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.
An introduction: what I have, what I know, Where I'm trying to go
Hello all,
While not entirely new to recording, I've recently changed my approach by acquiring an IPad (second gen mini, 64gb), an I track dock and Cubasis 2.
As I began to research the different pieces of the puzzle I started seeing mention of Audiobus, interapp audio and the like...
Now let me admit that I am one of those that can be overwhelmed by technology just as easily as helped along by it, so my first reaction was "oh great what's THIS all about"...
And so here I am to find out.
First a bit more about me. I am a songwriter/multi instrumentalist and will be writing and recording alone as time permits. I've got years worth of material that I'd like to finally get recorded if for no other reason than a sense of completion. The styles/genres I work in, just for the sake of a reference point, are folk, pop, alt-country, blues, post-punk...in short, music written on guitar that would have been recorded the "traditional" way before all of these wonderful gadgets became available. That's not to say that I haven't enjoyed, and even been influenced by more modern styles of music, but it's a jumping off point.
Again, my studio setup is made up of the iPad with the focusrite itrack dock, a few mics, a number of guitars and basses, the Nektar P6 MIDI keyboard, and a Steinberg CMC-PD drum pad controller that I HOPE I can make work with the IPad/Cubasis as it has a better feel to it than the Nektar's pads or the on-screen pads in Cubasis. So that's my first inquiry -anyone know if those CMC series controllers will be recognized by Cubasis and work with a lightning to USB adaptor?
Next up, for those of you who record acoustic guitars and vocals into Cubasis, what's your setup?
Apps, plug-ins, etc.?
I initially thought I'd be using Focusrite's TAPE but it looks as if it is no longer Audiobus compatible.
When it comes to the initial rhythm guitar and vocals I really value apps that are super clean and straightforward because those are the moments that I want to be an artist/musician first and foremost, and not have to use my problem solving brain at all if that makes sense.
And yes of course I could record directly to Cubasis but I'm assuming that there are other apps that I may want to try?
What are some apps in general that the community finds irreplaceable? Looking for realistic drum and guitar amp sounds in particular, I have no qualms with paying a few bucks for a sound that's going to be what I'm looking for, but there are SO many apps and simulators out there I could spend a fortune buying a few here and there, so any help narrowing the search down would be helpful, thanks...
Also being that I'm new to all of this I don't really have workflow habits established as of yet so any advice on just how you other songwriters go about your business in the iOS realm would be welcomed...
Storage: Is SoundCloud the way to go? That's vague yes but I don't know how else to put it, up until now I've worked with CPU hard drives.
Well that's it for now. I'm sure answers will give way to new questions, I thank you in advance for any insight. Please feel free to just link to other posts/discussions/YouTube tutorials if you feel that they will answer my questions, I haven't had a lot of luck thus far (sorry Steinberg but I find the Cubasis tutorials to be especially lacking).
Regards,
Trevor
Comments
First Hi and welcome to AB Forums
How are you recording your acoustic guitars? Maybe obvious, but I'm going to say it. Make sure you have a good recording environment first. It's far better to get that right then sort it out with apps later. I'm pretty much working internally now, but back in my studio days, spent quite a bit of time making sure that the live acoustic sound picked up as little environmental reflections as possible so we could add the right reverb later.
Maybe then start looking at some better reverbs than available in Cubasis 2.
Envelope Audio Unit Reverb by DDMF by Christian Siedschlag
https://appsto.re/gb/O5v4cb.i
AltiSpace - Convolution Reverb by iMusicAlbum
https://appsto.re/gb/1Oq4Z.i
AD 480 pro - Studio Reverb Effect for Audiobus & Interapp Audio by Thomas Fiedler
https://appsto.re/gb/w4dGN.i
Mobile Convolution Reverb by LiquidSonics Ltd
https://appsto.re/gb/Uizp2.i
For realistic drums look at:
DrumPerfect Pro by Marinus J.G. van de Molengraft
https://appsto.re/gb/OHvK9.i
Or I hear any of the Luis Martinez apps
Soft Drummer by Luis Martinez
https://appsto.re/gb/bth0cb.i
Hi thanks, that IS an obvious question that I obviously forgot to address - I've just moved my home studio to the basement, with it's less than ideal low ceiling and cinderblock walls/concrete floor. I'll be spending some time and money on acoustic treatments to make it as serviceable as possible for recording and monitoring playback.
