AXiS-49 vs iPad?

Hi all,

I've been thinking about giving up on my hopes and dreams and just
buying an AXiS. As you know, I don't like the AXiS much, because the
buttons are configured in a way that makes it impossible to set up a
Bosanquet layout, and I Don't Like That.

However, the fact that one row of the buttons goes completely
horizontally does make it rather useful for setting up Porcupine[7]
layouts, which I in fact Do Like Very Much. So I might do it. However,
I heard a while ago that the iPad had a few interesting hex button
apps out on it, and obviously despite that the iPad lacks tactile
feedback, something like this would be infinitely more configurable
than the AXiS-49. Furthermore, used iPads on eBay aren't expensive at
all, especially the older iPad 1, and so they're about in the same
price range as the AXiS.

So I ask, are the microtonal apps on iPad decent enough to consider a
cheap iPad 1 instead of an AXiS-49? Are the generalized keyboard
layouts decent enough to use? Does some option to interface them with
MIDI or OSC exist, so that we can get microtonal sounds out of them?

Thanks,
Mike

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-Carl

At 11:15 PM 4/7/2011, you wrote:
>Hi all,
>
>I've been thinking about giving up on my hopes and dreams and just
>buying an AXiS. As you know, I don't like the AXiS much, because the
>buttons are configured in a way that makes it impossible to set up a
>Bosanquet layout, and I Don't Like That.
>
>However, the fact that one row of the buttons goes completely
>horizontally does make it rather useful for setting up Porcupine[7]
>layouts, which I in fact Do Like Very Much. So I might do it. However,
>I heard a while ago that the iPad had a few interesting hex button
>apps out on it, and obviously despite that the iPad lacks tactile
>feedback, something like this would be infinitely more configurable
>than the AXiS-49. Furthermore, used iPads on eBay aren't expensive at
>all, especially the older iPad 1, and so they're about in the same
>price range as the AXiS.
>
>So I ask, are the microtonal apps on iPad decent enough to consider a
>cheap iPad 1 instead of an AXiS-49? Are the generalized keyboard
>layouts decent enough to use? Does some option to interface them with
>MIDI or OSC exist, so that we can get microtonal sounds out of them?
>
>Thanks,
>Mike
>