Studio Connect

The Griffin StudioConnect allows you to connect your guitar, bass, synthesizer, or midi controller to your iPad. The sound quality is excellent and I love the simple, sleek and low footprint design. The rubberized indentations in the middle of the device provide an elegant way to dock your iPad and charge it while in use. It has rubberized pads on the bottom that work well for holding the device firmly in place on your desk.On the front of the StudioConnect, there's a stereo headphones jack and a large shiny plastic metallic knob for adjusting the headphones volume. The headphones knob is ridiculously big, surrounded by a nice blue ring of light that glows when it's powered on. On the right side of the device, there's a gain adjustment knob for the mono 1/4" input. Weirdly, this input gain knob only controls the mono 1/4" input, and it does NOT work for input gain adjustments on the stereo 1/8" input. I really wish the gain knob worked for both stereo and mono inputs, but it's not a deal-killer for me.On the back of the StudioConnect, there's a 1/4" mono input, a stereo 1/8" input, standard 5-pin midi in and outputs, a stereo RCA line level unbalanced output, and a 5 volt DC power supply input. The power supply is included in the box, and the device requires the power supply to function. It cannot be powered by the iPad alone.Out of the box, the StudioConnect comes built in with a short iPad interface cable that works with 30-pin iPads, but you can use an Apple 30-pin to lightning adapter for newer iPads. The attached 30-pin cable is somewhat short and a bit cumbersome. I wish it was longer.I tested the device with my 1st generation iPad Air with iOS 9, and it didn't work properly at first. The device would shut off and on, and the iPad charging was spotty. I did some research and it turns out you need to upgrade the StudioConnect's firmware through the free Griffin Utility app in the iOS App Store if you want to use it with an iOS 9 device. After the firmware upgrade, it worked perfectly with my iPad Air.In my audio tests, the StudioConnect delivers clear, high quality and precise audio quality. The stereo RCA line out is nice and loud. Music and synth apps sound punchy and crisp.The midi in and out seems to operate with ultra low latency. I plugged an Alesis Q49 midi keyboard into the midi input, sending midi data to the Korg Gadget app. Latency was super low, and the pitch and modulation wheels on the Q49 worked well. I also plugged my Arturia Beatstep midi sequencer into the midi in and it worked pretty well, though I did sometimes notice a slight momentary lag in sequences with super fast midi notes. The lag might be due to the iPad Air processor's limitations.Midi out works great. I sent midi data from the Pro Midi iPad app into my Korg volca keys analog synthesizer, and it blasted through the notes with low latency and high accuracy.To test audio recording into the iPad, I plugged my volca keys synth into the mono 1/4" input on the StudioConnect, adjusted the input volume using the input gain knob on the right, and recorded a distortion-free audio clip into the AudioCopy iPad app.Overall, I'm super impressed with the StudioConnect. I love that I can now use midi controllers and record live audio instruments into my iPad while simultaneously charging the device. My two main gripes with this device are the super short attached 30-pin cable, and I also wish the device had a USB midi input for midi controllers that don't use 5-pin midi. A USB audio input for USB microphones would have also been super useful.However, considering the functionality this device packs in, I'm amazed at the low price. It's sleek, portable, simple, and most of all, it sounds awesome. I would highly recommend this device as an entry-level or borderline pro-level iPad audio and midi interface.

Works ok on older devices, but it's clunky. Midi consistently drops off.

I had been pondering my options with my iPad mini with retina display (I know, lighting port...more on that later). I had been using a usb hub to connect a separate midi adapter and audio interface to my iPad...as I've found it WONDERFUL for using as a synthesizer/sound source for music and live performance. I'd known about this particular item, and also it's several competitors (iodock, behringer's competing item, and some of the standalone audio interfaces)...but I could not pull the trigger on any of these for fear of disappointments or outright rejection/failure in my use/application. When the price of the Studio connect coming down (due to the 30-pin connector, and the replacement version with the lightning cable)....I finally decided to give this a shot.First-if you're thinking you'll save money by buying this and getting a cheap 30 pin/lightning adapter-NOPE. Okay, you'll save about ten bucks or so. I paid the apple tax and I'm not excited by that, but it made the StudioConnect work well.FUNCTION: As a dock-it's wonderful! It sits on my studio desk and allows me to use the iPad, connected to audio and MIDI, and it CHARGES MY iPAD while it's plugged in! As an interface? I could not be happier. Great audio quality through the RCA jacks, audio in works, and MIDI timing is accurate. However, the big silver knob is of no use to me-when you turn it, it doesn't do anything except for freeze up the unit (a simple power cycle brings it back within about 7 seconds). Bad? No...but useful knowledge if you purchase one. Oh...and if you have a lightning port iPad and use a cover for it? Save yourself the trouble of modding the cover-buy yourself the lighting adapter model (that cable is hard-wired into the unit, and cannot be replaced, and with the 30pin/lightning adapter-you'll be hard pressed to find a case that will work out of the box. I modded my cover to allow for protection and clearance) After using this to replace the mess of wires and the hub I had been using, this is a great, time-saving solution to an issue for music makers who want to use their iPad in the studio and on the stage. My good friend bought one on my recommendation, and he's extremely happy with it. Plug it in to a power source, plug all your cabling in...and get to work! It's great for the price I paid for it.

This worked great-for about 5 days. It stopped working, and I wasted a LOT of time trying to figure out why. After trying different cables, powering on in different orders, etc, I realized the unit had simply stopped working. All circuits failed-Line out, MIDI, even the headphone jack ceased to function.There seems to be no middle ground with musical electronics. They are either cheap, fail quickly and have noisy circuits; or they are prohibitively expensive, and made to withstand 500LB bombs. It's hard to be an average consumer, just hoping to try stuff out and learn.Between paying for shipping, and wasting LOTS of time trying to make this work, this was a BIG LOSER for me.

Got this for a good price in comarison to the neweset models. When I first put the headphones in I had some audio distortion which freaked me out. Seemed that that issue went away after turning everything off and on. It's my wifes and she never complains about it to me while using her guitar with it.

Awesome product. I ordered this for my husband who has the best of the best when it comes to his music equipment and he loves it...he said it's an amazing price and built like a truck :) It was exactly as described and arrived earlier than expected...overall experience...great product for a great price from a great company! A+ all round!

good sound, great price!