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.
Comments
wow, so surprising. Has anyone used the Guitarjack 2?
gkillmaster,
I use guitarjack 2 with jamup for the effects. I really like it audio and functionally wise. The only issue is the 30 pin connector comes loose from the ipad/iPhone, but works better with their extension cable. Their newer version is USB solves that issue. Check out the Sonoma Wireworks forum, and I believe there are comparisons and someone did an independent test, rating it pretty high.
Thank you Yendor!
double - posted by mistake (mis-hit-button-type-mistake) unfinished, reposted below
@Hmtx Hey, I just got thge Scarlett Forcusrite 212 too. My question for you is : which USB hub are you using? did it take you time to find one that worked well [I'm using a belkin connect with 4 ports]. And when you connect it (via hub-CCK-ipad; or even directly to Mac/PC) how does it react/turn on? do the preamp lights blink a couple of times accompanied by some static/hum before it powers up correctly? I ask because first, i don't know (actually do not remember if the latter behavior started a few times after initial use or right away, especially when connected to my iMac) if that flashing of the indicators the way they do is normal, and also, mainly, because when i use the belkin connect hub, i have to unplug/plug/unplug/plug [throwing a few hail mary's and holy fathers here and there] before it finally concedes to blink and stay on instead of blinking then ending up in a state where.. the phatom power button lights up if i push it, but the green usb light next to the monitor big round knob stays off - and therefore isn't connected / detected by the ipad) AND - if it were just that.. I would have lived with it.. i come have dealt with broken systems all my life - my cunt-ry, it's various factions/militias parading as government in a godfather like (only in a setting lacking Coppola good taste) situation everytime you need a job, a road / water pipe leading to your area repaired) but the thing driving me nuts is the hum/noise everytime i plug in my epiphone special Les Paul - II [which, if i beleive, if i know what a humbucker is, or looks like, has a pair of uncovered of those, so shouldn't feedback like single coils do... ] ... yeah... and other than that, i agree with what you say.. awsome interface, well built - by that i mean solid, aluminum body, doesn't feel like a toy, light..beautiful color - hum.. scarlett... I got it in the pack offering a mic and monitor headphones. I only need it for a guitar + mic, but the reason i didnt get the iTrack solo (which choice im seriously starting to regret) was because it seemed to me, at the time when i read the specs of the mic and headset bundled, that the ones in the scarlett pack were a bit better than the iTrack one.. [if anyone can correct / confirm that by taking a look at the advertised models, i'd be grateful for that - coz then if the difference is negligeable i can circomvent what it seems is going to be a long road trying to figure out where exactly the problem arises and head over to the music store and try and get it exchanged for the solo model...)
in any case.. 235 euros for the scarlett pack, 60 for the belkin (from paris apple store, should be returnable/refundable within the 14 days after date of purchase) .. and already 48 hours going nuts with barely any sleep trying to figure this sucker out... ..help?
@TheMetaphysicalCrook
I've talked to the focusrite support, and the mic and headphones in both the solo and the 2i2 is the same. Sorry to hear that the 2i2 doesn't work for you. Cause I'm thinking about getting that bundle too. Did you get a chance to test the mic?
Then why F#@€ do they give them different names with different numbers in the like of ATH-M50 and ATH-40? I remember now t'was the music shop bored and boring idiot who assured me of the difference.. But yeas, the mic is good.. I'm really hoping @Htmx will shed some light on the issue for me - i suspect the usb hub is crap (although Belkin - actually, i know not a thing other than their ridiculously high prices.. but i bought it because i could simply give it back, no questions asked, if i didn't like it - from the apple store..)
@TheMetaphysicalCrook
Just to make sure. The name of the mic is cm25 for the 2i2 and cm25s for the solo. Right? Well, I'll be looking out for your post about the 2i2. Good luck
yes, i didn't remember the names of the mics and headphones - used model numbers from i think audio tech just to illustrate my point - though ridiculous, an 's' at the end of a model number shouldn't be if it means nothing...
Lol ok. Just got confused
well my money is on 's' for silver. Care to make a bet? 
there are a lot of people out there, who has no problem with the 2i2 on their iPad. So yeah, maybe it's your hub that is no good.
Yes, indicators on 2i2 flash a couple of times while it is synching up. I also use mine with the little 4 port Belkin. And have no issues. Sounds like you have either poor cables or broken devices.
