Review: Alesis iO Dock II Universal Audio Dock for iPad

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Hey what’s good fam!

Back with another review, this time it’s for those that love using their iPad in their setup, or for those of you thinking of doing so.

Alesis was one of, if not the first to create an audio dock specifically for the iPad with their original iO Dock.

Now they are back with the iO Dock II, and as I’m a huge fan of integrating the iPad into my setup, I got my hands on one.

Let’s check it!

So what is the iO Dock II?

iodockii_web_angle_medBasically, it’s an audio dock/interface that allows you to get professional audio to and from your iPad.

It also has MIDI and USB hookups for transmitting MIDI messages between your apps and your host computer.

Doesn’t matter if you want to hook up a guitar, bass, mic, drum machine, or synthesizer, it can handle them all with xlr and 1/4″ combo jacks.

You can even hook up a footswitch directly to the dock, and of course you get 1/4″ outputs as well as a headphone jack with it’s own volume control.

Quick Specs

So what’s the bottom line?

If you’re looking for a flexible way to connect your iPad to your other gear you definitely need to check this out.

I love the fact that it has adapters for both types of connections, so it can stick around when you upgrade!

What you get it in what you get out and I didn’t have any issues with latency or audio buffering.

4subsI give the iO Dock II a 4 out of 5 subs, it’s an easy way to get professional connectivity with your iOS synths and controllers.

I do wish it had a built in way to angle the iPad, I find it just a tad bit low, so I placed some of my trusty mini risers under it for that.

Also, they’d do well to put the volume and input controls on the front, where it would be much more ergonomic.

Finally, if they added a USB host port so that you could connect your USB controller directly, that would pretty much take care of any improvements I can think of.

Other than that, I find it to be a very useful and even indispensable piece if you’re trying to integrate your iPad with your main gear.

You could even build around this as a standalone workstation for your iPad.

Leave a comment below and let me know what you think about it, or if you’re using something else for your iPad.

6 Comments

  1. I ended up using an ipad as a replacement for my laptop as a sound source for my keys live, as the laptop was just a bit tempramental, and as its a reggae/ska thing, good solid hammond sounds was pretty key, and I could replace the old B5 VST I used. But the connnectivity has never been great. This looks like a pretty interesting option.

    Reply
  2. I couldn’t agree more. I was rocking the original I/O dock and loved it. Now I have an excuse to get another one. Another cool feature about this dock is it could be used with an iPhone that has the lightning connector. I’m surprised there’s not an adapter for phone use. I’m pretty sure since it has removable connectors there may be some compatibility with android too. Good review man as always..

    What’s up with that Beatstep Pro? Even though I’ve already got it. 😉

    Reply

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