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.
The garden path of least resistance
Remember the point in time when you used to be maximally productive, songs got knocked out one after the other, or maybe two by two, and any technology interfered minimally.
What was your easiest system to use, ever?
If you give us that, also give us your most difficult impossible tangled frustrated system - the one that produced next to nothing despite all the work it demanded from you.
Comments
My easiest system, I was thinking it was when I was based around a Tascam 4 track portastudio, but actually that's not true - that was over complicated by sync on track 4 making everything else tag along for the ride. My easiest system is earlier than my 4 track, and it doesn't seem like an 'easiest system' but it actually was. It was when I was based on nothing but a Yamaha CX5-m music computer and that was all - nothing else, no multitrack audio recording, no vocal storing capability, just that.
My most difficult system was a time during my analogue peak collecting time, when I had a bunch of everything I could get, and I tried making as a centrepiece the Roland MSQ-700. I got nothing done for a very long time. Even adding more equipment didn't solve this.
The first would be my current looping set up. All iPad based with 3 controllers and a bunch of apps. Great for noodling, composing and live use. I dabbed with the idea of connecting hardware to it (volcas etc) but as soon as did that, everything got doubly complicated. Being able to save sessions in loopy and Samplr allows me to have a new session ready in seconds rather than having too remember a lot of shit which takes away from the creative process and live show experience.
The latter, from the top of my head was my bass uke project which I've spent a couple of days to complete but maybe used it a couple of times on tracks.having said that, every project you get into, whether successful or not is bound to teach you something and improve you in some way, even if just your ability to judge the usefulness of future projects.
I was most productive using my late 90s MIDI setup. An old Pentium 90 running Cakewalk Pro 3.0 (midi only, no audio or sample support). Heart of my midi chain was an MC-303, a Korg Prophecy, a Soundcanvas 55st and an Electribe EA-1.
Least productive when I was trying to build a workflow around Cubase 4 with loads of VST plugins combined with a Virus TI. A setup without limitations doesn't seem to work for me as it makes the 'creative half of my brain' rather lazy.
That rug really ties the room together.
Most productive was a fusion group a few years ago where I'd write out a basic melody and chord structure then describe the style of the tune to the group in rehearsal room. One take per tune. Here's one example from when I brought cameras to rehearsal (this was first run through of this tune):
(Sadly I didn't know how to export a video file correctly at this point..)
Least productive was any of dosens of other groups featuring not such proficient lineups, which could take weeks or months to prepare one tune.
Ensoniq EPS16+ Loved the simplicity of not being bogged down with visual distractions! Just hit record and play for as many bars. Forget editing just erase and play again, far quicker.
Least productive was ironically using Cubase! It should have been so much easier but i always found the technology got in the way.
Obviously a DAW in the right hands can achieve far better results but for me the immediacy of the EPS wins.
most productive by far was my first "rig" ..
Arp Axxe
Kay DRM-1
my "studio" comprised ..
realstic disco mixer
Sansui graphic EQ
Sharp cassette deck
Yamaha KX330 cassette deck
the tape decks were connected to the mixer and i'd add more synth lines on the overdubs ..
next upgrade was a Boss DR 110 "Dr rythm graphic" and a Casio CZ101 ...
i still have the Arp and the CZ101
i created 10 times the amount of tracks with the above than i do with my current set up
Easiest pre-iOS was a room when I lived in town that had a 4 track Portastudio/synths/guitar etc. setup, so the flat would have local musicians and weirdos popping in to jam and record. Had over 20 of us squeezed in on many occasions.
Easiest iOS - has to be the AUM IAA jams I'm enjoying - load 'em up and press record.
Most difficult - trying to get the band I'm in all in one place to jam/record since we live all over the place and have day jobs.
Most productive around 2000 when i friend of mine did college for sound engineer and told me about this new daw called "reason steinberg". He showed me how it worked and i was sold and used it for the next 10 years. Was using Cubase,ProTools and FruityLoops before. Reason changed a lot for me introducing time sliced samples you could create your own using Reason Recycle. Created tons of soundbanks recording old vinyls and movies to use with Reason.
