80 thoughts on “iPad Air 2 Now As Fast As A Laptop – So Where Are The ‘Desktop-Class’ Music Apps?”

1. Auria + Fabfilter plugins – say a couple of Volcano FX, a couple of Saturns, a Timeless or 2 – will give the new Air 2 a run for its money when you add on to that some synth apps like TF7 with the advanced algorithm packs, and Mitosynth with multiple layers of modulation. Throw in some convolution reverbs *all simultaneously* and even the Air 2 will look slow. And yet, all of this worked fine on an iPad mini Retina with iOS 7.1.2 until iOS 8 came along. Wait. What?

   1. OK. The 12 of you who modded this down. Read Adam’s post below. I was correct. Perhaps if you have a helpful comment as to why you think factually this might be incorrect or some other personal experience that demonstrates something contrary it could be of help to everyone? Me included 🙂

      1. Again – I gently challenge the now 20 of you who have negatively mod’ed to provide some counter example. It would help me to know what I’m doing wrong.

         1. There’s a certain pack that lurks around here that just hates all things apple. Don’t take it personally. They can’t be reasoned with.

            1. We can br reasoned with. Its just that people are very defensive like they are part of the management team , rather than the end users.

               1. Totally Wired

                  Derek was actually pretty critical:

                  “Throw in some convolution reverbs *all simultaneously* and even the Air 2 will look slow. And yet, all of this worked fine on an iPad mini Retina with iOS 7.1.2 until iOS 8 came along. Wait. What?”

                  How could anybody take that as sounding like something from Apple’s ‘management team’?

                  1. It’s just as likely that pro-Apple readers voted down the comment as it is that anti-Apple ones did. The idea that the more recent version of iOS is a step backward threatens some people as much as the combination of Apple’s success / user B&D does others.

                     The real question is why different musician’s tools become polarizing at all. Nearly all are flawed in some ways and well worth using in others.

2. Modern mobile music making is like being in Nirvana!

   I hope Apple continues to make the right moves to evolve the end user experience further and is able to maintain a truly ethical and intelligent standard of excellence in the process!

3. I would almost place a bet that Propellerhead has something in the pipeline. To me their apps on iOS are like testing the waters in different areas. Look at all three, I don’t count Rebirth in, and then you have a full picture.

   Ableton is slowly moving in that direction. They connected with Korg.

   What really worries me is Native Instruments. They have not been accepting the industry standard like Audiobus so far.

   You’d be surprised to know how many productions that are actually released have their origin on iOS or have even been fully produced including mastering on an iPad.

   This ecosystem is turning things up side down. It’s all in the hands of the artists for a small budget now in the electronic fiield.

   1. NI just added audiobus to Traktor DJ.

   2. I’d be interested to hear examples of well known productions fully made on iPad. Genuine curiosity.

      1. there are plenty of examples out there, the gorrilaz (damon albarn) made a highly successful album on an ipad

4. LOL. iPad like a computer. pleeeeeeeeease tell me it’s april fools….HA. gimme a break.

5. The issue with the Air 2 is that, in part, it appears for some to fix a problem that didn’t exist – except if one pushed the limits of things like Auria or the other apps I mentioned – for many if not most iOS musicians until just a month or so ago.

   Having tried the iOS 8 app updates (not iOS 8 itself – none of my present iPads (I use 6 for iOS music making) run iOS 8, and, as they are using non-updated-for-iOS8 apps, are doing very well still),
   and then having had to revert most of my apps to their pre-iOS8 ipa’s from backups, my mini Retina is continuing to hum along nicely before preparations for iOS 8 began.

   In fact I *purchased* the mini Retina simply in part order to have a bit more headroom to use more of those Auria Fabfilter plugins. All of the other (multiple dozens) of iOS music apps I work with continue to work fine on a mini original or a 3.

   Further, a good number of IMO the best iOS music apps still work fine on an iPad *1* – like Animoog, iMS-20, iPolysix, iMini, Magellan, Galileo, Sunrizer, Alchemy, iSEM, Cube Synth, Cassini, Cubasis, etc.

