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.
Need help recording iPad vocals: Mics, Interfaces, Preamps
So my vocal recording quality is pretty poor. It's not that clean and not that loud, without really driving the track gain up in a DAW. So I need something with more gain & sensitivity, and that is clean. It may not be entirely the mic that is to blame, depending on how it's hooked up.
Here's the equipment I have and the setups I've tried:
Mic:
I've got an Audio Technica ATR-2100 USB. The mic can communicate over USB or XLR:
- The USB connection to the iPad CCK sounds okay, but just not loud enough. I really have to push my voice to get sufficient levels, which isn't always suitable for the track (or my voice, which strains easily)
- The XLR connection obviously has to pass through a preamp/USB interface of some kind, which introduces its own set of quality issues...
I own a Shure SM-58 as well, but I haven't been able to find it since the last time I had a band practice (a long time ago), so I can't test that...
Audio Interfaces:
I have 2 working interfaces:
- Peavey AmpLink: non-HD; works via stereo jack, very noisy, designed for guitar
- A Behringer UGC102, which is cleaner, but not great, and is intended for guitars, not mics.
- I also own an ART USB Dual Pre which worked okay until a friend borrowed it and broke it.
I think this is really the weak link in the chain for me. The UCG102 is basically my only real option right now and it isn't all that great to be honest, for guitar or especially vocals.
Preamp:
I have a standalone guitar/mic preamp:
- The Behringer MIC200, which is supposed to add "clean" gain and give it a tube sound.
When I run the mic's XLR through this preamp and then into the UGC102, the end result on the iPad is quite noisy and doesn't have that much more gain than the straight USB connection.
So, I may have multiple problems:
- Crap mic
- Crap USB interface
- Crap preamp
I'm willing to spend a little money to get something decent, but I don't have several hundred dollars to spend. I'm thinking I need to focus my attention right now on the USB interface. If that's not clean, nothing around it will sound good, period.
I used to be stuck on the idea of USB-powered interfaces only for portability's sake, but at this point I'm willing to consider wall-powered devices if the quality and price are there. If I'm getting a new USB interface it needs to be able to do guitar and mic both (not simultaneously, just either/or).
The Focusrite iTrack Solo looks decent, but I just can't drop $130 on a gamble as to whether or not it will improve my current situation. Any comments?
TL;DR - What is an affordable, tried-and-true method of getting a good, clean, high-gain mic signal into an iPad?
Comments
I think you pretty much need a decent condenser mic and a good interface. I love the presonus vsl series. The vsl 22 isn't too expensive and you get two really nice pres and phantom power runs off powered USB hub. I did this with my studio projects c1 and the presonus 44vsl and cubasis. https://www.dropbox.com/s/xeybgyffnkgdeiz/Friends (2).m4a
If you get a sweetwater music card a lot of the items give you 18 to 24 months to pay without interest.
Ahh, cool! That recording sounds very nice. So on that recording it was just C1 mic > VSL 22 > iPad? Those vocals are nice and soft, do you recall if you had much gain overhead? What app did you record into and did you need to use a noise gate or filter?
I've actually looked at that Presonus pre before, and read many good things about it.
Sweetwater sells a Presonus studio package that includes the VSL 22 and their own condensor mic (who knows how good). It's normally $300 but now its marked down to $199 -- same price as the VSL 22 by itself. Seems like a good option...
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/AudioBoxStu/
The other thing I was looking at is the Mackie Onyx Blackjack, any knowledge about that?
OH wait... that AudioBox bundle isn't the VSL 22, it's the regular 2-ch AudioBox. Apparently the preamps aren't as nice, and it doesn't do the soft FX?
I actually have the 44 vsl, but yeah just the c1 on the vocals, preamps set and around 12 to 1 o'clock and straight into cubasis with the gains in cube at 0db. just a little verb and nothing else.. the guitar was recorded into 2 AT 4031's simultaneously. no noise gate or filter or compression or anything really.. just the verb. i might have had a little eq'ing done in cubasis but not much.. oh and the ipad volume set 2 notches back from full volume..
only the presonus vsl series are compatible with ipads. the regular audiobox's are not..
Ahh ok. Thanks for all the details. Sounds like exactly the direction I need to go. Only catch is price. $200 is doable for the whole thing, but I'd need a mic on top of that most likely.
I wonder how the FocusRite iTrack Studio compares...
http://us.focusrite.com/ipad-audio-interfaces-usb-audio-interfaces/itrack-studio
I think the scarlett series is kind of the equivalent to the vsl, but that looks like a nice little package. focusrite makes nice stuff also. I guess you could get it and if you no likey send it back..
