"Free" iPad Air 2 (128GB) & Logitech Keyboard/Cover & AppleCare Warranty?

[Chumly]

Kindly excuse the somewhat-ish off topic post; my employer is willing to give a "free" iPad Air 2 (128GB) plus a Logitech keyboard/cover and AppleCare warranty, however it's classified as income so I will have to pay income tax on it (which in Canada can be rather onerous!).

In any case, given I have more reasonably well equipped Windows based laptops than I can use at present, plus a Samsung Galaxy III, plus a Google Nexus 7, what the hell would I do with an iPad Air 2 that I cannot do already, especially considering I do not play live any more thus portability is of no great consequence plus my Samsung Galaxy III and Google Nexus 7 more than cover my very modest mobile needs.

I do understand that iOS has it's supporters, but I do not find Windows 7 / 8 to be problematic for my musical endeavors (Sonar DAW etc.).  Also I have no interest in using the iPad Air 2 as a more portable way to accomplish the same musical goals I can already accomplish with my reasonably well equipped Windows based laptops.

Is there is some overwhelmingly compelling reason that I am not aware of (and nope latency problems are not at issue, and nor is portability)?

Is there something that I could musically do with the iPad Air 2 that I cannot do already?

Perhaps a bunch of oh-so very compelling iOS music applications that simply have no equivalent in the Windows realm?

Much Obliged

[aliensporebomb]

For me IOS has the following compelling apps (for me) musically:

PPG Minimapper (Wavemapper for the iPad) (who needs an $8000 PPG Wave when it's cheap on IOS?)
Bebot (so much fun)
Animoog (really has that massive low end analog punch)
iMaschine (I've written nearly two full CD's worth of music from this alone)
ReBirth (never thought I'd see the day this would be on my portable device)
Groovemaker (multiple versions - very fun)
Bloom (Eno's app - novel interface)
Loopy (audio looper with cool interface on ios)
Drum Beats + (probably the best drum unit on ios at this time)
Amplitube (plus in your guitar, here's your multifx)
iStrobosoft (wonderful fast strobe tuning)
Polytune (ditto but polyphonic)
Guitar Toolkit (has all the answers)

[Elantric]

Sounds like a great opportunity

Find many IOS apps worth while here:

https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?board=132.0

Search on "IOS"  =  Apple iPad apps

[guitared]

Here in Canada,when employers give you something of value, CCRA sees it as a taxable benefit. What's all that worth?
1000 bucks? May cost you 200 to 300, depending on your income and other stuff. Heck, I would go for it, and I've never owned an apple product in my life.
You can always sell it if you don't like it....

[gumtown]

"Free iPad"??
Yes please !!
Can you get around the tax thing by saying it belongs to 'Work' but I use it, until one day it just mysteriously vanishes??
electronic gear is now nearly and expendable-consumable throw away thing, and a tax write-off from depreciation.

We have had recent job (at my work) related rule changes for 'anti-corruption' with a maximum gift value of $50.00,
now how can you bribe a potential client or an employee on that?

[Chumly]

Here in Canada,when employers give you something of value, CCRA sees it as a taxable benefit. What's all that worth?
1000 bucks? May cost you 200 to 300, depending on your income and other stuff. Heck, I would go for it, and I've never owned an apple product in my life.
You can always sell it if you don't like it....

That was kind'a my thinking as well in terms of the initial monies (about $300 in taxes) however I would need to buy a Roland UA-22 (or equivalent) plus all the music software, plus the time investment, just to see whether or not it's all to my favor so it's not as simple as the initial numbers appear.

Excluding my precious time (after all it's the one truly limited commodity) it's going to cost:

Taxes $300
Roland UA-22 $212
Software $500 (guessing)

So the true cost is about $1,000 not including my time to learn software I may already own the equivalent of (or not care if I don't own the equivalent of)!

 

[Chumly]

"Free iPad"??
Yes please !!
Can you get around the tax thing by saying it belongs to 'Work' but I use it, until one day it just mysteriously vanishes??
electronic gear is now nearly and expendable-consumable throw away thing, and a tax write-off from depreciation.

We have had recent job (at my work) related rule changes for 'anti-corruption' with a maximum gift value of $50.00,
now how can you bribe a potential client or an employee on that?

Working for a government sponsored educational institution as a teacher in Canada means a much tighter rein on any tax advantaged benefits than my dear American cousins.

I envy your more generous taxation rules, but not the immense gulf between your richest and your poorest and how that gap causes blatant disregard for the political ideals embraced in the US Constitution; not to suggest that Canada is that much better mind you!