Most frustrating was Cubase. I always was strugling with the midi setup and vst plugins.
Easiest system for me was probably not long after I got into using computers in the studio. Cubase SX3, the first UAD card, Access Virus KC, Machinedrum, Line6 Pod, Electribe R.
https://s25.postimg.org/y5p30x7hb/622_FMilwaukee_Studio_10.jpg
Most difficult for me, at least in terms of output versus time spent trying, would be the new Korg Electribe. Literally spent months trying to get something together on that and it never really went anywhere. Runner up would be trying to learn to use my wife's Kurzweil K2600XS, which was insanely complicated.
Most productive: guitar, vocals and a micro recorder in the 90s. I banged out a dozen tunes a week and recorded them with absolutely hideous sound quality.
Unproductive: ever since I started working with machines and computers. The ipad actually helped improve my output thanks to its portablity and tangibility factor.
haha!
Most easiest output musically was also my most complicated setup. In the 2000s i had 2 Alesis MMT-8s which recorded my synths, or was used to sequence them. They were a Novation K-Station and a Yamaha CS-3x. For drums, a TR-606 and 707. Also, rack mount compressors for each instrument and tons of keyboard stands and MIDI cables.
Most easiest setup yet unproductive is my ipad. Going on several years now.
Most productive was late 90s and early 2000s. Cubase DAW with various VSTs and a fair amount of hardware (Mackie 32 channel, SH101, Orgon Energiser, Orgon modular, Juno 106, Moog Modular, TR808, 606, RE 501, lots of nice outboard and fx Lexicon, TL Audio, 4 completely full bantam patch bays that I had soldered with 2k of cabling.)
So many tunes written, lots of vinyl released, many gigs played - good times!
Least productive is my iPad and while the interface etc does contribute, I think life, children and more regular sleep patterns are as much to blame!
Most productive: Cocaine (but little quality control)
Least productive: Heroin (but little care)
One synth, one microphone and one band to lay with. I still would prefer that setup just with iPads as an instrument.
Most: PC with FL Studio (versions 5-8).
Least: Another vote for iPad. App juggling, argh.
Freudian slip, or reminiscing a groupie past?
I was most productive when using Fasttracker 2 somewhere in the 90s. The amount of tracks I could churn out in a day ...I had a hard drive, with hundreds and hundreds of tracks, crash on me. Which obviously sucked, but it was around the time when sequencing with midi became more and more easier and accessible, things like Rebirth started popping up as well, so I jumped ship
Maybe it was because it was the first "real" recording setup beyond a boombox or maybe it's that "golden summer" memories are better than the reality, but nope- I could still get my Tascam 424 4 track PortaStudio down from the closet and have fun and no fuss making music. Is it going to sound the greatest fidelity wise? No. But for learning the craft and memories of being up at 4AM doing reverse reverb tricks, the 424 is always my sentimental favorite.
The set up with my Tascam 488 mkII 8 track PortaStudio is in the same ballpark of sentimentality for me, but this setup was far more professional and with care and good recording techniques you could get some really great results from this machine. It had inserts on the first two channels so I'd use it to patch a compressor in during tracking of bass, kick & snare, guitar, vocals, etc set very conservatively but stout enough to lay hot levels down on the tape. That created a lovely, warm tape compression on top of thr rhythm track and if you kept to just 8 tracks, no bouncing, you could get great results with a good mic, mic pre and mixing to DAT or CD. If I had to bounce it would always be an external bounce: the 8 tracks submixed to DAT, then recorded back to the 488mkII on a new tape, on two tracks stereo.
The worst, most inspiration sapping setup I had in my home studio was about 7 or 8 years ago. The background: I love Pete Townshend so much and have read a lot of biographies & interviews, valuing his wisdom on recording ideas & techniques (I also took a suggestion that I read, that was not related to music, with my short week long dalliance with Remy Martin VSOP brandy; a colossally bad idea that put me off alcohol to this very day...hey, he said it was great, and I was trying to be cool, lol).