   If I wanted to expand something like Auria even more, or run more complex multipath Audiobus chains, then, yes, I might be interested in the faster CPU and more memory – and would not say not to an Air 2 in that case, but, I’d like for my *other* apps to not essentiallly “stand still” performance wise – which I have a concern may be the case on the Air 2. I’d expect I could run Audiobus with a buffer size of 128 for example, instead of having had to crank it from 256 to 1024 post some iOS 8 updates on a mini Retina. That will be a good test to see whether the new specs offer truly increased performance, or, rather just enough CPU power for all the extra layers to allow executives to hand off their phone calls to Yosemite… 😉 (One of the first things I would turn *off* on iOS 8).

   Progress is good. But, is there a cost here with iOS 8 getting more in the way? It may be the case. Time will tell I guess.

6. i wish I could use Propellerheads Reason on iPad, but for this I would need a much bigger screen than the one of iPad Air 2, plus much more RAM and CPU. Basically an iPad Pro, or a Mac touch. I’ve been waiting for this for several years now. But Making an iPad pro is less profitable than making apple pay.
   There is also one feature i wish there was in ios, which is crossfeed settings for audio output. To have a virtual sterephonic listening stage through headphones.
   I use my iPad as a sound generator or a sound processor in my studio coupled with an iConnectMidi. But the iPad is definitely not the center of my studio.

7. okay, first impression of air 2. i like the non-glare glass. the ipad is lighter and thinner. now for the music apps. audiobus: (input) animoog, alchemy and ivcs3; (effects) AUFX Dub & Space; (output) AUFX peakq. buggy as hell. i expected animoog to be buggy as I am running 2.2.2 (i have been beta testing 2.2.3, which is up to its sixth iteration. i have to wait until tomorrow to be able to access 2.2.3(6)). i was surprised that ivcs3 and, especially alchemy, were severely stuttering at a latency of 512 (256 was, of course, far worse). i then ran animoog, alchemy and ivcs3 outside of audiobus individually and was shocked that find they are all stuttering. the developers and apple have a long way to go to get this straightened out. i’m just going to have to wait it out.

   1. Sounds like what I said in my above two posts Adam that for some reason seem to have been modded down. Oh well.

   2. Just got an ipad air 2 a couple of hours ago. So far I’ve tried out Animoog, Thor, Gadget, Arturia Isem and Ipolysix. Everything is working perfectly, I hear no glitches or stuttering of any kind. I’ve only been playing the screen so far, no external midi-gear hooked up yet. Just a heads up to those worrying about experiensing Adam Matza’s troubles.

8. Suspect it will take an ipad pro and maybe ability for some apps to be only be compatible with higher cpu machines to take things to the next level. There will have to be enough of a market of users for the Ableton’s of the world to start producing iOS versions. I think the software developers know there is no turning back on the pricing structure that iOS apps have taken (ie. Relatively cheap and free updates). For the software developers to make their money they have to be able to sell 5 times as much volume if they are selling for a fifth of the price of the desktop equivalents. Sadly that volume of users is just not there now. iOS musicians are a loud minority but still a minority. I am hopeful that a year or so down the line that will change. iOS will provide that volume that devlopers need as the Democratization of Music production that started with desktops/laptops will be bolstered by the iPad. I believe iPad’s will continue to make music production even more accessible to those changing up their workflow and those starting out making music.

9. The hell with Ipads for music I own one and really tried to make it happen but it’s just too clumsy. Oh and don’t get me started on the silly proprietary cables and the OS blocking when you try to put in a cheap cable. I want a disk drive and a USB port and not to have to send everything on the internets. The screen is dirty as hell all the time too, As much as I like the idea, it’s a consumer item with too many limitations. I also don’t like the way Aappel own’s you when you sign up for their stuff. Where is all the ad-free freeware and develop-ware? It’s sooo commercial it kills my juices. I still use it, it’s really nice when I am taking a crap and want to compose stuff.

   1. I am an instrument user,and cause of softsynths we now have to use hardware to describe our production methods.
      This post is good as it shows a musician using I pads and realising they are not up to much.
      I have yet to see a website that shows us these finished “i pad ” tracks.?
      Everyone talks about these brand prestige items like they are the answer.

