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.
iPad E-Guitar Live-Rig for 2021 - suggestions?
For years I try to switch from my Boss GT 100 to a iPad solution. I play contemporary worship music, without any real guitar-amps: we play direct to PA and have in-ear-monitoring.
My latest buy was BIAS FX 2 mobile, but it does not work together with audiobus 3. Integrated in an audiobus chain, there is no audiobus-symbol in BIAS FX 2 (like it it is in BIAS Amp), so it is complicate to have the audiobus-workflow.
What would you suggest are the "best" Apps or Plug Ins at the time, which I can connect by audiobus 3? For input I use a Zoom U-22, midi controller ist a iRig Blueboard.
Comments
I like Overloud TH-U a lot for a basic clean tone and Eventide apps for FX. Turnado for weirdness.
Nembrini for amps and the PSA1000 for a preamp. Depends on the song I’m sure but BST100 may be the one you are looking for. The trick is to set the input gain/ preamp low and the output gain high. Beautiful cleans. It is imperative that you get Thafknar or impulsation and use IRs for a cabinet while turning off the cabinet in whichever amp sim you use. You will be shocked about the difference in quality (if not already doing this). Ownhammer and Celestion have some good IRs and you don’t need a ton of them.
Kosmonaut for a good programmable delay. Blackhole seems a must for a worship reverb. Though AUv3 version of Space (Kymatica) would work well too and is super lightweight.
What other effects were you hoping for?
+1 for Nembrini and TH-U. Also look at Gain Stage Vintage Clean (beautiful cleans), Nembrini Delay 3000, and FAC Alteza for reverb. For less conventional delay effects, TTOV is amazing on guitar.
I recommend to invest into Rhino 🦏 (iOS/PC/Mac)
https://auroradsp.com/strona-/46-rhino-guitar-plugin.html
I paid a donation and waiting for the beta test now, it’s my last hope for most clean and distorted tone
Wow, thanks for your input. Is it correct that some of your suggestions are not for iOS (iPad)? My second thought to change from GT 100 is using Apple Mainstage with my Macbook Air, but I got some advices to use an iPad as being more comfortable.
But I think I have to learn more. I am thinking in classic pedalboard setup... if I buy seperate Apps for input, preamp, amp, effects... how do i arrange them with audiobus? 1. input, 2. Compressor, 3. Distortion, 4. Preamp, 5. Amp...
The IR files you can find online and import into iOS into Thafknar or other impulse response loader. The rest of the recommendations are all iOS. I would not recommend a MacBook Air if you are just using it to drive guitar - but that is my opinion.
For Audiobus (or AUM setup, which is probably preferred), you would have input, then any effects (just like plugging in effects into an amp) then preamp and amp just as you’ve described. Noise Gate and Downward Expander by Blue Mangoo May be another good investment as well, put right after the input. Then after the amp you would put Thafknar with your Cab emulation files (IRs). You can then midi learn any of your Blueboard buttons to any of the effects to turn it on or off. Or even to switch between channels on the amp sim.
DM me if you have further questions. Good luck and God bless
AUM with AU plugins works well:
For fewer moving parts, with the addition of a gig-ready looper, I'd try Quantiloop (now on sale) hosting one or more AU plugins.
For example: Quantiloop hosting a Nembrini amp, MixBox, and a boutique reverb, controlled by blueboard.
Thought of sharing this, too. For live playing (outdoor band rehearsals) the Xtone has worked well as an interface with the iPad Pro: https://xsonicaudio.com/pages/xtone. The balanced XLR output would feed directly into the house mixing console.
TTOV?
@boberto Sorry, I meant TTAP. Not sure what I was thinking of. Maybe another app, WOV, by the same developer, which is also very unique. I think they're both on sale right now... https://apps.apple.com/us/developer/k-devices/id1151339600
TTAP is trippy on its own but I usually place it in an AUM channel with some combination of an amp sim and two or three other effects. Last night, I hooked the guitar into Gain Stage Vintage Clean --> Bleass Reverb --> Gauss --> Nembrini Delay3000 and didn't come up for air for at least an hour. I wish I had recorded it.
Hello again. Meanwhile I extended my knowledge step by step, though I am using my iPads since 2012 for my music (but mostly for chord sheet-apps or midi controlled drum machines). Now I know, what AUv3 is, haha...
What I already had: Jam Up Pro, latest versions of BIAS Amp, BIAS FX mobile. Effekts like the Holderes apps or TB Reverb. Loopers like Quantiloop, Loopy HD. Audiobus 3, a iRig Blueboard with a expression pedal.
Thank you for all support. I am still thinking in a standard effect chain, you gave information how to realize this with different apps and AUv3 effects. I tried it, I know how to do.
Some things I am not fully satisfied. Is it possible to make a setlist with song-specific sound setups, when you use a lot of different components connected by audiobus? Or do you have to make all settings live? How can you integrate a midi-controlled Volume-pedal? I place it after the compressor before the amp. At the moment I use BIAS FX mobile for this. If there is no other solution, I have to put BIAS FX mobile as input, only using its noise gate, compressor and volume pedal. But it seems BIAS FX 2 mobile does not word good with audiobus.
What is the best Nembrini amp for my Telecaster?
@Frank_Ol You can plug in an expression or volume pedal to your Blueboard and then use the Blueboard app to map it to a certain value, which can then be mapped to a parameter in Audiobus or AUM to automate volume.
