Line6MidiMobilizer
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The iPad and MIDI hardware working together, here's how.
Create Digital Music has put together an interesting video detailing the various ways that you can connect MIDI gear (synthesizers / keyboards) to your iPad. MIDI (musical instrument digital interface) is the standard means by which musical information is communicated between MIDI capable hardware and software. As Create Digital Music puts it, "... [MIDI] doesn't transmit sound, but it does transmit information like pitch, note events, knob twists, button presses, and clock and transport information." Using various MIDI-compatible apps on your iPad, and the Apple Camera Connection Kit or the Line 6 Midi Mobilizer, it's actually pretty straight forward getting MIDI gear (from today, dating all the way back to the 1980s) to work with your iPad. Since Apple introduced Core MIDI into iOS 4.2 and above, it's easier than ever to get your iPad working with MIDI devices -- and that's what the video after the break demonstrates. If you've found some interesting music apps for your iPad, but you're struggling to integrate them with your music-setup (or even just use a MIDI keyboard with your iPad) then the video after the break is for you. [Via Engadget]
iOS 4.2 to support MIDI
It's come to light that the upcoming release of iOS 4.2 (due in November) will support all-out MIDI. According to Mike Keller, writing for PC World, Core MIDI on iOS 4.2 should work just as Core MIDI does on Mac OS X, meaning that your iDevice running iOS 4.2 will communicate with other MIDI compatible devices and hardware via USB (using the iPad's camera connection kit USB adapter) or WiFi, using Apple's own MIDI APIs. What can we expect to see from MIDI in iOS? Well, until the official release of iOS 4.2, we won't have all the details. But the guys over at Create Digital Music have put an interesting guide together to demonstrate some of the capabilities of what a MIDI-equipped iDevice could look like, using a developers release of iOS 4.2. Up until now, music creation on the iPhone and iPad has been more of a novelty affair rather than a serious contender and choice for pro musicians. Could MIDI support in iOS be the catalyst that changes that? For me, one of the big attractions of MIDI support in iOS would be the ability to use an iPad / iPhone, loaded with high quality samples, as a replacement for the more traditional laptop + MIDI controller (keyboard) setup commonly used in live musical contexts. All we'd need is for some high quality sample manufacturers (Native Instruments, you interested?) to port a version of their software to the App Store. For all the details, and a video preview of the iConnectMID as well as a look at the Line 6 MIDI Mobilizer, click here. [via Engadget]
Apple introduces MIDI to iOS 4.2, iPads the world o'er get ready to rave
Although musicians were quick to pick up on the iPad's possibilities as a control surface, the audio production corner of the App Store is still overwhelmingly devoted to things like guitar amp models and soft synths -- that's because until recently there was no way to send MIDI commands from iOS (not that some folks didn't figure out workarounds). That's why we were excited to hear about the appearance of MIDI APIs in iOS 4.2. What does this mean for all of you would-be Brian Enos? The gang over at Create Digital Music have put together a handy guide to what we might expect from a world where all out iOS devices can communicate via MIDI, whether through the USB cable or over WiFi -- and it is a brave new world, indeed. Intrigued? We were too! And we were pleased to find out that yes, the M-Audio Uno works with the iPad, and that the accelerometer can indeed be used to pitch bend. Unfortunately, we also learned that the Line 6 MIDI Mobilizer is a lot less exciting than we thought it might be (that is, until third party devs go to town on the thing). Hit the source link for all that stuff and more. Or just peep the video after the break, if you wonder what the next version of Pianist Pro holds.
