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.
OT: Best portable speaker for small music setup
I am downsizing to a smaller portable music setup with just my iPad, probably a Launchkey 37 Mk 3, a power bank and I need a portable speaker to go with it so I can set it up at.....anywhere really.
I fully realize I won´t get the clean and full sound as with studio monitors but I only play for fun, and I don´t want to resort to only using headphones. I have been looking at the JBL Charge 4, anyone using this? Is latency with Bluetooth an issue, should I only use a 3.5 mm input with cable instead? Any other good portable speakers that I should have a look at?
Comments
For any live playing you'll need 3.5mm input. BT should be fine for listening, mixing, etc, though the sound quality will be a bit diminished.
I agree @wim. I have an Oontz angle. It's great for backyard tunes, it also has a 3.5, but isn't loud enough for playing live.
For example the acoustic tone of my cigar box guitar totally overpowers the volume the Oontz puts out.
I'm searching for battery-powered 3.5" accessible that has the power to obliterate my acoustic tone and give me the raw full grit bliss of my overdriven sim app and accompanying bass and drum backing tracks.
There has to be something awesome out there!
Using a JBL Partybox 100 here, excellent sounding! Well I just got another one for stereo use. You can even do small/medium gigs with that setup.
The partybox300 is more wattage but not so good sounding as the 100
Minirig 3 here. It bumps plenty loud for busking (not that I’ve done much of that lately) and is honestly shockingly powerful for its size. Pricy though
This is a good thread. Something I’m curious about as well.
You could always look at a mini, small, or portable PA speaker or system.
IK do a portable speaker geared to musicians, no personal experience with it so can't say if it's any good. Does have a built-in input which could be handy
https://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/iloud/?pkey=iloud
I have no idea how good this is but there’s a lot of similar type products.
https://www.amazon.com/Pyle-Bluetooth-Karaoke-Speaker-Rechargeable/dp/B0783S9CJ4
I only use my speaker with cable. Check out the Soundcore motion + and I’m happy with it. It’s a 100€ speaker, but it’s often better as speaker with higher price. There are a lot of comparison videos out there and I would suggest to search „Soundcore motion+ vs. the speaker you might want" to see if it’s worth the higher price😉
P.s. for 200€ you can link two of them together via Bluetooth 😈😈😈 AND check out amazon maybe they are on sale right now for 80€ (it’s so in germany atm)
I looked for you for a great video motion+ vs. job charge 3/4
Check this very detailed video
And for the motion+ vs mini rig (Which are very expensive but great)
Two motion+ linked together
+1 for Minirig. I have 2 single speakers and a sub, sometimes I just use 1 outside, or all 3 together for my living room setup.
I originally bought them for listening, but they’ve become integral to my iOS music making. Mighty loud for the size.
This is a really great channel for „mobile“ speakers. I think you will find almost every speaker and comparisons there.
I like the looks of the Marshall speakers. Reviews seem pretty decent too
https://www.marshallheadphones.com/us/en/speakers/
I have the Marshall Acton, though I mostly use it for Bluetooth music listening. It has a 4” woofer, basss/treble controls, and an accessible 3.5mm jack. It’s a good speaker with decent low end, but there are probably better options for the price. I like the way it looks and got it at Costco for like 120 dollars or something. Use it mostly at low volumes and it performs well enough for that.
I wanted a relatively small portable powered speaker that sounds great at lower levels (about the level of when people are chatting) and has Bluetooth and Line input. Sufficient bass response and otherwise flat enough mid and treble response was key for me.
I ended up with a JBL Charge 2+ and I would buy it again without hesitation.
There's an unbelievable amount of alternatives but only very few come close to how the 2+ sounds. The later Charge 3 model has a flatter bass response which works well at higher levels but it won't give you that warm Hi-Fi sound at more comfortable listening levels that the 2+ does.
For me it's still among the best in terms of size vs. sound.
Teenage Engineering apparently have a speaker coming out soon, might be worth waiting to see what they bring to the table.
Scratching my head envisioning a circuit board with two wires attached to an unmounted speaker cone.
(Just kidding, I think the Pocket Operators are a lot of fun, if not the most durable pieces of gear.)
Really...that’s awesome. Do you know how this will be activated? Is this possible if they are connected via cable to the device (if they are not connected via Bluetooth while using??
Lots of great input, thanks!
😊🙏
Minirig +1
+1. Been wondering the same. I still have the original Jawbox. Fine for a little volume but...
... exactly this. Both my acoustic guitar and piano over power it pretty easily.
You might be thinking of the Frekvens line sold by Ikea. That was designed by TE.
https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/23/21079667/ikea-teenage-engineering-frekvens-price-release
Ive seen those but meant this :-
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.engadget.com/amp/teenage-engineering-ob-4-bluetooth-speaker-leak-204549850.html
+1 for MiniRig if money isn't much of any issue ... for something more inexpensive the UE Boom 2 is quite nice for iPad ..with 3.5mm cable . but bluetooth is also available. Light, portable, plus if you ever purchase a second one you can stereo pair them.
@DMfan ,
I have the JBL Charge 4, I love listening to music on it, but absolutely don't recommend for (iPad) music production.
reason #1: Bluetooth latency. I don't know whether is high or not compared to other BT loudspeakers, but definitely high enough to completely confuse me while playing on the keyboard.
reason #2: Despite it has 3.5mm audio in, there is a built in stupid algorithm that automatically switches off the built-in amplifier after a few seconds (sometimes I feel it is less than a second) of silence on the input and when you start playing again it takes another 1-2 seconds to switch on. It's super annoying. You start playing on the keyboard and you can't hear the first 1-2 notes...
reason #3: It's subjective, but despite for casual listening it has a pleasant, bass heavy characteristics, anytime I tried to put together a song it sounded really weird.
One thing it can be useful in the music production process, when you finished with your mixing, mastering on your monitors and headphones, you can listen how does the song sound on a popular mono mass market portable speaker.
I've ordered an Anker Soundcore Motion+ whilst it's on sale to see if it's as good as some people say for the money. Will post my thoughts once it arrives.
Marshall BT speakers are great. Not all are mobile
Thanks, that rules the JBL Charge 4 out of the game!
🙏
Do it, please. Would like to hear another opinion from an iOS music member. Sometimes I feel like talking to a wall with my recommendation , but maybe my ears are crap😂😂😂
The mackie cr3 and cr4 both sound great for the price (I’ve heard both in person), and the ik multimedia iloud micro and iloud mtm have excellent reviews (but I have not heard in person).