Music gear I/O dock for iPad

In Gweek 002, Rob, Joel, and I talked about digital musical instruments and some of the music making apps available on the iPad. I complained bitterly about the crappy output of the headphone jack, and Joel rightly upbraided me for even trying to use it. I just found out about this $200 iPad dock from Alesis that allows you to connect all kinds of audio gear to it.

The iO Dock provides microphone and instrument users with two combination XLR and 1/4-inch inputs, each with its own gain control and switchable phantom power for condenser microphones. Guitarists and bassists will appreciate the iO Dock's guitar-direct switch, enabling them to play, perform and record right into amplifier- and effects-modeling apps. Bands can connect outputs from their mixer and easily record their performances and rehearsals or use the iO Dock as a metronome or loop-playback device. Producers can use the iO Dock's MIDI jacks to sequence external keyboards, samplers, drum machines and synthesizers, or perform using the iO Dock as the sound module and their favorite MIDI-compliant keyboard, drum pad or other controller. An assignable 1/4-inch footswitch input enables remote control of any app-defined function such as stop/start or record. Users can also connect the iO Dock to their Mac or PC using the USB port to send MIDI back and forth for creative, new applications of the iPad and computer used in tandem.
Users can connect the iO Dock's stereo pair of 1/4-inch main outputs to studio monitors for critical listening, or to PA systems for use in performance settings. They can monitor on headphones, and independently control the levels of the two outputs, each on its own knob. Recording musicians will appreciate the iO Dock's direct-monitor switch, which enables them to toggle between the incoming and playback signal on their headphones. Rounding out the iO Dock's output section is a composite video connector, enabling users to employ the iO Dock as a source for video projection behind bands on stage, or for connection to most televisions and computer monitors.

Alesis iO Dock for iPad

Mark Frauenfelder is the founder of Boing Boing and the editor-in-chief of MAKE and Cool Tools. Twitter: @frauenfelder. Come and hear Mark speak at the ALA conference in Chicago on July 1.

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genre slur

Alesis and Zoom have been consistently interesting and useful as audio hardware companies, from my two decade experience.
kenahoo

I was looking for a similar thing but a step lower, that would let me record to an iPhone, even from a stereo mic like the ECM-MS907. Would be a nice replacement for all the handheld recorders from Edirol / Tascam / etc.
Mark Crummett

I’ve always wondered why there isn’t such a thing for the iPad or iPhone to turn it into an ociliscope or VOM, or a light meter, or the output from any number of sensors.
- Dilapidus
  
  +1,000,000 !!1!1FTW!!
  
  Also +1 and more for “genre slur” the Zoom PS 04 was an outstanding portable 4 track.
- Anonymous
  
  Actually there are several oscilloscope kits/apps for iPads and iPhones, e.g.:
  
  http://www.oscium.com/products/imso-104
  http://www.faberacoustical.com/products/iphone/
  http://www.hmb-tec.de/HMB-TEC/Scope_Cable.html
  
  While cool, I’m not sure how good these are as compact scopes or how good the software is. If I was to get myself a portable scope it would be the the DSO Quad from Seeed Studio:
  
  http://seeedstudio.com/depot/preorder-dso-quad-4-channel-digital-storage-oscilloscope-p-736.html
  
  … or their earlier DSO Nano v2 model:
  
  http://seeedstudio.com/depot/dso-nano-v2-p-681.html
Krisjohn

It’s my understanding that not all professional (or semi-professional, or just plain cool) music apps run in landscape mode.
Susan Oliver

What’s wrong with the headphone jack? I use it with my Bose ANR headphones all the time for watching Netflix (had to catch up with the 3rd season of True Blood, doncha know).
- Anonymous
  
  The headphone jack on iPhones and iPads only provides a single stereo output and mono input. If you want the ability to record anything in stereo you have to go through the 30-pin connector (and use an app that is stereo-aware so that you get both channels). In other words, all of those mics that you can buy and plug into the headphone jack of your iPhone are really only suitable for dictation and basic lo-fi audio recording (even if you could get good stereo separation).
jphilby

No offense, but that’s a freaking stupid approach.

If as a musician you can afford $500 for an iPad and $200 for an Alesis fix-it-box, you can afford a decent, rugged laptop. Anyone who is or plans to get serious about making music, mixing music at any level above “beginner” should avoid that path.

The iPad’s strengths as a controller are undeniable. Otherwise, ask people with experience before sinking major fundage into the endless tinkertoy peripherals the music hardware biz is constantly churning out. They’re often quickly obsolete … the moreso the more specialized they are.
Anonymous

I’m looking at the specs, and I don’t see any battery power for portability.

Shame, that thing would be a great field-mixer/recorder.
Anonymous

one of guys I play with from time to time runs his keyboard through his ipad for the effects…

check out the clav
Drowse

Fantastic. Hey music industry, this is why you’re losing money. Cause I can sound 1 million times better on this rather than losing 1 million dollars recording in a studio..
- Dilapidus
  
  Um.. I’m going to go ahead and disagree here. The chances of you stacking up against a professional studio are slim, especially if you are recording an live instruments.
  
  We get closer and closer every day, but at the same time, pro studios are advancing as well.
  
  This, and innovations like it are certainly democratizing music and more and more dollars are going to indies.. not to me unfortunately, but that could change.
  
  I’d say they are losing money because the king maker studio system is over and they aren’t changing to match.
  - Spinkter
    
    What? How does a pro studio help me when all I’m recording is softsynths and effects?
- pauldavis
  
  How you sound in recording studio is a function of microphones, their placement, and the preamps. Unless you’ve got a nice stash of high quality mics and preamps sitting around at home, and understand how to use them, then you’re not going to sound better at home, and will almost certainly sound notably worse.
  
  Unless, that is, you plan to create music of a genre that requires no microphones at all. In which case, you wouldn’t be spending 1M in a recording studio in the first place. ever.
meatpigeon

uh, crappy output of the headphone jack? The output quality of audio should be the same no matter what cable or output type you use (RCA, 1/4″, or XLR)

It is pretty cool to use a touch screen as a musical controller, but it’s kinda redundant to buy a $200 ipad stand when you could just buy a mixer to control gains and stuff
- dculberson
  
  The preamps in the headphone jack circuit are not that great. Especially if you’re hooking it to a line level circuit – the level and impedance are wrong.
  - Anonymous
    
    You hit the nail on the head dculberson. For folks working in a pro-studio situation, balanced XLR outputs are a big deal.
Anonymous

or, save $600 and just buy a cheap laptop
Anonymous

Well, just another el-cheapo soundcard with a particular form factor, dedicated to a soon-to-be-obsolete device.

Just get a laptop and a soundcard.
Anonymous

laptop lovers: making music should be fun & playing with garageband or looptastic studio hd is more fun than sitting at a mixing console/desk.

lack of battery power is a bummer, but i love that iPad is getting so much music accessory love.is the house and headphones output a mirror of each other? still subprime for DJs if that’s the case.

either way, accessories like this mean the iPad1 will be anything but obsolete in a few years, you’ll just be able to pick them up cheaper and still be able to do all the the cool shit with them. i still know people running protools on os9 cause it just plain works. new != better.
Anonymous

wow this is perfect. my dad, a musician who just got an ipad 2, will love this.