As mentioned, those initial acoustic performances really are the heart and soul of the recordings -all other instrumentation can be done either by recording electric instruments DI or by using MIDI sounds to fill it out.
As for mics I have a Shure SM57 and whatever mic Focusrite packages with their Scarlett Studio (I sold off the Scarlett 2i2 to get the itrack)
If I find that the basement is just not friendly for recording live at least the IPads portable nature will allow me to find a more suitable spot.
A few vocal bits:
Harmony Voice by VirSyn
https://appsto.re/gb/CnvVF.i
Voice Rack: FX - Vocal Effects Processor by TC-Helicon
https://appsto.re/gb/H-lO4.i
I'm sure some of the more acoustic guys will join in soon, but as you say, you're mobile now! Sounds to me like a decent pair of cans is the way to go for monitoring (lots of chat on those of late). Maybe a big picture of a beautiful landscape, so the psychological effects of being in a basement don't effect your playing
unless you want it to of course 
http://www.acousticfields.com/is-building-a-recording-studio-in-a-basement-a-good-idea/
Might be of interest
Some more apps:
VocaLive for iPad by IK Multimedia
https://appsto.re/gb/Od5bB.i
AmpliTube Acoustic by IK Multimedia
https://appsto.re/gb/f1v59.i
ToneStack by Yonac Inc.
https://appsto.re/gb/gj03Z.i
apeFilter by apeSoft
https://appsto.re/gb/OMS01.i
DrumJam by Sonosaurus LLC
https://appsto.re/gb/isAMF.i
AUM - Audio Mixer by Kymatica (Jonatan Liljedahl)
https://appsto.re/gb/4T76-.i
And get AudioBus soon, as a new super version will be out
O forgot to say:
Just check before any purchase that you have the iOS version needed.
Should be ok with most apps as I'm sure the iPad mini 2 is 64 bit (many apps are dropping 32 bit, so tell me if I'm wrong)
oops double post
As @Fruitbat1919 has mentioned, AUM would be a seriously good addition to your setup. It's basically a mixer but far from basic, and you can use AudioBus loaded with other apps and effects inside AUM.
The other app that immediately springs to mind is ThumbJam by the same guy who makes DrumJam. There are many great quality samples you can download for free from within the app, which will increase what you can add as accompaniments and flourishes.
As you already have Cubasis. I can recommend adding the two IAP effects packs, which come in really handy.
Welcome Trevor: The technology is all very interesting, but the constant application is also important. When you're ready, take a look at The Song of the Month Club. Might keep you honest
Mini 2 is 64 bit and still supported, although some of the newer apps (Model 15 for example) can push it to its limits.
+1 for Aum and Thumbjam - both great tools for working with acoustic recordings.
Bias FX and Amps. Couldn't live without em........
If it fits your voice, use the SM57 for vocals, but add a TritonAudio FetHead between mic and cable. That's a small plug (phantom powered) that adds 20 dB of very clean gain and optimizes impedance. The input stages of the iTrack are not particularily cool with dynamic microphones (like most interfaces).
The supposedly 'vocal' mic from the bundle is a small diaphragm condensor in disguise
Probably better on guitar... for example for bright strumming - but this depends on the style you're after, beefy picking works great with dynamic mics imh ears.
there's a simple solution, but with a low aesthetics factor: cram it up...
Cheapo bookshelfs filled irregular, but massive, old vinyls are great, too.
Thick carpet on the floor and lots of objects spread all over place help a lot.
As fruitbat already mentioned: acoustic is crucial - it's definitely more important than the microphone - no kidding. Here's a take from such an environment, the guitar is totally unprocessed, the mic is a $5 pawnshop item (but it's my favourite for that guitar)
Thanks so much for all of the feedback folks. I'll take a few days to sift through things
@J.Trevor76 : I recommend saving your money for the moment and just get stuck into recording. Once you get into it, you'll get a better idea of your own workflow, and to know what's missing. Then you can choose based on the functionality you need.
