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.
Do I need AB and AUM, or just AB?
My touring stage setup is itrack dock wth Bia FX and Softstep 2 and I’m wanting to start using AltiSpace and Kosmonaut as they are so much better than the delays and verbs in Bias.
So far, Using AUM I have Bias FX and two sends on one channel then a channel each for delay and reverb. I’d like to add Loopy to this, can I do so using AB3 or could I just do it all in AB3?
Comments
You probably want to keep using AUM like you are, but you need Audiobus to send stuff to Loopy. If you just use Audiobus, you can input your audio device on 3 tracks and have 3 different effect chains, but Audiobus will only create one mixer channel per actual input. So you need multiple selectable input channels on your Audio device to get multiple mixer lanes in audiobus.
The reason AUM doesn’t output to Loopy is because Loopy is not a host. Same thing with something like Blocswave, you need Audiobus. AUM will output to Audiobus though, and then Audiobus can output to many different apps that are not hosts. AUM can output to Audiobus and mostly DAW apps, like Cubasis for me.
So how do I connect the two? I need Loopy to be post AUM for the effects but pre AUM for the mix??
@soundshaper gave a workflow suggestion in response to the same type of question you posted on that older thread. What I would propose is slightly different.
I am trying to recreate the setup you described, but with the closest apps I have on hand. Here is the setup in AUM. Your audio input instead of the mic, BIAS instead of Tonestack, Eos instead of Altispace.
Here is the Audiobus part of the setup. The three tracks from AUM feed into the three tracks in Audiobus, which feeds them to Loopy as a stereo audio signal. You can use the AUM mixer to balance the tracks before Audiobus gets them, or you can use the Audiobus mixer to balance the tracks before they are mixed and sent to Loopy.
If you want to further process your loops after they are in Loopy, you would bring Loopy back in as an input in either AUM or Audiobus, then add more processing in the fx slots. As for which one is better to use at this stage, it depends what you are doing next. If you just want to record this final stage, AUM has a built in file recorder. If you want to send the stuff back into Loopy again or to yet another app, Audiobus would be the better choice.
That's a big help, thank you very much!
I think, from what you say, I could bring loopy back into AUM on a 4th channel to have control over all levels from one mixer.
This is for my stage setup and I'll be going straight to the stage box - will including Loopy and AB in this way have any implications for latency or tone quality?
And I've just read the response from @soundshaper in the earlier thread, thanks S.
Sounds good! I like to have Looper early in the chain so I can play with effects and modulation after recording the “dry” loop. I think it’s especiialy a good idea to place time-based effects like reverb and delay after the looper.
That is how I usually set things up too, record dry and add FX later. I was trying to help out with the way g-banjo had described his setup, but I would be doing it more like what you suggested if it were me.
Good points there, I guess I’m just going to have to experiment with the two approaches. I get what you’re saying about loopy before spacial effects but what if I want to throw some wacky delay on just one element of the loop? Or on what I’m playing over the loop?
Also I guess I need to consider setup time - which method would save most of the MIDI settings? I’ll need MIDI control of levels and, ideally, presets in my send apps.
No, your setup is great for live performance. You would want to record effects into the loop most likely like you have it set up. I mostly record, and tend to be indecisive at times, so dry is better for me so I can keep changing my mind forever.
When I am jamming out some experimental stuff where I just let things happen, I also use dry loops so I can try different effects easily.
I think if you know what you want your loops to sound like, and if that includes effects, it is better to record the wet loop and take the effects out of the chain to save resources. If you are wishy-washy like me, better go with dry loops and tracks and add the effects after.
I agree with above. However another fun thing to do in a live performance is to record the loop, then go crazy tweaking the post effects to make the loop more dynamic. This is probably only possible if you aren’t continuing to play guitar over the loop, unless you use expression pedals.
Very interesting topic.
Just as I am curious, does Loopy have anything that other Apps that can record, playback and loop audio, do not offer?
Beside Blocs Wave, Launchpad and RemixLive, I have Quantiloop Pro, LooptunesDJ, LooperSonic, LP-5 and Werkbench and thought that should be enough.
And don't get me wrong, I have no real experience with those apps, just collected them after recommendations in this forum - for later use.
So, what does Loopy add?
The only one from your list that I have tried is Blocs. I actually preferred Blocs at first, because it is really easy to jump in and get good stuff going. But I have been using Loopy more now and it is rock solid, whereas I stopped using Blocs so much because it has little annoying problems that seem to pop up frequently.
Loopy took a while to get comfortable with its workflow and gestures. I am still kinda clumsy with it. But it has a lot of cool features that Blocs doesn’t seem to have, and I am still trying to fully leverage Loopy’s power. The more I use Loopy, the more I like it.
Those other apps you have may be on par with Loopy, but I think Loopy blows Blocs away as a straight up Looper. Blocs does excel at getting stuff going in practically no time though, with the way it works with its sound/loop library.
Thanks