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.
Piano latency, both Ravenscroft and Collosus…
I’m getting horrible latency on Ravenscroft and Collosus piano even with latency set to 1 ms on Colossus, 5 ms on Ravenscroft..... I’m using a 1st generation iPad Pro w around 40 gig of memory left. I do have a lot of apps.. Perwhaps I should delete some of them? Any clues? I tried going w cables instead of wireless but it didn’t seem to make a bit of difference.. I was considering IK Multimedia B3x but I’ve got cold feet now.. Any ideas?
Comments
Are you using Bluetooth headphones?
On-screen keyboard or MIDI?
Are you running them standalone or in a host?
What are the audio and MIDI connections?
Is BlueTooth audio in use?
Nope , my Roland GO piano has onboard speakers. Audio is going through thise as it has both Bluetooth audio and midi ...
I’m using them standalone . So it does work but w lots of latency . I’m also using a CCK.
The Bluetooth audio is what's killing you. Does the GO have an 1/8" audio input?
The Bluetooth connection is for streaming backing tracks or audio from videos, but Bluetooth is really usable for interactive performance audio.
Bluetooth audio will generally have noticeable latency since it uses lossy audio compression that requires its own (hidden from the user) buffers. This may be more noticeable with some apps than others. If an app has some (but tolerable) latency without Bluetooth audio, the somewhat increased latency might cross the threshold to bothersome. Different bt devices use different codecs which means this affects some devices more than others.
Are you running your iPad with an audio interface or just by itself?
How does it sound when you use headphones into the iPad? Is that latency acceptable?
If yes then you're going to confront the MIDI + audio out issues to get low latency and a quality audio out.
the headphone out uses the iPad's internal DAC (Digital to Audio chip) and mine was prone to
adding noise to the signal.
My first solution was the Korg Plug key which accepts 5-pin MIDI and has it's own DAC and a volume control. I'm a headphone user so that was great. This device has a lightning connector and is small.
It's headphone port running into my Casio with speakers works great. So look for the audio in on your keyboard.
Then I wanted to have audio in as well.
So, I added a Personus USB Audiobox (2" height, 3" deep, 4" wide): using the CCK
2 audio ins and 2 audio outs using 1/4" cabling (guitar cables and PA cables)
5-pin MIDI In/Out ports
headphone port with volume control
NOTE the CCK with power port is needed and it needs to have power for the audio interface to light up.
If MIDI 5-pin is a problem then use a powered USB hub to connect everything in/out using a good audio interface for audio and monitoring.
I have both these piano products and latency is NOT an issue. Load times for the Colossus and recording is DAW's is a problem. RC275 and Korg Module's IAP Ivory American D are my favs.
McD, thanks so much for your detailed and timely reply. I’m probably just gonna call Sweetwater or something .. Roland itself is closed today.. I’m hoping that Korg keyplug is the solution or possibly the zoom 22 or 24?
I see now it’s not the app itself .
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/U24--zoom-u-24-handy-audio-interface?mrkgadid=3319245776&mrkgcl=28&mrkgen=gdsa&mrkgbflag=0&mrkgcat=&&acctid=21700000001645388&dskeywordid=39700048796760813&&device=m&network=g&matchtype=b&locationid={loc_phyiscal_ms}&creative=408044624301&targetid=dsa-404582321661&campaignid=6730319008&gclsrc=aw.ds&&mrkgcl=28&mrkgadid=3319245776&rkg_id=0&campaigntype=dsa&campaign=aaDSA&adgroup=1233692239:DSA - Studio & Recording&placement=google&adpos=1t1&creative=408044624301&device=m&matchtype=b&network=g&gclid=Cj0KCQiAkKnyBRDwARIsALtxe7hJ47uCnB_mAOxeOHJ0uSG_lOLOfjU4oQUMcqQ2nMl0wHcAE_QvEnkaAg8uEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
Yeah! That AUX In jack is what you're looking for. If you have an iPad with a headphone jack just get an 1/8" to 1/8" cable. If you have one without you'll need a Lightning adapter that provides 1/8" output, or a USB audio adapter to use with your CCK3.
