iPad for recording?

[chitz]

Originally Posted by slide496

I use an apogee MiC as well and I record through roderec app, I don't do multitrack so I don't need garageband. I think the Mic and ipad system is probably the easiest and best I've found and the sound quality with the MIc is excellent, its not a fussy system at all like I found with analog mics where I practically had to mark positions.

This video has a roderec app tutorial in case anyone is interested:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-jYBmouLD0

Thanks for that video link. Lot's of good info there.

[sam.spoons]

Multitrack DAW is a cheaper and simpler alternative to Auria, very easy to use. I have recorded 'notebook' stuff using the internal iPad mic and quality is not bad at all for that function. If you have background noise issues a directional mic is a help (the iPad mic is an omni) as is aggressive use of the HPF but there is no substitute for removing the source of the problem. A couple of duvets hung over boom stands or cloths horses (or any improvised stand) will go a long way to taming the boxy reverb most small rooms have and closed windows and doors help keep external noise at bay. It takes a bit of thought but reasonable results are possible even with the simplest gear.

[CaffeinatedOne]

I've had good results - demo grade - using an iPad with a Tascam iM2 plug in stereo mic and a free app called Voice Record Pro. The mic never took off commercially and is available on ebay for about $20. It is available (at least used) in both the 30 pin and the lightning connector formats. Cheap and pretty effective.

Voice Record Pro records in .mp4 format. It has very good file management options. I usually convert the file to mp3 and then upload to Google Drive, downloading on my laptop to some management app from there. Because my programs don't play well with mp4 files for some reason, I convert to mp3. Lately I've been recording hour long sessions and breaking them up in Audacy to smaller files that I then can massage a bit.

Mp4 is pretty good audio quality; I haven't explored it much; I prefer to use Reaper and it doesn't play well with mp4 yet. But my recording expectations are realistic. When you start with an mp3 of something in a bar, you will not end up with an audiophile recording no matter what you use. It is as simple as that. So within the confines of the medium, this setup is great.

[ParisStarlight]

Will the Tascam mic work with garage band? It looks like an awesome option to just lay down ideas around the house!

[CaffeinatedOne]

Originally Posted by ParisStarlight

Will the Tascam mic work with garage band? It looks like an awesome option to just lay down ideas around the house!

Yes.

The mic interfaces with the iPad. Garage Band is available as an app on the iPad (and is free) that will record whatever signal the iPad gives it.

Bear in mind this works as well with the iPhone - it's just a matter of storage space. My iPad has 32Gig internal storage space. It's enough to store a few decent stereo tracks. Working with the tracks is slow as death, but that's why I move them to a different platform - and the file management options are what really set voice record pro apart from other apps. I tried Garage Band and was unimpressed - on the iPad it was a little squirrelly when recording, more like a toy. VRP is very straightforward. When I move the file to google drive and then to my laptop, it's business as usual. Not trying to sell these, but here is what it looks like.



The im2 mic is a pretty good fit because it has its own preamp. Not exactly an Apogee, but its functional and may be adjusted from within the app. It is far better than the iPad internal mic / preamp and is good enough to work for this purpose.

I also just realized that there is a newer version of the voice record pro app that will track in .wav format. So it will give you at least a 16/44.1 grade .wav signal. Uses a lot of space, but if you're getting ideas or tracks down and mixing on a different computer, you can use Reaper - not saddled with only mp3/4 compressed formats.

[ParisStarlight]

Got my Tascam today. It sounds worlds better than the internal mic. I tried it on my iPad and iPhone 4s and actually preferred it on the phone (I don't use it as a phone anymore anyway). Much clearer sound even with singing while playing! Thanks for the recommendation.