When I began where you are now, I spent way too much on way too many apps I didn't need and never used. So my advice comes from personal experience.
A lot of great suggestions here - but along the lines of the basics;
Audiobus - without doubt a must! A simple concept, basically an audio patch cable that routes from most any source to most any destination, with an insert for FX.
Audioshare - a central repository for audio files. Connects to Dropbox (which is what you want for offline storage, not soundcloud), as well as a way to get files in and out of Cubasis.
I also agree with @decibelle. Keep it simple as you start off! Cubasis has a decent set of built in instruments, certainly enough to get your feet wet, and enough for you decide what other sounds/synths you might want to invest in. But I really recommend just committing to making your first tracks as throw aways - that the focus is on learning the flow rather than really working on one of your songs.
It pains me (because I stray too far from this fundament), but songs first, sounds later...
Funny that these last few comments are what I see when I log in this morning, as it occurred to me last night that the best recordings I've made thus far have been with Trackd - a very simple multitrack recorder for iPhone and iPad. Using the iphone's built in mic to lay acoustic guitars and a pair of headphones with the inline mic for vocals, and using my car as a vocal booth.
Do I want higher quality recordings? Of course! But the trick is to embrace all of this available technology and learn to work with it so that it becomes as effortless to use as the simple tools I'm already familiar with.
Unfortunately Trackd isn't "on the bus" which must be the choice of the developer.
Yeah I still listen to some really old and rough demos of songs that have something the new shiney stuff doesn't. This could be memories of good times, or could just be that the thrill of music in younger days was more important than what we recorded with. Still I'm an app addict and gain fun from them anyway, so all is good
>
We only need to listen to what the Beatles achieved with 8 tracks, to know that making a good - even great - track doesn't need the super polish of today's most expensive tech. Indeed, so many songs I hear on the radio are produced to death. No doubt a mastering engineer would explain to me how the sound is so much better, etc, etc. But are the tunes as good as what was done 40+ years ago?
Personally, I'm making music to suit me. I'll probably stick it on Band Camp at some point, and if others like it, great. If not, I'll still have made what pleases my ears, and don't really care too much if it's not 'top' studio EQ. My main concern, as always, is that the material is interesting and hopefully gives pause for thought. 'Cause so much of what we're all force fed in the media sounds just like formula fodder.
>
There is that tendency, in the sweet shop of the App Store.
Every so often I discover apps that I've forgotten I bought. In the past, I've bought apps for the thrill of the new, but these days try to think more if it will work for me. Many apps, for example the Moog Model 15, are far better suited to 'proper' musicians, as opposed to those of us who adopt more of a sonic dabbler's approach.
Eventually, I found a core of apps that suit the way I work and what I want to achieve. I'm learning all the time about those, and other apss which aren't such a natural fit, but which I can see could be great for me, if I can be bothered to put in the effort to work them properly.
Nkersov, I must agree wholeheartedly with your sentiments regarding production. If I could record every note and drum beat with live instrumentation I would. In fact if I could have a producer and engineer do all of the mic placement, tweaking and twiddling and just focus on the actual performance, I would do it that way, and I'd still be leaning toward a decidedly lo-if aesthetic even if I were in a top notch studio.
I've done some practice recordings in the past week or so and am getting more familiar with Cubasis itself and can happily say that it is the dumbed down version of Cubase that I had hoped that it would be. Not quite dumb enough as I've had to sit through the tutorial videos to find answers to some pretty rudimentary questions but hey that's how learning works. I'm passionate about learning how to do this and approach it as if I'm taking college classes. I try to discipline myself so that I divide my time between learning the programs and having fun laying tracks down.
Today I discovered JamUp pro, I believe I paid five bucks for it. Opened it up with Audiobus and wow, it really works like a dream. What an amazing app Audiobus is! Just open the apps in the correct locations and hit the record button and it automatically sets up the input source for you!
