Question: Recording audio *from* MacBook Pro?

[kelvin]

Hi All,

I use my iPad for *almost* all my music/audio production now. The sole remaining non-iOS addiction I have is a copy of Spectrasonic's Atmosphere synth that runs on my eight-year-old MacBook Pro 1,1. It's a beautiful thing. However, now that I'm iPad based, I'd love to have a simple method of capturing the output of Atmosphere on my MacBook Pro directly into Auria.

Any thoughts? The iPad does not show up as a USB audio device in the Audio/Midi setup so my first thought's out.

I know I can pull from the audio out jack and put it through an interface into the iPad, but I'd love to keep the signal digital if at all possible.

Any and all help is appreciated!

~Kelvin

PS Also, isn't it freakin' amazing that we can use a mobile device as a high-powered DAW and I'm looking to use my laptop as a simple sound module?

[Anthony Alves]

Unfortunately the iPad will not show up as an audio device because it's a computer also looking for an audio device. An audio device is either an external box or a sound card built into your computer that is separate from a computers main audio I/O. In order to maintain the audio transfer in the digital domain you would need an audio box connected to your MacPro that has digital out or SPDIF and your audio box thats connected to your iPad would also have to have this digital input. ADAT light-pipe will provide the same solution. You would simply connect the SPDIF digital out of your MacBook Pro into the SPDIF input of the Audio box on your iPad. This would allow you to transfer the synths sound without going through any DA converter or AD converter. If you can't get this set-up than simply take the analog outputs of an audio box connected to your MacBook Pro and insert it into the audio box connected to the iPad. Although you will go through some converters, it will still give you much better sound quality than you will ever get from your line out of your MacBook Pro. Cheers and hope this helped.

[kelvin]

Thank you Anthony. Nice clear answer.

Do you have any understanding of the iConnect Midi devices? If they show up to the Mac as a USB Audio device, that should work as well?

Thanks again.

[Anthony Alves]

Thank you Anthony. Nice clear answer.

Do you have any understanding of the iConnect Midi devices? If they show up to the Mac as a USB Audio device, that should work as well?

Thanks again.

Yes thats correct. The iconnect midi/audio box that was out for Namm 2014 does this well. You can have more than one computer see the audio box and transfer your audio digitally from one cpu to another. Very cool. A couple of hundred bucks thou so just about the same as buying another audio box for your studio. Cheers.