      1. You’re not looking in the right places, perhaps.. or perhaps just not looking. 🙂

         This is just what’s on Soundcloud (if it doesn’t work, search #iOS or #iPad):

         https://soundcloud.com/search?q=%23iOS

      2. Damon albarn released an entire album for the gorillas made only on his ipad.

      3. The Apptronica label.

         BTW: I’m a hardware anlaog synth guy too, and a guitarist, a pianist, a keyboard player, a singer and a composer. I also design sounds and patches for analog and virtual analog hardware. I think that’s probably enough to be called a musician by some definitions 😉

         I think iPads are great for music production also – in addition to all the above methods of music production – and they are up to a great deal including end-to-end song production. I use them for that standalone as well as incorporating 3 in one studio setup via a couple of iConnectivity boxes. In that latter capacity I use them as outboard sound generators – like VSTs – as well as outboard FX processors as well.

         The Roland R-8 Human Rhythm Composer I picked up a while back has a very different proprietary power cable – such that it’s taken 2 years of waiting for one to appear on ebay before I’ve managed to get it working. (The PSUs alone were selling for around $150 – I picked one up cheaper than that in the end).

         I also own several soft cloth screen cleaners. They come in handy on my Linux and Windows desktop displays and the Android devices I use in the studio setups as well, along with a couple of Macs.

         It doesn’t have to be one thing or another or one way or another.

10. if you want to run Desktop-Class’ Music Apps get a desktop or laptop
    i think the ipad is pretty good at doing what it can do

11. I have posted a few topics related to some of these issues on my website. I’m enjoying the improvements many of the various app companies bring to the iPad with the goal to be able to create music ‘on the go’ and have numerous ways of sharing your product with others, or to your computer for further editing. For me, it’s dedicating time to learn the fine points of using each app, e.g., recently, Symphony Pro, Notion, Music Studio. Also, utilizing Audiobus app, and how other apps can connect to each other to fortify your music toolbox. I’ve used GarageBand for years.

12. It’s frequent buggy iOS and app updates that ruin the experience for me. I doubt I’ll get another ipad after this one becomes prematurely obsoleted.

13. I’ll stick to my laptop… I realize that as a user of Windows I am using a buffered OS as opposed to a “realtime” one. I agree that core audio is superior to ASIO but I also realize that the RAM in my laptop is upgradable and that due to the nature of RAM over time and with heat it becomes unstable and needs replacing. Sorry Apple you have lost my business due to your proprietary nature and newer builds where memory is soldered to the MoBo.

14. i can see a function for iPad as a second screen for a DAW, with an option to open functions like dynamic tools and fx in your iPad for more playfull and multi touch control

15. Sold my iPad Air 1 to get the iPhone 6 Plus. The iPad was used to write ideas when I was away from my studio and alternatively the touch screen also proves a different way to write and can be great for creating unique ideas. So while it was never a main part of the studio, due to the iPad/iPhone I have created ideas that would have never been possible, especially while travelling and capturing ideas as they are being felt in real time and that is what is so great about iOS for me. The reason I sold my iPad Air 1 is because the size of the iPhone 6 Plus is more ideal for travelling on the bus. The only thing I miss is the Korg iMS20 and Polysix apps which are not on the iPhone.

16. Always there are few who resists to new and innovation (or stick to competition). I find very useful the iPad especially for sound design. I made also a few tracks but I have to admit that I’m using the apps from iPad as a machine controlled via MIDI to record it on my DAW.
    To blame Synthtopia for iOS articles is foolish (as I saw on FB). Any way to improve artist’s creativity or work flow is always welcomed. And that’s what Synthtopia is doing: always finding interesting stuff for you.
    iPad has brought the possibility of making music much more easy anywhere anytime with low costs (don’t tell me iPad is expensive – just compare it to any other DAW or VST for a computer).
    PS: I’m using iPad 2 with success.

17. what nonsense, just brush aside the sales talk and do some research in to the architecture of these chips and you will find out the truth. bench mark tests only work when the environment or the end user process is the same. what apps can you run on both platforms that are the same and can give you a realistic chance to compare?

