Recommend me a small/compact Soundcard for IOS/PC etc
Hey guys thinking about asking for a compact soundcard for Xmas for the Ipad. Would preferably need jack outs with two xlr inputs with gain plus some means of hooking up a keyboard/midi controller to it too. The IK Multimedia Irig Duo looks decent but is a bit pricey. Any thoughts?
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Cool I understand you need to use the camera connection kit to make it work - is that the case? Cheers.
Cool. What's the battery life like on the Zoom U-22?
Nice sounds decent.
@The_Bro If portability isn’t a factor, I’d be inclined to suggest the focusrite Scarlett 2i2. I’ve had an 18i8 for a while, it’s ios compatible and pretty reliable. You can use it for iOS only, or with a computer.
https://global.focusrite.com/usb-audio-interfaces/scarlett-2i2
I think ideally I want something that's portable, battery (with good battery life) or wall powered, has midi or usb midi, combi xlr inputs and jack outs and that's IOS/PC/Mac compatible.
@The_Bro Good to know. Will factor for that and come up with another suggestion later. The only thing I would say before then is in relation to battery - its likely you will have to consider using a battery pack for portabilities sake. i would not be confident with a battery powered audio interface at all! I know its a difficult question, but whats your budget? The Arturia AudioFuse would tick many of the requirements, but its expensive : https://www.arturia.com/products/audio/audiofuse/overview
Ok. Out on a limb, I would guess that the Roland Rubix22 would suit the fit. It does not have battery, but it can be powered by USB at 5v from iPad (confirm this with Roland before purchase).
https://www.gear4music.com/Recording-and-Computers/Roland-Rubix22-USB-Audio-Interface/1SXR
In combination with the camera adapter to supply power, it could be possible to use a rechargeable 2000mA power brick, or standard power supply that will charge both the iPad/iPhone as well as the interface. In those cases, you need one of these...
https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MK0W2AM/A/lightning-to-usb-3-camera-adapter?fnode=91&fs=f=adapter&fh=4588%2B45b0
Haq Attaq has done a few videos which may or may not be helpful in relation to portable setups
I'm sure you will find alternatives, but do try to consider that the iPad will drain quickly, and built in battery power on an audio interface can be unreliable.
If you sacrifice MIDI, then the Behringer could be a good budget alternative, but I have no familiarity with their brand.
https://www.gear4music.ie/Recording-and-Computers/Behringer-U-Phoria-UM2-USB-Audio-Interface/POV
Hope I haven't added to the confusion and some useful info is in there somewhere. I've still got an iConnect2+ and I did find it ok at the time but don't use it any more as the Scarlett 18i8 has taken its place, so its basically a shelf sitter. PM me if you want any more info and will be happy to help out.
I was just thinking how cool it would be if iOS audio interfaces could take on some of the signal processing duties for AU synths and effects, just like dedicated GPUs and soundcards do for graphics and audio (respectively) on desktop.
It might finally give my iPad Air1 a fighting chance of using the Moog Model 15 as AUv3 in a BM3 track
It's probably time I paid Apple another big chunk of my money I suppose
@tk32 you could always look at some of the class compliant synths for an extra cpu free synth in your arsenal, the Xstation by Novation or the M-Audio Venom for example, or you could look at getting a V-Machine, they are no longer supported but you can get them dirt cheap, one of those and Synthedit on a PC is like having a hardware Reaktor.
How the hell we haven't seen a iUAD or iSoniccore i will never know, it would showcase their devices more than any high end desktop ever could, in the desktop world they are near enough dongles for their plugins, high end desktops need very little extra cycles haha.