IK Multimedia tell us that iRig MIDI is an ultra-compact standard Core MIDI interface for iOS that connects any MIDI compatible device to the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Here’s the rest of the details from IK:
iRig MIDI connects MIDI keyboards, drum machines, drum pads, pedal boards and more to an iOS device to control not only the included SampleTank FREE* but also a world of MIDI-compatible apps such as GarageBand®. You can also use iOS apps to control external MIDI equipment such as sound modules, DAWs or lighting systems right from the mobile device.
iRig MIDI is the only compact iOS MIDI interface sporting 3 MIDI ports: IN/OUT/THRU. These connect to any standard MIDI jacks using the included 2 x 1.6m/5.2′ cables. iRig MIDI also has 2 LEDs for displaying the MIDI activity on the IN and OUT ports.
iRig MIDI also exclusively provides a micro USB port – with included cable – that connects to any standard USB power supply source so that the iOS device can stay fully powered during long sessions.
Features:
Standard Core MIDI interface connects any MIDI hardware device to Core MIDI-compatible apps like SampleTank FREE and GarageBand®
Directly connect MIDI keyboards, synthesizers, drum machines, drum pads, pedal boards and more using the included 2 x 5.2′ (1.6 m) MIDI 5-pin DIN cables
3 MIDI ports: IN/OUT/THRU
2 LEDs for MIDI IN/OUT activity display
Micro USB port can charge the iOS device while in use
Free apps included: SampleTank FREE the powerful sample-based sound module app and iRig MIDI Recorder FREE
studio.M – the FREE New Music Creation App!
Just in time for that 4th of July jam session, vacation to Europe or holiday trip to the country with your acoustic guitar.
Sound Trends has just shipped studio.M, the new, multitrack music creation app for mobile producers and songwriters on the go.
Features:
4-tracks of CD audio quality playback (with recording one-track-at-a-time)
Streaming recording/playback engine for long recording times limited only by storage
Automated mixing and effects
Effects (Compressor, Reverb, Pan and Low Pass Filter)
Loop library spanning popular music styles (including Pop, Funk, Industrial, Hip Hop, Trance, Reggaeton, House, etc.) Many of these loops were produced by Jason Donnelly (Dj Puzzle)
In-app MX upgrade for MORE tracks, effects and loops!
The “MX” in-app upgrade adds:
4-more tracks (8 total)
More effects (Delay, Flanger, Gate, Stutter, BitCrusher and Glitchy Repeater)
130 more loops arranged in loop construction kits called “Loop Sets”
Plus you get the in-app Loop Store offering 100′s of loops arranged in Loop Sets by both large 3rd parties (like Beatport, Sonic Reality, etc.) and indie producers.
This holiday go record some fireworks!
studio.M requires iPhone or iPod touch on iOS 4 or above. It will also run on iPad in 2x mode.
The i-MX1 by Yamaha was just recently announced. It is not yet available but we have some info here from Yamaha.
Yamaha introduces the i-MX1 on the Frankfurter Music fair – a MIDI interface that‘s connected to the Apple iPad and thus offering vast possibilities to control MIDI equipment.
The Apple iPad has proven itself as a very handy tool, combining a very nice touch panel with a reasonable size. It has sold in large quantities. On Winter NAMM 2011 Yamaha introduced a series of Apps that will allow a wireless controlling of the MOTIF XF Music Production Synthesizer.
To be able to control synthesizers that won‘t allow a wireless connection to the iPad, Yamaha now presents a MIDI interface that‘s connected to the iPad.
In a small, black device the i-MX1 carries the needed electronics and two connectors for the included adapter cables which represent the MIDI input and output (with the well known 16 MIDI channels each).
It does not just connect to the iPad, but to the iPhone and the iPod Touch, too. Since these devices are much smaller, they are even more handy controllers.
The i-MX1 is compatible to the drivers provided by the iPad-OS (iOS, Core MIDI), there‘s no need for special drivers. So even thirdparty applications that are using the iOS drivers can use the i-MX1 as MIDI-Interface.
The i-MX1 will help the iPad to continue its triumphal procession to the shores of ‘old school’ MIDI.
Where to actually buy the i-MX1 is still a mystery to me. Please comment if you know where it can be purchased. I looked on the Yamaha site and they don’t have it on their products page.
