VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[Bish]

I've got myself an iPad, and was trying to justify its use in a VO environment. Certainly text handling and script viewing is a perfect use... but what about the audio capabilities?

Recording via the internal mic is a non-starter for obvious reasons, and the lack of external USB is a major hurdle for any real work... however, some enterprising souls have discovered that the iPad camera kit ($29) gives you more than the capability to connect a camera, it actually gives you a USB port (albeit with limited capability). You'll not be able to connect your mass-storage device as the iPad doesn't work with any "finder" capability so you can't view the disk (supposedly it will find images on the drive though). However, it will recognize a USB audio device. It will detect a USB microphone and use it instead of the internal... it will also support USB audio out and has been tested to work with various mics and headsets.

All we need now is a decent audio editing a that will supply the control needed to take a wave file and allow for some decent editing. There are some out there with limited capability which I shall investigate. There may be some issues with the granularity offered by touch control, however, although the iPad doesn't like a regular stylus, some of the drawing as use ones that are designed to work on the capacitance principle that the iPad screen utilizes.

I think things will get very interesting, very soon. To be able to record a high quality wave, edit it (and export to mp3?), and then send it off via email or whatever is going to make the iPad a valuable tool, especially for recording on the road.

Thoughts? Opinions? ... or am I just a fanboy trying to justify his iPad purchase
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Bish a.k.a. Bish
Smoke me a kipper... I'll be back for breakfast.
I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls.

[Don G.]

I love Macs and I can't even justify an iPad based on it doing what it was designed to do. In fact, I thought for a while that it would be great for my wife, but even the limited things she'd use it for would be better and easier done on a MacBook. So that's probably what I'll get her.

All that aside, you don't need to justify it as a business expense. Use it and enjoy it for what it is. You deserve it.

[whalewtchr]

Does it have voice capability on the "Book" reading capability? What is the quality of the voice option?
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jonahcummings

[Bruce]

The best overall comment I've seen so far on the iPad is that it's great for consuming media, but not so hot for creating media.


B
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VO-BB Member #31 Enlisted June, 2005

I'm not a Zoo, but over the years I've played one on radio/TV. .

[Mike Sommer]

+1 Bruce.
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The Blog:
http://voiceoveraudio.blogspot.com/

Acoustics are counter-intuitive. If one thing is certain about acoustics, it is that if anything seems obvious it is probably wrong.

[Bish]

A little digging shows that the iPad can record full 44.1 aif files at 16-bit. So raw quality shouldn't be a problem when used with a decent input signal. As far as I can see, it's all down to the applications now. As the iPad has only been out a few weeks, I think that the nascent application pool will start to show exponential growth. I'd place a strong bet that within three months or so there will be a usable wave editor (something like Audacity maybe).

There's no doubt that the iPad's immediate appeal is as a content consumption device, but I think there's a lot more to it than that. There's a lot of developers out there that want to make it as close to a laptop replacement as possible, and while that may be an unattainable goal (the lack of a visible file system may be a hindrance), there are plenty of vertical applications where it may carve a niche for itself. With the ability to record high quality audio when interfaced with an external mic, maybe mobile VO is one of them?

It's just food for thought really. Time will tell.
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Bish a.k.a. Bish
Smoke me a kipper... I'll be back for breakfast.
I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls.

[Mike Sommer]

I can see this happening. But really, it's just more stuff.

I've debated this with my Mac friends, most of whom are artist's. It comes down to power and functionality. We would rather have one tool that does many things very well. For now I would rather have a Macbook over an iPad. And I never get the first generation Mac "anything." There's always going to be big leaps forward with their products, in the next two years or so.

Just my 2¢
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The Blog:
http://voiceoveraudio.blogspot.com/

Acoustics are counter-intuitive. If one thing is certain about acoustics, it is that if anything seems obvious it is probably wrong.

[Bish]

[Billy James]

The real breakthrough will be when somebody releases the hardware/sw add-on to turn this into a portable digital audio workstation. I'm picturing a cradle that has a small preamp with an xlr connector in the back. It would use a bundled a to handle the recording functions via touchscreen. Tracks sync with a desktop machine for further editing. Would record at the full quality that the iPad is already capable of.

Picture the Apogee ONE with an iPad dock built in. Apogee --are you listening?

Of course if they are, it would work great but probably cost 3 times what the iPad sells for.

Posted from the porch on my iPad.

[Mike Sommer]

Beau Weaver has one on his copy stand. Saves on paper and printer ink.
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The Blog:
http://voiceoveraudio.blogspot.com/

Acoustics are counter-intuitive. If one thing is certain about acoustics, it is that if anything seems obvious it is probably wrong.

[georgethetech]

Interesting, I had no idea you could shove a USB mic into the camera dock adapter and get it to work! Then why not use a Shure X2u adapter with a good mic? This is definitely hot news! Listen to Andy Ihnatko's audio samples...
And here's an audio recording a, /studiotrack/id362370888?mt=8" target="_blank" class="postlink">StudioTrack.
This elevates the usefulness of the iPad tremendously.
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If it sounds good, it is good.
George Whittam
GeorgeThe.Tech
424-226-8528
VOBS.TV Co-host
TheProAudioSuite.com Co-host
TriBooth.com Co-founder

[Bruce]

I hear they'll be adding USB and other features to the new 14" version coming out later this year...the Max iPad.



B

(I know that joke is so last month, but it's the first time it's been posted here.)
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VO-BB Member #31 Enlisted June, 2005

I'm not a Zoo, but over the years I've played one on radio/TV. .

[Mel]

Wow, USB recording does make it a viable option. I was thinking it would be good just for reading copy with the prompting a I already use on my iPhone. Now just to convince the other half I need it...

[Bish]

I didn't realize that we were so far down the iPad a route already! StudioTrack looks very interesting... maybe not suited to VO exactly (I still think a wave editor is a must), but we're getting there. I got the heads-up about the USB connectivity via Andy Ihnatko as well. Now I'd like to see a real world test of an external USB audio interface and StudioTrack (I would think they'll be jumping all over it). I'd be on it myself, but there seems to be a shortage of the camera adapters at the moment (2-3 week wait on-line, and my local Apple store is out of them).
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Bish a.k.a. Bish
Smoke me a kipper... I'll be back for breakfast.
I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls.

[kjedlicka]