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.
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i have a large collection i like to use. just curious how you are all loading them into thu
You can't load them into TH-U. Load them in your preferred host using your preferred IR loading app or plugin. THAFKNAR is a popular lightweight convolution app and AUv3. There are others, too. Impulsations is also AUv3. And there are a number of apps that can load IR's, too (Fiddlicator, which is free, iConvolver, and others).
TH-U has an IR loader on the desktop version, but not yet for iOS. They have indicated that it’s in the plans for a future update though, and there’s already and “IR loader” dummy cab in the app ready to go. Overloud uses their own IRs for their rigs, and Nembrini uses IRs for their amps, and both apps should get loaders soon. Getting this to iOS has to do with having enough processing power as well as overcoming the way Apple devices and apps handle and store files.
Meanwhile to use these amps with your own IRs you can just use convolution apps that can load IRs, unzip files, and store them. To name a few, Thafknar, Impulsation (available both as an app and as an IAP in IFX Rack), iConvolver, etc... you would load TH-U into something like AUM or a DAW like Cubasis or whichever, disable the cabinet, and add the IR loader app right after it, just like you would add an effect app.
Just transfer or download your IR files onto your device and move them into your IR loader app. For example you can make a zip file of your preferred IRs and an app like Thafknar will unzip them.
Easy. For Walkmen and Fontains you need one of the Fender rigs cranked and paired with some reverbs and delays. It depends if your guitar plays thick and dark or thin and bright, the Fender rigs have varying levels of darkness or twang to balance this. Some have very clean jangle with lots of headroom while others break into crunch a little early. So it depends on your guitar. Jaguar or Mustang seems most appropriate. Also you should play in the middle position but vary your pickup heights so you get a natural phase delay just from your guitar, common trick. In terms of picking the rig it depends on how much clean headroom you want vs a tweed grit or scoop and how many rig profiles with distortion you want.
Fugazi is Marshall JCM800, totally different. That would be Nembrini Mrh810 cranked to distort naturally plus more OD pedals. With the 80s/90s bands in that genre it was all about Marshall and Peavy amps, until many switched to Mesa dual rectifiers which didn’t come out until 1992. I think it’s easy to take for granted just how ubiquitous Marshall amps are.
If you want one TH-U rig to cover both American clean and tweed and UK sounds closer to Marshall, it’s Fried Betty and Tran30. Both great rigs that give you USA/UK depending on the gain setting.
Thank you man! I was hoping there would be something easier. Do you find Aum can recall presets including settings for thu and Thafknar? So I can have IR setup for presets?
Has anyone been able to automate preset changes with a click track or somethign?
It is so great to be able to access all the information you guyz have. Taking the opportunity, i have to ask a question. How does the overloud rigs and nembrini amps compare to the physical multifx processor like line6, Boss and mooer?
Its time that i need to buy a new audio interface. Is it better if i just buy a multifx processor that also has audio interface built in? Like line6 HX stomp, Boss gt1000 core.
Does unit like these be able to use all the amps and rigs i have already on my ipad?
Thanks a lot in advance,
OK. I added the "All Amp/Cab" bundle and the "ChopTones Fend Trem63" rig. Ouch.
I'll be busy just poking about in the Presets for a good while. The only thing I'm short are
16 Distortions and OverDrives I could add with another bundle buy for $23 and the $15 Overloud Symphonic 90 "Chorus Rack Unit" .
I'm open to education why I really need the distortions and overdrives.
Thanks for taking the financial hit for the educational good of the forum proletariat! 🤑
Looking forward to your discoveries! Should be an enlightening weekend...
You don’t. You could just as easily switch entire amp setups. But as a completionist, finish it out.
Please contrast Trem63 and Super Reverb... basic character, not modulation options. Ty
For sure AUM can do this! Any app you open inside AUM gets its own preset save menu courtesy of AUM. You can choose to save the preset in AUM or in the plug in. So you can save a project inside AUM, and open it later, and it will reload all of your apps, but keep in mind it’s not instantaneous and takes time to load up. You may also have to go into each app and choose your presets. So yes you can save anything you want in AUM but it’s not for instant recall. For this you can use midi in AUM. So you can use midi to load different sessions. But what you can also do is plan ahead, and load up AUM with everything you want at the moment, but then use midi for instant recall of different things you have ready. So for example, you could have two instances of Thafknar open with an IR loaded, but you can use a midi command to instantly toggle each one on and off.
