I think a lot more digital DJs would buy an iPad if it supported multiple stereo channels, so you could pre-cue songs without having to either use a cable to split the signal into two mono channels so that your master mix is mono, or use the DJ app itself to stream the stereo pre-cue channel to another iOS device via wi-fi and use headphone out for your stereo master mix, which requires a wi-fi setup AND ANOTHER IOS DEVICE, natch. Both of these workarounds are far from ideal. I sense the iPad could be a digital DJ's dream come true if Apple would implement this functionality, and they'd sell even more. You'd think this would be a no-brainer. Thoughts?
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iOS only supports one stereo audio channel; why???
- Thread starter WaverBoy
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Because iOS does not support multiple channels on audio cards connected via the USB port of the camera kit.
That does not fix it. You can't send one channel of audio to the headphone jack while sending another channel of audio to the dock connector.
I agree, this is needed.
Consultant
macrumors G5
I know, I mentioned that workaround in my original post, but if Apple would play ball, we wouldn't have to worry about such silliness.
Citation? Provide some hard numbers. "I think" really doesn't mean much unless you have good reason (not gut feeling) to think so.
No, I wouldn't. See above. Everyone thinks they have a no-brainer idea. Many of them only serve a small niche.
Takashi, I said I THINK more digital DJs would pick one up. I didn't say it was an indisputable provable foreseeable fact that I saw in my crystal ball. At any rate, I see a lot of potential in the iPad as an all-in-one digital DJ machine, combining turntables, mixer and music library, as soon as it's ready for prime time. There's some great apps out there, such as Djay and DJ Player, but they're hamstrung by current hardware limitations.
So why do you think it's not a no-brainer? Perhaps you have some hard numbers telling you more digital DJs wouldn't buy an iPad if it supported more than one stereo audio channel?
So why do you think it's not a no-brainer? Perhaps you have some hard numbers telling you more digital DJs wouldn't buy an iPad if it supported more than one stereo audio channel?
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Night Spring
macrumors P6
I think you need to go first by providing hard numbers on how many DJs are there for say, every 10,000 people in the general population. Then we can speculate on what percentage of total DJs are likely to pick up an iPad if it had this audio feature you speak of, which I, being a non-DJ, don't totally understand. Anyway, can we agree that not all DJs will buy an iPad, even if it had this feature? So how many potential sales are we looking at?
Once we have that number, then we have to figure out the cost of designing and building that feature into the iPad. Not being an engineer, I have no idea what the cost might be. And not being a marketing expert, I have no idea whether the number of DJs who might buy an iPad if it had that feature would justify that cost. What I do know, however, is that this is far from a no-brainer. It takes a lot of people in different fields of expertise to figure this out!
Apple doesn't need massive amounts of support for a feature to add it. Apple does whatever the hell they want. They removed floppy drives from macs when everyone was still using them and even though people were outraged about the fact, they stuck by the decision. They refuse point blank to add flash despite there being widespread outrage about it.
You really don't know the company at all do you 😉
Night Spring
macrumors P6
Not sure what you are arguing here -- you start out by saying Apple will add whatever feature they want, without regard to whether that feature is in demand. Then you give examples of Apple removing or refusing to incorporate features that people want. Not the same thing at all. Removing features take no effort, adding them does. So the examples you give support my argument -- Apple isn't going to add features unless they think the features make sense.
I'm saying that they're not afraid to take unpopular decisions, and don't need a massive customer backing to make changes.
I don't think anybody asked for iAds but oh look, there they are.
Night Spring
macrumors P6
The iAds are obviously there to make Apple money. (whether or not they are actually making Apple money, that was the intent) Again, your example shows Apple only does something if they can profit from it. They just know that sometimes "unpopular" decisions can result in profit.
For the same reason why no one brings two laptops to a gig. Its convenient, and cheaper, to have a single device with an internal mixer. I've been playing around with DJay, and its much nicer to use a touch interface than do the same with a laptop. While I don't have any hard numbers, no one thought laptops would take off like they did for DJing either, if the iPad could run two channels of audio it would become much more popular for spinning.
I'm not a DJ, but I understand how this would be beneficial. Music production/creation apps could benefit from this as well. It would be another step towards the iPad becoming a real pro audio device.
ReallyBigFeet
macrumors 68030
While I get why you'd want this feature, it would be utilized by approximately 0.000000000000003% of the iPad demographic. There's your answer.
FloatingBones
macrumors 68000
Whoa! There are about 10 too many zeroes in that number, cowboy! 😉
The corebluetooth.framework may allow new low-power bluetooth devices to be created which could provide the DJ-preview and queueing capabilities the OP is looking for. The critical question is if there's a sufficient marketplace to fund this kind of product. Since there is a small marketplace, customers may have to pay more than $10 or $20 for the software.
I noticed that Rogue Amoeba is going to be at MacWorld/iWorld. They have a fine tradition of cool audio-routing software for Mac OS. If the OP is in the SF area, he may want to go by and ask them about his needs. Rogue Amoeba is offering a number of free passes to the exhibit hall; follow that link above for details.
The OP may be better off with a small MBA or PC that has the needed audio capabilities.
zhenya
macrumors 604
I was, of course, being a bit facetious, but the point stands that this kind of request would serve an extremely small niche of users, which is not something that Apple generally does. In any case, two iPads, would in many ways solve the issue, while also providing more flexibility than a single iPad, as with two screens, there would be more room for UI elements, and with the right software, could really begin to mimic the very hands-on nature of actual turntables.
The market place for laptop DJ software was tiny initially, but what happened was that other DJs would see laptops used in that setting and soon they would use them as well. The numbers of DJs running laptop rigs has increased significantly over the years. The same will be true, if the iPad is seen as useful for DJs, more DJs will buy them and use them because they are more fun to DJ with.
BT and Airplay will only be useful for this if they have zero latency. Otherwise they are too impercise to cue and preview with. Currently the OS does not support two channels of audio whether they are wired or wireless so that means BT and AP won't work. The only way to make it work is with it added in an OS update.
A laptop would be better, but for the reasons I mentioned the iPad is more fun and natural. Two iPads are the obvious, but more complex, solution. You still have to carry around a mixer and more hardware while a single iPad would be very convenient. Although two iPads would allow you to have four inputs which would be nice.
In a grander sense, having this capability could open up other audio uses much like iOS allowing for dock connector accessories allowed for new kinds of audio input devices which made it even more useful to musicians.
BT and Airplay will only be useful for this if they have zero latency. Otherwise they are too impercise to cue and preview with. Currently the OS does not support two channels of audio whether they are wired or wireless so that means BT and AP won't work. The only way to make it work is with it added in an OS update.
A laptop would be better, but for the reasons I mentioned the iPad is more fun and natural. Two iPads are the obvious, but more complex, solution. You still have to carry around a mixer and more hardware while a single iPad would be very convenient. Although two iPads would allow you to have four inputs which would be nice.
In a grander sense, having this capability could open up other audio uses much like iOS allowing for dock connector accessories allowed for new kinds of audio input devices which made it even more useful to musicians.
Well, it looks like this issue may have been rectified with iOS 6, according to preliminary reports over at DigitalDJTips.com...great news for iPad DJs if borne out by the final product in September! Now, if Apple will beef up the paltry storage to AT LEAST 128GB for the next incarnation, I'll finally pick one up, as it'll at last be ready for prime time as a viable DJ tool.