iPad Music Software Getting Serious With Hardware MIDI Support

One of the hottest areas of electronic music technology this year has been iPad music software. It’s about to take another leap forward, though, as iPad app developers add MIDI support.

Here are a few examples of what’s coming.

iPad Step Sequencing

The video above demonstrates Synthetic Bits‘ prototype analog-style MIDI step sequencer controlling an Alesis Andromeda A6 synth via the Line 6 MIDI Mobilizer interface.

The iPad, MIDI interface and app should be substantially less expensive than the hardware equivalent, and the software will just get more powerful.

iPad MIDI Synthesizer & Control Surface

MIDI support also lets the iPad work as a versatile MIDI synth module and control surface.

Pianist Pro for the iPad, for example, has added support for the Line 6 MIDI Mobilizer interface,  supporting bi-directional MIDI control. For wireless MIDI control, the V1.5 update also adds MIDI via DSMI support and optimized MIDI via OSC support.

Also adding MIDI support are Omenie’s Mellotron apps. Here’s what they have to say about the update:

We have early access to an advanced prototype of a quite fantastic low-cost MIDI interface for iPhone / iPod Touch / iPad. Latency is insanely low, quality is insanely good. Price – well, all we know is ‘low-cost’, this should get more clear over the next few weeks.

We can’t commit right now to when the device will ship – we hope during Q4 this year, so before the holidays – but it will be immense. As soon as we can tell you more about this new MIDI interface we will, but if the design pans out it will be the nicest one we have seen yet.

Having 8 of the chord pads available on the programmable pads of our in-house Axiom 49 is *brilliant*!! And continuous controllers for M3000 ABC blend, pitch and volume – it is just so fantastic to have a MIDI keyboard plugged into an iPhone!

MIDI support should open up a lot of interesting options – like adding Lemur-like multi-touch control to vintage synths or creating user-friendly touchscreen interfaces for unfriendly synths like the DX series.

What do you think of hardware MIDI support for the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch?

Leave a comment with your thoughts!

5 thoughts on “iPad Music Software Getting Serious With Hardware MIDI Support

  1. The hardware MIDI is very interesting – but I'd be more interested in some sort of wireless adapter that you could stick on the back of your keyboards that would let them be controlled via WiFi.

    Would that be possible?

    That iPad step sequencer looks killer, though.

  2. Will this work to control software a la Reason or Traktor? Wifi latency makes controlling music software with TouchOSc is not good for realtime use for me on Windows 7

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