buying an iPad plus the Lightning Camera Connection Kit and, after a bit of futzing with cables and powered hubs, I have got Thumbjam to emit concertina-like sounds. Don. Edited August 26, 2015 by Don Taylor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Eskin Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 (edited) You absolutely can connect iOS devices to MIDI using a hardware interface from IK Multimedia, or even use apps themselves as MIDI controllers to talk to other standalone MIDI synthesizer apps running on the iPad. I have a whole family of MIDI controller apps for the iPad that emulate English and Anglo concertinas as well as other traditional instruments like accordions and bagpipes, and have donated my best concertina and accordion samples to the developer of ThumbJam to give away as free instrument downloads in his app. My MIDI controller apps catalog is at: http://www.appcordions.com/MIDI For MIDI synths running on the iPad, I mostly use ThumbJam and IK Multimedia SampleTank. For MIDI stream control and parameter remapping on the fly, I highly recommend MidiBridge Cheers, Michael Edited November 3, 2015 by eskin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Ghent Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 For MIDI stream control and parameter remapping on the fly, I highly recommend MidiBridge Michael, Could you explain what this means. I have my midi concertina running through an IK midi input device and an iPad 2 running Bismark but I am shaky on the details. I will look at Thumbjam to see if it is more transparent. What is stream control and what parameters would you want or be able to map on the fly..? Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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