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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Bias and Jamup Question
I'm primarily a guitar player (and singer), so I've been really curious about Bias. With the current sale on Bias and Jamup and a sporadically restrained case of AAS, I'm wondering if I should dive in. I have Amplitube, with some expansion packs, and a POD HD500, not to mention two very nice tube amps. Go ahead and sell me. Why do I need Bias and Jamup?
Comments
It's a hard sell if you've got 2 very nice tube amps. Convenience? IK Multimedia sux? I also have 2 very nice tube amps, so I haven't bothered with an amp sim in ages. The free version of Jamup is nice but the effects are bad.
Well, Jamup I can live without personally (although there is no harm in taking the free version for a spin) but Bias really is worth getting for the simple reason that it sounds awesome.
BIAS is unlike anything else out there. You can completely tweak every nuance of your tone, so if it sounds bad, it's completely your fault. I think it's worth the money for sure, but it's a resource hog. Just be forewarned. Almost impossible to use it as IAA in Auria even on my Air. That could just be sloppy coding, but it doesn't matter what the cause is to me.
As a guitarist myself, I would say BIAS is definately worth it. I have a couple of nice tube amps myself, that I use for playing live, but BIAS is really impressive. I've owned Mesa's, Marshalls, Voxs, Bugeras and a number of other tube amps over the years. In addition, I spent many years as the Manager of a music store and had the opportunity to try just about anything you can imagine. While BIAS isn't a substitute for the real thing, it's really impressive and nice in a recording or possibly a live looping situation. Anyway, that's my two cents...
@dreamless how do you incorporate iOS in your rig with tube amps? Just curious....
** @boone51 said: **
HA!
I think JamUp is a good time. Like everyone is saying, it's not going to make you sell your tube amps (but I sure use mine less these days). That said, the amps and effects sound plenty good and much like your POD or the boss multi-pedals or whatever it's fucking convenient to be able to save presets, dial up all manner of different tones and re-order effects with your finger. I wish it would show the amps catching on fire every once in a while.
@Flo26 I'm not saying Amplitube sucks, it's IK Multimedia. Too many ads, unstable software. Amplitube Fender is one of my favorites.
@boone51 It's not sloppy coding. Emulating analog equipment eats up tons of cpu because it has to. More cpu = better sound. I try to model analog pedals in the effects I make for my apps and they use a lot of cpu for what they are. But they sound like I want them to. It's hard to sell this idea to users on iOS though because cpu is such an issue.
@jg707 I still use my mac for music. iOS and my tube amps are incorporated into my mac rig pretty much. iOS still isn't there yet. I use a Palmer PDI-03 to connect my tube amps to the computer and pretty much use them as plugins.
Ah yes! The speaker emulator....I could kick myself for having sold mine years ago. Good ones are hard to find and really expensive! I keep looking around hoping someone will sell one cheap, because they don't really know the market, but so far no luck... Thanks for the info!
Long time Pod user here, currently with an HD (previously owned the HD500 too). I just got JamUp myself, mainly because I like just keeping as much of the work on the iPad as I can when I'm writing a song. It's more focused for me that way, so largely it was more about work flow for me than anything else.
It sounds good though, not QUITE as good as the HD in some cases when played solo. In a mix though, no issues at all with the way it sounds. It's pricey when you factor in even a few of the packs. There's just 5 amps and like 10 effects in the basic version, and that alone is $20.
Bias is neat too, it's like a visual version of what the Axe FX stuff has been doing for awhile now. Personally, the stock amps in the Jam Up app are fine for me though (once you tweak them slightly), so I really haven't felt the need to roll my own much yet. It's neat, but you could get lost for hours doing that instead of just playing the guitar
@dreamless I'm totally with you right up to the point where I can load said amp OUT of BIAS and into Jamup and the CPU issue goes away. I don't know that this means "sloppy coding" or not. I just know its interesting that one app generates a ton of overhead on the CPU and another app generating the same tone doesn't. I'm just a dumb user, but that seems to indicate that BIAS could be a little less like...well...
http://www.omaharenovators.com/Omaha-Remodeling/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/boss-hog-240x300.jpg
If you are considering buying Bias to specifically find new tones/sounds AND also have Auria, check out Fabfilter Saturn/Timeless. I bought Bias and I like it but fabfilter stuff has surprised me and excited me just as much.
Good conversation, thx much, guys. I'm with you about never selling the amps and also believe that sims (ios, pedal or otherwise) can be valuable for specific purposes. Seems like Bias would be a great option for recording, so maybe that alone justifies it. I'm not convinced, especially with the mention of heavy cpu load, that I could swing it for a live performance. I keep hoping that there will be a quality solution to roll up to a gig (super small show or one that requires air travel) with just my guitar, ipad and small pedal board. Maybe we're just not there yet. Sure would help if Apple put a little RAM in the next ipad.
@gjcyrus I saw you raving about that either here or over on Auria forum and I've been meaning to try it out, but haven't yet. Maybe something for tonight. I also read someone asking over on that forum if it was ONLY for guitar. That was honestly the first time I'd even thought of that plugin like that.
@boone51 - actually it was another member on the auria forums who first mentioned it. I think it was marty (maybe?) but it was from someone who was VERY gung ho initially on Bias but later was blown away by Saturn presets so that's what peaked my interest. i dont want to hijack this thread but might be worth checking out. just last night was using Bias with Timeless on ipad mini. as long as you freeze other tracks, it ran okay, about 62% cpu.
My first post here is a question: I just grabbed jamup xt and so far it's great. From what I understand, if I also get Bias I can save amps from it to Jamup. So, even before I start experimenting, would it make sense to just get Bias instead of the IAPs in Jamup?
My first post here is a question: I just grabbed jamup xt and so far it's great. From what I understand, if I also get Bias I can save amps from it to Jamup. So, even before I start experimenting, would it make sense to just get Bias instead of the IAPs in Jamup?
@Trentsongs said:
Yes, Bias sounds way better than any of the ams in Jamup IMO.
I'd agree with @richardyot. What I'd like to see is a send/return in any of the iOS effects/amp modellers so you could use apps with better, or more effects, between the pre and post amps.
That would make them IAA hosts. I don't think that's possible if they're already IAA effects or generators.
I was thinking IAA when I posted that. It would be interesting to know if there's a way that an app could switch IAA roles.
Yes. This. The amps JamUp has are in BIAS. Spend some money on effects instead. Boss DD, Red Compressor, Rat are good. So is the Whammy.
@Trentsongs said:
Yeah, so I probably knew this was going to happen, but I bought both.