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.
Studiomux + Ableton Link — Thoughts?
While these days Studiomux seems to be fairly stable and usable (with certain caveats) I’m personally having issues with getting Link working properly in conjunction with the SM app —it certainly doesn’t display synced tempos in the host app, does not respond/initiate Start/stop, doesn’t show connections. Some hosted apps get an internal sync but others don’t.
What are forum members’ general experience with these two? Any tips?
Comments
@Vaultnaemsae
Mac or PC?
MacOS here. Haven't dabbled in WIN for a while now.
Not sure why this is happening. I use Ableton with SM and (now, after the last major SM update about a year or 2 go when they went to dark-mode) it works flawlessly. Id say check the host app, make sure the SM server is compatible (I've heard folks having issues in Reason).
Please detail your setup
-Host app (Reason, Live or whatever)
-iOS version
-AU/IAA setup on iPad
Link is independent of StudioMux isn’t it? As long as everything is on the same WiFi network, all apps should sync regardless if StudioMux is involved or not. Unless you need it, for some reason that I can’t think of, maybe you can ignore sync in SM altogether.
OK, I've kinda figured this out. Not sure if I'm the first to encounter this problem or if, in fact, it is actually all by design.
FYI, my setup:
I just made new Studiomux/Live 10 sets from scratch to retry this all. I used the 3 Moog apps, and Funk Drummer (all via IAA).
IAA instances sync up regardless of Link being enabled. They seem to get Link info independently of Studiomux.
AUv3s don't sync unless you manually set the tempo and that's regardless of Link being enabled or not!
All Links are clearly displayed in Live 10 (4 Links present -- both IAA or AUv3 show as Linked). I've got mixed AUv3/IAA setups all syncing tempo correctly and both Funk Drummer Live 10 can start/stop the session.
Problems:
So...
Should Studiomux be considered a separate Link device?
Should it display the number of Linked apps/AUv3s?
Can anybody confirm similar behavior?
Is there some user error on my part here?
EDIT:
I just did some testing of AUv3 in Audiobus 3 and it confirms my suspicion that this incorrect behavior is a problem with Studiomux and the way it handles Link. Will try to report it to Zerodebug but those guys don't really seem to be terribly interested in responding to their users.
Also, AB3 host tempo changes are reflected in the Moog apps when used with IAA.
I have only used Studiomux with Midi Clock Sync to keep Ableton and iOS apps in sync.
How can you send LINK over Studiomux??
Why don't you disable Link in StudioMux? Keep it enabled in Audiobus and in AB settings keep IAA sync on . That way AB acts as a bridge from Link to IAA sync
EDIT: Or host most instrument apps directly in AB and keep StudioMux as 8 channel AB receiver
It’s not independent if you want to use AUv3 directly hosted within Studiomux — IAA should be fine.
There are 4 options in the Sync category of Studiomux — Link is one.
I’ll try that and report back, but in my experience Studiomux and Audiobus 3 don’t always get along very well with one another and add another layer of complication.
I’ve never had any issues with AB integration with StudioMux. I have had issues with apps hosted in StudioMux. But, whatever works.
I'm certainly not saying Studiomux IAA hosting is without issue! I just tested AB3 in the capacity mentioned and there is a problem. MIDI from my external controller doesn't make it to the IAA/AUv3 hosted in AB3 via Studiomux. This makes it a no go. I've hit the wall here.
I’ve done it before sending from PC through StudioMux to apps hosted in Audiobus. So I’m sure it’s possible. Maybe a screenshot of your Audiobus setup?
I didn’t save the sessions out of frustration
I’ll try again in the morning and post some screenshots. I’m recalling that I’ve had this issue in the past. I think that was why I was averse to loading up both SM/AB simultaneously.
Audio can return via AB/SM to Live 10 fine but MIDI from the source controller isn’t making it past SM. Even messing with the MIDI routing in AB3 rendered zero positive result. If MIDI doesn’t get in, nothing comes out!
@Vaultnaemsae here is an example using 3 apps without an effect.
First I launch Studiomux and switch inputs (3 for this example) from IAA to AB. I get a warning that AB should be launched first but you can safely ignore it.
Then I launch AB3 and go to midi tab first and add as source the virtual midi AB port.
Then I add the apps.
Notice that I’ve selected a dedicated channel for every input
On the audio AB3 tab ,I place as output the SM1,SM2,SM3 destinations.
Now SM looks like this:
I save the AB3 session and on my pc I select as midi out the Audiobus midi .
If you want to reload the session first do step 1 (until SM gets AB save stating) and then load the AB preset
Hi, The method you've outlined above is identical to a method I have tried without success.
I simply can't get MIDI from the external controller to the apps if they're hosted in SM via AB3. I have tried every method I can think of without luck.
AB3 makes the LINK syncing clean but it's still a pain to load your sets each time as sometimes the SM ports will become invalid and then you need to reset everything in both apps...And MIDI still cannot be routed in properly.
They are hosted inside AB, not SM, right? Does Ableton lists "Audiobus 3" as midi output? Can you test if pre-recorded midi (on correct midi channel) triggers anything on AB ?
The SM ports become invalid only if you skip Step 1. Else, even the most complex session is loaded fine in AB3. Or do you mean that SM stops during the session?
I personally use SM for simple stuff ,mostly because even on a simple session like the one I posted , the audio sometimes gets drifted like tape delay effect, probably SM is re-adjusting the buffers
Yes, Audiobus 3 lists as a MIDI port and I've got it activated in the MIDI page under settings. MIDI clips will not trigger anything though. The other weird thing is that some random audio is appearing on channel 4...seriously it's a ghost in the machine - nothing to do with my clips!!! That's got me stumped...