I’m not sure if when you reload the session it loads up the presets too, you might have to prepare those after you load the session.
In a timeline based daw like Cubasis or Auria pro, you can automate anything you want. You can put things on different tracks to engage at different times, etc...
In something like AUM you can use Xequence or other apps that can automate your project for you. AUM can thrive in a live environment when you can midi control your preset changes for example. It’s not necessarily the perfect place for a timeline automation. Because when you mention “click track” you’re really talking about a sequenced timeline, and any daw can do that with multitrack automation and arranging/sequencing on a timeline.
So, McD has been in radio silence thus far this weekend.
Hopefully he has been bashing his way through his new Overloud bundle!
Gods speed, McD! 😊
It really depends on your needs. Are you trying to play live or record studio tracks? There’s a big difference between an audio interface and a guitar processor that’s also an interface. They can be used for both purposes, but one is better than the other for each purpose.
with a guitar fx processor, you are “printing” the guitar tone and processing it with fx before it even reaches your computer or iPad. It’s not the same as an audio interface that will take your pure and dry guitar signal and process it with an amp sim inside your device. So to use something like Stomp or Boss with iOS guitar apps, you have to make sure the processing can be “bypassed” so you can take the pure signal and process it later. This is the big difference. Printing the sound before it’s even recorded, vs in iOS where you can take a direct signal and reamp it with 200 different amp sims of your choice. Those stomp devices are really meant for live playing out to a speaker, or for providing an already processed guitar into your recording software.
Form factor... you’re talking about using a foot pedal board as something that should live on a desk, a recording interface. And so you’re also asking for your pedal board to live on your desk.
These kinds of stomp boxes, while good enough for recording, cannot come close to the quality of an audio interface like a Motu M4 or SSL2+. They’re mainly built with a hi-z input for your guitar and to process fx and to get that sound out to your headphones or speakers, they will not have the kind of preamps and converters you want for real high quality recording. You can easily get a high quality interface and attach a midi foot controller to it, and use all the apps and sims you have on your iPad, and that’s a much better recording environment than using a stomp box to record with. You have to look at the dynamic range, mic preamp quality, ad/da converters, noise floor, etc... the specs will not be close. If you’re just looking for a guitar input to record your shredding, those pedalboards will be fine. But I wouldn’t use them to do what they’re offering merely as an icing on the cake gimmick. A real professional recording requires a real professional audio interface.
In the same vein, you’re not going to take an audio interface to a live show and plug a midi foot pedal into it, yes it’s mobile, but it’s not portable like a foot pedal board that has your fx processing already in the box. Otherwise you’ll need an iPad, interface, midi controller, wires, power, etc... so it really depends on what you need to achieve. If you’re mostly recording, then use the fx apps you already have, get an awesome interface (they’re cheap), and add a midi foot controller to it.
I lasted about 25 presets before I just went ahead and picked up the Distortions out of frustration. I wanted to hear an Eddie Van Halen preset and it sounded like James Burton... something was missing. So, I bought the Distortions Bundle and I got the Eddie Van Halen tone that was using a bad ass pedal effect that I didn't own yet.
Flipping through Presets on a great app is typically worth the cost compared to desktop pricing where it's closer to real hardware prices.
So, I'm finally FULL. I took the more expensive route but I got there. I can play any preset and it just works. Expensive but really fun if you're interested is hearing the whole history of the electric guitar in a single app. You also need to own the right guitar to make the "Sweet Child of Mine" and the "Purple Haze" presets sound close to the originals. But it's instructive to see how the folks at OverLoud expected the original to be configured using Stomps, Amps, FX and Cabinets.
Thank you professor McD! 🙌🏻
Can't to learn of your new discoveries...
Absolutely one of the great pleasures are all those presets, Overloud did a great job with them and it really shows off the app. Also a good reference point of the possibilities for your own own preset making. It’s just insane what you can craft there.
"Huh u huh!!! He said 'craft!' "
Seriously, I'm thinking the Overloud "all-in" package might perhaps be the best way to go for those of us who wish to experiment.
From what I've seen, there are some awesome "rigs," but having total control over tone seems more appealing to me.
Then adding some of the most well-received rigs to complete the sonic profile.
