In this feature I ditch the recording studio and take a look at the best portable interfaces for GarageBand musicians who want the freedom to record anytime, anywhere.
- Zoom R16 Garageband Ipad Cover
- Zoom R16 Garageband Ipad Mini
- Zoom R16 Garageband Ipad Pro
- Zoom R16 Garageband Ipad Case
I do actually have a zoom R16- would it work with the 57 into that, and somehow get the zoom connected to the iPad? Thank you for your expertise, I'm afraid moving toward using my Air 2 for recording is uncharted territory for me! This is just my personal reference to how I connected my Share SM58 to my Zoom R24 and used the USB interface to connect to my iMac and record in Garageband.
The beauty of an app like GarageBand for iOS is that you no longer need to spend ludicrous amounts of money renting studio time or wait until your ‘big break’ to write, record and release your own music.
If you want your DIY music to sound its best however, you’ll need to ditch that inbuilt mic on your iOS device and invest in an audio interface of some kind.
There’s tons of choice out there and it can be hard to work out what interface is right for you. I’ve brought together 3 of the best portable recording interfaces on the planet to help you narrow down your options.
Let’s take a look..
£74.99/$99.99
Compact, portable, and easy to use, the Roland GO:MIXER makes it simple to record high-quality audio with your iDevice.
With multiple inputs available, you can connect a mic, musical instruments, and media players and mix them all together at the same time.
The unit features the ability to combine five sources at once via inputs for a ¼” jack vocal mic (no XLR input or +48 V Phantom Power here), guitar, stereo keyboard, and two stereo line-level devices (such as music players, drum machines, etc.).
The quality is great, assuming you don’t clip/peak the audio. There is a dial for each main instrument input as well as a master volume dial to adjust as appropriate. The GO:MIXER also has a peaking LED which is useful to have.
All in all this little box is incredibly versatile, though the lack of XLR input or 48v Phantom Power would definitely prove limiting for some.
Tech Specs
- Inputs: 8 channels
- Outputs 2 channels
- Connectors INSTRUMENT (L/MONO, R) jacks: 1/4-inch phone type
- LINE IN 1 jack: Stereo miniature phone type
- LINE IN 2 jack: Stereo miniature phone type
- MIC jack: 1/4-inch phone type (no plug-in power)
- GUITAR/BASS jack: 1/4-inch phone type (high impedance)
- MONITOR OUT jack: Stereo miniature phone type
- USB port: USB Micro-B type USB Bus PowerCurrent Draw40 mA
- Accessories: Lightning to USB Micro-B type cable (50 cm, 1 ft 7 inches)
- USB OTG Micro-B type to USB Micro-B type cable (50 cm, 1 ft 7 inches)
£81.99/$119.99
Focusrite has a great track record for producing extraordinarily high quality USB and Thunderbolt audio interfaces for Mac and PC. With the iTrack Solo Lightning, they’ve packed most all of the killer features from their range into this little box.
While it is smaller and lacking a few of the features of some of Focusrite’s more expensive units , the iTrack Solo packs enough of a sonic punch to hold its own against most other interfaces at this price range.
The mic preamp used here series are nothing short of phenomenal, giving you clean and clear recordings every time. There’s also +48 V Phantom Power available, so you can use a studio quality condenser microphone to really push the quality of your recordings to the next level.
Super-low latency brings confidence to your performance, letting you record and monitor with software effects in real time.
New gain controls and a sleek metal chassis underscore its industrial design – this thing can take one hell of a beating!
Tech Specs
- 1 microphone input – XLR, 1 Instrument input ¼’ unbalanced, 2 Gain knobs,
- 48V Phantom power switch, Direct monitor switch
- 2 unbalanced monitor outputs – RCA Phone, DEVICE LINK port (to connect iTrack Solo to iPad)
- USB 2.0 Port, Kensington Lock slot
- Supported sample rates 44.1 KHz, 48 KHz, 88.2 KHz, 96 KHz – Mac and PC 44.1 KHz, 48 KHz – iPad
- In the box: iTrack Solo, 1.2m USB cable, 1.2m “DEVICE LINK” cable (to connect to a Lightning iPad), Getting started guide, Registration card, USB power supply (US only)
- Compatible with: iTrack Solo Lightning: Any iPad with Lightning connector, Standard iTrack Solo: iPad (1st gen), iPad (2nd gen) and iPad (3rd gen)
£127.99/$149.99
iRig Pro I/O is a pocket-sized full-featured audio and MIDI interface that gives you 24-bit/96kHz recording studio quality sound everywhere you go with a few additional essential features for mobile recording.