[Chumly]

For me IOS has the following compelling apps (for me) musically:

PPG Minimapper (Wavemapper for the iPad) (who needs an $8000 PPG Wave when it's cheap on IOS?)
Bebot (so much fun)
Animoog (really has that massive low end analog punch)
iMaschine (I've written nearly two full CD's worth of music from this alone)
ReBirth (never thought I'd see the day this would be on my portable device)
Groovemaker (multiple versions - very fun)
Bloom (Eno's app - novel interface)
Loopy (audio looper with cool interface on ios)
Drum Beats + (probably the best drum unit on ios at this time)
Amplitube (plus in your guitar, here's your multifx)
iStrobosoft (wonderful fast strobe tuning)
Polytune (ditto but polyphonic)
Guitar Toolkit (has all the answers)

Thank you aliensporebomb I respect your POV.

Would all this stuff run easily and properly on the iPad Air 2 with no setup hassles whatsoever (I sure do not want to spend any time fiddling with Apple software / hardware just to make it work, I've had my fill of that with Windows)?

Outside of a Roland UA-22 (or equivalent) would there be any proprietary Apple hardware requirements or would it simply be plug and pray (pun)?

[gumtown]

Working for a government sponsored educational institution as a teacher in Canada means a much tighter rein on any tax advantaged benefits than my dear American cousins.

I envy your more generous taxation rules, but not the immense gulf between your richest and your poorest and how that gap causes blatant disregard for the political ideals embraced in the US Constitution; not to suggest that Canada is that much better mind you!

I live in New Zealand, but it has the same problem here with the ever widening gap between the haves and have-nots, democracy at it's finest.
We now have a generation for many the dream of owning your own home has long since sailed away out of reach, as properties are rapidly brought up by foreign investors.

[supernicd]

Is there is some overwhelmingly compelling reason that I am not aware of (and nope latency problems are not at issue, and nor is portability)?

Is there something that I could musically do with the iPad Air 2 that I cannot do already?

Perhaps a bunch of oh-so very compelling iOS music applications that simply have no equivalent in the Windows realm?

I don't really view it as Windows or OSX or iOS; I view it more as "AND".

IMHO, here's what an iPad could, at a high level, add to your musical experience.

• Tons of great music apps available at a fraction of the cost of most desktop based music apps
• Truly the ability to create music anywhere - on the bus, on a camping trip, on a plane, on the sofa.  The battery lasts a long time, and the device is small.  The OS and apps load quickly so there's not a long setup time where you lose your idea.
• Apps that are designed for touch, which offers you a brand new way to interact with music.  This can unlock creative potential, get you out of a rut, or make it possible to play something you otherwise couldn't.

A couple examples of the last point.  Many synths on iOS have touch screen keyboards.  In a lot of cases, these keyboards can be locked to a scale - say G pentatonic minor or E Phrygian.  The other keys that aren't in this scale are removed.  So if you can't play keyboard, now you can becaue it's almost impossible to hit a "bad" note.  And if you can play keyboard, you can set it up to do things that would be near physically impossible with a hardware keyboard.

For another example, take a look at the app TC-11.  This is a synthesizer that can be programmed to include all of the devices sensors as part of the patch.  So the pitch of the note might be controlled by your compass heading and the length of the note might be controlled by the angle at which your holding the iPad.  And maybe the filter cutoff frequency is determined by the distance between your first and second touch.

I guess in conclusion what I'm saying is that even though you can happily make music without an iPad, if you end up getting one, you'll certainly find ways in which it can enhance your musical journey. A lot of talented developers have been drawn to this platform, and have somehow been persuaded to offer high quality software at cup-o-coffee prices.  I think you'd have a lot of fun with it.

The only downside I can think of is that all the availbility of cool apps at low prices can sometimes be a distraction to actually creating music.

[Chumly]

The only downside I can think of is that all the availbility of cool apps at low prices can sometimes be a distraction to actually creating music.

Oh my, that could sum up the story of my musical endeavours since not earning money from music (no more live gigs).

[Chumly]

I live in New Zealand, but it has the same problem here with the ever widening gap between the haves and have-nots, democracy at it's finest.
We now have a generation for many the dream of owning your own home has long since sailed away out of reach, as properties are rapidly brought up by foreign investors.

I am not an ideologist nor for that matter a religionist but I would consider myself a pragmatist (at least in sum) and so I would not be in favor of protectionism in an absolutist sense, but I would be in favor of putting quality of life ahead of maximizing quarterly returns.

The powers that be on the West Coast of Canada have aligned themselves so thoroughly with Asia that the same issues you speak of in New Zealand are mirrored here.

The ideology that economic growth combined with resource utilization will solve many problems is a fallacy that will come to haunt our future (let alone our present!).  That's not to say that the social implications of laissez faire based capitalism is either inherently good or bad but I would suggest that unregulated markets are more likely than not to be indifferent to the environmental / social problems accompanied with so-called "economic growth".

Having said that, I do not argue the left versus right paradigm as it's too limited, too vague, and too ideological to be of much use.

[supernicd]

Here's an example of a designed for touch app that is pretty mind-bogglingly cool.  While you could probably get the same end results on your Windows machine by processing recorded samples in a DAW, you'd probably just never think to do some the things you might think of if you can reach out and touch your samples.