I don't think the Scarlett is iPad compatible out of the box. Maybe it works via CCK and powered hub... but the Solo has an actual dock connector cable attachment, FWIW.
I'm thinking something like the Solo ($120) plus an $80 mic like a decent MXL or something would be a good start... eh?
If possible, I would sell all the gear you mentioned you have and spend a little extra to get this. I love mine. Apogee ONE for iPad/Mac
Ha -- I just came across that too.. But yeah, $350... How is the built-in mic? Because that would leave me no money for a separate one. That would super convenient though, if it sounds good.
The built in mic is fantastic, it will sound better than just about any standalone mic you can buy for less than $500, with the huge advantage of being built in, with no extra connections to make or extra power bricks. You could easily make an entire high quality album with just that mic and nothing else, assuming your sound sources actually sound good in real life, and you use good mic placement. (The two most important, yet often overlooked factors in capturing live sound.) Then, if you find your SM-58 you've got another nice dynamic mic you could also use.
The SM-58 is more of a live stage mic. Tends to lack sensitivity in the high frequencies to make it more controllable in noisy environments. Great vocal mic for gigs though, especially for singers who can belt it out. Seen it used in studios on guitar rigs and on drums, as it can smooth out a harsh sound and handle sudden volume spikes.
yes the presonus vsl and the scarlett both need the cck.
I had the FocusRite iTrack. It's a good unit but there's no midi and the output wasn't hot enough for me. I use an Alesis iodock with an SM 58 > VocaLive > Loopy/GarageBand all through Audiobus. Like it a lot. I have 2 mic pre amps and rarely use them these days.
@PaulB - I think I remember reading an interview in TapeOp that Daniel Lanois recorded some of U2's drums by using a single SM-58 directly above the drum kit with only two other mics (one for kick and one for snare I believe). Something about how the sound compressed. I remember it because it struck me how you could accomplish a lot with relatively little. I'll try to find the interview.
Also, dont know how good of a singer you are jesse but I've found unless you are a really good singer, mics with limited frequency range cam be better for so so singers. If you have a super sensitive mic that captures your every detail but you got a shit sounding room and in my case, shit sounding voice, might not want that much detail but with an sm-57, got decent results.
Related note - try drinking honey before recording vocals with NO citrus. Do some vocal warmups and get a lot of rest before recording voice. I've worked with several
Just my 2 cents
Good tips, thanks. I definitely am not a great singer... I've always done fine with singalongs and cover songs where I've got a target sound to model, but singing solo (my own material) from scratch is kinda tough. The voice really is an instrument that needs practiced like anything else, so that's a big part of my problem too.
Yeah, I always liked my SM58 in a live setting, but I recognize its limitations for studio type stuff. I had a cheapie Behringer C1 or C3, can't remember, studio condensor mic which was fine for a time until it stopped working![:\](https://forum.audiob.us/resources/emoji/confused.png ":\")
I'm giving a lot more thought to the Apogee One (new version). It sucks that it won't work on Windows... Not that I do any Windows recording currently, but since I don't own a Mac, if I ever want to move to a desktop DAW, the One wouldn't work with my laptop. Still, realistically, I'm sticking with iOS for the foreseeable future. The integrated mic would be beautifully simple, assuming it sounds as good as it's claimed.
OK I've been watching/listening to Apogee One samples like mad and I think it would be a perfect fit for me... the catch is just the price. The first version still has a great internal condenser mic, and would work just as well for me I think, at about half the cost (street). The only downside would be requirement of using CCK and possibly powered hub... And it won't charge the iPad, but I really don't care about that at all. Thoughts?
Update: I pulled the trigger and ordered the new version of the Apogee One today. Ironically, I won't be able to even use it for a few days until I get my new iPad since I sold my other one. Still, I'm excited... Thanks for the input you guys!
@jesse_ohio how are you liking the Apogee One? Is it worth the $? I want to use a USB midi foot controller with it too. Can you use the maestro app if the one is plugged into a hub or does it only work when plugged straight to the iPad?
I am happy with the results I get with the built-in iPad mic. While that might make audiophiles shit themselves with pity and superiority, I have a range of mics in my studio but now prefer recording through the iPad into the desk, a little pre-processing involved, and getting a good green-line level through headphones. It works on a number of levels and has quite an astonishing range which is great for alternating vocal styles. Yarp. Cracking.