Its designed to be “plug and play” and easy to use with all of your gear — studio mics, vocal performance mics, guitars, basses, keyboards — whatever it is, iRig Pro I/O can probably handle it.
It features a new 1/8″ stereo headphone out with preamp and level control, making it compatible with even the most recent iOS devices. Plus, when used with the optional DC power supply, the unit will charge your iPhone or iPad while in use for unlimited playing and recording time – super handy!
The Pro I/O also features a new MIDI Out jack that gives you even more flexibility and control over your outboard MIDI gear.
Despite it’s small size the iRig Pro I/O has it where it counts, packing the features you’d expect from a full scale audio interface into it’s sleek form factor.
Tech Specs
- High definition 24-bit/96kHz audio plus MIDI interface for iPhone, iPad, Mac, PC and Android devices
- Connects to everything, yet easily fits in your laptop bag, gig bag or pocket
- Neutrik™ combo input for guitar, microphone or other instruments with a professional quality preamp, phantom power and gain control
- iPhone 7 ready with integrated headphone output with volume control
- Powered via USB bus, two AA batteries or the optional iRig PSU 3A (PSU simultaneously charges iOS device)
- Detachable Lightning and USB cables included for connection to iPhone, iPad, Mac and PC (MFi certified)
- Comes with a Velcro strip to secure iRig Pro I/O to a mic stand
- Comes with over $/€550 worth of full version Software & Apps
There you have it, that’s my top 3 favourite portable audio interfaces for use with GarageBand for iOS.
Is your favourite on the list? What did I miss out? Leave a comment and let me know, or come and join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.
Apple’s Garageband can be used on a number of different devices, the iMac, the MacBook Pro, the iPad, and the iPhone.
iMac, MacBook Pro, iPad, iPhone, and Apple, are all registered trademarks of Apple.
Each type of device has its own drawbacks and limitations. For instance, some people prefer to use an iPhone due to its portability and convenience.
But others may prefer using an iMac, because of the additional power and large screen, which makes it a lot easier to navigate and use for energy-intensive plug-ins and software.
In terms of overall value, the iPad Pro is the best option for producing music with Garageband, for a few reasons, including convenience, its versatility, the touch screen, and updated power and processing speed.
You can check out the price of the iPad Pro® on Amazon here.
We’re going to explore some of those reasons in detail.
Why The iPad Is Best for Garageband
1) Convenience
The iPad Pro 11″ is the best for music production with Garageband due to it being almost as easy to use on a computer, while at the same time, having more power than what’s available on an iPhone.
Let’s face it, this is where music production is headed at the moment. As mobile devices become increasingly powerful, the iPad seems like a better option all of the time.
For instance, the latest iPad Pro 11″ has a lot more RAM, memory, and processing speed than they used too, meaning, they’re no longer just for watching Netflix as they were in the past (although, they were always capable of more).
The convenience of using an iPad can’t be understated. Because they’re so sleek and portable, it’s easy to stick it in your backpack, satchel, briefcase, or your suitcase.
They’re incredibly lightweight, and it doesn’t hurt at all to carry one of them around with you, even more than the MacBook Pro, which is not a burden either, frankly.
Admittedly, it’s always going to be best to produce music on a more powerful and much larger computer, but it looks like smaller devices are becoming more capable than they were before.
2) The Interface is Versatile
The new iPads allow you to use Garageband in a number of ways, including turning it into a Drumpad or a MIDI keyboard by just selecting a new interface.
This is something that can’t be done with a MacBook Pro, at least to my knowledge.
Furthermore, iPad users know that you can turn the standard interface into a guitar, where you actually strum it like a guitar, can bend notes, and do all kinds of cool techniques that a guitar can also do.
