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  #1  
Old 12-09-2019, 04:19 PM
urbanfarmer urbanfarmer is offline
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Default iPad vs. MacBook Pro

I have a halfway decent recording setup. Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, Audio Technical's 2035, Denon headphones and ok monitors.

I have been recording into my MacBook Pro--but I want to invest in a dedicated computer or maybe an iPad Pro for my recording--

I need to be mobile so that eliminates desktop machines--

So I trying to decide between an iPad or MacBook Pro--

Any input would be welcome!

J.
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Old 12-09-2019, 04:39 PM
AdamHinson AdamHinson is offline
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I have no experience with either, but I would think a MacBook would be a lot more versatile.
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Old 12-09-2019, 05:18 PM
lppier lppier is offline
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It’s still the Macbook at this point, more versatile, more software. If you are going to load huge piano libraries, the iPad doesn’t allow those because of ram limitations as well as storage space constraints.
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Old 12-09-2019, 05:46 PM
sdelsolray sdelsolray is offline
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How are recordings edited on an iPad? I suspect not easily and with severe restrictions.
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Old 12-09-2019, 06:03 PM
Captain Jim Captain Jim is online now
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I use both. When working with my preferred way of recording these days, the Spire Studio, I use the iPad Pro. For other projects, the MacBook Pro has more memory and processing power.

Working on some mixing today...



I'm mixing some files on the Spire Studio with the iPad Pro in my hands; the MacBook is to my right.

For the record, the Spire Studio has changed the way (and ease) I record, and it uses iOS for an interface. There are limits (8 tracks and no adding effects after the track is recorded), but it is SO easy to use.
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Old 12-09-2019, 08:31 PM
FrankHudson FrankHudson is offline
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I old and old and obsolete iPad. I've never done really delved into recording on it. I would assume that as long as enough storage space isn't an issue that recording qua recording would work fine on it.

I'm not sure I'd want to seriously edit, do complicated automated mixes, wrangle virtual instruments, etc on it. But lots of folks never do any of that and they might be quite happy. I suspect the regular, cheaper iPad would do that straight off recording fine too. The portability is nice and the keyboard and pencil support helps it work well with apps that can make use of that I'm sure.

It's not even the computing power of the modern iPad Pro that holds it back, it's that the operating system is only slowly coming along to work the way sophisticated applications and workflows need it to work. Each new version gets closer and I'm sure it's close enough for some by now.

I'm personally slightly grumpy about how Apple has back-benched it's computer business, but a MacBook is still a good laptop for music work. If you're looking to do more powerful things than just pressing record and modest editing and processing afterward, it'd still the be the choice over even a powerful iPad.
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Old 12-09-2019, 09:31 PM
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ljguitar ljguitar is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by urbanfarmer View Post
I have a halfway decent recording setup. Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, Audio Technical's 2035, Denon headphones and ok monitors.

I have been recording into my MacBook Pro--but I want to invest in a dedicated computer or maybe an iPad Pro for my recording--

I need to be mobile so that eliminates desktop machines--

So I trying to decide between an iPad or MacBook Pro--

Any input would be welcome!

J.
Hi uf

I own both, and a Mac laptop would be more versatile and powerful for recording. I have the 2018 iPad Pro 12.9" which I can hook external drives to, and I still prefer my lowly 4 year old MacBook Pro. With the iPad it's harder to multi-task and move between apps quickly for monitoring.

And you have to bring along dongles/interfaces, external drives, etc. You're already tied to the digital interface, and mics, and cables etc.

If I were to buy new today, and just needed a stationary system for recording, I'd buy a used Mac Powerbook with at least 8GB of RAM. You don't need that much horse-power and speed to do modern recording.

Actually, I ran an acoustic studio for 8 years with Macintosh Towers, and eventually a decked out iMac. These days I just carry my outdated Zoom H4n field recorder for capturing tracks, and assemble/edit them on my current iMac later.

That's my 2cents worth…have fun exploring!!



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Old 01-06-2020, 11:37 AM
lkingston lkingston is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lppier View Post
It’s still the Macbook at this point, more versatile, more software. If you are going to load huge piano libraries, the iPad doesn’t allow those because of ram limitations as well as storage space constraints.

The best sounding piano VST is the Ravenscroft 275, and it is available for Macs, PCs, and IOS devices. It sounds the same on all three platforms. They use heavy data compression on the sample data and physical modeling for the resonance layers, etc.. However they do it, it sounds fantastic and runs on my iPad Pro with 512GB beautifully. It certainly sounds better than the larger libraries I have on my PC.
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Old 01-06-2020, 12:29 PM
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keith.rogers keith.rogers is offline
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Never heard back from OP, but if all that's being done mobile is recording, vs. record and mix, then I'd just get a good field recorder, and transfer files to the computer when time to mix.