Crystal XT Synthesizer for the iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch
Crystal XT is a full featured semi-modular synthesizer, ideally suited to creating lush evolving soundscapes. Crystal VST has long been a popular synthesizer on the desktop. Crystal XT brings that same powerful synthesis engine to the iPad and iPhone. Crystal XT features MIDI keyboard input via the iPad’s camera adapter or any CoreMIDI-compatible MIDI interface such as the Line 6 MIDI Mobilizer and sharing of sounds with the desktop version of Crystal.
What’s New in Version 1.6
Multitasking – Use the Settings app to turn on the CrystalSynthXT Background Audio mode if you’d like Crystal to play audio when in the background, for example to play from a virtual midi controller app.
Note on Virtual MIDI: While this version works with controller apps like StepPolyArp and Genome, we’ve learned there are other controller apps with which it is incompatible. We will have an update with wider compatibility in just a few days.
- Please send any problem reports via email to crystalsynth@gmail.com We cannot reply to problem reports in reviews.
Positive reviews are always welcome and encourage us to provide updates!
Browse through the included sounds and use the 2 octave keypad to trigger notes to produce evolving, rhythmic, or melodic sounds. Create your own sounds with a single button press using the breed feature. When using an iPad, you can delve into a tweaker’s dream by using the extensive editing features to sculpt sounds to your heart’s content (editing features are only available when used on an iPad).
Crystal features both subtractive synthesis and frequency modulation (FM) synthesis. It offers abundant modulation control with over 90 parameters which may be modulated, multi-stage envelopes with graphical editors, extensive tempo sync of envelopes/lfo rates/delay times, built-in effects for chorus/flanging/comb filtering/echoes, and a band splitter for effects processing by frequency band. Not only that, Crystal has wave sequencing and granular synthesis. The musical applications for Crystal are literally boundless.
With MIDI keyboard input, you can connect a MIDI keyboard to your iPad and play Crystal XT like a hardware synth. Or use a CoreMIDI-compatible MIDI interface such as the Line 6 MIDI Mobilizer and connect your MIDI keyboard to Crystal XT on an iPhone.
With patch sharing you can create sounds on your iPad or iPhone while away from the studio, then transfer them to the desktop Crystal when you get back to the studio to use in recording projects. Or, create banks of sounds on the desktop Crystal, then transfer them to the iPad/iPhone Crystal to use in a live performance for a truly portable rig. Use Audio copy/paste to record your performance on Crystal and transfer that performance to another app.
If you don’t need all the features of Crystal XT, try the basic version of Crystal, also available in the app store from Green Oak Software. With the basic version you can browse sounds, play notes, and create new sounds, taking advantage of its powerful semimodular synthesis engine. Crystal XT adds MIDI keyboard input via the iPad’s camera adapter and sharing of patches with the desktop version. Choose the app that is best for you!
Important note for iPhone and iPodTouch users: Crystal XT runs on both the iPad and the iPhone/iPod Touch. Because of the limited screen space on the iPhone however, the editing pages, which contain the edit controls, are not available when running on that device. But on the iPhone you can still browse sounds, play notes from the keypad, create new sounds with the Breed feature, modify patches with the Design feature, and share sounds with desktop Crystal VST.
Soooo coool. Don’t know how I missed this one at NAMM 2011. A bit expensive though. Core midi is supported. For $10 you get a midi player with the complete, original CMI-2X library. For $50 you get page R sequencer and a selection of Series III sounds as well.
Fairlight App for iPad and iPhone
Developed in Australia during the ’70s and ’80s, the Fairlight CMI (Computer Musical Instrument) was the first commercial sampler and screen-based rhythm sequencer. Today every sampler, digital synthesizer, sequencer and audio workstation can trace its lineage back to this legendary machine. Now you can have, in your pocket or on your iPad, a piece of history developed by Fairlight staff who worked on the CMI in the ’80s.
You can buy and download the standard App from iTunes and play original Fairlight CMI sounds and sequences straight away. If you want to create your own masterpieces you can use the in-app upgrade process to get all the Pro features listed in the Features page.
iPad Loops is a blog site dedicated to iPhone and iPad apps for music production and Djs. Jason Donnelly (Dj Puzzle) is recognized in the industry as a THE goto man for royalty free loops. His work has been published by Sony Creative, Loopmasters, Xmix, Sound Trends, and many more. Subscribe to our RSS feed below to get updated when new apps are posted.