    1. What is this ‘truth’ that you trust more than hard numbers?

18. All that power with a Governor on the OS and most Apps.

19. I’ve had an iphone since the day they came out, I like the clear clever design.

    But I wanted a tablet that could do anything my PC could. In the end I caved and bought an ipad because it is so convenient.

    Now I’m thinking if I can finally have a powerful tablet, I do not want to play by others rules anymore, the lack of USB ports, file management and customisation are things which don’t bother me on a phone but do on my main device.

    I believe I will get a surface pro next and stick with a phone or smaller secondary tablet to continue my access to apple apps.

20. Like many Ipad musicians , loving the touchscreen mobile form factor does NOT make me a fan of Apple . I curse Apple for so many hindrances whilst praising the majority of the devs for their acheivements in spite of Apples restrictions and constant goalpost moving .
    I use the ipad as a swiss army knife piece of hardware , whether as a synth ,sampler, sequencer , fx , controller , I can point to a £400 equivalent single piece of hardware that only performs one of these functions ,usually through the keyhole of a 2 line lcd screen & menus.

    Whereas Audiobus ,then IAA , has integrated using a few apps together , it is ironically midi , supposedly embedded at core level within the os that is most unreliable between apps . I had hoped apples inclusion of Bluetooth midi in 8.1 would include a complete overhaul of CoreMidi , ideally with a built- in master clock function that prioritised realtime midi/audio functions over all others .
    given at least four TV adverts focusing on ipad for music use , I dont think it’s as niche as some are claiming , (maybe synthtopia synth nerds are forgetting schools,classical,jazz etc.) but again bemoan apple for paying for adverts about musicmaking instead of coding for it working perfectly first.)
    The Air2 will finally get me to upgrade from my Ipad2 now it has 2Gb of Ram ; I’m hoping it wont be good money after bad , but rather finally recouping the previous investments of both hundreds of Apps which I can use together , and hundreds of hours learning , using , betatesting,feature requesting and waiting in IOS land .

21. Z3ta

22. The question is wether the iPads SHOULD actually compete with the desktop scenario. There are advantages and disatvantages to both protocols.

    Desktop is faster right now but carries a lot more expense and is totally dependant on mouse or trackpad to manoeuvre.

    iOS is cheaper by a long shot and is more expressive if you use the right apps. For example, apps like figure/thumbjam, orphion are specifically designed for touchscreen and can create exquisite loops and grooves using expressive methods that only iOS devices can facilitate.

    We do have daws like Nanostudio, auria, beatmaker 2, cubasis, xewton music studio and a whole host of “plug ins” that are as good as the desktop vst.

    Prior to audiobus, there was a serious evolution toward creating daws, now the focus is on plug ins that can be routed via IAA or AB, especially fx apps and synths.

    It’s like a jigsaw where you create your own template.

    This is great but has actually confused things. Created a sense of dependancy on routing and keeping up to date with the constant influx of “one job” apps.

    What is actually needed is an “iDAW ” that has damned good sequencing and editing options and built in bespoke fx and mastering capabilities. It should come with a few actual instruments such as a drum synth, samples, a couple of synths too. Then additional instruments would be gladly purchased as iap from the apps loyal users.

    So instead of constantly begging for one job apps to get better with the midi and all that, it would better serve the iOS music community to request some developers to maybe club together and build a very serious all inclusive daw. Such a daw can also have the routing and midi but also serve as a standalone for those that are fed up with constant updates, new apps and just wish to settle down and actually focus and master on one app.

    The price for such an app would be justified if it were pricey, because it would be worth it.

