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.
Comments
In AB tap on settings then turn on "Multiroute Audio".
Surprisingly enough I don’t have audiobus lol
Yea that one is very similar to the one I have now. The USB C port is in the middle and it has one USB port on the upcoming model
@YZJustDatGuy, how is your USB-C dock holding up? Does the physical connection feel secure enough even when moving the iPad about so the connection gets some tugs? Those 2 USB ports vs. 1 on the upcoming model make it much more interesting to me. The thickness (9 mm) seems to be exactly the same in both docks.
It’s sturdy enough. My only concern is that the hub doesn’t sit in the middle so you could possibly bend it but that still would take a bit of force. The two USB ports and immediate availability is what sold me. I usually only need two
They look like a good idea, but I went with an external with a short cord, not only to lessen any pressure on the connector, but mostly because as soon as Otterbox release the new Defender case for the 12.9, that’s where this slippery puppy will live. No chance of using that style of interface then. 😉
Understandable. I personally hate otter boxes because they take away the feel of the device but protection is key
I hear you... most of the time, I remove the screen protector sheet so I have direct contact with the glass. It’s protecting the rest of the device that I’m interested it. The new case design is well-thought out, with a protected place for storing and charging the Pencil too. Hope is ships soon, as I find the thing just unbelievably slippery. 😱
These dongles are a mess. I also had to restart the iPad after it stopped recognizing this one.
Do we need stands for our dongles now?
I'm grabbing a USB-C extension cord, personally. I hate having a wiring octopus right in my space, especially suspended by the jack and plug. Even the CCK3 bugs me.
@mistercharlie in one sense I totally agree. I think the dongles with built-in cables (all of them seem to have 4 -8 inch cables) will end up being too short in certain situations. ...for example, your picture above
(sorry it makes me laugh) Someone could make a killing off dongle-sized banana hammocks.
Also the dongles that attach to the side of the iPad are in the same predicament. Both of these types seem doomed to fail quickly. I just can’t imagine the USB-C port being able to survive with the constant weight of the dongle + other cables pulling down on the plug.
That’s why I suggested the one at the top of this thread. It has no attached cable. It comes with a 18” cable included or You can get one that suits your needs so the dongle + all the cables can rest on the desk.
It will be interesting to see if these different dongles build good user review ratings. If I were buying one right now, I would do whatever it takes to make sure I can keep the heavy dongle and extra cables secure on the desktop, with as little stress as possible on the USB-C port itself.
Maybe a good solution
as long as the extension is quality.
And yes, I have similar feelings about the CCK 3
I have a question, is this usb c port on the iPad a Midi usb thing too?
Right now I am hooking up my iPhone to my helix (CCK and usb cord) and the iPhone sends via usb midi even Audiosignals. Meaning, I fire up AUM and jam along on the helix. Is this possible with the new usb c port? Thanks guys!
USB-C port should work exactly the same as your current setup over lightning. You’ll just need a USB cable that has USB-C on the other end, and won’t need the CCK.
Thanks for your lightning (haha) fast reply! This really starts looking for a winner choice... I think i will get one of those shiny 11 inch pads. lookingamazonforcables
@david_2017 I'm thinking the same thing, though I will have to go for the 12.9
It does look amazing
This would be my hub of choice, it has everything, including DisplayPort (and an adapter to convert to HDMI).
And yeah, its worth mentioning that a USB-C hub will also let you send video out to an external monitor. I'm extra curious to hear how that is working for musicians, especially for VJ apps.
Be careful to assure yourself this will actually work with ios, they‘re only talking about Mac/Win (I‘m eyeing this also...)
thats true, but thats also the beauty of USB-C. If it doesn't work... well then either iOS or the hub are out of USB-C compliance. Technically any USB-C hub should work.
and good point, Apple didn't say anything about DisplayPort, though they did say HDMI should work with the new iPads...
I need to get a USB-C to USB-B cable to use with my iConnecMIDI2+ interface. Has anyone found one that works ok? I asked Cable Creations about theirs and they said they didn't think it would work with the new iPad Pros...
Sure, but this thing does alot more than those smaller dongles, that‘s why I am hesitating (first I‘ll need the 11“Pad, anyways...). Let me know if you buy it, how you get on with it. Cheers
I think their "didn't think it would work" answer is more an issue of most people not realizing that audio interfaces work great on iOS. A standard USB-C to USB-B cable should work fine. Data is data...
The manufacturer said they didn't think it would work cause there wouldn't be a driver on the iPad that would make it work. Maybe the person responding didn't really know?
@gkillmaster exactly, they just didn't know.
iOS has drivers built in, it's called "class-compliant" audio and MIDI. All you need is the right cable to connect to USB-C.
Before now, it was actually more complicated with the lightning port. iOS does not normally let the lightning port act as a USB host (for anything, including audio/MIDI). The CCK has a chip that enables the iOS device as a USB host, both for transferring photos and for hosting audio/MIDI devices that are class-compliant. So the CCK was a necessary dongle that is no longer a requirement with USB-C.
Thank you @Hmtx ! Do you know if Cable Creation cables are decent, or do you know of one you know is decent?
no clue on that @gkillmaster. I tend to trust the Amazon review ratings. And Amazon return policy is great, so I would go for it.
I just received a couple for my iPad Pro and they are very nice. Well made and quite sturdy.
Thank you!
Yay! Thanks. Is there any issue with getting one 15'? will order now...
Just take in consideration there are differences between just plain usb-c port and thunderbolt usb-c port. Same connector, way different purposes.
Source:
https://www.cnet.com/how-to/usb-type-c-thunderbolt-3-one-cable-to-connect-them-all/
New iPad pro has usb-c but not Thunderbolt connector. In booth a chip manages how it behaves (like cck) but it could be driven by host/endpoint (afai understood).
This is from a Serato forum post talking about the same (more or less)
Source:
https://www.imore.com/usb-c-audio-and-ipad-pro-everything-you-need-know
So as I spotted there, lets look a bit deep before make full assumptions. It seems an improvement but let's take info at hand to be helpful. Apple is Apple, don't forget about it
@Dubbylabby that imore.com article is very informative, worth the 5 minute read.
also a good point to remember that there is no Thunderbolt support. thanks for that
I still think we are at one of those rare convergences where "Apple being Apple" also gives us end-users an objectively better product.
...think about it. remember when we were just shocked to discover that USB audio and MIDI devices actually worked over CCK? and even more amazed when the Apple Store started listing Audio/MIDI on the CCK product page (providing official support for it).
The fact is that iOS is finally moving past lightning port workarounds and into standardized USB-C. This is nothing but good news, even if it takes a while to sort out the limitations and parameters of what will or won't work.
...I mean it's just kind of funny to think that some of us iOS musicians are worried/upset that Apple is dropping the lightning port, which was always a hacked together workaround for music and MIDI.