That Zoom looks good. The 5-pin MIDI would be required to connect to the keyboard to be able to use the USB for the CCK adapter to the iPad. If the keyboard is also USB only then you'll nee to add a Powered USB hub to connect everything.
USB is great for transporting MIDI and Audio over the one critical iPad connection.
I wanted a totally mobile set up and tried an 18W battery pack to power up the USB hub but it didn't work. Something had to be plugged into the wall. I noticed that the Battery pack has a black and a blue
USB port and I might have used the black which is probably 5W and that was my problem. My target IOS
device in this case is the new iPhone 11 Pro which charges from an 18W adapter. It's a nasty little mess of cables but still might work from the Blue port. My intention is to have multiple keyboards and an Audio Interface all working over the CCK connection without wall power. The Zoom would be a good placement for the Presonus in this scheme. Then I can wear a vest with all the extra gadgets in pockets.
I started by successfully Velcro'ing everything to a guitar but I keep adding more devices. Bluetooth only comes into play for the floor buttons to trigger events, toggle loops, or turn music pages (which would require a larger 18W IOS screen device to be useful).
@McD: Thanks so much again for both of your detailed responses here..
Thanks all for your help and support. No interface needed. I merely shut off all Bluetooth controls, stuck a single usb cord into a Camera kit adaptor and Voila, problem solved!
Glad you could make it. I had a similar problem and the real solution was to get rid of the Bluetooth. Maybe this technology will work better in the future.
@DanielJ :Oh, for sure..It’s still pretty much in it’s infancy.. I really shoulda known...
They should add a disclaimer in the Roland GO Piano manual:
Don't use Bluetooth audio with your own music 😅
I really need to test the 18W battery and see if my mobility dream can be achieved.
The Zoom would be a good replacement for the big Presonus box for audio in/out.
It's no good. I have to plug the USB Hub into the wall to power everything up.
You don’t need a hub w the zoom, do you? It’s battery operated
Bear in mind that the Zoom U-24 takes just 2 AA’s so getting through a decent set could be a stretch. @McD are you talking about using a power bank? Im curious to know what MAh rating is needed to power an interface and controller for say 4hrs. I have a Zoom U-24 and Novation Impulse 49 combo.
I was hoping one of the newer USB Battery packs that provide an 18W output would allow more devices to power up without a wall wart. No luck. Once I add the audio interface to the powered hub connected to the iPhone the lights go out. I was testing feeding 18W into the lightning port on the 2 port CCK. It didn't work. But my iPhone charges really fast when I'm out and about. It I use a wall wart into the Powered Hub I can run on all the ports of the hub for controllers and audio interfaces. So, I'm down to 1
power connection and one battery to extend the performance time of the iPhone.
I like the Akai MPK mini with 8 knobs and 8 pads and a terrible keyboard
and a larger/better MIDI keyboard. I could also do the 2 tier organ set ups and that might justify the
B-3X expense to get a good organ in a really mobile rig.
That’s a shame @McD but really helpful to know. Seems I should have paid more attention in science class as this seems possible in theory at least. Oh well, at least you’ve got yourself a super efficient charger on the go.
A single USB connection is going to have current limitations, even with the larger battery pack. I have a couple of USB hubs that run on 5v, so I got USB-A to barrel connectors of the right size, and I can use a USB power bank to power the USB hub itself.
That would probably do it. It's the Hub that shuts done with a lot attached but not when connected to it's custom AC/DC adapter. If I connect my 18W battery using the same barrel connector it might not shut off. Thx. There's still hope. Then I can put everything in an enclosure and wall power would be optional
or used to re-charge the battery.
Off to look for a USB-A to barrel connector.