@SNystrom I gave my Strat rat another shot, took it apart again, resoldered the pickups to the volume pot, and it works! So this is a trash guitar, needs new tuners for sure, but I can’t believe how good these cheap pickups sound. It must be a Strat thing. I’ve never owned or played one, and I’m in love with the sound of a cheap gutter Strat copy. These pickups can’t actually be good, I think a Strat design must be a good recipe for guitar goodness. Just makes me want a slightly better one, maybe for a hundred bucks this time.
Also got this beast a few days ago, running it through all the paces. It has some problems, I’m not convinced yet...
Awesome!!!!
Looking forward to your single-coil Overloud impressions!
Sadly I guess this means you won't be paying a visit to Guitar Showcase. 😔
Love that place!
I live on the east coast now. But I try to go back to Santa Cruz around every new year to hike around. My wife won’t let me move back, I guess she likes to suffer through bad weather.
Oh shit, I feel for you!
Guessing she probably thought the further away from Guitar Showcase you were, the better! 🤗
@SNystrom Truth!!
Hahahahaha!!!!
@JoyceRoadStudios wanted to comment on the Octaver issue. I contacted Overloud support, sent my video regarding the low quality of the Octaver pedal. I was asking if maybe they could trade the Octaver for one of the other shifters that sound ok.
Their answer was that the Octaver is a replica of the Boss OC3 (that was obvious), that’s it’s monophonic and, basically, that the Octaver is perfectly good.
I don’t own an OC-3. I do own a Tc-electronic SubN’Up (which has a “classic” monophonic setting), the VoiceLive 3 shifter and the Helix all monophonic... none of them sound warbly. When fed not purely monophonic material they might glitch and do weird stuff, but it’s musical. The Thu Octaver is warbly in a bad way, no happy accidents.
Just tested the Octaver in ToneStack, which definitely looks like another OC-3 clone. It sounds good, not warbly, tested with the exact same guitar phrase.
Here’s a screen cap comparing both:
I’m very disappointed at the response from Overloud. Yes, I know you modeled a pedal, I know that pedal is monophonic, but this sounds terrible. Does anyone own an OC-3 and can tell me if this is how it’d sound?. Doubt it.
What’s the “Legacy Octaver” modeled after?. Cos that one sounds fine. I find the response somehow condescending.
It was my first purchase, Funk pack and Toon Fox fuzz pedal. I didn’t like the Toon Fox, but I see that might be subjective to taste, I’m not gonna argue if it’s modeled right or not. The Octaver is not ok, and the “it’s modeled after a OC-3 answer is not ok either when you’re seeing a video that sounds terrible.
If I was them I would have given me a replacement Shifter as to acknowledge my complaint was legitimate. I’m no expert on modeling but I do know when something doesn’t sound right.
So yeah, I don’t feel like spending any more money on THU, specially given how you can’t test anything beforehand.
It’s a shame. Cheers
Just got my Xtone yesterday but haven’t had a chance to try it out yet short of of hooking it up to the iPad to see if it ran off USB power. It does. On the surface this seems like it can do everything I need it to do but was wondering if my expectations were too high. We’ll see. I’m looking forward to getting down and dirty with it.
It’s a VERY good product, I’m having problems with it that are particular to my specific set up. More on that later...
Did yours arrive totally brand new or slightly dinged up in random spots?
I purchased mine through Amazon. I believe it was shipped from Canada and it arrived in what seems to be be brand new condition. Sorry to hear that yours is a bit less than perfect. Hopefully the cosmetic problems have no impact on usability. Certainly don’t expect to buy something new and have it arrive in something less than new condition though.
Mine was ordered and shipped identically to yours. The metal gain knob on mine appears to have several tiny cuts or dings in it, and it’s sharp to the touch. In addition the black metal casing has random dents that look like line indentations, as if someone missed with their cable jack several times. Also the plastic feet on the bottom look like they’ve seen a few days of use. Also the device came quite dusty. Yes this is all cosmetic. My actual issue is that the gain knob is only for the xlr mic input, and the guitar input doesn’t have an input gain knob, yet the device does not allow you to lower input gain in AUM, Audiobus, or Cubasis 3. So if your guitar pickups are hot, you’re kind of screwed without a gain trim. Still figuring it out, it actually sounds great if I don’t strum too hard. And the mic preamp sounds really good on vocals.