Ipad 2 VS Ipad mini

[Electromogul]

Can someone please tell me which device is better suited to work well with I Real b, the I pad 2 or the I pad mini? I sometimes gig and play keyboards and like the compact size of the mini.

[pdxdjazz]

I have an iPad(1). Many of the folks I play with use 7" android tablets (like the Fire) and at least one has a mini.
My personal opinion is that for most applications, the 7"/mini size is probably the best compromise between visibility and portability.
At my Hot Club gigs, the whole ensemble can easily see my iPad. For the rest of my personal activities, casuals, jam sessions etc., the portability of the slightly smaller size would be more convenient.
I also have iReal b on my android phone. Before each gig, I email myself the gig's playlist (from my pad) so I'll have it in my phone too just in case the magic smoke seeps out of the iPad. If/when that happens, I'll seriously consider the mini-sized format as a replacement.
)BOB

[DaleMac]

Difficult to recommend, without knowing your specific needs. When I got iRealb (only to play to augment some of my single jobs) there was no iPad Mini. I bought an iPod Touch because I don't need it for reading - usually. I just set it on my keyboard and press Play. But I do all my pre-production at home with OSX. If you're going to be writing/editing/sorting charts on your iPad, the larger screen size will obviously be better. Likewise if you, and/or others, will be trying to read from your screen.

[dflat]

There are a number of factors I would consider:
- the distance you are away from the music stand. You play keyboards so the iPad might be further away if you add a stack of keyboards in front of you. (For others reading this, if you are a guitarist who plays standing, then you can wander up closer if you need to read/check something as you are playing, but if you are seated holding a tuba, you will be further away so a bigger iPad would be better to see all of it clearly.)

- if you are only reading chord charts from iReal b, check with a song with quite a few systems (lines) of chords. With more systems, the size of the chords will get smaller. Test with say, Brazil (from the Jazz standards 1300 playlist.)

- if you are also reading notation charts (outside iReal b) then you will need to check you can still read it clearly at the appropriate distance. Depending on the layout, size of staves, cropping, page size, margins, zoom levels, resolution (etc.) of the charts, you will probably find the larger iPad better for this. If you only play acoustic piano, the iPad is very close to you, so the mini might work, even for notation.

- also consider other purposes you will be using it for, like typing (directly on the tablet), on the mini, the keyboard will be smaller (which would be either better or worse, depending on the size of your hands/fingers and how you type.)

- the orientation you want to use it in (portrait or landscape.) Most would use portrait, but if you had problems with just a few charts (notation or not), then you could rotate to landscape to see everything larger (meaning the mini might work most of the time and when it does not, rotate.) Doing this you would need to make sure you can swipe for the bottom part of the page.

- cost, I usually take a backup device of some kind (as Bob mentioned also) so you could eventually get another [something], meaning make a choice now for the best you think would work, keeping in mind eventually getting another (perhaps a used one) of what could be the other size as an option for the future.

- the iPad 2 has the older 30-pin connector. This would be a consideration if you (or your friends) have older devices that you need to use for midi, audio, video (etc.) The new lightning connector is in the mini iPad, so any adapters you purchase for it will be useful on any other iOS devices you get in the future. (Being a keyboard player you might want to use other apps needing connections - iOS midi synths, send midi commands out to sound modules, record via USB interfaces, use iOS effects apps for your keyboard sounds etc.)

[Keith88]

I'm a pianist with iReal b on my iPad Mini. Although my vision is not the greatest, I can very easily read the chords as well as any additional text (section markings, melody note cues, lyric cues, alternate chords, etc) on the display (I use it in vertical mode). The iPad Mini display is big enough to read pdf versions of lead sheets, as well. I like the size and light weight of the Mini for reading books and surfing the web when sitting on the couch as well.

I have little trouble editing tunes in the editor so I don't think that is a consideration either. As for sending out audio to an external amp if you use iReal b for backups (as I do), I recommend Bluetooth and an external Bluetooth receiver to avoid using a cable that could yank the Mini off a music stand if someone accidentally pulls on the cable.

[Electromogul]

Keith,

Thank you very much for your input. I am still deciding which way to go but I am pretty sure the Mini will be it due to its smaller size and smaller price tag. Thankx again, M

[DaleMac]

Good luck and let us know how it works out. A footnote, to anyone using the OSX version: You can resize the chart field up or down, to give you an idea of what it will look like on different size device screens.