iPad2 / Unofficial Camera Conection Kit / Horizon Synth

Those of you that have been following the news section on the main Dan303 website will know that I have recently brought an iPad2.

One of the coolest things about the iPad is the ability to connect USB midi devices to it using the Camera connection kit. On the official Apple site the camera connection kit costs £25 so I automatically began looking for a second hand one. Not that I’m a cheapskate or anything, I just can’t really justify spending £25 on something that I won’t use all the time.

While searching eBay I noticed quite a lot of unofficial camera connection kits (The ones with both USB and SD slot on the same adapter). I wondered if this unofficial kit would handle the midi devices as good as the Apple one. I had a quick search around Google and asked about it on the Korg Forums but there seemed to be little information about it. All the videos on YouTube seemed to use the official connector (or at least one that looked similar) so I couldn’t really be sure. I took the gamble and paid £5 for the unofficial one from eBay, if it didn’t work then I wouldn’t have lost much.

The kit came in the post today and as soon as I got the opportunity to try it out with my Korg NanoPad. The kit worked alright, it handled midi perfectly with zero latency.

However there were a few problems that I noticed. When I tried attaching my 25 key USB controller it gave me a warning that the device required too much power and the iPad couldn’t handle it (I got this message even when I has the controller connected to the mains). Another issue that I saw was that when I had the NanoPad connected it would occasionally show a message saying that the device was not recognised but when I clicked ok the NanoPad worked fine. The unit itself is a bit flimsy; it’s made out of cheap plastic and seems a bit stiff when connecting to the ipad.

Overall I saved £20 (which isn’t a bad thing in my eyes) but if you’re looking for something that’s tough and reliable for gigging with your iPad then I’d recommend getting the Apple kit. If you’re just looking for something to mess around with or to occasionally connect your iPad to your home studio then by all means buy the cheap one, You’ll save yourself £20 (to spend on apps or a few beers). If it breaks then you can always just buy a new one.

Anyway, below is a short video of me playing the new Horizon synthesizer for the ipad using my Korg nanopad. This synth sounds amazing; the supersaw waveforms (first found in the Roland JP-8000) give it really powerful and aggressive sound. Get it from the Appstore now while it’s half price. =]



Update: I just found that my Korg R3 synthesizer works fine as a midi controller for the iPad. It also works as a midi interface. I’ve currently got the iPad connected to the USB of the R3 which is then connected to my Focusrite Saffire 6 interface (midi in and out). This means that I can sequence and record instruments on my iPad using my laptop.
It seems that the iPad will only recognise certain usb controllers. If you’re an iPad user that’s looking to buy a midi controller then I recommend that you do a bit of research and find out which controllers will work.

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