iPad as a MIDI musical instrument

Who: This note is for musicians using software synths
Difficulty Level: 4/5
Purpose: Using an iPAD as a MIDI instrument

As I am travelling for a few weeks and already missing my studio, I decided to experiment using the iPad as a musical instrument. There are 100's of iPad and iPod application with which you can play all sorts of musical instruments, everything from Celtic harp to Djembe but having already used the iPad as a DAW controller and already used an iPod synth live with Anima Animus Animal concert, I wanted to try the iPad to go a step further, not just to play the synths but also to record the MIDI. Also each MIDI controller has its own feel and as with physical devices ranging from keyboards to pads, different control surfaces on the iPad would each have their own feel and then produce a different style of playing from the musician.

Again because I am travelling, I have a laptop PC instead of my usual weapon of choice the iMac. I do have a number of software synths installed already on it. In researching the configuration I had to refer to a number of websites and install a number of applications. I know on the iMac it would have been far easier. Also the instructions I read were each giving you an instruction but then saying before you do this you must do such and such - basically it was all in the wrong order. Here is my version of the instructions.

Enabling the PC for wireless MIDI

1. Install LoopBE1. Run the applcation. This does then automatically start when you reboot your computer. LoopBE1 creates a virtual MIDI port. After startup make sure that the application is set to "mute" = unchecked
2. Install DSWifiMIDI. Unless you put this in your autostart then you will need to restart this each time you start your computer. I also found it more reliable to launch DSwifiMIDI in a DOS window. You can make a batch file then to launch it this way from your desktop. In the configuration, you should set both the Input Port and Output Port to be Loopbe Internal MIDI
3. In your DAW or Synth application choose LoopBE as your MIDI input
4. You may also get firewall messages in which case you should give permission to DSwifiMIDI in your firewall settings

LoopBE1 and DSwifiMIDI are free downloads. 

Installing MIDI instruments on your iPad

Search "MIDI" and you will find quite a few apps. What you are looking for are the apps that will send an OSC wireless MIDI signal. I chose
iPad AK-7 Synth

• AK7 a rather simple keyboard
• iJammer based on the hexagonal key layout that is used on a few physical MIDI devices now
• I will probably add a drum or pad MIDI controller at a later stage then I have the main input mechanisms for playing both music and rhythms into my DAW.

iPad iJammer
These MIDI instuments for the iPad are not free but cost a few pounds each. 
At this point you are already ready to work with applications on your computer that use MIDI input.

Using your soft synths as "live" instruments

Most VST's are designed to be used within your DAW software but this is not always the most convenient of using your soft synths live. I use a wraparound freeware software called SAVIhost. I have also used this live already with Anima Animus Animal.
Native Instruments Kore Player used with the SAVIhost wraparound. The keyboard is optional but useful for testingSAVIHost is a free software and easy to install - follow the instructions about copying the SAVIHost.exe to the location of your VST DLL and renaming the SAVIhost.EXE file to be the same as your DLL file. For your synth which has a DLL mysynth.dll, you rename SAVIHost.EXE to mysynth.exe. So in fact you may well have many copies of SAVIhost copied in to your VST directory. Next, under the "Devices" menu, set your MIDI input to LoopBE and set your Audio output correctly (usually to your Audio Interface, but as I am travelling at the moment I am using the computers internal sound card)

Troubleshooting

A simple OSC Monitor utility for Windows : Frieder Weiss OSC Monitor

Usability Verdict

Using the iPad as a wireless device, there is some delay from pressing the keys to the MIDI signal being received on the PC (i.e. hearing the sound). It is only small delay but enough that it will slow down your playing. You can improve on this by plugging your PC into the network hub with a network cable.

AK-7 is a passable keyboard with a piano layout but looking a little different, which is OK, maybe better as there is no point in pretending that it will be ever like playing a piano. It is OK for chords and simple melodies.

iJammer is my best iPad hope for producing something new musically. The hexagonal key layout frees you to experiment with new chords. The layout of the sharps and flats means that you would use these only occasionally and I think you would naturally play major scales in C and minor scales in A but you can transpose and with this instrument I would not feel guilty about using the transpose setting.