personally i work with one gear at the time but, i just visited a colleague who wondered how he could make the "best" possible connection between all these machines. iPad, MacBook, mpc live, midi keyboard.

i took a look at it, looked online but got a total brain-lock. there were to many questions and variables. one of the problems is the ipad doesn't have an audio jack only one USB-C port, there are adapters but that doesn't solve the question on how to make a complete connection setup between all of those units. is it even possible? i mean, they can get hooked up to a mixer obviously but more than that I wonder how much interconnected they could be

Ipad - (1 USB-C port)
Macbook Pro - (2 USB ports)
MPC Live - (2 USB MIDI, + 4 MIDI ports (2 in, 2 out) + 4 audio out + 2 audio in)
USB Sound Card - (2 MIDI ports, in out, 2 audio inputs)
Midi Keyboard - (USB powered)

if you have any suggestions of a "semi-solution" or an example of a map/setup it would be much appreciated.

 

Last edited: Apr 7, 2019

An interface would solve these problems. You can probably find one with the exact number of MIDI and audio connections you need. I use PreSonus StudioLive but there are cheaper ones with more MIDI stuff. PreSonus Universal Control Surface will let you set up all the video monitors you want.

 

it all depends on what you need as a "connection"? first pick what you want to do the recording. if you want to use iPad, or iphone as an instrument you could start with garage band. it allows multiple apple devices to "work together" on a song. if you have hardware like a midi keyboard then again, you have to decide which device will be hosting the virtual instrument, then buy an adapter. personally it sounds like an overcomplicated setup. do you even know why you need that many devices? if you really want a dedicated studio, pick your master device to record, I would suggest the MacBook. then like rythmatist said, get an interface and hook it up to the MacBook and go from there. your question is sort of all over the place but I hope that helped.