Looking for advice on the right gear for my intended uses.

[JStro]

Hello, I recently purchased an ipad with the intention of using it as the center of my music setup. (fx, looping, recording, etc) So I have been relentlessly crawling the web in search of the proper gear to accomplish all my intending uses, without getting gear that may limit me from expanding my set-up in the future. Then I decided that before I start spending money on anything I should consult ye, oh wise internet, to help.

Since the live set-up I envision is probably what the bulk of the gear I'll need will be aimed towards, here is what I would like to be able to do. I'm looking for a good audio interface that allows for midi instruments, drum pads/samplers, vox, and audio instruments to be all going through the ipad. I intend to use a looping program like loopy, and have multiple different inputs to feed into the program. I'm basically looking for a setup that will allow all this and room to expand with things such as a bluetooth pedalboard.

 

[GaryLee4]

Are you planning on using your ipad for performance, or just for recording?

 

[Cooltouch]

Hey JStro,

I'm still fairly new to making music on the iPad, but not when it comes to digital composition, performance, arranging, and recording. Gary Lee's question is a good one because it will determine the type of interface you'll need. If you'll be using it primarily for everything but live performance, then you can get by with a fairly small interface, like the one I currently use, a Scarlett 2i4. But if you want to use it for live performance, then you'll need one with enough channels to handle all the instruments/voices that will be playing simultaneously.

Ultimately what you'll likely choose will depend upon your budget, but if I were looking for a good interface for live performance, I'd give the MOTU models a close look, like their 828 MK3, for instance. The MOTU interfaces come with some very nice mixing software -- and the iPad is supported with their CueMix app.

Of course there are other possibilities, like the Scarlett 18i6, for example, which is nicely priced for its feature set.