Audiobus: Use your music apps together.
What is Audiobus? — Audiobus is an award-winning music app for iPhone and iPad which lets you use your other music apps together. Chain effects on your favourite synth, run the output of apps or Audio Units into an app like GarageBand or Loopy, or select a different audio interface output for each app. Route MIDI between apps — drive a synth from a MIDI sequencer, or add an arpeggiator to your MIDI keyboard — or sync with your external MIDI gear. And control your entire setup from a MIDI controller.
Download on the App StoreAudiobus is the app that makes the rest of your setup better.
Is iconnectmidi the best way to connect with other gear?
I've tried ARR and connecting the headphone out via my DSI Mopho. Also rtpmidi to stream wirelessly which is sometimes flaky and i have to remember to check connections every time i want to use the iPad which doesn't always appear in the connect box. ARRs vst plugin works well but is unstable atm when switching apps and crashes Live so i can only use it for short bursts.
Then there's latency and battery life as well as connecting more than one midi controller. Thought about it a bit and the best options seem like one of these, an Akai EIE or the novation audiohub. Idea is to simplify things so i'm not having to go through steps to set things up every time i want to use the iPad.
So any outstanding issues with this setup? Any other options worth considering? I just want to be sure before ordering one as getting things to communicate with an iPad does involve some setting up and i kinda want to draw a line under it if i can.
Thanks in advance!
Comments
It's the only thing I've found which works. I'm slightly technically challenged, but watching the Sonictouch episode on YouTube really helped. Just be aware that the power adaptor (not supplied) will cost you another £30, and you'll need it.
I've been using the Akai EIE (redface) with an iPad Air and it is very solid. I haven't had any problems with it being flaky or causing any problems. The latency is very low as well.
I've stressed the EIE pretty well, and I've been impressed with it. Pretty solid box.
@iansainsbury said:
Yeah i'm factoring that in, comes in under a ton which is less than most interfaces, kinda pricey for an adapter though! A question for ya, if i wanted to could i have ableton running on my desktop and switch the audio on the ipad to check things on my monitors?
Also once it's set up for midi and audio is it basically just set and forget? What if you use it with desktop and laptop?
@funjunkie27 and @martygras i thought the EIE charged the iPad? Looks like i will be getting one cause i can just connect with my existing interfaces. Cheers!
It doesn't charge the iOS device.
Cheers funjunkie27!
@musikmachine, can't answer that one...like I say, I'm technically challenged (constantly amazed I get anything to work on the ipad, kudos to the devs). Email 'em, they're responsive
The iConnectMIDI is the "Rolls Royce" of iOS MIDI interfaces.
I use the 4+ to connect multiple computers, hardware synths + sequencers and of course iOS devices. The network port is plugged in to a switch, so any computer can receive MIDI using rtpMIDI or the OS X network MIDI device.
It just works (but can be a little complicated to set up if you want to do something non-standard).
@iansainsbury thanks.
I was looking at the 4+ last night, pretty amazing the amount of stuff you can connect. I thought for some reason you could only run at 44.1khz which was holding me back.
Switch: = hub? Is latency better via ethernet connection then and can you connect to more than two computers? I've been using rtpmidi to connect the ipad to my desktop and it's already pretty good but there is a slight delay.
A 4+ could be the better option, a bit more than I was looking to spend but would solve all my connection issues and it comes with the charger.
@musikmachine said:
the iPad must run at least one app with virtual MIDI ports before rtpMIDI or OSX can see it as MIDI network device.
Ya know i think that's it.
There is a free NetMIDI app published by iConnectivity in the App Store to handle that. It's as easy as toggling it on selecting the remote counterpart and clicking it to the background. You can also use MIDIBridge for rtpMIDI.
Nice one, that works.
I was reading the thread about midi clock, i'm getting similar drift when slaving the ipad to my DAW via CCK and a midi interface, is it pretty much the same with the iconnects?
I'm just wondering if i was running audio through fx on the iPad whether there'd be fluctuations with tempo synced delays etc.
Cheers!
Just giving this a bump! I think i'll probably get the 2 but very hard to find the lightning version in the UK, only a couple of places sell it so i'm thinking of getting an interface as well as i'm not sure i'll be able to connect it with my desktop konnekt 6 as an aggregate device.
I'm really keen to get some decent D/A now i've got a few apps and i'm looking at the steinberg UR22 or maybe the 44 but i've read conflicting stuff about the 22 working with iPads? I could get that and then add the iconnectmidi 2+ but if that doesn't work i'll have to get the 44 or an iconnectmidi4+ and just use the audio passthrough.