Both for me.
I haven't had to worry about that kind of problem too much when it's working but it depends on a number of factors. I have an iConnectAUDIO4+ and use it sometimes. It's pretty stable and has some useful I/O but I wanna get the iPad working with just Studiomux.
OK...
Let me start by saying how much I appreciate your help here. Audio/MIDI routing is not something I generally struggle with. I do some pretty complex routing between hardware and software devices without issue daily. This problem is just something around this particular setup.
FYI, all apps were hosted in Audiobus 3 and then channeled through to Studiomux. As I said, basically identical to your posted routing.
I've learned:
So, after much messing around and cursing Audiobus 3/Studiomux I found another solution that works almost perfectly; AUM!
1. Open AUM ports 1-8 on individual IAA channels in Studiomux;
2. Save this routing! I called it 'AUM x8' for convenience;
3. Open AUM and setup your tracks with IAA outs to Studiomux tracks. (Studiomux must be active for these ports to be visible/selectable);
4. Add any MIDI I/O routing you need (very easy as you can see MIDI activity via the MIDI routing section);
5. Once you've got your audio/MIDI routing sorted out, save it in AUM! I named it 'Studiomux x8';
6. Make sure to organise your Studiomux VST/AU setup in Ableton Live - I have mine set with 4 x generators + 4 x effects. I'll probably make some racks with these in Ableton later but now they're just in individual channel strips with the respective VSTs;
7. Done.
Now, every time you start your iPad for a session you simply need to follow these steps:
A. Open Studiomux (deactivate AB3 on channel 8) and load your 'AUM x8' preset - AUM will launch automatically;
B. In AUM, launch the 'Studiomux x8' preset and wait for the the I/O to populate.
Then you're good to go, no messing about. You can change apps without crashing Studiomux. It just works! Thankyou, AUM!
Glad it's finally working! A bit surprised by your setup, it's definitely a stress test if you add effects ! Which buffer size do you use?
On my ipad 2018 (which I found noticeably faster than my previous Air2) , 128 buffer and the light-test setup I previously posted stresses the cpu . Meaning StudioMux adds much overhead
I wouldn't (perhaps couldn't) run all the apps/channels simultaneously. It's more about having direct access when needed. Buffer is at 256 usually but sometimes 128 when possible.
I started replying to this and somehow got sidetracked...just realized the forum saved my post so dropping it in now...I do continue to wrestle with SMUX...
@Korakios --- FYI, just coming back to this thing with Audiobus 3. Saw the update today and decided to give it another try. It actually works now but there are a couple of things to note. I guess it was a misunderstanding of how to route this on my part that led to my problem.
For AB3 to work in the aforementioned context the user needs to try one of these methods where you use independent MIDI tracks in Ableton Live to funnel MIDI to the intended destination (this gets potentially tricky because they don't all behave the sameway).
**MIDI Instrument/Controller = GP-10
MIDI I/O Ports in Live 10:
studiomux @ iPad
Audiobus 3 @ iPad
Animoog [virtual] @ iPad
Sunrizer @ iPad**
On the additional MIDI track in Live 10 set up MIDI from 'GP-10' + MIDI to 'studiomux @ iPad' and enabled/armed the track. Then in the AB3 MIDI page set STUDIOMUX as the 'MIDI Sender' and each destination instrument's Virtual MIDI port as MIDI Receivers. But with this method only Animoog works directly; Sunrizer requires a MIDI input (Studiomux) to be allocated in its internal UTILS settings (and it works even if you remove the Sunrizer Receiver in the MIDI page -- which means you may as well not even use it. Thankfully Sunrizer remembers the ports you select.
On the additional MIDI track in Live 10 set up MIDI from 'GP-10' + MIDI to 'Audiobus 3 @ iPad' and enabled/armed the track. Then in the AB3 MIDI page set Virtual MIDI Bridge as the 'MIDI Sender' and each destination instrument's Virtual MIDI port as MIDI Receivers. This works flawlessly so far. Virtual MIDI Bridge MUST be selected in order for Audiobus 3 to receive MIDI from the 'Audiobus 3 @ iPad' port in Live 10 but you still must then route the MIDI within AB3.
Alternatively, you can just create independent MIDI tracks for each instrument as Live can see all the instruments' MIDI port names if everything is set up correctly. This means more tracks in Live 10 but no MIDI page settings are required in AB3.
This initially tripped me up because with Studiomux alone (no 2nd host integration) the MIDI source can be set on the same Live track where the VST is located -- In my previous case, the GP-10 is assigned as the source and the MIDI destination selection option disappears as the 'studiomux generator' VST converts the track to an audio track when you instantiate it. When using AUM as a host, MIDI always arrives and you just select the MIDI source next to the device you're using. It's much easier.
Another thing I’ve noticed of late is that the launch order of apps is of vital importance to performance/audio quality...
FOr iOS synths, the AUM preset absolutely must be launched first (contrary to my previous post). Next SMUX...
Furthermore, I’ve tested using the SMUX audio device as an I/O (No VSTs) with odd results. IOS synths work pretty much as expected but trying to make audio effects work (external audio effects in Ableton) is an absolute mess. For some reason it worked for about 5 seconds before it crashed core audio on the iPad and now I can’t get any audio into the iPad!!! It’s such a dog’s breakfast — I don’t even know where to begin...