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.
Loopy + Amplitube + iPad + Guitar + Mic + Blueboard + Expression Pedal + oh sh*t!
Hello guys! I'm new here, and I have no much experience on "digital music".
I would like to start a solo "career", since I was working for 25 years in bands (I'm 42 now). And of course, a portable setup would be awesome.
I have some guitars, but probably I will be using a Gretsch 5420T. This will be connected to an iRig, wich will be reading what amplitube says on an iPad. The iPad could go to the power stage of a solid state Fender amp I have, that way I will be colouring the sound with amplitube and powering with the amp. So, I need to know what to do with mic. My idea is to sing and play the guitar, loop some guitar/vocal parts, and so. Should I use a mixer and put the mixer before the iPad? Should I use another computer/iPad/iPhone? What do you recommend to finish this thing?
So, long story short: amplitube and loopy on the ipad, guitar to the iRig then to the iPad, iRig output to the power amp, then what? Mic? What to do with the mic? a mixer? An interfaz? another iPad/iPhone? What to do!
Thank you very much guys!!
Comments
One solution is to use a PA rather than a Guitar Amp so you have control of that vocal Mic.
Roland makes 2 great "StreetCube" PA/Guitar Amps that can power small shows and even work on the Street with Batteries.
Roland also just put out a Go:Mixer Pro that adds a Mic XLR inout to the IOS device (iPhone or iPad) so that might work for you. There are a lot of audio/midi input devices that come in here like your iRig product but add that XLR Mic audio input.
After the iPad/iPhone you need a powered speaker (or 2 if you love stereo effects on your music). That where the Roland Street Cube can help and it also models Guitar Amps so you can even work without the iPad. The larger Street model allows you to add more musicians for duos and extra mics.
The Rolands are roughly $300 for the small one and $500 for the bigger unit which also has a speaker stand hole in the side to get the sound up at ear level. Or they work well on the floor and in a real PA environment they can face towards you to give you control of your monitoring of the sound: which is so important to hear yourself in any performance to insure you don't strain your voice to hear the pitch. You want to use your voice at 75% of full voice if you work a lot or you'll ruin your vocal instrument in a few years.
There is also iRig Pro DUO that has two XLR/instrument/line combo inputs and balanced L/R outputs. http://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/irigproduo/
I'd recommend sending output to a full range speaker and not a guitar amp, too. Even a solid state guitar amp will add coloration and is designed for a specific kind of sound which may be great for vocals.
Will the iRig Pro Duo give me 2 outputs? I mean, I have to create loops on Loopy for guitar and mic, so I guess I need Loopy getting the guitar and mic separated.
The Roland is a very nice idea. I have to solve how to put the mic and the guitar on Loopy. I will create loops for guitar and mic.
Thank you very much for your answers guys! I will investigate both options deeply. Another factor is that in Chile is not possible find everything, so lots of stuff are expensive if you buy them outside Chile.
iRig Pro DUO has two balanced outputs. How those are routed would be app-dependent.
You need an audio interface that gets both mic and guitar into the iPad. iRig DUO does that.
Then you need to decide if a stereo image is important and get 1 or 2 powered speakers to drive the output. You might also use a typical stereo amplifier and standard speakers to be your "PA" since your choices and budget might be limited in Chile. If you have to use an instrument amplifier just try to set it as "clean" as possible for the voice to sound good. There are some "acoustic guitar" amps that add a mic input that solo acts use. They also add reverb in these units.
Then come up with a "workflow" around Loopy for your performances. There are Apps called AudioBus3 and AUM that can help manage the routing of audio to Apps and act as a mixer between the guitar and the vocal outputs. If you decide to use one of those tools in the set up you can get good advice here.
Well, choices are not so limited, we don't live in the trees! xD But Chile is an expensive country. I bought almost all in the states, but an amplifier is another story. Is so big that it will be too expensive to ship it, so no.
I think the iRig Pro Duo is a very good option. I think I will go for that way. I already bought Audiobus 3, and I'll check now how AUM works, and learn all the routing thing, since I'm not trained for that.
I'll check for a decent PA to put all there, probably is the best idea. I will sell the iRig PRO I have now and will change it for the Pro DUO. Probably I'll get a FCB1010 as an affordable and solid mmidi controler, to control both Amplitube and Loopy on the iPad.
A question I have, can the FCB1010 be connected to the Blueboard? So I could have a lot of controls available?
Guys, really thanks to you or all the help!!