[mbenigni]

Samplr is awesome.  I still haven't figured out what to use it for, but it's a case study in elegant GUI design.  (Although I sometimes look at it and wonder whether Teenage Engineering is readying a lawsuit LOL.)

[supernicd]

Hmm, those two things do look a bit the same in a way.

Admittedly, I have not used Samplr in a song yet.  Just for "sonic exploration".  But I intend to at some point.  I think it could create a really interesting track that is mixed just below the surface of the main melody and rhythm parts.

Really, you could probably make a whole song just in Samplr.  Might be worth a go some rainy day.  Either way, it is certainly an intersting tool with a lot of creative potential.  And just flat out fun to use.

[mbenigni]

And just flat out fun to use.

+1

[Chumly]

OK I'm convinced; at worst I will learn a bit about iOS (having never owned anything Apple) and at best I will unlock the secrets of the universe.

[Chumly]

Kindly excuse my Apple-ignorance but I bought a Roland UA-22 and from my readings here that's a nice choice for the iPad Air 2 however I am slightly flummoxed as to the best way to get the data in and out of the iPad Air 2 via the Roland UA-22 (I have not picked up my iPad Air 2 yet).

I gather I need a proprietary Apple interface of some sort as the iPad Air 2 does not have a USB port (rather lame).

If I need a proprietary Apple interface of some sort where is the best place to get one and which one would it be?

[supernicd]

You'll need the Apple Lightning USB camera adapter. Buy the official Apple one, not a knockoff, since you'll be using it for music, for best results.  Which means it will probably be the same price whether you get it directly from Apple or an authorized dealer like a cell phone store - think they're abour $40 US.

Try Amazon
Apple Lightning to USB Camera Adapter

http://store.apple.com/us/product/MD821ZM/A/lightning-to-usb-camera-adapter?fnode=3a


Nice choice BTW.  I don't have one, but it was down to that or the Focusrite dock, which was more practical for me b/c it charges the iPad.  I like that the Duo EX has 5-pin MIDI and can run on battery though.  Let us know what you think.

[Chumly]

Hi SuperNiCd (great handle BTW),

Wow I did not know about the Focusrite iTrack Dock!  From my readings here, the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 has a bit better sonics than the Roland UA-22 and it's noticeable if you "roll the guitar volume down to clean up a high gain Amp sim in Positive Grid BIAS" thus decreasing the signal-to-noise and somewhat exposing the quality of the AD converters and preamp.

I am not committed to the Roland UA-22 as I just brought it home (it was on sale) and don't need it untill I get my iPad Air 2.  The Focusrite iTrack Dock might be a better bet pending:

1) Are the Focusrite iTrack Dock sonics equal to the Scarlett 2i2?
2) Would I still have to buy that annoying Apple Lightning to USB Camera Adapter (it seems so from what I can tell)?

[Elantric]

Read the recommended iPad Audio Interfaces here:
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=10323.0

I prefer the Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 vs the Scarlett 2i2  as the Scarlett 2i4 has 5pin DIN MIDI I/O interface that works for the ipad

[Chumly]

Hi Elantric,
Oops, I did not notice that the Scarlett 2i2 does not have conventional MIDI ports.  Thank you one and all for your time!

[supernicd]

I don't have 2i2 or 2i4 to compare it to.  I do however have quite a few audio interfaces from other manufacturers.  The Focusrite Dock sounds great.  I'm extremely pleased with it.  IMO, you'd have to get into some really high end pre-amps to beat Focusrite but I'm guessing the Roland ones are on par.

Yes, the dock does eliminate the need for a camera connection kit.  It does not however have 5-pin MIDI, but it does have a USB MIDI port.  This is great if you have a keyboard or other controller with a USB interface - it can power that too.  When I need 5-pin MIDI, I simply hook up an M-Audio MIDISport Uno cable to the USB port on the Dock, and it works fine, and I have my 5-pin MIDI DIN connectors.  The Uno is ballpark $30.

Not really trying to sway you either way.  For me it was a really close call between the Focusrite Dock and the Roland Duo Capure EX.  The Dock won out simply because it can power/charge the iPad which is important to me. But battery power could probaby get you a slightly lower noise floor.  The 2i2, 2i4, and UA-22 would also be nice in the sense that they could double as a PC/Mac audio/MIDI interface.  The Dock really can't do that.

[Elantric]

Agreed with SuperNiCD's post above.

The Focusrite preamps have lower noise. Just avoid the Focusrite iTrack Pocket as its only 16 bits

http://us.focusrite.com/ios-audio-interfaces/itrack-pocket

I'd add the iConnectAudio4+ to the list -it powers the iPad has 4 channel inputs buts routes your IPad music Apps into your Win /Mac desktop DAW too

[Chumly]

I am obliged to all, I've ordered the Scarlett 2i4 (to compare to the Roland UA-22) plus the Apple Lightning to USB Camera Adapter (talk about obvious planned obsolescence and thus environmentally destructive eWaste, as the not-so-free-now iPad Air 2 has no on board USB!).