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.
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Monitoring with iOS while playing.
Hello everyone. I was wondering if something like this is doable:
iPad with 2 inputs / 4 outputs audio interface.
Bass guitar goes in one input, monitor from mixer goes in the other input.
Bass guitar goes through Bias FX and then exits on output 1.
Bias FX also gets mixed with monitor signal from mixer, passes through an app (hard limiter) and exits on outputs 3 and 4 (headphones).
I haven't used Audiobus much, so that's why I'm asking. The way I see it I cannot do this, but maybe you guys know an app that lets me route all audio this way.
I could probably take the dry bass signal, mix it with the monitor signal (using an app like DMIMixer) making it go through a limiter and output it on 3 and 4.
Thoughts about this? Thank you!
Comments
You'll need AUM, not Audiobus, to gain access to outputs 3&4. Audiobus however brings state-saving into the game, so you really need both. I do this with a Focusrite 2i4 quite successfully.
Nice, thank you. Does latency make monitoring "bad" or is it doable? I'm wondering whether I should stick with iOS for monitoring or just get an external hardware limiter (that would mean having an extra "box" though)
I'm a little confused by your question- are you recording the output of the mixer as well? Or just playing along? Why not use the mixer to monitor?
Audiobus should be able to access all of your outputs using multiple lanes as well, but I don't know about combining into the limiter. Any reason you need to send this all through a limiter?
I could use the mixer to monitor, yes, but I wanted to add a limiter to the chain right before my heaphones and I was wondering whether to use my iPad as a limiter or a dedicated hardware limiter.
I am not too practical when it comes to In ear monitors, but almost everyone on the internet suggest using a hard limiter with them to avoid ear damage should something go wrong (such as a volume spike when a mic falls accidentally, or feedback).
To sum it all up: I am currently using my iPad to add effects to my bass guitar. I'd also like to use it as a mixer+limiter to control the bass/monitor mix and limit the signal to avoid ear damage.
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while it's technically correct that sudden increases in sound level may damage your hearing, the probability isn't too high.
Most likely you don't wear a helmet walking on the streets, though something falling from 2nd floor or above may hit you anytime... a helmet would also reduce the risk of severe head injury by ordinary traffic accidents even for a pedestrian - and still noone wears it for that purpose.
Back to noise levels:
closed devices are the most dangerous in that context, something with rear opening is less critical in that context.
A monitor controller in reach distance is sufficient in most cases.
It's good that you consider worst cases, but keep it reasonable - the biggest danger (imho) is still too high listening levels by getting used to them.
What you say makes sense. The point is that I really can't make up my mind, as some people on the internet, like you, consider using a limiter to be overkill, while some other swear that they'll never play without one and they tell you about their friend who is now deaf.
I am not very practical when it comes to IEM, just bought my first set a week ago. Since I read a lot of different stories, I just try to go stick with the worst case scenario, especially if it'd only cost me 20 bucks (that's the price of AUM) to try it out.
I'm only concerned about the latency... I've heard some say it's not that great for monitoring? But then again, I also have that same latency on my bass, so...
since I use cans almost exclusively I've experienced a couple of 'full hits' of course.
But my 'open back' AKGs don't build up real pressure, so it was just unpleasent, same with Sennheiser earplugs.
Anyway, latency seems a very subjective issue - and depends on device capabilities, too.
I have no problems with a 10 ms roundtrip (input, processing, output), which some supposedly supa-fast fingers call a complete nogo.
10ms is a safe bet today, 5ms probably works in most setups live, where a tiny glitch is overheard usually (but annoying if you track the output for later use)
I see. I actually have in-ears so the build up of pressure could be a problem (I'm just assuming things, don't know for sure).
As for the latency, I really do not know how to measure it, so I think I'll just wait for my Scarlett 2i6 to arrive in the mail and give it a shot during rehearsals!