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.
Advice please - performance issues are driving me 🤪
Hello
I'm still fairly new to ios music making and overall loving it.....
But I'm getting performance issues that are stopping me in my tracks.
Ipad 2018, Cubasis running a handful of AUs (Pure Acid x2, Kauldron, DRC, Primer, Ruismaker FM, Model D, NPD, Blackhole, Bleass sidekick + a couple of the Cubasis built-in effects ) and a little automation.
Other than just the CPU crackles I'm also getting a complete crash/freeze when I try just about anything: muting/unmuting or just changing a synth parameter.
I tied freezing some stuff but it didn't seem to buy me back any performance even when I deleted the original track altogether (obviously with any AU FX being used). Plus my workflow dictates that it's way too early to be freezing tracks as I haven't even tried making this into a song, it's still just a 4 bar loop.
Also tried adjusting Cubasis Hardware Latency (buffer?) to medium from low. Still rubbish.
I guess my question is, is a standard iPad just not powerful enough for this kind of use?
I can't afford a Pro so would an Air 3 (3gb of ram over my current 2gb) make enough of a performance gain?
Any ideas or help would be gratefully received.
Comments
I would start with removing Model D and trying again
Model D is really CPU intensive?
I just bought my son a 2019 iPad for Christmas and I’m going to exchange it for the Air 3 since I can get a similar deal on it by getting a step down in storage.
Comparison with benchmarks
For your buffer setting, you’d try a higher setting. That often helps pops and clicks. More latency, smoother operation. It’s a trade off.
I usually clear my ram with this free app called Battery Saver. It has definitely helped many times. I’ve heard that RAM distribution and usage is weird on iOS. But this app is free and it’s one step I can try. I also do a soft reset. And airplane mode. But that app has helped on my iPhone 7 and iPad 5.
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/battery-saver-manage-battery-life-check-system-status/id999500679
Unless you're playing live stuff frequently, I'd always use high buffer settings. And yes Model D is pretty cpu intensive.
I have a feeling you are pushing your iPad right to its limits here, by some combination of synths and effects used, polyphony, and latency settings.
Model D is perhaps the most CPU hungry on that list, though like all synths, moment by moment CPU demand depends a lot on the patch and the polyphony.
Looking through your list to see the ones I use, DRC also has a lot of analogue modelling, and can be quite CPU intensive too, but again it depends on the patch.
At the other end, the Ruismaker ones tend to be quite light on CPU.
Agree with previous poster that I'd try setting your latency as high as possible just to see what it does to your CPU usage. I have an iPad Pro 2017 and usually set mine pretty high and just learn to live with the slight lag in exchange for more real time performance.
Also try using Airplane mode to reduce the sudden demand on the system by other iPad functions. I also optimise my iPad for real time performane by turnig off things like Background App Refresh, Location Services, and a few other things, similar to what you'd do with a desktop which is tuned for live work.
Thanks all. I will try a higher latency and that Ram clearing app.
Failing this I think I'll upgrade to an Air 3 as that comparison/benchmark list shows me I'm pretty underpowered.
Freezing should free up the resources used by any AU on the track. Model D uses a lot of CPU but not when frozen.
Besides buffer size there is also a setting about plugin compatibility mode or something that can make a difference.
And I'd recommend a full reboot of the iPad before any serious session.
Replacing Model D with the Viking synth is worth a try. Very similar sound, much lower CPU.
Thanks for the link