Sempil wrote:
1) is GARAGE BAND one of the better DAWs?
2) the dongle? Does one exist?
Bonus question - is bluetooth good enough?
2) the dongle? Does one exist?
Bonus question - is bluetooth good enough?
The big attraction for Garage Band is that it's free. In the iOS world, that's not such a big deal because even the most expensive apps cost far less than their equivalent on a desktop system. Also, Garage Band is quirky. Many products appear to have to have a special version for Garage Band because of what I assume are flawed implementations of the AUV3 plugin standards. Other plugins won't work at all. Some work without problem. Also, if you're already familiar with any desktop (or iOS DAW) you'll find Garage Band a bit hard to use because the interface is not anything like what you're used to with any other DAW.
I would recommend looking at Cubasis 3, or Nano Studio 2 if you're interested in a full-featured DAW. There are probably a half-dozen others, but these are the only one's I've used. Cubasis 3 is $50, pretty pricey but it seems to go on sale a couple of times a year for $25-$30. Nano Studio 2 has great MIDI support, but is weak on audio, but that was perfect for me. Only runs about $12 IIRC. If you don't need a full-blown DAW, then I'd suggest looking at AUM. It's a digital "mixer" that has full support for AUV3 plugins including audio and MIDI components. Very easy to use. Extremely powerful. Runs $20 I think. I use AUM more than anything else. I use a DAW when I'm playing with composition, though TBH I could use AUM for that just as well, I use a fabulous MIDI piano roll that is an AUV3 plugin, and I've used it in Cubasis 3 and Nano Studio 2, though both come with excellent piano-roll MIDI editors natively.
Re Bluetooth - for most things the latency is just too much. I can't use my Bluetooth earbuds or headphones when working with a DAW if I'm trying to play something into it against existing tracks or a metronome track. Even 300ms can be disorienting. For close to zero latency for now you need to stick with RF devices, like the wireless packs for guitarists and vocalists. I picked up an older Shure wireless rig for $50 used (I understand a bunch of them hit the market when the wireless spectrum got re-allocated a few years ago.) For output likewise you need an RF signal to get close to zero latency. In-Ear monitors or RF headphones. In both cases we're talking $$$. I bought the wife a Sennheiser RF headphone set to listen to her horror movies on the TV without me having to listen to the screams of victims and the roars of monsters!!
It wasn't too bad at about $175, and I've often thought of investing in a pair for my music room, particularly after jumping up to go let the dog in, and having the headphones ripped off my head... 
Note that for input, one of the drawbacks of the Stick is you need two of everything. That means if you do go with some kind of wireless connection you'll need two - one for each channel. Output devices are, or can be, operated as stereo so if you want to keep that separation all the way to your ears, you can, though I don't particularly like that - I mix the signals at the very end of the chain when going out through headphones.
If you are on Mac, MainStage is a great platform optimized for real-time effects processing, just set up a channel for each side of the Stick and add whatever plug-ins/EQ you like.