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.
What's Your Project Management Methods (Backup's, etc) For Your iOS DAW?
Even those sporting 128GB iPads will eventually feel the storage squeeze, especially if they're App Addicts and/or they have so many projects that their DAW's storage size is well in the double digit GB's.
My 64GB Air 2 is pretty paunchy so I have been trying to backup whatever work I'm not currently 100% into at the moment. I use Auria Pro and really prefer to do everything self contained, meaning connecting to iTunes on a laptop is a drag. I will rundown the solutions I have used and I'm curious to see what other cats are using, whether their DAW is Auria, Cubasis, etc.
Of course the first answer is always Dropbox, and it is a great way to do backups & imports... depending on how much storage you have. I have multiple Dropbox accounts that equal up to double digit GB storage, but don't subscribe to their Pro plan. So with a 2 GB free account, keeping an eye on how much each backup is and reconnecting Auria to different Dropbox accounts is necessary, as is keeping folders tidy. Dropbox is a cool solution if you do want to pay the monthly fee for the TB increase.
iCloud has always been an option with Auria but it used to mean using a computer to access iTunes File Sharing. Since the improved accessibility with the iCloud app on the home screen however, using iCloud for backups can be a self contained process on the iPad now.
First, you have to use the "Save Project to Another App" option, then choose iCloud, and save it to a folder there. That's it for backing a project up, but for importing one back to Auria from iCloud you need a file management app since the iPad's iCloud app doesn't allow export or "Open In".
The best in my view is the Documents app by Readdle. From inside the Documents app, you move the Auria project to be imported from iCloud out of the iCloud folder to the Readdle apps "Documents" folder since the Documents app can do export with "Open In". Long press or choose "edit" on the project, choose Auria from the "Open In" menu and when you next open Auria and try to load a project, your newly imported project will be in the list ready to roll.
I also have an external storage option with the Sandisk iXpand lightning/USB drive. Using it's purpose built app that you get from the App Store, you have a way to export and import projects without a computer. Plus projects will be in a much more tangible format than a zip file on a cloud storage server. That appeals to me from a long-term project archive solution but I still prefer a 100% self contained solution for switching out projects being worked on recently.
Most of these solutions are applicable to Cubasis too since Cubasis has the import/export choices of Dropbox, iCloud, etc.
I'm interested to hear what you guys are using, thanks...
Comments
When the iXpand (et al) was first released I remember I asked Jonatan (Kymatica) if he couldn't add support for drives of that type to AudioShare. My vague recollection of his reply was affirmative, and he also hinted at it not being complicated at all for some brands, whereas not as straightforward on others.
I have no idea what the status is though, I don't have a drive of any type to test with.
I basically use AudioShare/Dropbox for 80% of my file handling, 15% Goodreader (as it connects to anything and everything online, including digging out Gmail attachments) and the final 5% iCloud.
I use a WD wifi passport external HD. Two terabytes. Enough space for Auria projects, samples, videos, photos (also from the RX10m3 camera, the HD has an SD slot).
I tested Auria project transfer to HD and from HD back to Auria only once, but it worked perfectly. This will be my setup next summer where I will only have solar power.
I always just back up to my laptop first via iTunes, it's really not a big deal to me and it always works as intended. With sync over WiFi on in iTunes, I don't even have to have my iPad or iPhone with me when I think of it. From there I manually back up to two external USB3 drive, as well as to my iCloud and Google Drive online. I'm spoiled because we have crazy fast fibre internet here, so it's not a big deal to keep copies in the cloud.
I usually back up projects for my apps after any day of heavy use. After 26 years of writing music, I've lost more than a few songs to dumb luck and clumsy fingers. These days I err on the side of caution and back up any new work. Better to be safe, and it only takes a couple minutes versus the hours of work you could lose.
@hellquist @Phil999 Thanks guys.
