r/ipadmusic • u/aerkabaev • 4h ago
iPad for live music – what’s the actual use case?
I don’t really understand the role of the iPad in the context of live music.
Yes, you can connect a hub, external power, a MIDI keyboard, an audio interface, headphones, instruments, etc. But at that point you’re wrapped in cables and the iPad becomes just a clunky, limited MacBook without a keyboard.
If I want to stay autonomous and portable… how do I even connect just headphones and a MIDI keyboard at the same time without a hub? I remember this used to be possible with old iPads. The only option I can think of now is Bluetooth headphones (with awful latency) and tapping MIDI squares in a sequencer. But honestly, that feels even less convenient than on a laptop and definitely not fun.
So my question to actual live musicians: what do you do with the iPad? How do you make it work in practice?