I just experimented with a few preset tones in JamUp, didn't try customizing anything, but was blown away at how good of a tone I was getting, going into the Itrack dock into the iPad and playing through my monitors.
I laid down some bass tracks using a bass amp preset and it sounded fantastic, nice and punchy.
After laying down the bass and using my midi keyboards pads to tap out a drum beat,
It's back to Cubasis to set pan and levels and add compression to beef up the tracks and it sounds great to me. I divide my drum bits into separate tracks, high hat work onto one, bass and snare on another and toms cymbals onto a third so that I can play with stereo imaging.
(Thoughts on using compression? Is it unwise to use it before mixdown and mastering?)
Whether it be through my studio monitors, headphones ( I'm using the focusrite ones from the Scarlett Studio package, I need new ones as one side is blown and rattles if the bass is too deep), iPhone earbuds, or the sound system where I work, the mixes sound pretty good. When my coworkers asked what we were listening to and I told them it was my stuff they were very complimentary which was nice.
I'm just really thrilled with the early results right now and am more confident than I've ever been that I can finally get my music recorded the way that I have been hearing it in my head for all this time.
I think the toughest thing will be vocals as that seems to be the part that makes a recording sound really amateurish if they're poorly produced. Vocals are also my weak point, I don't have a great voice but then I've always appreciated the Iggy Pops, Lou Reeds and Leonard Cohens of the world more than the crooners. Still, even those rougher voices have to be captured with clarity and produced correctly so I'll be looking at some of the vocal apps suggested by Fruitbat, and looking at some things I can do to make my little studio condusive to a good sound.
On that note, anyone here ever use the Blue Yeti microphones? There's one for sale on CL here locally for a significant discount and I thought about picking it up. A quick read up on it states that it can switched between four different pickup patterns, sounds like a pretty versatile tool.
Well I just wanted to check back in and share my excitement with my progress, the studio itself is coming together too, I've laid some carpeting down and added some heavy wooden furniture to the room, stocked the shelves with all of my favorite coffee table books and whatnot, and brought down the all important mini fridge stocked with some seasonal beverages.
Thanks again for the advice and links!
Hello all, been a while since I first imtroduced myself and fielded those initial questions, revisiting the post this evening I realized how much progress Ive made in a short time.
Having lots of fun with it all, and while it's old news to most of you I'm sure, I just purchased the AB remote app and WOW! Is it cool....having it installed on my iPhone means that it is always in my pocket and ready to use and dramatically improves workflow.
Some of the other tools I've inked up are the IK multimedia iRig acoustic pickup which is a nice tool, and works not just with their native app but the Focusrite Tape app as well.
I've learned that I can record in the Tape app and import into Cubasis, which I get good clean acoustic sounds that way.
Really excited that I'm finally doing some recordings that, while nowhere near being "finished", I'm happy enough with to begin sharing with friends and family and others in the music community:
One thing that I've been wondering about and haven't found much discussion on:
Taking Cubasis tracks into Cubase for further mixing and mastering.
Anyone here use both programs together like that? I'm curious as to how the various files and apps will be presented on Cubase if I transfer them>
Also, thoughts on LANDR mastering?
Thanks all
@J.Trevor76 Like a lot of this, particularly Milligrams, although I might be tempted to fiddle with the drums. Ever thought about Song of the Month Club?
Link: https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/17207/song-of-the-month-club-february-2017
@J.Trevor76 I haven't heard good things about LANDR. It's an algorithm doing the mastering, not a person with ears. This is second-hand information, as I have no experience with it.
Hey thanks for the replies and kind words.
Song of the Month Club....yes indeed! I had meant to check it out before but was sort of skeptical as I thought it was an actual contest, but I just spent the last half hour or so listening and reading and realized that it's a highly supportive and informative group discussion.
This gives me something to focus on, I could certainly push myself to submit something every month, but of course I'll have to face my fears and do the dreaded (gasp) vocal recordings....
Because really none of my songs are songs until I lay down the vox.
Thanks again and see you in March!
Yup, SOTMC is a very informal highly non-competitative thing, but it helps the focus a little...