In this article Julian explains an issue he had with his keyboard rig and why the iRig MIDI from IK Multimedia was an ideal solution.
Tablets and phones have made their way into my audio production world but only as a way to control or monitor software which is running on a ’proper’ computer. Control software like the Avid Control App, metering software like PROCESS.Audio’s Decibel and most recently the excellent new Sonnox MixHub all have a place in my production process and if you don’t have a Stream Deck, tablets and phones are an excellent way to access the power of SoundFlow. However, in spite of the wealth of Apps available for creation and production, I’ve never seen these as anything more than something to play with on long journeys. It’s not that I can’t see how capable the best of these Apps are, it’s just that anything they can do, I can do better on a computer.
Portability
This changed when I started playing keys in a band. I’ve referred to this so often on our weekly Podcast that I’ve started to apologise for it but to re-tell the story, I play guitar and piano but I think of myself as a bass player. Last summer at a party I sat in on keys with a friend’s band who had been on an extended hiatus. They enjoyed it enough to ask me to join and the band reformed. This left me with something of a dilemma as I didn’t own a giggable keyboard rig. Not wanting to invest any money in a fun project which might fizzle out after a few weeks I used an ageing MacBook Pro running MainStage with a MIDI controller and a mixture of Logic instruments and e-instruments pianos. This got me through a few gigs but the combination of the ease with which cables and power supplies could be forgotten, combined with my total mistrust of a laptop being used in front of an audience convinced me to buy a more suitable instrument.
I bought a second hand Nord Electro 6D 73 with a waterfall keyboard. The gig was mostly pianos and organs and the combination of 73 notes and a lightweight waterfall keyboard was close to ideal. I didn’t want to have to make three trips to the car to get all of my gear. I’m not a drummer!
If you aren’t familiar with Nord instruments. They don’t follow the normal product arrangement of good, better, best. Instead all instruments are of equal quality but differ depending on intended use. The Electro, with its waterfall keybed is for an organist who needs some pianos, the Electro HP is weighted and is for pianists who need some organs. There is the Piano product which is a dedicated piano, the Wave and A1 are synths and the Stage does pretty much everything (and is correspondingly expensive). With the Stage being just too expensive, the Electro 73 was the right choice but Nord are very clear - It’s not a synthesiser. While it does have a Synth engine this is a sample playback section only. If you want to wind in some vibrato from a mod wheel, you can’t, it’s not a synthesiser and it doesn’t have one. If you want to use a pitch bender, you can’t, it’s not a synthesiser and it doesn’t have one. Similarly if you want portamento or to sweep a filter, you can’t. It’s not a synthesiser.
Feature Creep
I was clear about this but inevitably parts have presented themselves which it would be really nice to be able to cover with a filter tweak or some portamento. I could add a second keyboard but even a little monosynth would involve getting a synth, a different stand, adding a mixer, and of course it’s more gear, more complexity and probably a second trip to the car at practices and gigs! This is where my attention turned to iOS devices.
My Nord has an Aux input on mini jack which passes audio straight to the Nord’s outputs. There is a suitable spot on the top panel for my iPad. The sounds I need are all very straightforward analogue synth sounds. I have had the excellent Moog Music Model D App on my iPad and it sounds huge. All I need is a reliable way to play and control the app from the Nord.
I could probably have done this using a USB camera connection kit but I like 5 pin MIDI for jobs like this. The Nord has a USB which I’m sure I could have used but I’d rather use the MIDI connections and leave the USB free so I can connect to my laptop for sound management and transfer while also having MIDI control of my iPad. A quick google search found the iRig MIDI 2 from IK Multimedia which seemed to be exactly what I was looking for.
A small rubberised box with a trio of In, Out and Thru on 5 pin DIN on one side and a small 7 pin mini DIN connector which can take any of the three supplied device leads. A lightning adaptor, a USB C and a Micro USB for Android were all included. Connecting this between my iPad and my Nord and was as simple as it sounds. The two blue LEDs indicate MIDI activity for fault tracing which is an added bonus. It’s robust, it’s light enough to dangle down the back of my keyboard supported only by the leads (not my intention but it happens...) doesn’t require a power supply and it performs its intended function perfectly. Like any MIDI box like this it doesn’t attract attention to itself and neither should it.
It’s been a great success and I intend to use it more fully in the set once I figure out how to set up a keyboard split so that I can cover only part of the keyboard with my synth sounds and leave pianos and organs available elsewhere. This is easy on the Nord but I need to set up an iOS app I bought which will limit the keyboard range of the iOS instrument. Feature creep is inevitable with keyboards…
It works, it’s small and it means I can now assign a filter to a knob on my Nord and get sweeping and play all those slippy Moog-y leads which would be nice but weren’t important enough for me to disappear behind a wall of keyboards! A good product.
The IK Multimedia iRig MIDI 2 costs €99.99.