Rana Sobhany, the world’s first iPad DJ, discusses her new favorite hobby and how it will pave the way for the next generation of electronic music makers.

It’s an uncharacteristically rainy spring day in San Francisco, and Rana Sobhany is at the Hotel Kabuki preparing to go on stage at the SF Music Tech Summit with her iPad. But this time, the iPad DJ isn’t on stage to rile up a Saturday night crowd looking to get their groove on. Instead, she’s demonstrating to a room full of music and tech geeks about the benefits--and limitations--of making music with the iPad.

Sobhany has become an iPad evangelist of sorts, and her goal is simple: To show the world what this beefy, full-featured tablet can do with a bit of investment in the App Store and plenty of practice. “Music and technology have found this beautiful point of intersection where I can do both of the things I love,” she says thoughtfully. “You add in the mix of mobile [technology], and it’s a wonderful time to be where I am right now.”

Rana's setup is light, versatile, and did we mention light?

The revelation to use the iPads as a substitution for turntables came to Sobhany while in line for the Wi-Fi iPad back in April, when Apple fans all over the Internet were discussing the potential capabilities of the long-anticipated tablet device, including its ability to substitute for musical instruments. “The first things I did were to buy these iPads, hook them up, become a ninja with [the music-making] apps, and learn what the restrictions are. And then, figure out a way to resolve that.” Sobhany has also figured out how to use the Camera Connection Kit to power USB switches to connect things like drum pads and a keyboard, which enables her to create music organically while mixing it in with iPad apps. “It’s only been a month since I’ve been doing this, and I don’t think people realize how hard it is.”

Sobhany’s YouTube videos make iPad DJing look easy because the apps she uses are available to anyone. But it’s really more than just dragging and dropping beats in the Korg iElectribe app, or matching beats per minute. Sobhany also uses hardware to synchronize both iPad devices and record them through her MacBook Pro, including a Numark M3 mixer, and three RCA-to-minijack cables to connect the iPads to the mixer and provide audio-out.

While she’s not suffering back strain from carrying equipment up the stairs, she stresses that mastering the art of iPad DJing still takes a lot of hard work. “You have to practice as if it’s a real instrument. You can’t just wake up and buy turntables and say, ‘I’m a DJ.’”

Sobhany creates music samples on her Mac with a Roland Fantom G7 electronic keyboard and the music production software Logic. She imports them to her iPad via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth with apps like Looptastic, though limitations with the transfer rate between the iPad and her computer limit how quickly and frequently she can upload samples. Sobhany has also utilized her savvy tech skills to work on implementing organic sounds into her music with the app AmpliTube and her electric guitar. This is one dexterous techie who’s furiously testing every possible way to make music with the iPad. “When the first person realized that you could scratch on vinyl, they weren’t great, they just figured it out. And then, this art form developed around it. With practice, with time, with better apps, with better peripherals, there’s going to be this great ability to use iPads in music production.”

Sobhany also managed to figure out the iPad’s inabilities by trial and error, as well as ingeniously trolling through the iPhone OS 3.2 SDK. “When you look at the SDK, you can see that the capabilities exist, they’re just not activated yet.” She recalls the frustrations with her iPad, like the frequent crashes caused by the Camera Connection Kit, as well as the device’s inability to record multitrack recordings.

Still, there is so much more to making music than simply piecing together samples in a $10 app. Sobhany wants aspiring DJs to realize that they have a cheaper alternative to figuring out if this kind of music making is really their thing. “I couldn’t afford turntables just to figure out I didn’t even like it. If that’s going to be somebody’s entrance point, it’s very important that the iPad is presented as an alternative.”

Sobhany believes the iPad’s real beauty is how it can inspire others to make music by taking advantage of the device’s versatility. “I truly, from every ounce of my being, believe that this is the future of music,” she says. “I think it’s going to be mobile, portable, compact, all-inclusive, and have everything on it.” Because of the iPad, Sobhany has actually invested in a real pair of turntables. “I look at it as an additional element in my arsenal,” she says. “If I know what it’s like on the turntables, it helps me understand how I can make it work better on the pad.”

In June, Sobhany returns to San Francisco for a WWDC party. This time, she’ll be on stage with her entire iPad DJ setup performing for hardcore Apple nerds and electronic music lovers. However, Sobhany knows that it will be a challenge getting the crowd to follow her beat, and they may even meet her with uncertainty at first. “I know that it’s not the same as when I’m making music using my computer. It’s an experiment for that exact reason. I know that it’s something that has a long way to go.”

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