Thanks for any insight!
rtpMIDI is more or less fine as long as you don't rely on clock sync. It's meant to compensate for drift in the protocol, and in principle works. In practice I have found problems in, e.g., sequencing 7 or 8 devices simultaneously using rtpMIDI from one device.
@MusicInclusive has done some excellent tutorial videos on the iCM devices.
Note that if you are wanting to use a quality audio A/D device for iPad audio out, you have to configure the iCM with Audio disabled, and also connect a powered USB hub between the iPad and run the iCM and the Audio interface off that hub. Kinda loses the advantage of the iCM because you cannot charge the iThing that way. iCM's are targeted at PC/Mac hosts and iThings as auxiliary devices, where the hosts are responsible for Audio to the outside world, and the iCM is the MIDI DIN port to the outside worlds.
@MusicInclusive said:
Just watching your videos.
Just to clarify I don't need rtpmidi with the iconnectmidi do i?
So what would you recommend? I realize both have their limits but my idea was to use audio passthrough when mixing tracks in Auria rather than another level of D/A with the added benefits and routing vsts via iPad fx such as Effectrix; spose i could i transfer audio from desktop to iPad and run the samples through the fx and record stuff back into my DAW...
@dwarman said:
Thanks for that really useful. So it's Mfi or an interface with a usb battery powerpack to power the interface if i get something like a UR22 though still not sure if that's class compliant, think it is but the update only mentions UR44 and up. Shame the Quad capture doesn't work cause i could connect the iPad via spdif with that.
But to charge and integrate the iPad i need the iconnectmidi. I'm so focused on audio i'm forgetting i wanted one to power the iPad while using it as a control surface plus then i can connect more than one controller to the iPad and not drain the battery so i'm ordering one.
If you are focused on audio @musikmachine, the iConnectAudio4+ is coming shortly hopefully :-)
Also - if you use the iPad with a Mac / PC, you can indeed just use it as an outboard FX processor just fine @musikmachine - if that's what you mean. No D/A conversion in that case.
Thanks Mr Inclusive! I need something now so i ordered the 2+ from Thomann, got a good deal so gets me up and running. Wanted something portable also but will wait and see on the Audio4, depends on the price etc but it will take care of the charging issue.
Is anyone using the lightning edition with an Air 1 on Windows 8.1?
I had ordered one but i made a mistake on the order and that could turn out to be just as well! I came across this thread on GS: https://www.gearslutz.com/board/music-computers/943559-iconnect-midi-2-problems.html
So is anyone encountering similar issues? Seems to be with older firmware versions and the 30 pin connection but i'm reluctant to order one now which is a shame, there's no alternative!
Cheers!
I use both 30 pin and the Lightning cables with iPad Air, iPhone 6 with a couple of synths using MIDI DIN and a laptop with Windows 8.1 and it worked great out of the box as well as with different iConfig setups particular to my setup. I use the windows version of iConnect. The iPad app is nice for quick changes but confusing for deeper changes.
iConnectMIDI4+. Waiting on I ConnectAudio4+ as well and will use them together.
Thanks KDub. Ideally it will work out of the box, that's the idea! Seems like the issues are in a minority but i have 30 days to return it, just wanna avoid the potential time wasted but there's nothing else that really does the same thing so i'll have to try it. Cheers.
Is there anything on setting the iPad up as an fx processor? I'd like to pass audio from Live through some iPad fx and back in if that's possible. I mailed iconnect support but haven't had a response yet but i want to make sure i can do this before buying a few fx apps. Thanks.
The 4+ really is some kind of a beast! I gave it back, though. It bothered me, that it charges every connected device ALL OF THE TIME. I guess everybody else wants it this way, but in my experience this just kills the battery very fast. The way back-and-forth-midi communications are easily set-up is very very cool, though. I guess there will be great devices in the future...
You know having it powered did raise a question about overcharging the iPad but i just unplug the power when it gets to 100%. For me it's much better than having to charge the iPad half the time as i can use it at the same time.
@musikmachine said:
I'm curious about this too. I'd love to have the iPad available as an outboard FX processor for my laptop when I'm at home.
Just output a track from Live to the iPad, and set up another track to receive from the iPad.
It's probably easier to do than to explain.
@Zymos said:
I was asking to hear about people's actual experiences with the device and how well it works in this particular way...