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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.

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Distortion on GarageBand input

Pianokey88Pianokey88
edited May 2013 in Support and Feedback

Hello, and thanks for all the helpful tips from this forum.

I posted the question below on the apple.com GarageBand forum a month ago and got no response.

I am a beginner for music recording with iPad but not a beginner for recording in general. I want to learn more about iOS recording. I have a third generation 16GB iPad. I have just begun experimenting with garageband at first and want to get a more sophisticated recording app eventually. To get started, i have been trying to record my Nord Electro keyboard into garageband using the Akai EIE interface recommended here.

It is (sort of) working and I had a question. I am just trying to record my Nord into GarageBand right now with no Audiobus. At first I got no sound coming out of the iPad monitor from the track I set up for recording, even though I could see the garageband VU meter move when I played. I messed around with it and finally got some very distorted sound ... but no clipping. It was a clangorous type of distortion that sounded kind of like a ring modulator effect. After a little more messing around, it finally worked and it sounded clean and OK. But there is some glitch that I can't figure out.

The sound from my Nord Electro before recording when I play is clean and good until I switch away from that track to another, and then go back to the Nord track. When I go back to the Nord track and try to play, it is all distorted and horrible sounding again. There is no clipping anywhere, just distortion. All the other recorded tracks sound fine. It's only the track set up with the Nord playing live that is distorting. After much experimenting I finally figured out how to fix it, but I don't understand what's going on.

All I have to do is unplug and plug back in the monitor cable from the ipad headphone jack to my sound system and the Nord live playing track sounds OK again, that is until I switch away from it and back again. Then it sounds all distorted again and I have to unplug and plug back in the headphone jack monitor cable to fix it. Then it sounds OK again.

Does anyone have any ideas for what may be causing this? It is not a crippling problem, but it's annoying.

Thanks for any advice.
David

Comments

  • [Deleted User][Deleted User]
    edited May 2013

    Sounds like an audio buffer size mismatch. Unplugging the headphone jack resets the buffer, or at least it used to.

  • mgmg4871mgmg4871

    Sounds like th input monitoring is being triggered on that track. I do believe there is a discussion about that on this forum. You may have to do a search here to find it.

  • Pianokey88Pianokey88

    Thanks for those potential explanations, guys. But I don't understand how it helps me here. I'm sorry I'm so naive for this technology, but I don't know what "audio buffer mismatch" or "input monitor trigger" means, or what can I do to prevent it.

    Also, I did some searching of the forum for words like "input monitor triggering" and GarageBand input monitoring" etc. and did not see anything that sounded like this problem.

    Have you ever heard of a transient distortion upon input of an external keyboard? Is it something unique to GarageBand?

    Thanks again.
    David

  • [Deleted User][Deleted User]

    What happens if you try it in Audiobus? Start AB first, then GB in the output slot, then mic in (the Nord) in the input slot.

  • PatrickmoorePatrickmoore

    Just as a experiment have you tried plugging in a pair of headphones instead of your sound system for the monitoring, I say this because in the past I've had problems with certain amps that have caused similar problems when plugged into my iPads headphone socket. Never really got down to what was causing it but after speaking to a friend who builds amps he thought there might be a impedance problem, just a thought.

  • DubhausdiscoDubhausdisco

    Hello,
    For the "ring modulator" effect fix, close out all apps running (home button twice, tap and hold an app at the bottom until it shakes and an "x" appears. Then tap the x on each app at the bottom until none are left), and reboot your ipad.
    Now, on your EIE, make sure the "monitor" knob is turned all the way to the right. Think of it as a cross fader between the inputs on the EIE and what is coming out of the iPad.
    Also be sure to check the "meter selection" switches on your EIE... Set the left one to whichever inputs you have the Nord going into, and the right one to the "in" position so you can see the signal from the Nord.
    I have a feeling since you couldn't see the input level of the Nord,(possibly), that it may be overdriving the preamp.
    Does any of this work?

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