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.
I’m getting clipping spikes in Syntronik
I have the free version of Syntronik, and aside from not having a normal overdrive effect in the app, I’m fairly pleased with the tones I’m getting, and have entertained the idea of getting the full package. However, I’m getting gain/clipping spikes in Auria, and cracklings when recording. In both Syntronik itself, and Auria, the meters on both are well into the green. I’m running Syntronik as a regular app (my only option as far as I can see), into the first slot in Audiobus, nothing in the center slot, and Auria base model in the last slot of Audiobus. So my question is, what could be causing this? I’m not that experienced in iOS, and am used to recording into Reaper on pc, so I’m guessing that this is some kind of user error on my part, but what could be causing this? Syntronik is the only app doing this, and at this point, I can’t seriously consider paying up to $100 for the full deal, unless I can get this sorted out. What could I be doing wrong? Thank you for any and all replies. Additionally, my keyboard goes out of tune in the upper registers on many of the presets.
Comments
If you pass a single instrument from Synthronik to Auria via Audiobus the level on track should be exactly the same in source and destination.
Doing the same with a combo of instruments (assuming each 'voice' is full scale) then the mixbus of Auria will overload. The channel meters won't show clipping, but the sum of all exceeds the range.
Either reduce Auria channel level or the output from Synthronik, the 1st is more convenient (that's what a mixer is used to)
The crackle is a different thing, it's mostly depending on buffer size, but too much CPU load is also a common source.
Auria defaults (iirc) to a very high buffer setting, that may not work well with some live played instruments.
Going out of tune implies a sample rate issue, best make sure that everything is running at 44.1. There's a possibility that Syntronik might not play nice at 48khz
Yeah, they are supposed to fix that 48khz bug soon.
Best to stick with 44.1khz until they do.
Thank you very much for the replies, I appreciate it. And yup, I have Auria set to two separate buffer sizes, 256 for playing, and 1024, for what gets recorded, so that’s probably why it’s going out in the upper registers. However, as far as the gain spikes, the only way it shows up in Auria’s metering, is a very brief flash of red at the top of the meter, which never connects to the rest of the meter display, which is well into green, both on the channel being recorded,and the master channel in Auria, which isn’t flashing red at all. I do have the lfo’s in Syntronik cranked which is likely contributing to the problem. The metering in Auria acts absolutely nothing like my pc running Reaper, and I’ve tried both pre and post fader metering. I’m somewhat skeptical about getting Auria pro at this point, in addition to Cubasis, as I’m not very happy with the way it acts( mostly little things like the cursor keeps running after the end of the music).I love some of the sounds I’m getting from iOS, just surprisingly good, recording in the base model of Auria has been a little frustrating, compared with the ease of Reaper on pc.
Is the gain spike visible in the recorded waveform?
No, not as far as I can tell, but the spikes are very brief, and manifest as crackles on playback.
I find it clipping/crackling frequently even in standalone (paid version) and even if the meter says otherwise.
Master volume within Syntronik has to go down quite a way to solve this
In fact last time I used it I just found it far too easy to get clipping with fast attacks and chords, and I usually have only one synth layer running. So I gave up using and was thinkning I should post something.
Generally seems very prone to unwanted artefacts, but like you I'm wondering if I'm missing something.
Crackles on playback sounds to me like CPU spikes, rather than a gain issue.
Maybe create a new project with a single track to see how that behaves. In a complex and CPU-heavy project you're very likely to hear crackles if the processor can't keep up with the audio thread.
Sometimes the CPU meter in Auria might be hovering at 50%-60% and there will be crackles, there is a MAX CPU meter which is useful for these situations.
Thank you for the reply, it’s a new project, with one track and instrument. Also, I’m running a late 2018 10. 5” iPad, & my CPU isn’t breaking 30%.
Thank you for the reply, in Syntronik, the meter is just barely even visible it’s so low, and I’m still getting the cracklings. I don’t know at this point if I’m the problem, or if it’s Syntronik.