@sonosaurus said:
I totally second this. Also the fact that it works on mini and iphone leads me to believe that the jack inputs on these are of different make/kind to the ones on iPads (possibly due to size of the device?). Using cck will unavoidably give better results but for people like me, who want to use cck for a controller keyboard and analog input for a mic simultaneously (I.e. To trigger impaktor or plug in guitar) this is not ideal. I really hope hardware makers get their act together and build a comprehensive bt controller. I know they will
...one day
oh, hey guys. Connect the 2i2 like this: (This process may work for any audio interface with the CCK)
Next, plug everything in this order:
The 2i2 should flash a few lights and then start working fine. Any time I don't do it in this exact order, things get hairy, weird extra latency, or just no audio at all.
good luck @TheMetaphysicalCrook. I hope you'll be happy with the 2i2. I chose it over the Solo because it has a lot more options than the Solo. The 2i2 can work alongside other USB midi devices on the iPad, it can work with a PC or Mac, and doesn't have any "proprietary" cables that could be more difficult to replace in the future.
I like the Line6 Sonicport. Mainly because it also has an output, so I can incorporate it into my pedal board fairly easily. It also has a wide variety of ins and outs 1/8", 1/4", stereo, mono and headphones. Only 24-bit/48kHz, no 96kHz.
Just throwing this out there. I wished I had this info when I started.
I picked up the Apogee Jam, using Jamup Pro and Bias. Sounded great but there was something in the sound that annoyed me...
Went back to the store and bought a Irig HD, I would then compare both and take back the one I didn't like.
Sound at first was hard to tell, but here's what I found out after really listening closely.
The Apogee Jam is thinner, noisier and just not as thick sounding as the Irig HD.
Since they are the same amount of dough $99.00 I am going to stick with the Irig HD even though I really do like the Apogee and how it's constructed. The connections just seem better. You can really notice the sound quality difference when using 'Bias by Positive Grid'.
Hope this helps someone trying to make the same decision.
I am not sure why everybody think the Apogee Jam is so good. I tried that and the iRig and the peavey thang (I forgot the name already). Honestly none of those came in the vicinity of sonic port and mobile POD. It was like all those where cheap video games and sonic port was like actually playing music connected to my line 6 amp. I thought that they were so lame in comparison that I just gave mines away to my friend with iPhones. Now as soon as I figure out how to use mobile POD with Garage Band I'll be happy.
I too have noticed that the Apogee Jam sounds better than other interfaces, particularly when recording an acoustic guitar with a pickup...
As I read back through this thread, I did notice that the Digitech RP pedals had been mentioned, but I had missed before now and didn't realize they worked with the iPads (and iPhones - tried it) directly until very recently. I have a couple, and I tried the RP255 and it works very well. In stereo.
Of course, the iPad amp apps for the most part only receive a mono signal - even if they're chained in Audiobus, so, if you do as I do, and use some of the effects in the pedal too - esp. stereo ones, then you'd have to record into something that takes a stereo signal input and not use the amp apps if you wanted to retain that stereo effect passed through. I have been talking to a couple of devs about that and still have some exploration to do with a couple of apps to test more.
RP-355 works well too. I haven't played with it much, but I think Auria with Overloud, convo reverb, and Timeless would be a good fit, which I believe can be processed as stereo throughout....although Overloud might be an exception.
Hey folks, I've been experimenting a bit with 4Pockets' Stompbox since they added stereo input channels. Very nice! I recorded the very short classical / acoustic noodle below as a test using an RP255 pedal with the Acoustic setting (adjusted) via USB directly into an Apple Camera Connection Kit with 30-pin to lightning adapter straight into an iPad mini 16 (original). The Guitar used was an Ibanez GA5TCE.
The pedal was set to have some small stereo ping pong delay which is passed through in stereo perfectly via Stompbox now, and a small amount of reverb. The SB app was first set to clean, then - after a short delay in the wav file, you'll hear I added Chorus in the SB app. The result was recorded into Cubasis via Audiobus.
Wave file here:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/f9c7h3bp1egjwbv/classical1.wav
http://www.ibanez.co.jp/products/u_ag_page14.php?year=2014&cat_id=3&series_id=93&data_id=71&color=CL01
Another option out there, though by no means the cheapest; I use an ART USB Dual Tube Pre through the Apple camera connection kit to run my guitar and microphones (ipad 3). It cost me around $125. It's got a tube preamp built into it to warm and fatten up the tone that negates some of that cold digital sound you get from the amp modeling apps. I originally bought it for use on a PC but after I got my ipad it turns out it works for that too. It has two 1/4 inch input jacks that double as phantom power microphone jacks. The sound is clean, but I had to replace the stock tube in it with a better one to remove a hum issue (easy and relatively inexpensive upgrade after watching a YouTube video on upgrading a similar ART product). I believe this unit has been discontinued now. If you can find one its worth checking out. Their replacement model for the dual is the single channel ART Tube MP Project Series USB. I haven't tried that one so I can't vouch for it, but the USB Dual works well on my ipad 3.
Update: Also works great with an ipad 4 and the lightning USB camera connection kit.
Hello all,
This is my first post here -- I just bought Audiobus about an hour ago, upon the recommendation from Patrick over at Secret Bass Design. Haven't had the chance to use it yet, but I will.