    Stability issues in iOS are not the problem, compatability between apps and the various interapp methods at present most certainly are:)

23. Never has so much crap been talked about so much crap before, it is what is is.

    1. It is what it is and it’s not crap, try it and see:)

       1. I ain’t saying the iPad is crap, just this talk about why it doesn’t have a full-DAW yet, because… If the new model is powerful enough, if they sell enough, if enough users have a demand for it, if it can access common storage in a normal fashion, if all the connectivity and power is solid in a professional setup, if someone can get off their ass to start dev regardless of all these ifs. Yet worst still this tech has been around for days, why isn’t their a full blown DAW for it yet? Ehhh, let me think…. how long does it take to develop a professional application? And how long does this generation of tech last? Above all else it is too ethereal for a serious developer to engage with, years of development would result in a product that is then two years out of date, while this may not stop some from trying to engage with professional dev of a DAW, the market is all about cheap quick disposal revenue on current tech, self defeating.

          1. Some good points, but one comment:

             A lot of developers are getting held back by the fact that all those iPad 1,2,3’s are still going strong – and people aren’t replacing them.

             No way a Live or Reason would run one one of those older models – the new ones are way faster.

             If Ableton put out a ‘Live Lite’ for iPad, 90% of the people who bought it would be pissed because it would bring their tablets to a crawl.

          2. Two reasons why “the one iOS daw to rule them all” has not manifested:

             1- audiobus means that individual apps get routed to something like auria or cubasis

             2- because of the above, developers have gotten lazy

             Having said that, I’m sure Nanostudio 2 will be a mindblower:) because it was the first app to truly create an all inclusive experience for mobile music.

             Judging by the competition, I’m sure blip interactive will give the iOS music community a super app!

             Not sure I agree that the latest devices won’t handle a reason or ableton port you know? The audiobus can handle quite a few apps at once with multiple fx on my iPad air 1, so why not a full hardcore daw in air 2?

24. Wow what a messed up thread. Where are the powerful apps? Try Cubasis. I run it, love it.

    I wouldn’t mind a larger iPad screen for my music use. The processor is not a limitation. The finger/mouse thing is an issue, less so as the screen gets larger.

    Yes, iOS 8 is a big step backwards, I expect it will be fixed soon. Not gonna freak out about it.

    I vastly prefer playing with audio apps on my iPad, I work on a computer all day. The iPad is relatively welcome in my music rig.

25. For years I’ve been waiting for a really good touchable music creation solution. I recently broke down and got an iPad when I found a decent sale. I like the iPad, I like the music apps, but yeah… touch music isn’t where we thought it might be.

    The issues:

    Hardware:
    You need TEN POINT multitouch on your screen. Only until the past year or two, as this been affordable. I couldn’t believe Microsoft pushed the touchable aspects of Windows 8 so hard when it came out, because there wasn’t a 10-point multitouch monitor at the time for less than $400-500.

    Software:

    Apple has low-latency audio on a touchable device. Closed down and limited ecosystem. They got there first, the competition has lagged, so they get the benefit of being a first adopter. There are pieces of music software that are iOS only: Samplr, etc

    Android has a touchable device, is affordable, but the audio system isn’t good enough for music creation. Not as closed down as iOS, but still limited compared to OSX/Windows/Linux. Unbeliveable that Android hasn’t caught up by now, and still don’t appear to be getting on par with iOS any time soon.

    Windows for a long time was not a touchable option. Then technically an option, but extremely cost prohibitive or technically restrictive (AIO or tablets you can’t easily upgrade with more HD space or memory). Now we have a winning combination: Low-latency audio, affordable hardware options, with ‘normal’ software creation and computer operation. The problem? No one associates it with music yet. Chicken or the egg: No one uses Windows touch for music because there are no apps, and no one makes apps because musicians don’t have touchable windows machines.

    “Desktop-Class” tablet apps are either going to be:

    iOS with less restrictions (not likely)
    Android with real audio support (possible, but not any time soon)
    Windows devices with software made for them (highly possible, but not visible yet)

    I’m putting my money on Windows. All we need is someone to design a killer app that takes advantage of 10-point multitouch and the benefits of a *real* computer, and the ball will start rolling. Usine is fully multitouch. Someone was telling me VSTs made with JUCE are multitouch by default. It is totally possible, its just that people aren’t in the right mindset yet.

    1. Good points, but I would not hold my breath for other platforms to get their act together.

       Android has had 5 years to catch up with Apple on audio and MIDI, and it’s not happening. Google makes its money from search, and they don’t seem to care about music or audio. Samsung had to come up with their own ‘standard’ to get around this.

