Power ipad witch camera connection kit via usb hub?

Cubasis
#1

Well the title says it all.
I ordered the lightning usb camera connection kit so i can play cubase trough my M audio venom synth ( wich ofcourse has midi out) the thing is that this cable has no power input wich means that you have to disconnect the ipad from the charger when using a midi keyboard and vice versa.

Even though i dont like the idea to run cubasis on the ipad battery, i also expect issues when i have to unplug the camera connection kit to charge the ipad because you also are disconnecting midi.

( had my experience of midi keyboards resetting their midi output after disconnecting from hardware synths and if this happens with multiple midi controllers its not funny because it means that you have to do the whole setup again:) i dont know if this will happen with my venom synth/controller, but it worrys me… Also the idea that my ipad is getting low on energy and then have to wait until it is charged again before i can continue recording isnt something im looking forward to.

So the question is simple, can i use the camera connection kit and then plug it into a powered usb hub wich will simutaniously keeps charging my ipad? I hope someone has experience with this. Im opting for an alesis or behringer dock ( when the lightning version becomes available.) But at the moment im a bit low on cash wich is why i’m first going to try the camera connection kit first.

#2

No, in order to be able to use USB and MIDI while charging the iPad, you’ll need a dedicated audio interface, like these:

http://store.griffintechnology.com/studioconnect-hd
http://www.alesis.com/iodock
http://www.behringer.com/EN/Products/iS202.aspx

Keep in mind that the specs change, and some of these don’t support SYSEX, so it might be a bit hit and miss.

I always use my iPad with Cubasis on battery power, it lasts for hours and hours.
It could be a problem if I was doing 8+ hours sessions though.

#3

Well the problem untill now is that most docks only have 30 pin connectors. The alesis has a lightning version but that one took away the video output. Behringer was talking about a lighning version but lately i vant heard anything about it. The studioconnect could do it but on that thing you have your ipad in an upricght position.

The thing is that i use my ipad for everything, i even gave my pc away to a friend because there is nothing in a pc that i can not do on an ipad. And the main reason that i switched to the ipad 5 is because i want to use more than 3 iminis at the same time without the need of freezing the track. For me electronic music is dynamic and a track once frozen can not be changed in the middle of a project.

Most the stuff that i do comes from my gutt and not from my mind. My music and other stuff comes when im ready for it and at that point the ipad should be ready also and therefore my ipad should be always on. Also i dont know what happens when you change the connector on the ipad on a daily basis…

So ill wait till the lightning docks are ready…

#4

this two items can do the trick also:

http://www.iconnectivity.com/iConnectMIDI2plus

http://us.focusrite.com/ipad-audio-interfaces/itrack-dock#overview

but the itrack dock isn´t available till today.
it will be my choice when it came out.

jan

#5

My camera connection kit just arrived and the venom connection works. However sometimes i get a big latency. Turned the latency on cubasis on 512 samples and then the latency stops. But if i try to route external audio trought the venom the sound heavily distorts. It seem to be a known problem with the venom. Someone had the same problem but then with cubase on the pc. Hopefully there will be an update for the venom that will solve that.

#6

Hmm, suddenly after doing 4 ipad resets, the audio of the venom is ok. Hopefully it stays that way…