I just wanted to add a comment about TheMetaphysicalCrook's problems and Hmtx's response. I decided to buy the Scarlet 2i4, mostly because it has MIDI in/out, whereas the 2i2 doesn't. For a powered adapter, I just bought a generic no-name 7-port model from the local MicroCenter. I followed the setup that was outlined by Elantric over at the V Guitar forums, which is probably very close to the way Hmtx is doing it. I think that the order in which the system is powered up is more important than any brand of powered USB hub. So far, I've gotten my iPad Air to work with the 2i4 using Secret Bass Design's MidiMorphosis and Camel Audio's Alchemy as well as Garage Band. I tried to see if the iPad would run the 2i4 and it wouldn't. It said that the 2i4's power requirements were too high.
By the way, I didn't close all apps the way Hmtx recommends, and it still worked. I found out after though that Garage Band was staying resident, so I did kill the apps then. Turns out I must have had 20 open. Next time I will quit the apps first, though.
Well, I'm off to read up more on what Audiobus can do for me. Patrick sure did speak highly of it, and I respect his opinion.
Best,
Michael
Hello!
I'm looking for guitar training solution for iPad, one of the cheapest is behringer ucg102, I know that it's working without problems, but: Can I play my guitar through it, and have output routed into iPad internal speakers? Or only headphone jack in behringer works?
If no - I believe that with iRig HD or Apogee Jam I can listen through internal speakers, am I right?
Any other possible solutions?
Cheers!!
Mateusz
Hey Mateusz,
I can't speak specifically to the Behringer ucg102, but I can tell you what happens with my Scarlet 2i4, and I'm thinking that most interfaces basically work the same in this instance, provided the interface outputs to USB and the CCK is being used. If I'm wrong, I'm sure I'll be corrected by more knowledgeable folks here. Just to clarify, I'm using an iPad Air with the Lightning connector, and the Apple CCK is required to pull the Scarlet's signal into it. With earlier iPads and the 30-pin connector, I'm sure there is a similar path, but I don't know the specifics. At any rate, since your Behringer uses USB, then you'll probably have similar results, I'm thinking.a
When I have my 2i4 plugged into my iPad via the CCK, with apps active, if I have my headphones plugged into my 2i4, I hear both the "dry" and "wet" mix, if you will. That is, I have the mono guitar signal in one ear that is just plain unprocessed guitar, and in stereo I hear the processed guitar sound. To me, this is annoying and not particularly useful. But when I plug my headphones into my iPad's headphone jack, I hear the processed signal only. Which is what I prefer. You could unplug the headphones and listen through your iPad's speakers, but why? The fidelity is much better listening with 'phones.
@cooltouch said:
Actually on the 2i4 you can control the exact levels of the dry and wet signal using the small dial just to the left of the large silver volume dial. If you turn this dial all the way to the right you won't hear any dry signal at all, just the wet. Also there is a little switch just below it, if you set it to "mono" the dry will play in both ears rather than just one.
It's actually worth using the Scarlett for monitoring because the sound quality is much better than when using the iPad headphone jack - presumably because the headphone amp in the 2i4 is better than the one in the iPad. The sound is much warmer and fuller, even with easily driven headphones like my HD25s.
Thanks for this info, Richard. I'm barely past scratching the surface with my 2i4, and I was hoping this might be possible.
@richardyot said:
I discovered the same thing with my scarlett 2i2. Headphones sound great thru it, for any iOS music, guitar processing included.
I turn off direct monitoring (dry signal) and process everything through the iPad. Latency is not at all noticeable.
Good news. Sounds like I chose wisely when I bought my 2i4.
By the way, I also own an Alesis iO2, which is identical to the M-Audio M-Track, except for a different box color and different knobs. I've used it only with my laptop so far, but it also seems a decent enough unit. Anyone here used the Alesis or M-Audio with their iPads? They are class-compliant, from what I understand, so I'm guessing they do okay, especially when using a powered hub?
hello cooltouch, hello all,
I also own the alesis io2 and will try it with an ipad air and a powered usb hub.
I´ll also try using a tc helicon voicelive 2 extreme. both units have midi in/out for connecting my older contollers etc.
by the way: I´m a knewbie to ipad and all these wonderful aps.
I was using hardware loopers in the past and now I´switching to ipad and loopy/audiobus. thanks to you all for the helpful input I´m getting by reading your discussion. my mother toung is german. please excuse mistakes when I´m trying expressing myself.
You're doing just fine, Owi. I'm also new to the iPad and its music possibilities. This forum has been very helpful to me as well.
By the way, Richardyot's tip on controlling the wet and dry signals on my Scarlett 2i4 was exactly what I needed. It works great, and you guys are right --sounds much better listening thru the Scarlett's headphones out that the iPad's.