       And Surface seems to be dead in the water. Microsoft put a store in the mall here, across from an Apple Store, and it’s kind of sad. There are always more employees than customers.

       1. Hmmm. 🙂 Now – I do not have a pianist’s slender fingers – but even if I did, if I was touching the screen of a tablet with all 10 fingers (OK – 8 fingers and two thumbs) I would not be able to see what I was touching – AND – it’d probably be in a very specific and very limited set of geometric patterns – there are only so many ways I can twist 10 fingers!!! 🙂 I just about manage 4 with Thumbjam and 4 instruments (currently working on a string quartet).

          1. Well, when accounting for a ‘regular’ OS, you need to account for different screen sizes.

             That may be true for your preferred app on the fixed dimensions of the iPad screen. But what about a 4×4 MPC-style button grid for live sample performance on a 15″ screen? I want to be able to use all of my fingers.

       2. The Samsung “workaround” seems almost worse, to me. I’m sure that generally it could lead to general Android advancement, but a company/device specific solution is no real solution in regards to this realm.

          Have to disagree about the Surface. People seem to love the SP3. But even beyond the Surface, more and more windows machines are touch enabled. 2-in-1s, 360 laptops, regular laptops with touch screens, and straight up 7-8 inch tablets. If it was just the Surface out there, I’d be worried. But it isn’t. The only reason I don’t have a touch device is because I don’t need a new laptop and can’t really justify getting a new monitor right now. But when I get into some extra cash, there is no way I’m not getting a Windows device with decent touch.

          Which is why I think there is a lot of handwringing about Windows touch in general. If people really wanted a touch device, most of them get a cheap android device and have their laptop as a kind of home base. The laptop will probably last you a plenty long time. Tablets and smartphones aren’t the only thing behind falling laptop and desktop sales. It’s that laptops and desktops can last! If you don’t trash it too bad, and don’t have too rigorous demands, a laptop will last you a while.

          So I think this market segment may take some time to develop. Over the next few years, as more and more people replace their laptops, when they search for a replacement they will see the touch option. They have a touch phone, and a touch tablet. Why not a folding touch laptop?

          It is inevitable. And once it becomes more popular, the technology develops, and the methodology of touch enabled software and GUI design gets established on ‘real’ computers, Apple will release their own version of the Surface.

    2. “touch music isn’t where we thought it might be”

       I can tell you why! Because no one yet has bothered to take the good time to actually settle down with some apps and learn them inside out and use a patient approach, thus actually creating serious pro level music.

       It’s a fact, and some even post 3-6 tracks a week using iOS on soundcloud, you name me one pro that does that?

       I watched a YouTube of wilkinson , a top rated dnb artist and he said it takes him ONE MONTH to make each track and he puts in like 8 hrs a day.

       That’s a disciplined approach, he’s in no hurry to go show off his latest audiobusking:)

26. Cubasis is getting there. Audio + MIDI tracks, FX, Automation and Inter App audio for hosting IOS programs like VSTs, and they are constantly releasing new updates with more features.

27. Yet another great iOS music thread that has turned into an interesting discussion WITHOUT any of the prominent names in that scene. No develo

    1. Ooops pressed publish by accident
       – no developers, no musicians and no bloggers from the iOS scene seem to post here why?

28. My Ipad 3 seems so lowly now…..lol

    It mainly suits my needs so i haven’t needed to update, but if they actually made apps that stretch its limits, id have to take a look at upgrading.

29. Mark my words iOS operating system will be the preferred platform for musicians in studios and mobile studios as well within five years. Because of thiswell-written operating system I am running QBase basis on an iPad air one that is running apps that reallyare plug-ins and program and running more smoothly than I could ever imagine. i’m on my call a real musician and this is coming from someone that used to be totally against software sense because they send it soft and then pliable are usable live in real time very well and stuck with until recently. Being able to touch instead of using mouse makes a big difference

    Just check out what the program Samplr can-do and tell me that this isn’t a playable usable and not a tablet or a toy