Will An iPad Pro Be The Next Computer For Your DAW?

When it comes to Apple products I have one of each category from most of the production line. From iPhone to iPad to Macbook Pro to iMac, most of my personal and professional needs are covered. That said, I’ve dabbled in doing serious music on my iPhone and iPad and I could never quite get my arms around it. As one highly regarded tech friend most recently put it, “The iPhone and iPad are output, not input devices,” meaning that when it comes to professional interaction with our music creation tools, it’s easier on a laptop or desktop.

But the times they are a’changing, and with each new iteration of the iPad we get closer to the ideal of a seriously sleek and portable creation device. The latest iPad Pro may have finally cracked it, at least according to some hitmakers that use it as their main DAW device with great results.

Grammy award-winning music producer Henny Tha Bizness is one of those who’s converted and not looking back. In the video below he describes how he uses it for everything including mixing.

While the video is convincing, Henny’s also not using the industry standard Pro Tools, which isn’t available yet on the device. And he’s not recording and only working with loops and synths, which streamlines creation quite a bit. While PT may not be there yet, there are many equally capable DAWs that work well on an iPad right now however, like Auria.

One thing that I found intriguing is the use of a pencil as a controller. On my iPad I’m constantly frustrated with the touch screen being accidentally touched and the screen floating somewhere else. The Apple Pencil looks like it would alleviate that.

Music creators have always wanted a portable studio that also all the power of a commercial facility. We’re pretty much there with the current laptops and excellent small interfaces, but tablets could take that dream to a whole new level.

Check out the video.