iPad

[bacchus]

Funny enough, I just got done reading a cool article related to this very topic:

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/06/ipad-music-apps

I guess is actually related to music in general, but there is some really cool stuff to be done with this device. I would also like to add to this list the Korg iMS-20, it is a pretty fully featured synthesizer and is just as cool as anything I have seen.

For what it's worth, I love the iPad. I didn't really think that I would, I am a professional nerd with a comp sci degree and initially had a sort of arrogent disposition towards it. I didn't think it had anything to offer me, but it has proven me wrong in many ways.

[songsender]

I've not bitten the bullet yet for an iPad - but I'm close. There are significant reasons it would come in handy for my web design business.

But....

For my band use I too have been using way too many single "cheat sheets" that I print out for each song and keep in a folder. I sort the songs based on our setlist for the night.

My problem is that some of the songs are medleys that require multiple page changes in a song. I admit that it's bad having to change lead sheets in the middle of the song. For some reason I can't seem to keep all the songs straight in my head from memory so I've come to rely on these sheets pretty heavily.

I suppose that doing a finger swipe on the iPad would be easier and less obvious than sorting sheets on my stand - but the ULTIMATE would be foot pedal that allows forward and backward page turns.

I've done some searching on these and they are VERY expensive for what they are. I'm SHOCKED. (http://airturn.com/bt-105/)

I know that Apple doesn't want this to be a "PC" - but if they just give me USB connection then I'd have a much more cost effective solution.

[jeastman]

Do you accept airturns as partial payment for luthiere services, Paul?

[songsender]

Jamin - did I mention our prices just went up. Yeah - about the same amount as an AirTurn.

[Kyle76]

Why move this thread to the Record forum?

[jeastman]

Originally Posted by songsender

Jamin - did I mention our prices just went up. Yeah - about the same amount as an AirTurn.

Well normally you'd be right. But since my iPad accessories business is small in volume I rely on huge markups to make a profit. So at my costs I think the AirTurn should cover my balance with you guys

[taropatch]

+1 for Garageband. It works well, sounds decent and is extremely portable.

I would like to pdf some of my lyric sheets or tabs... but that is effort.

Other than that, we find that it is a very expensive TV. Great for watching ABC shows while washing the dishes. Overall, it is a cool device. Always on, so a quick grab, and you are surfing the web or replying to an email. It is app driven so I find that I am not editing Word documents or Excel spreadsheets. Excellent for travel.

[larryb]

Originally Posted by Kyle76

Why move this thread to the Record forum?

Beats me. Seems it has general applicability for a variety of areas: playing, equipment, recording (seems to be least likely), and so on.

[K III]

Originally Posted by Kyle76

Why move this thread to the Record forum?

+1 I would have never found it and it is such a useful thread for everybody

[larryb]

Originally Posted by K III

+1 I would have never found it and it is such a useful thread for everybody

Moderator: How about moving this thread to somewhere where others are more likely to look for this? Seems like "Play" would be a better fit. Just a suggestion.

[larryb]

Took a look st an iPad tonight and was all set to place an order. But foe some reason I was underwhelmed. Those of you who have one, aside from the new On the Path app, what can I do with regard to my guitar playing that I can't do ony MacBook? Am i Missing something? Other than the convenience of the size, is this really any better than a MacBook for working with my music?

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by larryb

... Am i Missing something? Other than the convenience of the size, is this really any better than a MacBook for working with my music?

Hi larry…
Throw it on a music stand, touch the screen to change pages, pinch and zoom the pages to enlarge them, run the iPad for 10 hours on batteries (involving the internet), use it as a GPS, connect to the internet when there is no WiFi (3G version), send texts free, and surf the internet without WiFi, shoot movies or stills (iPad 2) all at less than ½ the weight of a MacBook Air for starters.

With a bluetooth footswitch, page turning can be wireless and handless.

I can sketch, or write on it with a stylus (I teach guitar lessons using it) and email the lessons and charts I've sketched or written, immediately. I can shoot pics or video of passages or hand positions and email them on the spot too.

An iPad 2 can also shoot video or pics of something/someone you want to learn from a lot easier than from my MacBooks.

Of course the MacBook is a complete computer (we own & use 3 of em), and certainly more powerful and capable as a computer, but the iPad as a touch manipulated tablet is just a totally different animal.

This thread has been about iPads for music use, and I could carry a full blown MacBook for most of what I do, but the apps that are available are limited, more costly, and less flexible. My iPad music apps are simple, cheap (the most expensive was $5), and built for one handed operation.

I'd need a separate stand or stool or table or something to hold a computer at a gig, and being an avid computer user (and good at it), it would be tough to manipulate charts the way I do on my iPad on the computer with only one hand in under a second. Tougher still to share it with others on stage.

Many a time I've hit a chord and while holding it, I've done things on the iPad that would have required both hands and 5 seconds on a laptop.

The reality is that they work well together. I type, and format charts on my laptop or iMac and convert them to the format I need to go mobile with and then transfer them to the iPad. Each does things simply that the other doesn't do as easily.

And it is a sizable investment. I have the 64GB 3G version and after a year with it, would not want to be limited to the WiFi only version, nor the 32GB version. We use the memory and the 3G a lot.

[larryb]

Thanks Larry.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by larryb

Thanks Larry.

Hi Larry…

You are welcome. Hope that was helpful in differentiating iPad from laptop.

I love both…

We bought the iPad for music, for travel, and found it to be pretty amazing and it goes way beyond our expectations. As new apps have appeared over the past 9 months, new capabilities have unfolded.

I'd enjoy it for the music applications alone, but it has surprised both of us with how useful it really is for other stuff too.

[ZephyrZ33]

Larry J,

Thanks for the insightful write-up. I think you may have pushed me off the fence with the ipad.

And to add, I don't think a Macbook or my wallet would survive after a drop.

Cheers,

Z