Readdle's Documents app and Goodreader are extremely similar. Whether you use iCloud or Dropbox, those two file apps can make the cloud just as easy as to use as a thumb drive.
I am just using my laptop for the time being. I hope to eventually ditch my Macbook entirely and go the Kingston Mobilelite route, but theres always a few niggling things that have me keep my laptop (downloading others music, GIMP, video editing) that hopefully will be iOS-able soon enough
Chaotic to non-existent
Good post. I mostly use dropbox but haven't really settled.
Dropbox initially, then a further backup to hard drive, which in turn is copied to a NAS.
After many years of using computers, I've learned you can never have too many backups.
Ifunbox/iTunes and just copy all projects and presets to my pc. For safety I also copy all the soundbanks and projects to different USB sticks (64gb) and a extra backup in iTunes.
Cloud services are not an option for me, because it's slow and it doesn't provide enough storage for my backup needs.
@RedSkyLullaby Yeah, it was a lot easier when you'd take the cassette multitrack and put it in a box tails out.
I am just now beginning to kinda, that's KINDA trust cloud storage, but the iXpand and further dumping it over to the laptop, then over to another thumb drive is safest.
As long as the final mix that is made into the stereo master, that stereo master and the full session in the DAW format project file and in a full AIFF project save is in a tangible format (SD, SSD, DVD or Blu-ray) I guess that is what is best for our home studio archive.
I admit I get lazy especially when doing multiple projects simultaneously and trust the cloud storage too much. It's part of that extreme difference between analog & digital. The digital convenience can foster a bit of laziness, of course I'm speaking for myself.
I don't understand the question...
Oh.
Good thread, thanks @JRSIV. Thanks to everyone for sharing what they do. I back up my iPad to a laptop using iTunes and move projects in and out of Auria and MultiTrack DAW to two external hard drives via ifunbox and the laptop. It's a little clunky, but it works for now. I'd like a cloud system and to forget about the laptop, but I haven't gotten there yet.
Nah, thank you @supanorton . I was just curious since our work today is so incorporeal, etheral and whatever other fancy synonyms for "you can't hold it in your hand". I'm sure digital graphic artists and other artists using digital tools in their art face the same challenges with keeping their work safe & archived.
I just want the complete, to be used tracks of the project saved, because I know some will save every piece of audio & every take created in the project.
These kind of archival processes are very interesting to me, especially since everything is digitally created today. When I interned at a project studio here in Vegas that was just going from an Otari MTR 90 MK-III 2″ tape 24 track to a full ADAT setup I was sent to Kinko's to get all the new track sheets and tape labels printed for the new system.
I always loved keeping my little 4 track (then 8 track) notebooks with my songs recording process and track diagrams, call me anal & OCD. So after the new ADAT stuff was all brought in and set up I had to arrange the old analog 24 track studio documentation and put in another room for storage. Not glamorous work, but seeing all these old 24 track binders the owner had with track sheets and notes on tape bias and everything was cool as hell.
So even though ProTools, Logic, Auria, Cubasis etc keep track of most everything on a session I still keep track sheets on my stuff, it's just habit yeah, but it comes in handy to keep track of what patch, guitar, mic, amp, etc you're using since although it's self-contained, sometimes all you can put down is in the dozen or so character line of your channel scribble strips.
Wow, this went off on a tangent. But hey, I will post a cool track sheet I found that I'll use sometimes that's from Capitol Recording Studio circa the mid 1970's. If it's your sort of thing, just convert the .jpg photo to a .pdf file for printing.
Be cool...
I finish stuff and dump it to GDrive. It's a goad toward getting things finished to make space for new ones. Stuff I'm gonna release, I'll upload a full project folder with each track, but mostly i export the bounce and clear the space.
Yeah i have an iXpand drive just not very organised and occasionally I get stuff tied up in an expired Auria beta version i can't open once it hits 60 days.
I don't bother. I export a full fat finished .wav to the PC and usually delete any files used in creating it.
Art is not eternal folks.