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.
Struggling with Audiobus and Cubasis
Hey all! First post here 
just moved up to an Air 2 from a Mini 1 and although I've got a full rig running Cubase Pro 8.5 and Reason 8' I'm really looking to start ideas off on here as it's just a nicer environment to work in casually.
What I've managed to do so far is pretty cool - AB is amazing, but I'm still not sure what the best way to use it all is. My main issue is that if I monitor Thor (for example) through Cubasis triggering it with MIDI data, it's fine. But as soon as I record it to an audio track, it's out of time. Although I'd like to run everything live (VST style) I'd be happy to print to audio if I could just sort out these timing issues. What would really sort it for me is a separate MIDI sequencer I could run inside AB to trigger a synth, record the resulting audio and then trim/move it into time, basically using Cubasis as a multi track tape machine rather than a MIDI sequencer. Anyone known of such a thing, if not a solution to the timing problems?
Also running into some other issues like DM1 not launching, Arturia synths not showing up as AB input sources, and instruments going silent but...maybe I'll save those for another time
Thanks in advance for your help!
Comments
Arturia - I believe having issues lately -- reinstall
Thor- you want Cubasis with MIDI out to play Thor?
Do you have the proper channel settings? I found that sometimes with Thor, this is odd but bare with me.
If I click "NO" MIDI sources and then ALL and then what I want it works.
Also, make sure you have the Cubasis clock settings to do what you are aiming?
Sometimes Cubasis clock has not cooperated for me.
I am thinking there is a accessory app that is Link enabled that could help you. Trigger Sequ or MIDI-step.
Just some thoughts as I head out.
Thanks for the reply man! Yeah I will try re-installing the apps. I wonder if this is anything to do with the latest iOS update as well. A friend of mine works at Focusrite and has been telling me that they're having tonnes of complaints about latency with external interfaces (not just theirs). I wonder if that could have any impact on audio stability overall? Hmmm.
I'll explore the MIDI settings. I wonder if maybe too many things are enabled? Like Network MIDI, MIDI output from other apps. I'll try setting it exclusively to Cubasis and see if that works.
Yeah Cubasis is set to send MIDI clock, but it's super unreliable. Funkbox, iMPC Pro, they all drift out of time given long enough. But then that could be an issue with Cubasis, and not AudioBus!
I'll look into those MIDI apps. Thanks
Genome MIDI Sequenzer might do the job, that's what I would try in that case
I just recorded via AudioBus some Thor into Cubasis via a midi track...it's not a long section (about two minutes) but I had no timing issues (iPad mini-2, iOS 9.2.1).
The timing issues wouldn't be in AudioBus, and Coremidi or whatever Apple calls it is known to have timing issues...hence the popularity and adoption of Ableton Link. But for fun you might try using Thor as IAA input and drive it via a Cubasis midi track and see if anything changes. Also, before recording are you doing the usual stuff like turning off wifi and closing all other apps? The other things to check would be in Cubasis settings (Setup) audio buffer sizes, etc. there is an output latency setting, but I've never messed with it. AudioBus controls audio latency during its sessions and that can be adjusted within AB settings, maybe play around with that? My session was set at 512.
Also check the Steingberg forums, I've found a few good tips there on occasion.
As to apps not launching via AB or IAA...some just will not open and need to be launched first, and then added in to AB or your IAA track.
Good luck.
Good point regarding wifi - I should try with airplane mode on (then everyone will leave me alone when I'm trying to sound design haha).
Yeah IAA is better I think? But there's no state saving with it. I guess I just need to start saving patches with the same name as the Cubase project and then I should be okay.
Yeah the app launching is a pain sometimes - I swear DM1 used to open properly. But it still functions okay when opened manually.
I'm presuming you need Ableton to use Link? I recently got hold of StudioMux so I can sequence with Cubase on my desktop and that's pretty sick! Turns the iPad into a sound module. But not so great for self contained/portable writing.
Chimp, AB is built with IAA so it isn't necessarily better, just another route to try was my thinking. @Nathan is soooo right about AUM...can get more done with less CPU load.
Link exists within iOS, so you don't need Ableton...but I imagine it's quite nice if you do.
Happened to me m. Change latency to 128 and should work.
So I've been experimenting and, from what I can tell, the biggest problem appears to be with MIDI clock and the way iOS handles it. I can't seem to get anything to keep sync; not a drum machine with Cubasis, or Effectrix or any tempo based application. After a few measures, it just goes out of time. Really disappointing! I suppose this is up to Apple to fix?
With that said I will try Aum as it could be good for other kinds of writing/performing, and I'm still getting fantastic use out of it all using Studiomux but, getting all these apps to talk to each other just isn't happening for me yet.
@espiegel123, strange, AB3 lists Thor but will not launch. Any idea why? I opened Thor, still no, closed it and still not. Besides, this will not allow me to plug Thor into a prerecorded midi track, I believe. It will just allow me to use Thor in creating a midi track (am I Wrong?)
You can send MIDI from Cubasis to Thor, too.
I personally found that I don’t need audiobus if I am using mostly auv3 in Cubasis. Only if I use lots of IAA then I will use audiobus. If I am missing something please school me. 😂😂
See this thread https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/22816/using-thor-audiobus-and-cubasis