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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MIDI Sync issues with 2 Launchpad Pros 2 iPads
So I got a second Launchpad Pro with the idea to use one of them with my older iPad with the Launchpad app with Blocs/User imported originals and the second one with my iPad Air 2 to play instruments and loop. I am trying to sync them together but am having mixed results. The connections are as follows...
Launchpad app on1st ipad sending midi sync out its midi out port >
iRig MIDI 2 in port (iRigMIDI is plugged into 2nd ipad via USB hub)
iRig MIDI 2 out port > MIDI in of 2nd Launchpad (which is connected to 2nd ipad via USB hub)
iRig MIDI thru port>going to guitar pedal chain
I have the MIDIbridge, Link to MIDI, and MIDI Link Sync apps and have tried them in different combinations... Another important note is that I do not have Wi-Fi here at my house, which I would obviously use in this case.
I basically want to be able to sync my apps on the second iPad with the Midi source that's coming in from the first iPad, as well as ableton link. I'm getting mixed results, sometimes arps, slices and delays seem off and sometimes it seems like they are working great.
I am not able to get the first notes of a loop recording (coming from LP) with Gadget. I can do this fine with just a single ipad/LPP setup. Haven't tried looping with Modstep or Infinite yet.
*Perhaps this would all be possible if I had Wi-Fi and/or an iConnectivity device! 
Perhaps there is another app other than the ones listed above?
Anyone have a similar setup? Advice? Any help is welcome...Thanks
Comments
Midi clock (aside from Loopy) gives mixed results as you notice so aLink or dedicated clock unit (ie electribe, beatstep...) and proper midi box (merger to avoid midi latency or directly something like motu timepiece) was the usual workaround with old units and lack of aLink.
The old iPad which iOS version has? Blocs needs 9? I can try to reproduce the setup with an old iPad3/iPhone4 I have with the news mini4/iPhone 5s. I have an irig midi and some audiomidi interfaces to try, just write your full setup and apps and I will try it
Blocs does not need 9, was just noting the importing of my own stuff...
I keep hearing how solid Loopys midi clock sync is, perhaps a way to add that in the mix?
1st ipad will be solely running LPapp. Yeah the old ipad in question is an ipad Mini1 os9...LOL Yeah I know it's a slow device, it's typical use is for audiobus remote or for a dedicated Impaktor pickup output. The old ipad could be the problem, but a strong midi clock sync I feel is all thats needed? At least with just the 2 lauchpads 2 iPads iRig MIDI, excluding ableton link...maybe?
Wi-fi is on the horizon at our house, (crazy right?) which will solve a lot of the syncing between two iPads with Ableton link problems, but this does not help me in a live situation unless I owned a hotspot hub, which is definitely not in the cards at the moment. I know the iConnectivity devices offer options for dual ipad setups, which could solves issues too. But for now I'm just trying to use what I have to work with...and see if it's possible without WiFi.
Getting dinner ready for the fam... I'll get back to you with that full setup. Thanks brother!
Can't you just use link ? My old iPad 3 has link with no problem alongside my iPad air2. You can even link via Ethernet hubs. Doesn't have to be wifi.
How do you have those 2 iPads hooked up with Link?
To use Ableton Link with 2 seperate devices they have to be connected on a network as I understand...
Check this thread out:- https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/20223/multiple-10-100-1000-ethernet-interfaces-for-ipad#latest
The USB hub mentioned there has an Ethernet port. So you can link 2 iPads using 2 of them. It's also a powered hub so should power your launchpad pros as well. I haven't personally used link via Ethernet on iOS but the guy that created that thread has.
Very interesting. I've seen the iConnectivity devices, but have not heard of these hubs before. Awesome, thanks man...
Cool!
iPad mini1 is like iPad2 if I remember well so I can try with my iPad3 irig midi to reproduce the setup.
Ideas:
I will make some test to see what happens and come back.
Nice post and findings!
@dubbylabby I found a temporary "fix" if you wanna call it that.
I had tried something similar yesterday but with a different app combo. Ditched the iRig MIDI 2 and went from LP#1 midi out directly to LP#2 midi in. I then used MIDI bridge and the Patterning app. Patterning has midi receive and midi send options in settings. Clicked on that to set up the Launchpad midi port as master. Then used the MIDI Link Sync app with it's MIDI to Link option, and it all worked. Downside was the app was showing a slightly fluctuating Orange tempo sync. (Not constant and Green)
Gadget and Thumbjam instruments worked nicely and it felt good to have 2 Launchpads going!
I would never use this live. It works for now, but it doesn't give me expanded MIDI options to my guitar chain or anything else I wanna throw in the mix. I really need a better interface...
Did you find out anything yet?
Sorry mate... busy day.
I have the midi clock IAP so I will try directly since your conversion step seems to add some fluctuation in the chain... maybe?
@AmpifyxNovation can you give us your opinion on this?
I feel ALink (with wifi hotspot) plus mIdi IAP should be what you need. I used one of these in the past to use iPad 3 as remote screen (with splashtop2) for Mac mini and worked quite well so it should manage ALink without hassle (I will try it too). One possible hardware solution could be bomebox. They were working on implementing ALink and that little marvel will have all you need... Did you considered it?
http://djtechtools.com/2016/09/26/bomebox-standalone-midi-hub-now-available/
Check comments
@Dubbylabby More strange behaviour...
This LP with that iPad and VL3 has synced perfectly many times before but for whatever reason stopped working. I then tested just the iPad and LaunchPad with the patterning app settings and I noticed it was not syncing with the Launchpad midi port at all. So I thought that port was busted or something. So just to be sure I then ran the MIDI out from LP#1 into the midi in of LP#2, ran LP#2 midi out into Voicelive 3, opened Patterning on ipad#2/LP2, setup midi to recieve from LP1/ipad1 LPapp and send to LP2 midi out... which then worked and synced with both Voicelive 3 and MIDI Link Sync app with Gadget. I looped guitar on VL3, looped Gadget instruments on VL3 from 2nd LP, recorded live into Gadget app at same time with Ableton link and the first ipad/LP running LPapp... I kept the stuff playing for 10 minutes and it all stayed perfectly synced.
Now just waiting on those hubs ship to the house.... Thanks for listening brother.
So I noticed that the minisync source from the Launchpad app with LP midi out port stopped sending a midi signal to my voice live 3 guitar pedal. I tried sending it directly into it as well as through my midi splitter box and I got nothing, even with a bit of jiggling.
But this still is not ideal, AT ALL! LOL... I need that first LaunchPad midi port to be able to send to the midi splitter box or even just the Voicelive 3, but it won't do it! But yet this crazy roundabout way works!? Ahhhhhrgh! I swear when I think I got it all mapped out...something f's up! Like the fact that, just today...my powered mixer' s fan is sounding like it's overheating and its about to blow! I don't have money technically to really spend on a mixer because I just bought a second LaunchPad!!! WTF
Listening and get shocked!
I'm getting ready my set to make some test as I promised but what you described is nuts behaviour
Do you have the midi clock LP app IAP? It's one of the things I want to try aside ALink/MSL combo...
Yup sure do... It is the brain behind the madness.
I've determined it is either the launchpad midi port or the voicelive 3 midi port that is being selective on when and what it wants to route... Jeezzzsh