Ion Introduces iPhone Music Keyboard



Image: Synthesizers

Ion introduced the iDiscovery keyboard for the iPhone at CES 2010.

The iDiscovery iPhone keyboard features pitch and modulation wheels and variety of other controls which interface directly with a keyboard tutor application that the controller is designed to operate with.

No word on how this may or may not work with other apps – but we’ve been looking for something like this ever since iPhone software synths started coming out.

Pricing is TBA.

via the Synthtopia Flickr Group

13 thoughts on “Ion Introduces iPhone Music Keyboard

  1. And it was a good one! I think having the iPod horizontal is an important distinction tho, as most of my app synths have that orientation. I have a feeling though, that none of the existing apps will work with this… do much variation in design and nobody's ever had to think about using any apps with an external controller before. This ION unit seems to need the ION app to run, but there are probably those out there smart enough to figure out a workaround, or at least sell apps that will work with this. Unfortunately, ION seems to be on the low end of technology; most of their MO is to provide very easy solutions for the average consumer. Synth app developers definitely should reach out to ION!

  2. Oooh, I like the idea of this!

    I already have half a dozen synths on my iPhone.

    What will developers need to do to support this thing?

  3. whats with the big gap, do they know something about future iphone generations that we dont?, or this this an attempt to make it compatible with likes of the hd2 and nexus I wonder..

  4. And it was a good one! I think having the iPod horizontal is an important distinction tho, as most of my app synths have that orientation. I have a feeling though, that none of the existing apps will work with this… do much variation in design and nobody's ever had to think about using any apps with an external controller before. This ION unit seems to need the ION app to run, but there are probably those out there smart enough to figure out a workaround, or at least sell apps that will work with this. Unfortunately, ION seems to be on the low end of technology; most of their MO is to provide very easy solutions for the average consumer. Synth app developers definitely should reach out to ION!

  5. And it was a good one! I think having the iPod horizontal is an important distinction tho, as most of my app synths have that orientation. I have a feeling though, that none of the existing apps will work with this… do much variation in design and nobody's ever had to think about using any apps with an external controller before. This ION unit seems to need the ION app to run, but there are probably those out there smart enough to figure out a workaround, or at least sell apps that will work with this. Unfortunately, ION seems to be on the low end of technology; most of their MO is to provide very easy solutions for the average consumer. Synth app developers definitely should reach out to ION!

  6. Don’t hold your breath on ION being the least bit cooperative for apps.

    This is the same ION that is part of the ION/AKAI/ALESIS/NUMARK conglomerate.

    The Alesis Micron was released in 2004 and six years on we still have yet to see simple midi code released on this synth. I’m talking the simple HEX codes that are in EVERY manual even for synths at the dawn of MIDI.

    For six long years anyone who has wanted to develop an editor for the one-knob-wonder of the Micron, has had to Reverse Engineer the HEX code them selves!!!

    So what does the Company do? They release the Exact same keyboard under the AKAI nameplate, call it the Miniak and AGAIN FAIL to release the HEX code.

    This is a company that was so bad at writing firmware and other software they have 3 Akai drummachines with alternative third Party OS that are drinking their milkshake, they released the Alesis Fusion as a workstation but forgot to put a library of sounds in it, the Photon X25 had a driver that never worked, the MPD16 had a driver that didn’t work with laptop and Dell usb ports and they didn’t address it for years.

    There will be a whole smurf village worth of blue faces if you hold your breath for apps from this company.

    1. You got that right. I worked there. The place is a disaster and it's all because it's headed by an owner who is one of the greediest and uncaring people you'll ever meet. Ion also just released a snuggy electric blanket thing that you can plug in. You tell me where priorities lie. It's all about getting into the SkyMall catalogs, believe me, that's it.

    2. You got that right. I worked there. The place is a disaster and it's all because it's headed by an owner who is one of the greediest and uncaring people you'll ever meet. Ion also just released a snuggy electric blanket thing that you can plug in. You tell me where priorities lie. It's all about getting into the SkyMall catalogs, believe me, that's it.

    3. You got that right. I worked there. The place is a disaster and it's all because it's headed by an owner who is one of the greediest and uncaring people you'll ever meet. Ion also just released a snuggy electric blanket thing that you can plug in. You tell me where priorities lie. It's all about getting into the SkyMall catalogs, believe me, that's it.

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