The iPad has been a truly amazing device but you can do so much more with it than just a rigorous game of Angry Birds! So you bring your new iPad home to the studio. Once there you may be asking "where do I plug in the microphone, or my guitar?". The iO Dock from Alesis is the answer to that question and many more.
More Than The Basics
The iPad's built in microphone and speakers are ok for the very basic duties. Actually I have had some great results capturing some things with it. The probelm arises when you want to connect to the rest of your studio and be able to get the most out of some of the amazing recording apps that are available such as Apple's own Garageband and many others.
This is where the Alesis iO Dock comes into play. Once you have the iPad in place you now have the ability to access every in and out possible with the iPad.
FIRST THINGS FIRST
When you tear (or gently) open the box you will find the iO Dock itself, power adapter, quick start manual, an iPad 2 adapter notice and hopefully an actual iPad 2 adapter. Since the iPad 2 was being developed at the time of the iO Dock's initial introduction Alesis had no way of knowing what the final form factor of the iPad 2 would be. They came up with an adapter that slides and locks into the iO Dock that accommodates the iPad2. Some earlier shipping iO Docks did not have the adapter and if that is your experience Alesis will provide one for you free of charge. You can submit your iPad2 adapter request here.
CONSTRUCTION
When you first get a feel for the iO Dock you notice the construction is all plastic but don't let that throw you. Alesis has done a good job in designing the IO Dock. It actually does not have a "cheap" feel to it and when the iPad is "docked" you feel very secure in the total package. It hugs the iPad on three of its sides and provides added protection to the outer bezel of the device. Also the construction keeps the overall weight down so you are not too overloaded by the addition of the iO Dock itself.
CONNECTIONS? WE HAVE CONNECTIONS!
One of the first things you notice about the iO Dock is the number of connections and controls it has. Alesis has done a great job in thinking through all of the possible uses you might have for your iPad and provided the appropriate connectors to fill the task. Lets take a look.
ON THE BACKSIDE
Looking at the back panel from left to right you have the Main outputs. This is where you would connect the iO Dock to your mixing console, monitor speakers, etc.. The Direct switch is next which gives you the option to directly route the whatever you are playing to the iO Dock's outputs. This allows for zero latency monitoring as you ar not using any of the iPad's processor, great feature.
Next you have the Main inputs which are combination connectors which means you can use XLR suitable for most microphones or 1/4" connectors which are more common when using guitars, keyboards, etc. Having the combo connectors really makes sense giving you the most flexibility and making the most of the space.
You will also notice next to each input you have a gain control. When using certain microphones or instruments you might need to adjust this control to make sure enough signal is going into the iO Dock to get the best recording. Input 2 adds an additional Guitar/Mic, Line switch to further optimize the signal going into the Dock according to your particular situation. Next to the Guitar/Mic Line switch you have a switch to enable or disable "Phantom" power. This is great in that it allows you to use higher quality microphones if you have them available that requires the extra power needed for them to operate.
The next input provided allows you to connect a momentary footswitch. This can send Start/Stop messages to the app. It can also be assigned by the developer to do other specific tasks (i.e. start/stop playback, recording, toggle between main and fill sections, etc.). The iO Dock provides a composite video output so you can connect to video monitors, switchers, etc.. I connected this to our television/monitor and was really surprised at how good the picture quality was when watching some Netflix and You Tube videos. The iPad detects when you have this connected and routes video out appropriately. This is a really nice feature.
Lastly you have the power input. The iO dock needs the extra power as the iPad itself could not handle all of the demands by itself. A great side benefit of this is that when your iPad is docked it is also charging which makes it very convenient. This might limit portability in some rare cases but as long as a power outlet is nearby you will be good to go.
A LITTLE TO THE LEFT
On the left of the iO Dock Alesis has provided MIDI in and out as well as a USB MIDI connector. This allows you to connect your midi controller to the iO Dock as well as connecting the iO Dock to your computer's DAW. When you connect using the USB Midi Connector the iO Dock will show up as a MIDI input port in your particular DAW which opens up a lot of opportunities. The USB MIDI In also is used to connect the iO Dock to your host computer for future firmware updates. One of the first things I did was connect my Studiologic weighted controller to the iO Dock's MIDI In port.
I then pulled up the Korg iMS-20 app and it was really wild being able to play the instrument from my keyboard instead of the iPad's touch screen. It made me feel a little more connected to the instrument itself as I am more comfortable with the physical keyboard. I then thought about pulling up some of the instruments in the Garageband app. The same held true. I enjoyed being able to have the full keyboard especially when pulling up some of the piano and organ patches in Garageband. It made it a different experience.
My DAW of choice is Cakewalk's SONAR X1. Having the iO Dock show up as a MIDI port allows me not only to play the instruments in the DAW enviroment but also allows the DAW to use the iPad as a sound source as well when playing back midi tracks.
ON THE RIGHT WING
On the right side of the iO Dock you have the headphone jack and level controls. Having controls for both the main output and headphones allows you to adjust the levels independently giving you even more monitoring flexibility. Alesis has really done their homework in giving the user what they need to be in control of everything going in and out of the iPad.
ON THE APP SIDE
Since the iO Dock is compliant with Apple's standards you should have no trouble using it with your favorite audio app as long as it also complies to the same. Many apps are still introducing features such as "Core MIDI" capability that allows you to address the app from an external MIDI device but they are catching up.
We have several audio apps here on test and will present our findings in future reviews as well as giving you information as to how they interface with the iO Dock. Currently we have been looking at MultiTrack DAW by Harmonic Dog, Sonoma Wireworks StudioTrack and Sound Trends studio.HD.
ON LOCATION
I recently had a project where I just needed to capture a vocal for a track. This was the perfect opportunity to try out the iO Dock's versatility. I used Harmonic Dog's MultiTrack DAW App which is very straightforward and works with a wide variety of interfaces. I connected one of my AKG C-3000 microphone to the iO Dock and pulled the input up in MultiTrack DAW. I could not have been any more impressed than my client was when I brought the recording studio to him.
The way the iO Dock brings everything together is stunning. It creates such a smooth and seamless integration with the iPad that really helps with the overall workflow. The iO Dock JUST WORKS!
CONCLUSIONS
If you are ever considering doing any type of audio recording or performance with your iPad then you definitely want to consider adding the iO Dock to your setup. It's close to a "no brainer" once you begin using it in your studio environment and discover how it pulls your iPad into your workflow.
The way it is positioned in my studio makes the iPad usable in some unexpected ways as I sometimes use Air Display to allow me to use some of SONAR X1's controls on the iPad's screen. It sits right below my main monitor and works great.
The only limitation is really your imagination as the iPad iO Dock combination seems to be able to handle just about any thing you can throw at it.
The iO Dock retails for $199.00 and is available at most music retailers. For more information visit the Alesis website.
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