iPad Pro recording?

[jjbigfly]

Has anyone used a 4Th gen iPad Pro to record? I know they have changed mics and are now using 5 studio quality (right ) mics built in.

[jjbigfly]

I am going to guess no......😳

[lkingston]

No, but I am following this with interest.

My guess is that the mics are probably decent but omnidirectional. You can get really great results in an acoustically treated room with omnis, but in a regular room, the sound will be boxy.

Outdoors an omni can sound very natural, but you're going to pick up a lot of ambient sound.

[keith.rogers]

Originally Posted by lkingston

No, but I am following this with interest.

My guess is that the mics are probably decent but omnidirectional. You can get really great results in an acoustically treated room with omnis, but in a regular room, the sound will be boxy.

Outdoors an omni can sound very natural, but you're going to pick up a lot of ambient sound.

The omni part is what will make/break their usage in most cases. I've heard some darn good videos from fairly average (these days) phones, and equally unlistenable ones, for the reasons you describe. (Some of those outside things done by @kego here recently have been very nice - admittedly a s20+ and lucky with lack of ambient noise, but really quite decent.)

Anyway, I'm not sure better/more microphones will necessarily help (camera position vs. mic position problem is still there), but it's possible the arrangement of them will allow for some software processing to reduce some of the artifacts/flaws caused by the single omni mic on the end of the camera we are listening to now.

[anjoga]

I use my 4th gen IPad Pro to do some basic home recording into garage band. I prefer to use my Blue Yeti USB microphone connected however. I can direct it better than I can the microphones on the IPad.

[ataylor]

I would imagine it would be fine for some basic demo recording — I often use my iPhone for quick "sketches" in Music Memos and sometimes get a pretty nice sound. I'll sometimes add the AI-based drums and bass for fun.

If you're interested in using the iPad for anything more than that, I'd recommend an external microphone. I have an older-gen Apogee Mic that does a fine job, and they've since updated it with several newer versions. There are some other options as well (Blue, Audio-Technica, et cetera), but I've enjoyed the Apogee products.

The great thing about recording with the iPad is that it's silent, as far as I can tell. Laptops and desktops have gotten better with flash storage, but I'll still get my MacBook Pro sounding like it's on the tarmac if I'm running the right combination of programs for long enough. I love just taking the iPad and the mic and the guitar into a room for a no-fuss recording setup. Then if I want to dive in a little deeper with Garageband on Mac, it's super easy to AirDrop the file over.

For whatever reason, recording is often slightly intimidating for me and the iPad feels like less of a barrier than recording on a laptop or desktop. That and there's something more reassuring and somewhat analog about using a touch interface that doesn't feel like a "computer" even though it is

[lkingston]

I use my iPad pro as a serious production tool.

[Taylor814]

I've used the Zoom iQ6 stereo microphone on my iPad with either GarageBand or the Zoom software. Works fine.

[lkingston]

Originally Posted by lkingston

I use my iPad pro as a serious production tool.

Never with the built-in mics though, which looks like the gist of the original question.

[Sotos]

I'm researching audio interfaces in the $150 - $250 range and like the idea of being able to record to an iPad Pro as an option (it's silent, and portable), however I only see a few interfaces that list iPad compatibility. Will an iPad Pro running a decent DAW app not recognize other interfaces connectec via USB C, or am I limited to just the few that list this specifically? Appreciate any insights.

[lkingston]

I use the Auria app, and their interface compatibility page is a good reference. It explains not only which interfaces are compatible, but how many channels, and whether or not you need a powered USB hub between the iPad and the interface. Some interfaces need a powered hub because of how much current they draw through the USB port:

http://auriaapp.com/Support/auria-audio-interfaces

[Sotos]

Thank you so much for the response and the link. Lots if good info there. The good/bad news is that my once narrowed interface choices are now expanded. The search continues, but armed with more knowledge.

[johnnyrotten]

Originally Posted by Sotos

I'm researching audio interfaces in the $150 - $250 range and like the idea of being able to record to an iPad Pro as an option (it's silent, and portable), however I only see a few interfaces that list iPad compatibility. Will an iPad Pro running a decent DAW app not recognize other interfaces connectec via USB C, or am I limited to just the few that list this specifically? Appreciate any insights.

I used a focusrite 4i4 going into my iPad Pro. I record vocals and acoustic guitar with 2 separate mics at the same time, I use GarageBand as it is super easy to use and get pretty good results. GarageBand recognizes the separate inputs of the focusrite. Let me know if any questions!

[Sotos]

Originally Posted by johnnyrotten

I used a focusrite 4i4 going into my iPad Pro. I record vocals and acoustic guitar with 2 separate mics at the same time, I use GarageBand as it is super easy to use and get pretty good results. GarageBand recognizes the separate inputs of the focusrite. Let me know if any questions!

Thanks for the info. Are you going through a powered hub to power the Focusrite or running it off of the iPad's battery?

Tks.

[johnnyrotten]

Originally Posted by Sotos

Thanks for the info. Are you going through a powered hub to power the Focusrite or running it off of the iPad's battery?

Tks.

I have the focusrite going into a Caldigit powered usb c hub, then the hub into the iPad. The only quirky thing I experience is when after plugging the iPad into the hub, I have to disconnect then reconnect the power to the hub, then disconnect and reconnect the focusrite from the hub, after that everything works as it should, doing those steps takes me literally 10 seconds. Here’s a few pics...


Here is a YouTube link for one of my original songs, the audio is being recorded in GarageBand with this setup.


https://youtu.be/jIZRhYsI3MY