You may want to create different setups in separate channels in Audiobus. Or different projects for each song. I assume you would be wanting one amp so one way to achieve this is with busses in AUM with different effects on channels 1...n bussed to an “n+1” channel that has your amp on it.
I believe there are other ways to do this as well. Camelot or Keystep Pro apps are specifically geared towards this type of usage but I can’t comment on those apps as I don’t own them.
@Montreal_Music I’m a fan of BST100 for the clean sounds. Soundmaster may also be a good one as it is modeled after a fender amp. I would page @McD as he may have some words to say...
@Frank_Ol, @mjcouche is right about the expression and or volume pedals (there are two imputs) on the Blueboard.
There was a great in-depth thread here regarding expanding the abilities and functionality of the Blueboard via the Mozaic app.
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mozaic-plugin-workshop/id1457962653
Here is the thread:
https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/39866/mozaic-how-to-detect-a-long-tap-0-5secs-on-my-blueboard/p1
@josh83 @Janosax, and others have done some incredible work in this vein and are prominent in the thread.
It should be relatively simple to easily set up playlists you can scroll through with the Blueboard.
It depends on what style of music you are making. The Cali Reverb and BST100 seem to be the most flexible — you can get solid clean tones if you lower the Tele imput into either. The Soundmaster is based on a Fender, but is not especially clean or "chimey." @And_Nembrini has hinted Nembrini is working on a Vox AC30 simulation and that is what I am waiting for.
In the meantime, you might possibly be inspired by one of the Overloud THU packs. I don't own any, but the "American Classics" "British Classics" or "Vintage Classics" packs have been well received here and might get you in the neighborhood...
https://www.overloud.com/products/th-u-ios
@Montreal_Music well, you could wait a couple more days for this Nembrini Fender Blackface to drop:
https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/42941/nembrini-audio-blackice-beta-gamma#latest
Just like with real amps, it depends on what kind of tones you like. Are you looking for something clean, dirty.
People play Teles through any amp imaginable. If you are looking for classic Fender amp sound, the Soundmaster is not that amp.
Looks like it is Black "ICE," not Black "FACE." Hard to say exactly what this new app is. Perhaps @And_Nembrini will enlighten us at the appropriate time.
In Audiobus you only can run 1 insert per channel correct? can't do a series of FX? is AUM better for series FX stacks?
Eventide sounds lovely as always. Still need an digital delay
You can stack FX in each audiobus channel
This is my rig . I use ownhammer impulse responses. There is Blackhole too which is not visible
MicroPitch instantly makes everything fat
I like the little used Blamsoft OD
Although I have gain stage demos. I’m not too fond of iOS amp sims
How do you use your Audio-Interface together with a Midicontroller like the Harley Benton MP-100 (no Bluetooth)? Both use the same iPad-Input. Does a simple USB-Hub work? I have the iRig blueboard but i dont like the "soft" switches. On/off is ok, but tap tempo is difficult. I have a yamaha Bluetooth dongle which I hope is possible to use with the midi-controller, but how works the cable-connection?
@Frank_Ol a powered hub works fine. The iPad is the host and the USB audio interface and USB MIDI devices are peripherals. The MP-100 is a USB MIDI peripheral, I assume, so it will connect to the iPad host via the hub.
If you had something without USB but with 5-pin DIN you could use a Yamaha BT01, Widi Master, or Zivix Puc+
I like the Focusrite 4i4 because it has 5-pin DIN built-in.
MP-100 sadly doesn’t work with 5 pin Yamaha MD-BT01 for Bluetooth - there’s no power going to the 5pin midi out. Works well though with the USB Yamaha UD-BT01 and a 5v USB battery.
puc+ contains a battery, btw.
Why not just plug MP-100 into the aforementioned USB hub? It will be more reliable than BLE MIDI.
Sorry. I have to recall this post, because I need some basic help. To test them I loaded the free Nembrini Apps. What is defined to be used as "input" in Audiobus? In my pulldown menu I find: Bias Amp, BIAS FX, Jam Up and so on - but not Nembrini Crunck. I only find it at the second position under effects. I tried to set my Interface as input and Crunck as effect, but that does not work. If I use BIAS FX without any amp and effect as input, after that Crunck, it works.
What doesn’t work when you choose your interface as the input and Crunck as an effect, that should work. Most amps and guitar effects get loaded in the effects slot. Are you loading the Audio Unit or the app?
Maybe I am doing wrong the way I choose my interface (Zoom U-22). I can see it as an input, but I get no sound. Crunck appears under Audio Unit.
That oughta work. See if Crunck itself has an input selection. And of course, make sure you're plugged into the interface port that you've selected in Audiobus.
Edit: Just checked, and nothing special in Crunk. Check the Audiobus mixer view. You should see meter action from your input, and from Crunck. If you do, then you need to check the output routing. It likely defaults to the interface, so you need phones or monitors to hear anything. (When iOS detects an audio interface, it becomes the only option for output; no more choices.)
This sounds like something isn’t set up right.
First, make sure that with no effect that the zoom input signal is coming in and going out as you would expect.
Then choose An AU effect and add is as an effect and check that it is processing your signal as you expect. I just tried crunck as an AU loaded in Audiobus and it behaves as expected.
Below are screen caps to show you a process. If it doesn’t work post some pictures or video to show your setup.
Step 1: Connect your interface and make sure that Audiobus is seeing the signal and sending it out by checking the meters on the mixer page.
Check on the mixer page that Audiobus is seeing and outputting signal:
Load in a plugin you know works for you
Check the signal on the mixer page
Now replace that effect with Crunck and check on the mixer page