Audiobus: Use your music apps together.
What is Audiobus? — Audiobus is an award-winning music app for iPhone and iPad which lets you use your other music apps together. Chain effects on your favourite synth, run the output of apps or Audio Units into an app like GarageBand or Loopy, or select a different audio interface output for each app. Route MIDI between apps — drive a synth from a MIDI sequencer, or add an arpeggiator to your MIDI keyboard — or sync with your external MIDI gear. And control your entire setup from a MIDI controller.
Download on the App StoreAudiobus is the app that makes the rest of your setup better.
Bluetooth MIDI Keyboards
I bought an Akai Bluetooth but they sent me the USB wired version. I believe the Akai is out of production.
So, I keep checking for a Bluetooth Keyboard to have handy for keys, pads, knobs, transport and last night I saw this new vendor:
It arrived this morning and is pretty similar to the Akai in terms of key action which is reasonable.
The pads are velocity sensitive.
Comments
Whats its name?
I bought the MidiPlus AKM320BT as a compact BT keyboard for portable use. Same as the AKM320 “ the cheapest MIDI keyboard on Amazon” but adds Bluetooth. Key action is not great but it does have velocity and real pitch and mod wheels. Two AA battery power or USB type B power, TRS MIDI out and it even comes with a TRS to DIN adapter. I’m pretty happy with it for portable noodling and you can’t beat the price at $50.
https://www.amazon.com/MIDIPLUS-AKM320BT-Keyboard-Controller-Bluetooth/dp/B099RNQQ9R/ref=sr_1_8?crid=3EW2TT1T8LZFX&keywords=Bluetooth+midi&qid=1678887821&sprefix=bluetooth+midi,aps,261&sr=8-8
Do they offer a partial refund? I don't think you'd wanna go without the AKAI, right?
I'm using this with my USB gear. Runs off a powerbank too:
Other than the above, I can highly recommend the Arturia Keystep / Keystep 37 plus Yamaha MD-BT01 dongles.
Great quality keybed (for the size) and the 37 has multiple controller banks.
Pad sounds can be played on the keyboard too so I could live without them.
And I find 2 octaves too limiting but YMMV.
The cool trick with the Amazon cheapie (I have one too) is that it has a built in rechargable battery.
@rheslip I'm glad to see they re-released that one. I have an earlier version made by Midiplus that looks exactly the same, but has a different model number. It disppeared for months from the Amazon store (got mine originally for $35). Agreed that key action isn't the greatest, but after a while I've gotten pretty used to it and have used it in multiple recordings/productions over the past few years.
I wanted to get it for my nephew for Christmas, but the new version you show wasn't out yet and my version was not available, so I sprung for the keyboard @McD has in the original post. It's good, but I do prefer mine, particularly because I like the extra half octave, PB and Mod wheels. And the volume slider, which is great for adjusting volumes on the fly without messing around with the touchscreen. Love that.
To use that with most USB keyboards you would have to insert a cable between controller and this Bluetooth adapter.
It would work best for a laptop that needs Bluetooth. This is what the cable (that I am trying to avoid needing) looks like…
It’s typically called a USB printer cable:
@McD If it was my keyboard, I'd attach the BT transmitter to the back of the keyboard and use a short USB cable with angled USB-B plug as well as a little powerbank so the keyboard still feels more or less like a wireless one.
@rs2000 I'm amazed to see the UD-BT01 back on sale, I thought they'd gone out of production and disappeared for ever a few years ago. Gives me hope they might make a MkII with a neat built in battery.
I've got a few devices I use with bluetooth dongles, but I can see why @McD prefers something with no dongles or dangles - I'm fine with velcro, rubber bands and magnets on foot controllers, but if I've got a keyboard on my lap then no appendages avoids a lot of grief. Sounds like he's happy with his solution anyway though
Which one is that? (The keyboard mostly being discussed in this thread seems to take two AA batteries, so it does not have a built in rechargeable battery, I think)
The one in the OP post. It's rechargable.
Yes. I appreciate that feature for any peripheral when offered. My Arturia MiniLab is a great keyboard with quality build but it requires USB connection for power. The Yamaha Adapter is a terminus so a USB HUB might be needed as well.
I noticed there are HDMI wireless TX/RX pairs and I’m wondering if that might be good to put the IOS screen on a monitor so I can touch the iPad in a flat layout in the classic music producers lab layout.
Interesting. Doesn't seem to be available in Germany.
Looks like Levusu also has a mixer aimed at streamers, Levusu L5, with a built in rechargeable battery, number 10 on this list. It might be class compliant. https://streamsentials.com/goxlr-alternatives/
How is it after a few days, are you still recommending it?
it seems like Thomann did a rebrand with Levusu (?) and released this keyboard under their own name Swissonic?
https://www.thomann.de/swissonic_minikey_p_25.htm
"Swissonic MiniKey P-25; Bluetooth MIDI keyboard with 25 velocity sensitive mini keys; 8 assignable encoders; 8 velocity-sensitive RGB-Back-Lit Pads with after touch; easy Bluetooth connection with iOS devices via host apps such as GrageBand; sustain pedal connection; touch strips for pitch bend and modulation; integrated arpeggiator; smart scale mode; Smart Chord Mode; octave buttons; USB connection; Bluetooth 5.0; bus-powered or operation via integrated rechargeable battery (2000mAh); incl. Swissonic MIDI Editor as well as Cubase LE with 23 VST audio effects, HALion Sonic SE 3, Groove Agent SE 5 and over 5GB of sounds and loops (download); dimensions(WDH): 321 x 178 x 46 mm; Weight: 0.75 kg"
Another option for providing a USB Host is CME UHost
This and a small power bank is all you need, and it does tricks
You wouldn't need the keyboard's onboard BLE MIDI in this case, just USB MIDI
Cool, thanks for the pointer.
Yes. And Yamaha UD-BT01 is the same. You power it (and the controller) through a small usb power bank, adapter sits in between power bank and controller.
I have both UD-BT01 and CME Uhost.
I mention Uhost because its BLE is a couple generations newer than the Yamaha, and it can auto-learn groups.
But I still use them both.
Same here, have both. I clarified that UD-BT01 worked this way mostly because someone's earlier post suggested you might need a USB hub with it. You don't, just power it with a charger and you're good.
Amazon shows 2 new branded versions: the M-Wave (labeled as M-VAVE):
And yes it comes in black too:
Just ordered the CME Uhost. It was a bit more expensive then I thought but I guess, getting rid of a lot of cabling issues (I use both iOS and MacOS, shifting) and freeing up a port when using the computer, will make it worth that. Also hope it works as well as advertised.🤓
They’ll all be produced in the same factory, probably in China.