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iOS, iPhone, iPad and music 101

#421
I never thought of myself as technologically challenged until recently when I started looking into using my PC and/or my wife's iPad as practice tool and eventually a basic recording/effects/amp modeling tool. The great thing about standards is that there are so many of them.
Here's what I've got to work with:

PC with 2.8Ghz Core 2 Duo CPU & 3.25Gb of RAM running XP SP3
iPad 16Gb (no WiFi) running iOS 4 but ready to upgrade to 5
$150 for an audio interface

The only audio interface I've found so far that will directly connect to both is the Focusrite iSolo, but it's not compatible with WinXP. If there are any that are iOS and XP compatible, I haven't heard about them.

Now I'm reading that you can connect a USB audio interface to an iPad using a CCK as long as you pay attention to the USB power issues, but I'm wondering if there's more to it than that and what other compatibility issues I could run into. I know the XP SP3 is a limiting factor, but does it put me effectively out of the game? If not, that opens up a lot more choices for me in terms of USB audio interfaces.

Am I going down a dead end road trying to connect to the XP based PC and iPad with the same interface, especially with a slim budget? I'm not looking for studio quality, just a decent tool for practicing and an intro to computer based audio without insurmountable config and compatibility issues.

Rather than relying on the dubious advice of the sales people in the local GC, do you have any suggestions for an affordable (for me) interface to get started with? I was all set to buy an Apogee Jam until I (perhaps foolishly) decided that I'd like to be able to feed audio into my PC as well.
 
#424
steve_rolfeca said:
Or the Lexicon Omega.

You may need a powered USB hub, as well as the CCK. Check the Auria interface compatibility chart to be sure.
Click to expand...

Yep, I figured the powered hub and CCK were mandatory if I don't find an interface that has USB *and* a direct iDevice connection and also is WinXP compatible. I've got a feeling that such a combination doesn't exist in my price range, if at all.

Is using the CCK for USB on an iDevice fairly straightforward as far as configuration of drivers/software or am I asking for problems with this approach?
 
#426
ric426 said:
Is using the CCK for USB on an iDevice fairly straightforward as far as configuration of drivers/software or am I asking for problems with this approach?
Click to expand...

The good news, is that drivers are not required in IOS.

The bad news, is that the interface has to be truly USB "class compliant", which is a standard for driverless USB audio. Although some USB interfaces fit the bill, most do not.

Auria maintains an incomplete, but still useful compatibility chart on their website. If you take a look, you'll see that you've got quite a few choices. Adam's ART is a good affordable choice...

Another OK cheap option is the Tascam USB800. Preamps aren't great, but it's fine for casual use. Lots of gozintas and gozoutas...
 
#427
How did I miss this thread?

I'm to the point where 95% of my practice at home is virtual using my iPad or iPhone. I'm not trying to record at all.

My signal chain:

Greasy little fingers > bass > pedalboard > iRiffPort > iPad Retina / iPhone 4S running PocketGK

I run headphones out of the jack on the iRiffPort, this is my only real annoyance - I hate the feel of the headphone cable, I'm always snagging on things. Since you can't use the iThing's internal Bluetooth when rigged this way I just ordered a BT dongle to plug into the iRiffPort - I already have a decent set of BT cans.

I'm personally happy with PocketGK for practice use. I have paid copies of some of the other apps, but I keep coming back to PocketGK.
 
#428
steve_rolfeca said:
The good news, is that drivers are not required in IOS.

The bad news, is that the interface has to be truly USB "class compliant", which is a standard for driverless USB audio. Although some USB interfaces fit the bill, most do not.

Auria maintains an incomplete, but still useful compatibility chart on their website. If you take a look, you'll see that you've got quite a few choices. Adam's ART is a good affordable choice...

Another OK cheap option is the Tascam USB800. Preamps aren't great, but it's fine for casual use. Lots of gozintas and gozoutas...
Click to expand...

Steve maybe you have an answer.
I use the Focusrite iTrack Solo, as most knows.
I did try to run it with a powered USB hub and the CCK in order to avoid the need to use the short and stiff iDevice cable. The USB cable for connecting to PC or a iDevice power supply is long. But when I've tried to connect the iPad to the iTrack with a powered UsB hub and the USB connection the iPad didn't see the iTrack. Is it due to wrong powered USB hub?
 
#429
Duke21 said:
Steve maybe you have an answer.
I use the Focusrite iTrack Solo, as most knows.
I did try to run it with a powered USB hub and the CCK in order to avoid the need to use the short and stiff iDevice cable. The USB cable for connecting to PC or a iDevice power supply is long. But when I've tried to connect the iPad to the iTrack with a powered UsB hub and the USB connection the iPad didn't see the iTrack. Is it due to wrong powered USB hub?
Click to expand...

Ask Focusrite.

Here's my guess, though:

There's a reason that USB interfaces use drivers on Mac and PC. Class-compliant USB is a pretty bare-bones standard. Manufacturers can run all sorts of proprietary extensions if they write their own drivers. When you use most class-compliant interfaces in CC mode, you give up a bunch of features.

No-one uses CC except IOS users these days anyway. Since the iTrack already has a dedicated IOS port, there's no reason for the USB port to be class-compliant. I suspect that it isn't, and that's why your powered hub didn't work.
 
#430
This past weekend I tried connecting my bass to my iPad via an iRiffPort to a power amp and a speaker but the output was very, very low.

I have a Behringer BDI21 (-don't judge-) that drives the power amp well enough...should I be connecting to this first for more juice infront of the power amp?
 
#437
When I use my PA system only, a DI isn't really necessary, as the Carvin powered mixer has a gain control for each channel to adjust the incoming signal. It also has line level inputs on a few channels, so the DI becomes strictly a signal splitter to allow me to go to both the PA and my amp.

I do use the XLR jack to run to the PA when using the BDI21.
 
#438
Rip Topaz said:
When I use my PA system only, a DI isn't really necessary, as the Carvin powered mixer has a gain control for each channel to adjust the incoming signal. It also has line level inputs on a few channels, so the DI becomes strictly a signal splitter to allow me to go to both the PA and my amp.
Click to expand...

Ah...this is good to know as my amp will serve as monitor if/when I debut the iOS rig live.
 

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