I'm a keyboard-mouse guy, so could not get used to using a DAW full-time on a tablet. I like my iPad for traveling, and replacing the notebook+Kindle/books I used to schlep, and it's great for Skype, watching videos on the plane, etc., but mixing would frustrate my fingers and eyes quickly.
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Old 01-06-2020, 01:19 PM
lkingston lkingston is offline
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I just got a Zoom LiveTrack L20R and a fast 512GB SD card. I control it from my iPad and it works wonderfully well for simple live band and overdubbed recordings. To do more involved edits, you either have to import the audio files into a DAW or use the L20R as an audio interface.

When I was young I used to not be that great a player or singer, and I loved being able to tweak notes that were a little out of time or tune, and being able to string small sections into a longer recording.

Now, my needs and wants are different. I’m a much better player and singer, but have a much lower attention span. I would rather fix a part by simply re-recording it, or punching in a mistake than I am loading the files into something like Melodyne and tweaking the pitches and timings.

The iPad controlled physical multitrack recorder is perfect for where I am right now. If I ever want to do the DAW approach again, either on my PC or iPad, it makes a very good interface.

I prefer the iPad control approach to the models with a built in mixer simply because it is more convenient. For instance, on a stage you can put the L20R on the floor like a snake breakout box. I’ve been using iPad controlled mixers for several years now anyway, so this was a natural transition.
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Old 01-31-2020, 08:56 AM
lkingston lkingston is offline
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Check out Auria on the iPad. It is a full featured DAW on the iPad and it is just fantastic!

auriaapp.com
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Old 01-31-2020, 10:32 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by urbanfarmer View Post
I have a halfway decent recording setup. Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, Audio Technical's 2035, Denon headphones and ok monitors.

I have been recording into my MacBook Pro--but I want to invest in a dedicated computer or maybe an iPad Pro for my recording--

I need to be mobile so that eliminates desktop machines--

So I trying to decide between an iPad or MacBook Pro--

Any input would be welcome!

J.
Hi uf…
For me, it's about ease of setup, less intrusive recording for artist's creative process, and workflow.

A MacBook is FAR superior than recording using any of my iPads (I've owned 5 different generations of iPads including my 2018 iPad Pro 12.9").

Even though the iPad can now access the FILES library, it's not the same as using an external drive and backing up work from the computer to other sources.

Not only is recording software for iPads less sophisticated, the process of working on them is slower and more intrusive, the whole process is slower. It would be great if everyone could record music in a single take. But that's unrealistic. And the more technical things we have to do as recordists to capture people's music on the fly, the more we slow their creativity down.

Cable connections to the MacBook Pro are more hearty, more permanent, and less fragile than on an iPad. My current USB C interface on my iPad cannot be secured as stable as I want to interface with external gear (be it video or audio gear). It works ok most of the time - unless it gets bumped.

The screen on a desktop or 15" or 16" MacBook Pro has enough real estate to work with. My desktop/laptop recording software uses a mixture of mouse driven and keyboard shortcuts, and if you record with professional software, you get into a rhythm using it.

Touch based iPad software falls short. An issue is the speed with which we can work, not the 'features'. The rhythm part is where it generally falls short.

When recording music, the players thrive better when we can work close to real-time speed instead of bogging them down when we need to do retakes etc. So the simpler and more capable the input process is, the more spontaneous musicians can be (the thing which makes music come alive!).

With all the adapters, mic cords, interfaces etc that I have to carry for mobile recording, the laptop doesn't take up any extra room over an iPad, and my MacBook expands and speeds up the whole process.

And if it's simple two track remote recording, I'll take my ancient Zoom H4n any day over either a computer or iPad. I can use professional mics going into it, and bring the tracks home to edit. Actually if i needed pro-level remote field recording, I'd move up to the Zoom H6. It's cheaper, easier to transport, and more reliable than either my iPad or laptop.

If it's multi track then I want a laptop and a decent small USB interface.

Just my Saturday morning, off the cuff observations…




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Old 01-31-2020, 10:50 AM
ManyMartinMan ManyMartinMan is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by urbanfarmer View Post
..I have been recording into my MacBook Pro--but I want to invest in a dedicated computer or maybe an iPad Pro for my recording--I need to be mobile so that eliminates desktop machines--
It appears that you already have a portable MacBook. Why not start to build a decent recording/editing platform at home? Now might be the time to consider an iMac platform to do your serious recording and editing in a more controlled environment. I only use iPads when I'm on the road to do down-and-dirty recording when working on something I want a recording of to work on more later. You can do that just as well with an iPhone.
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