@sickmoth - I like the built in mics on iOS devices too, surprisingly good and pretty versatile. Between my Apogee ONE and the built in mic I rarely use anything else now. I use the ONE most of the time but the built in iPad mic can absolutely get good results. Mic choice and placement is subjective, always use what sounds good for the particular track as that is all that matters.
I wish I still had my old Boss Dr. Sample SP-202, I loved the mic on that thing, it was my first sampler. I should buy one again.
I bit on a One today. 15% off through today only and also another 5% off at alto music. For $280 I gotta hear it, been curious for quite a while. Just worried about the midi foot controller/USB hub thing since a Blueboard doesn't have enough buttons for me.
@Ringleader - You should be able to run the ONE and midi foot controller through the hub as long the hub provides enough power. I would use the power adaptor with the ONE in that scenario to make sure there's plenty of power and it should be fine.
@holdernessmedia - thanks for that info. Really looking forward to checking it out.
@Ringleader - No problem.
@Flo26 - Nice! The Quartet must be awesome. I rarely need more than 2 inputs but the quartet would be great for tracking drums and/or several people at once.
check out the Roland Duo-Capture EX. I've read a lot of good things about it, and it can be used with iOS devices, macs and pc's without needing hub power. It takes 2 AA batteries and can take dc power as well.
The smaller Focusrite Scarletts work out of the box with iPads. The bigger ones, multi-channel with monitor mixers And MIDI I/O, need firmware update setting up on a PC or Mac first, a once only thing. If you buy from a brick store they should be able to do that for you. I use a 2i2 for traveling jams, an 18i6 for home studio, and an 18i20 at work (on a Mac, not an iPad). All are good sounding.
@Ringleader Sorry I'm only now responding. I got my Apogee One and overall really like it. Thoughts:
I do have a few irritations with the One that aren't big problems on their own, but more frustrations that shouldn't happen with a $350 device:
Even though the website and product description specifically say that there would be a Lightning to Apogee One connection cable in the box, there was no Lightning cable - only a 30-pin dock cable. Since I use a Mini, I required Lightning. I contacted Apogee who told me the vendor (Amazon) must have sent me "old stock" since their newer stock does include that cable. They said I should contact Amazon to get a new version shipped. So I contacted Amazon, but they said they couldn't promise the replacement box would be from new stock either, so to make it up to me they credited 10% of the purchase to my account ($35) -- a nice token!
I replied to Apogee to tell them the vendor couldn't get me new stock and to ask Apogee to send me one directly. But they wouldn't give it to me for free as a replacement part -- they made me buy it. They gave it to me for 50% off list price, but it was still $18 shipped, which is really annoying considering what I just spent on the device that was supposed to come with it anyway. In the end, because Amazon graciously credited my account, I came out on top, but I think it's very, very, very poor customer service from Apogee to force me to buy the cable even though the product should have come with it in the first place.
I understand that it was "old stock", but regardless, Apogee is eating the cost of the Lightning cables on all new stock shipments, so why wouldn't they eat the cost of one cable for me, the customer who had no control over which version he received? I was forced to pay out of pocket. What's more, the cables were backordered from Apogee. In the end I wasn't able to use my brand new $350 device for about 2 weeks because of this issue, which is just plain dumb.
The One features a AA battery compartment so you can use the device without AC power. So far this has been more frustrating than useful. First off, the battery door is nearly impossible to open. The release tab is made of hard, brittle plastic that I can see no earthly way to squeeze open with bare fingers. I've been forced to use a screwdriver to pry it open, and I can tell it's just a matter of time before the plastic latch breaks. Dumb, dumb, dumb design, and virtually unacceptable for a device of this caliber and price. What's more, I've not had much luck with using the AA batteries for any extended recording session. Alkalines drained quickly, and the rechargable NiMH's I used didn't work at all for some reason. Even then, I'd be okay swapping them out as needed if getting the darn door open weren't next to impossible.
So, in the end, I'm keeping the One because it sounds awesome and there are absolutely no other products on the market just like it (by which I mean including the high quality internal mic). But every other thing about the One makes me regret buying it. $350 isn't chump change to me. When I spend that kind of money, I want to love everything about the product. And in the case of the One, that's just not true.
(Wow, long post, sorry!)
Thank you for that info! Much appreciated! One question, is the usb connection on the one just a mini usb or is that proprietary too?
Cool tune too, made me chuckle. And I agree about the discounts on Apogee gear, pretty much impossible to get. So when I saw the sale I had to do it. Hope mine includes a lightning cable though, sounds like a PITA if it doesn't.