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.
If iDam's so easy, when and why use midimux and midimitr?
First of all, thanks to EVERYONE who chimed in on this. It was SO easy to set up iDAM. What a shame that it is not more popularly understood (at least by me!)
That said, I'm wondering what the advantages are to using midimux and midimitr? I kind of like having the clean iDAM connection. It's great. I've even been changing tempos in Ableton and the syncing is tight.
Comments
I've been using IDAM on and off for a while - it's so simple to set up and works really well.
I bought Studiomux to try a few weeks ago. The major advantages are:
1) You can send audio IN to the iOS device - so you can use the iPad AUs as FX plug ins
2) You are not limited to just a stereo output. I think there are 8 channels (might be just 4) - so that you can send several apps from iOS to MAC in one go and then mix / record / add fx to them in Ableton.
The disadvantage (for some people) is lack of stability. Some people really struggle to get them working properly - whereas IDAM seems pretty foolproof.
Why? U don’t have to buy a Mac.
Ha! Yes true Studiomux works on PC too
I would use Studiomux if it actually worked. But for me, it does not. But in *theory it’s way more flexible.
IDAM is everything in my workflow right now !
I use MidiMittr for wireless Blutooth MIDI connections.
Midimux came out before idam, there’s not a lot of point using it now though.
SM affords a lot of freedom that IDAM only hints at. When it works it's truly amazing in that it enables perfect (almost?) integration of all the best audio/MIDI aspects of both your PC and iOS with minimal messing around.
In addition to ricksteruk's comments I'd add that Studiomux kindly:
-Removes the single step of selecting 'Enable' your iOS device in Audio and MIDI settings for macOS (assuming you leave the server running 24/7);
-Enables users to save routings in their chosen DAW (I guess you could kinda do this with IDAM but it's more logical to me with SM. Also it means you could shift your work between platforms since it works on both WIN 10 and MacOS);
-Enables routing of audio into your DAW separate to the selected audio input device -- so you don't have to aggregate devices if you don't want to.
BUT...
I've had trouble getting Studiomux to work correctly with iPhone 6 (impossible)/7+ (buggy as hell) but it works flawlessly with an iPad Pro 10.5" model.
Sometimes the UI of the VST/AU gets messed up and won't let you choose your iOS device correctly.
The iOS app could use an overhaul as it's far from elegantly designed and some controls are not intuitive.
The user manual is an absolute dog's breakfast.
Zerodebug is horribly slow to reply to support questions.
Latency issues. Some apps work better than others. Quitting and relaunching apps can introduce latency, going into sleep mode, creeping latency over long sessions... In my tests, Studiomux performs better in these areas.
IDAM is treated as an Audio Device by the DAW. Thus, unplugging the iPad, rebooting etc, causes an error message as the DAW looses audio driver connection. It has to be “enabled “ in Audio MID Setup every time you connect the iPad. You have to quit your DAW before disconnecting the iPad or else you get a loss of audio driver error message. Studiomux is routed via an audio plugin, thus you can freely unplug, reboot, etc the iPad much more easily.
These are two of the main reasons I prefer Studiomux.
x2
Now if OVERBRIDGE would just work....... wuuuwhuuuu
Can you recommend a STMUX tutorial vid?
(Or do one...... )
I never even thought of that
I have a bugger of a time w/ BTooth controller w my MacBook(2015)
Less issues using my BT midi devices w iPads than Mac.......
Going to investigate.
Can your new app route things like this?(using iDAM)
Studiomux setup is simple, no need for a tutorial. The reason why it doesn't work for some I don't know. For me it has always worked, with any iDevice, with any computer.
What I do when I set up a Windows computer (and always did):
Not sure if these things have anything to do with Studiomux functionality. However, in some cases the Studiomux server installer informs me that there is some virtual port or driver on the system (from rtpMIDI), and that I should make sure to have the latest version installed. So for those Windows users who never succeeded to use Studiomux might try this installation method.
Ay that is the heart of the proverbial rub! There are basically no video tutorials on Studiomux workflow! I have thought about creating one, but video editing and screen capture etc is a skill set I haven’t had time to keep up with in recent years.
I have created step-by-step instructions as a text document, for both Studiomux and IDAM... which I have posted here before... Maybe I could add some screen shots. hmmm..
Maybe, you could add a page on the wiki? That way we can point people to it -- and maybe it will get refined over time even.
The problem is that the workflow can be different depending on what DAW you use. My step-by-step instructions are for Digital Performer. Every DAW is slightly different and instructions for one DAW are at best an analogous workflow from which one would have to extrapolate and adapt for other DAWs. FWIW, here is a link to my instructions for both IDAM and Studiomux w/ DP which I posted on the MOTUNation forum:
motunation.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=65501&p
It might get the ball rolling -- even if it only applies to some situation.
I've added a page to the wiki. If folks have tips and tricks to add that'd be great:
https://wiki.audiob.us/studiomux#digital_performer_set-up