The recording wisdom I gleaned from ole Pete was that Ableton Live was such a great writing & recording tool. He mainly uses RADAR hard disk recorders in conjunction with analog tape, but i this interview from the mid 2000's he puts over Ableton and I decided to try it.
I had a Lenovo laptop with juuust enough steam to run it and for a week and a half I was in hell trying to build up tracks with the to me, very ass backwards DAW. I know some cats love their Ableton Live setups and use nothing else but for me it was all perspiration and zero inspiration.
Least productive Logic, I spent way too much time with the manual to get up and running. Recording from the mic I had to run the cable into another room so I wouldn't pick up the computer fan noise.
Current setup on iPad Air 2 is the most productive, iOS 9-10 with AUM and various MIDI, synth, and effects apps with IAA host sync.
Yes, I had that experience too. I'm more familiar with it now, plus I intentionally now only do simple things with it (about GarageBand level things - hmm, wait, oh shut up). I also have my own history of things that I can't make a single move in without reaching for the manual - Korg S3 drum machine; Roland MC-202 sequencer side; Yamaha QY700; etc. And while one could say that it takes time and cognitive investment to fully learn any instrument, I'd say, no it doesn't if there's a nearby one that just makes it all more possible and less resistive, so they got pushed aside (except the Korg S3, which became one of the best most hittable midi controllers I had at the time (plus a SMPTE generator)).
Most productive was 1982: New Alvarez 6 string, Radio Shack cassette recorder and 1 cheap mic, 150 original songs recorded in one summer, in the bathroom for reverb's sake.
Basically the more options my system gives me, the less productive I am. Mid-90s I had a Fostex Digital 4 track, and also Opcode Vision that I'd just record direct to DAT. Most productive years of my songwriting and recording existence. Early 2000s I had a Roland VS1880, and still managed a pretty good output for 5 years or so. Once I went the PC, DAW, and VST route however, I started spending way too much time going through all the different sounds and auditioning variations of the same effect. Recorded loads of 20-30 second ideas but hardly any completed songs. Getting into the iPad recording scene now and have already found myself being more productive with Gadget than I ever did with the desktop system. Just trying to find the balance of having inspiring options without going overboard in "playing around" rather than actually getting something completed.
Most productive for myself (vs recording other people) pre iOS was a setup with:
Ukulele
SH-101
AT 4047 mic into a little Bellari desktop pre
Space Echo
Headrush looper (delay was busted)
BOSS BR-8 recorder, because Roland compression and ZIP DISKS.
Few options but plenty of options. I made the record here called Bluebird with that setup. http://bridgeportmusic.com/ (mixed it on the computer)
Most productive iOS was easily my first year with Nanostudio while commuting via bus. No audiobus, no IAA. Just whatever I could coax out of Eden+sampling. Occasional copy+paste from another app. Again, KISS.
All other setups have been the least productive.
Definitely feeling @Tarekith's V.A.S.T. pain. I eventually sorted out the K2VX (though I'm still confused about the ram allocation stuff) but once I had, I was sort of over it! Took too long. It's still in our living room for anyone to play but I don't use it 'productively'.
I suspect these sorts of things affect productivity and inspiration than gear.
This. #indeed
Great topic.
My easiest setup was the Roland VS-880ex plus the MPC2000, then convinced myself that everything was so much easier on the pc, and spent many years in warez (sorry) limbo, trying to make Reason, ProTools and Cubase work with a Korg MicroKontrol in a way that had the tactile workflow of the first set-up. Actually I'm still in limbo (minus warez), and got into iOS while procrastinating on a patch/rack project, and have done more with Gadget than maybe anything.
Read this after writing mine. Hey, brother.
Most productive was voice, drums, bass, and guitar through a rather impressive collection of pedals into a Tascam 788. I could mic an amp or record DI, and I could multitrack on my own or jam with friends.
Least productive was the same setup into Reaper, which may have had more to do with me finishing my university degree at around the same time I started PC recording. Now I'm somewhere in the middle, working mostly in-the-box with Logic or Ableton in a small condo. I use the iPad as a sound module, or occasionally will write songs in GarageBand or Gadget