3) Touch Screen
As I mentioned in passing above, the touch screen interface is great for making adjustments in your workspace, making the workflow extremely smooth.
Because I’ve grown accustomed to doing everything through clicking with the trackpad or through a mouse, I find that this is the best way to go about it, but people who have gotten used to a touch screen interface often find it challenging to go back.
I can totally understand why this is the case after using Garageband on an iPad. It appears to be a lot smoother and faster when using one.
Some users of iPad claim that the touch-screen interface, in some ways, actually mimics analog equipment, in the sense that you’re touching and adjusting knobs manually with your hands, in comparison to using a computer or a laptop, where all changes have to be made with a mouse, trackpad, or keyboard.
This may be a selling point for someone who prefers more of a tactile interface that mimics the hands-on action of using actual gear and equipment, in comparison to just clicking all of the time with a mouse or trackpad.
4) Updated Power, RAM, Storage, and Processing Speed
The new iPad Pro 11″ has a lot more power than the old iPads, which commonly had processing speed in the 1.5GHz range.
The new iPad Pro has 2.4 GHz processing speed, which means that it’s quite fast and powerful.
While it’s much better to have a processor speed above 3.0 GHz, the iPad’s processor speed is going to be enough to meet pretty much all of your needs.
If you’ve made the smart decision and gotten the iPad with the most amount of storage as well, around 1012 GB of storage, you’ll almost never run into an issue with storage.
Ironically, the iPad Pro 11″ has more storage capacity than my MacBook Pro, making me wonder why I just didn’t get an iPad Pro instead of the MacBook Pro.
However, I needed a computer for other functions, so the MacBook Pro was the best option for me at the time.
With that said though, if you need a device for the sole purpose of music production and you don’t have to do much typing, then the iPad Pro is going to be a good move.
It’s worth mentioning that the most recent and most powerful iPad Pro 11″, is actually more powerful than any MacBook Pro that’s currently on the market, which is really saying something about the future of music production on computers.
5) Don’t Need To Purchase Additional Gear (Although, You Should)
If you use a laptop or a computer for Garageband music production, at some point, you’re going to need all kinds of additional gear, including a MIDI controller/keyboard.
With the iPad, due to its multi-functional interface, you can just turn it into a MIDI keyboard, guitar, or a piano if needed.
With that said, however, I’d argue that having an actual MIDI keyboard is a lot better than using the iPad interface, especially if you want to play more sophisticated melodies, or you’re an actual instrumentalist.
While I would like to sit here and market an iPad to you and tell you how great it is, I always think that having the real thing is going to be far superior to anything Apple can simulate or mimic.
This brings me to my next point.
6) Ability to Use External Gear
In addition to having an easy-to-use interface, you can purchase any other gear that you want and also use that, for instance, a full MIDI keyboard with 49 keys.
You can plug in your actual guitar with an audio interface such as the iRig HD 2, which I’ve recommended on my site before.
You can hook up a condenser, dynamic, or a ribbon mic as well, or you can plug in a drum pad if you need it.
Zoom R16 Garageband Ipad Cover
Cons of Using iPad Pro
With all of the features mentioned above, it’s clear that the iPad Pro is a great device for creating music either through Garageband, Logic Pro, or some other DAW, but it would be silly to suggest there aren’t obvious cons.
For one, I would say that it’s adaptors.
1) Adaptors
The necessity for a variety of different adaptors, while it’s something that’s seen across the board now with computers and other devices, is kind of annoying.
However, this looks like the way that the market is currently heading. Technology companies such as Apple want sleek, compact, and mobile devices for the future that are also lightweight and powerful.
But the trade-off is that you have to go out and buy the adaptors or additional storage if you actually need it.
In other words, devices are designed nowadays in such a way where it’s great for a casual music producer who doesn’t use a lot of sophisticated plug-ins and software as well as for artists who want to use it for music creation and recording while on the go.
Zoom R16 Garageband Ipad Mini
Conclusion
Zoom R16 Garageband Ipad Pro
All-in-all, I think that the future will see a lot more music producers and creators using iPads and other extremely mobile devices for their art.
Zoom R16 Garageband Ipad Case
With that said, however, there will always be people that want to use the full range and functionality of a more powerful computer.