Saw Geert Bevin's demo at Synthtopia and YouTube of a Linnstrument bus-powered from an iPad running ThumbJam. So now I am buying an iPad to run ThumbJam. For sound output, I am considering a Beats Audio Pill or Pill XL. These speakers provide a charge-out USB port. I would think this charge-out port could be used to provide extra power to a bus-powered Linnstrument using an available double-headed USB cable (https://www.katstar.com/store/store.php ... able-28108). The comments below the video mentioned that the older 30-pin connector did not provide enough power to power the Linnstrument; maybe the charge-out port could address that problem.
Question: why is new firmware needed for the Linnstrument to be powered via the lightning connector? Also, is appears in the video that the connection is made using a camera connection kit plus a USB cable. Would a lightning-to-USB cable work just as well?
Also, my research and experience (with an older iPad) suggests that SampleWiz, GeoSynth, Arctic Keys, and maybe Animoog may work with something like channel-per-note. It'll be a couple of weeks before I get a new iPad, so if someone else has a chance to check these out, I would be interested in the results.
Linnstrument + iPad
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 86 posts since 13 Jan, 2004 from Silicon Valley
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- KVRist
- 431 posts since 16 Nov, 2009 from Asheville, NC
Hi Cliff,
As mentioned in the video description, the bus powered solution is experimental and we're not 100% sure it will make it in a released firmware (though it's very likely). This firmware is needed since bus powering from the iPad has a limited amount of power that the iPad is willing to provide. If you use other power sources together with it, like a battery pack, power supply, powered usb hub, powered iPad midi interface ... the iPad bus power limit doesn't come into play, but your setup is also not as simple and portable.
A lightning to usb cable will most likely not work since they don't expose devices to the iPad as usb clients, such a cable is for the opposite operation, to connect the iPad to a computer and have the computer become the host, as opposed to the iPad in the case under discussion here.
There are very few channel per note synths, Artic is one afaik, WaveMapper and WaveGenerator also, SampleWiz and MorphWiz also I think, as well as iFretless Bass and Brass (needs checking). All the others might support polyphonic aftertouch, which gives them one per-note expression parameter. These only rarely support polyphonic pitch bends and timbre changes though, but synth makers are slowly catching up.
Take care,
Geert
As mentioned in the video description, the bus powered solution is experimental and we're not 100% sure it will make it in a released firmware (though it's very likely). This firmware is needed since bus powering from the iPad has a limited amount of power that the iPad is willing to provide. If you use other power sources together with it, like a battery pack, power supply, powered usb hub, powered iPad midi interface ... the iPad bus power limit doesn't come into play, but your setup is also not as simple and portable.
A lightning to usb cable will most likely not work since they don't expose devices to the iPad as usb clients, such a cable is for the opposite operation, to connect the iPad to a computer and have the computer become the host, as opposed to the iPad in the case under discussion here.
There are very few channel per note synths, Artic is one afaik, WaveMapper and WaveGenerator also, SampleWiz and MorphWiz also I think, as well as iFretless Bass and Brass (needs checking). All the others might support polyphonic aftertouch, which gives them one per-note expression parameter. These only rarely support polyphonic pitch bends and timbre changes though, but synth makers are slowly catching up.
Take care,
Geert
Moog software - LinnStrument - RackBlox - CableCube - Knobotron - Eigenharp Alpha/Tau/Pico - SendMIDI / ReceiveMIDI - MIDI Tape Recorder - Geco MIDI Leap - Steelstring Guitar - Electric Guitar - Vocals - Dynamod Games - Kung-fu
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 86 posts since 13 Jan, 2004 from Silicon Valley
Thanks, Geert. Your explanations were very clear and helpful.
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 86 posts since 13 Jan, 2004 from Silicon Valley
My iPad Air 2 arrived today. So, three pieces of gear, LinnStrument, iPad, and Beats Pill XL. iPad earphone jack goes to audio in on the Pill. Lightning camera connection is attached to iPad. A double-headed USB-A to USB-B cable has the USB-B attached to the LinnStrument, the data USB-A attached to the camera connection, and the power USB-A to the charge out port of the Pill (to provide extra power to the LinnStrument). Seems to be working. (I'm not using the low power mode.)
