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.
Issues with iConnectAudio4+ and Audiobus 3 (midisteps and MidiLFOS now solved)
There currently some issues with this interface such as Midisteps and midilfos not working. So here's a thread to discuss any problems and tips.
Edit: Midlfos and Midisteps now updated and working
Edit by Sebastian: I've changed the thread title to make it clear that the issue is not the iConnectAudio4+ and Audiobus but the combination of midiSTEPs, midiLFOs, Audiobus 3 and the iConnectAudio4+
I've also contacted the developer of both apps. Fingers crossed.
Comments
For now it's safe to say that we need to route audio to AUM and then route each channel to different multi outs to record on the 2nd device since AB3 itself doesn't support multiple outs. Also. MidiSTEPs and MidiLFOs should work fine hosted directly in AUM but I haven't tested it myself yet. @Carnbot could you test and see if it works this way ?
Some AB3 presets have a problem reloading when connected to my ica4. Unsure why this is happening....
ToneStack refused to load when connected to the ICA4+ as well. I'll have to try again to see if it is consistent.
Midisteps audio out ports are working ok in AUM I think but Midilfos doesn't. But then Midilfos generates no Audio so you shouldn't need to host it in AUM anyway (it's listed as a generator in AUM) I always used to just load that separately as a standalone. But i really want it working in AB3 as you can save it in setups etc.
I have a feeling that icconectivity might actually need to make some changes to their firmware..... hope it's nothing major
A bit OT as it's about AUM, but when AUM becomes fully AB3 compatible it will help a lot when working with the ica4. When AUM is AB3 ready you should be able to select AUM as a midi receiver (hopefully) and then you can host all your audio in AUM if you want and use AB3 as the midi controller and save it all. Currently you can't send midi through to AUM from AB3 unless it's going through an audio app hosted in audiobus.
Okay, ToneStack + AB3 + ICA4+ = fail
I tried ToneStack, Amplitube, AmpKit, all Positive Grid apps, Flux FX, Quantiloop, WOW, Holderness Media apps, Apesoft apps and more. None of them launch properly into AB3 FX slot with the ICA4+ attached. Bummer.
Please contact iConnectivity, @Sebastian, this needs to get fixed urgently!
EDIT: LoopyHD won't launch in any slot either...
Did the afore mentioned apps work with AB2 and ICA4+? If so it sounds more like something the AB team should fix.
yes. a lot of these apps that are failing now used to work fine with AB2 and the interface. so its an AB3 specific issue.
I think it's best to use Audio units if possible, always. Esp when working with the iCA4.
Probably best to wait until other FX apps are AB3 compatible.
All audio units are working ok I think in AB3, occasionally there is a gui problem, when it appears zoomed in, but switch to portrait view and back again resets it.
Apesoft Au stuff is working ok as far as I know.
It's probably something to do with midi then isn't it.
I just tried Tonestack and Bias FX in AB2 (+ iCA4+) and the sound is completely distorted; that must be after the last update of AB2 (to make it AB3 compatible?).
yes I'm getting this AU gui bug quite a bit. Flip to portrait and back corrects it.
Nah, Audiobus 2 is not 'compatible' with Audiobus 3. We just did the update for preset transfer reasons and the name change.
The iConnectivity interfaces always tried to take over the active audio session, which always caused some issues. I'm going to see if I can get a hold of iConnectivity about this but I'm not hopeful.
I filed a support ticket at iConnectivity and mentioned this discussion. I also asked them to get in touch with the audiobus team. I really hope this will be fixed soon. It's the best interface for iOS and should be a very widespread problem, I think.
Can you send me a support ticket with steps to reproduce? Would be very handy!
https://audiobus.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/requests/new
I'm curious. Is there a particular reason why the interfaces work with AUM but have issues with Audiobus ? Just wondering what's different between the two....
If I can reproduce it reliably will let you know a way. It just seems occasionally at the moment.
We'll have to look into this but it's probably something about Inter-App Audio and how Audiobus does it differently. It's a really complex system, sadly.
I've contacted iConnectivity to see what can be done about it.
I'm sorry for mentioning my 'distorted sound' problem with Tonestack and Bias FX in AB2 (+iCA4+): after rebooting my iPad, the problems were gone. So for the time being I have to use AB2 for guitar + effects + midi...
Thanks a lot!
Huh, that's an interesting information.
Thanks for looking into it. Hopefully you'll be able to sort things out with them
Why @Sebastian? Because I'm talking about AB2 (two)...
Because the behaviour is different in Audiobus 2 and 3.
FYI, I've added this to the known issues list.
Yes it is. Thank you.
And why it works with AB2 but not AB3. I think this looks more like a problem on the AB side.
I can confirm that it used to work in Ab2 as well. So it's pretty specific to AB3 actually.
Will test in Ab2 when I get home and reinstall it.
I just tested with AB2 and no problem there.