All iPads The sad state of music on iPad

[bscheffel]

Of all the areas where the iPad is lacking in capability, music is one of the most glaring.

Strike #1 - No Logic Pro for iPadOS and no indication it is coming anytime soon
Strike #2 - You cannot manage a music library without Mac/Windows machine. You can't add music unless bought from iTunes Store (which doesn't support lossless purchases). You can't edit or update song metadata. If you use Apple Music, yes these two are not problems - but even with Apple Music you can't create smart playlists. Feature parity between Mac music app and iPad music app is not even close
Strike #3 - Spotify seems to follow Apple's lead and the Spotify iPad app is missing usability features found on the desktop app (date added to playlist missing, friends activity missing).

Items #2 and #3 could easily be solved if Apple and Spotify starting thinking of iPad as more than music listening....

 

[radow]

Can’t agree more.

iPad Music.app is just bad at managing music library, lacking too many features.

Mac Music.app on the other hand, while good enough to manage my music library, didn’t completely get rid of the iTunes legacy, so it can be very laggy and unresponsive.

Maybe self-host NAS streaming is the ultimate solution.

 

[Moneymiike420]

Yeah very true. Nowadays everything seems like it's geared towards streaming . So many different subscriptions and apps competing for subscribers . Apple Music is the only one I gladly pay for cause I feel the sound quality sounds the best on my home pod minis and charge 5 speaker. Pandora,I heart and Spotify sound slightly lower,or tinny'er

 

[ScanTheNavian]

I downloaded some music(legally) to my iPad through Safari and thought I would use the Music app to be able to play and manage it. Nope! Not allowed! That sort of thing really gives off a claustrophobic vibe. Luckily I found Documents by readdle that had a good music player and simple folder system.

 

[sracer]

Of all the areas where the iPad is lacking in capability, music is one of the most glaring.

Strike #1 - No Logic Pro for iPadOS and no indication it is coming anytime soon
Strike #2 - You cannot manage a music library without Mac/Windows machine. You can't add music unless bought from iTunes Store (which doesn't support lossless purchases). You can't edit or update song metadata. If you use Apple Music, yes these two are not problems - but even with Apple Music you can't create smart playlists. Feature parity between Mac music app and iPad music app is not even close
Strike #3 - Spotify seems to follow Apple's lead and the Spotify iPad app is missing usability features found on the desktop app (date added to playlist missing, friends activity missing).

Items #2 and #3 could easily be solved if Apple and Spotify starting thinking of iPad as more than music listening....

Welcome to Apple's walled garden.

Nearly every Apple device (except for Mac OS devices) have limitations that corral people toward Apple services. This isn't something new and isn't something that will be going away.

 

[ApfelKuchen]

I'm not sure that either Apple or Spotify think of iPad as a major listening platform, even if the speakers are superior to iPhone and some laptops. Things are still very much stuck in the model created for iPod - computers are for managing libraries, mobile devices are for listening. It seems past time for that to change.

However, the whole idea of curating a library (which inevitably requires modifying metadata) doesn't fly in the world of rented music. Now, I love my rented music - all the music I wished I'd been able to buy but never could. And I love that all my CDs have been matched/added to the cloud library, but the younger you are, the less likely that is going to be relevant.

If I hadn't already imported all my CDs via computer, yeah, it would be very nice to be able to connect a DVD drive to iPad and import them there (although battery drain is a serious consideration). However, I'm not so sure I'd want to buy enough Flash storage to store them all in perpetuity so that they'd be available for matching to Apple Music - there needs to be a "keep in my iCloud Music Library" checkbox so that, whether on computer or iPad, it's not necessary to maintain an in-library physical file.

As to Logic Pro for iPad? I'm far more optimistic than the OP. Anything that runs on an M1-equipped Mac should be able to run on an M1-equipped iPad Pro, and that USB-C port also doesn't hurt. I think it's just a matter of time.

 

[Jessica Lares]

I am hoping Doppler eventually comes to the iPad because it lets you edit metadata. I think it's just for its local database, but even that's better than nothing. The other day I came across a Swift framework for editing ID3 tags for mp3 files, so it makes you hopeful that it's going to end up in an app like that soon enough.

For now I'm building something with Shortcuts and a-Shell so I can run a few extensions via the share sheet.

Think it's just that the Music library database is still like the base of the user data of the device, so there's a lot of ways that a bad file could mess everything up. There's no importing checks like on the desktop app.

Logic Pro probably comes when they make APIs that basically sherlock Audiobus.

 

[1rottenapple]

IMHO it’s a use case of buying an old iPod and an old Mac. The new musci app is horrible and buddy. I have files that refuse to sync. I never had that before. With iTunes back I 2010. The older this music app is the worst the neglect on apple part. They simply have no incentive to update the music app other than offering it an an Apple Music subscription portal. That it. my Old iMac and one of many iPods will be my preferred music solution. And get off my lawn!!!

 

[ecstaticax]

For music production ipad is a wonderful machine: Steinberg Cubasis, Nanostudio 2, it’s plenty of virtual instruments really incredible, from sampled ones to reproduction of best synths. Even very good mastering solutions.
Surely it’s bad for listening, but for production it’s quite a mature solution.

 

[rumz]

If I could just manage my music library on my iPad Pro.... I wouldn't even have the slightest excuse to want a MacBook. So is music data locked down such that even a third party can't make a metadata editor that can modify your music library? Yeah I guess I'm old school too. I sometimes miss my MiniDisc hobby (digital mix tapes, heck yeah) before the iPod came along and kinda killed that. Playlists don't quite do the same thing (even if you can discipline yourself to an album-length playlist-- you can't just hand someone a mix you made).

Maybe I'll take another whack at the Luna Display for controlling my desktop Mac with my 12.9 Pro + Magic Keyboard.

 

[HDFan]

As of a year ago:

... there isn’t a third party API for Apple Music. The only access for third party devices is with Airplay,

Apple Music and/or Spotify as Roon sources

Apple Music have said in the past they don’t have a third party API available. They have worked with Sonos as an exception but it seems very unlikely especially given how they treat the rest of their ecosystem (walled garden approach). I have seen AM discussed in similar threads to the above...

community.roonlabs.com

 

[UltimateSyn]

It's pretty bad. The Music app on the Mac has been severely gimped for library management since the iTunes days, too. Don't understand for the life of me why you still can't add songs or change metadata with the iPad's Music app.

 

[UBS28]

Even if Logic Pro comes to the iPad, you don't have access to the same plugins.

Heck, Mac is even lacking plugins that are exclusive to Windows.

 

[Sixtyhorses]

For music production ipad is a wonderful machine: Steinberg Cubasis, Nanostudio 2, it’s plenty of virtual instruments really incredible, from sampled ones to reproduction of best synths. Even very good mastering solutions.
Surely it’s bad for listening, but for production it’s quite a mature solution.

I am reading about many with audio interfaces who get clicks and pops when using audio/music creation apps and audio interfaces.
If you refer to M1 iPad Pro versions, are you using these with the DAWs you mention or have you heard about it?
As for audio production use, it is generally done with an (external) audio interface and monitors with some even choosing mixing with headphones. But as a portable lightweight music player, the iPad Pros are not that bad. Place it on a wooden table and music it is. To me it is a great minimalist production set up. But I am having trouble with my new MOTU M4 and iPad apps for music production. So if you have direct experience with a well functioning iPad Pro M1 set up, please do share.
Thanks