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.
DAW for iPad? Recording multitrack from AUM + external audio?
Hi,
First post here, very new to audio recording on iPad but cannot seem to find an answer to this.
I’m using AUM and want to be able to record multitrack straight to a DAW type app that I can then record guitar etc on different tracks then master/mix.
For my ‘usual’ stuff I use Logic on a Mac but trying to keep everything in the iPad domain for my electronica projects.
Do you have any suggestion? I know I can record the individual tracks in AUM as files then import to something which would be OK I guess but wondering if there is a more efficient workflow and/or app suggestions to look at.
Only needs to be 8 track and would be nice if it supported plugins like AUFX space etc. Oh and maybe even midi stuff.
Thanks all :-)
Comments
@NimboStratus Auria Pro, Cubasis and I think Audio Evolution Mobile DAW would be the first three off the top of my head.I think you could do this in GarageBand as well although I haven't been in that one for a while.
Also, depending on what you're doing you can host the apps directly in these DAWs as well and avoid the middle man.
Thanks, avoid the middle man meaning AUM?
Also am I approaching this the “wrong way”? In other words is it more typical to have a different workflow with iPad? Or would I be better off using audio share and importing the audio tracks to logic?
Depends entirely on your workflow and how you want to do things. You could do the entire thing on the iPad and never leave it.
The DAWs on the iPad are workable, but they won't compete with all of the features of Logic. Having said that something like Auria Pro is pretty deep and is very capable. I think Cubasis is manageable if you have an iPad with a bit of grunt. My iPad has always seemed to struggle a bit with it and the way I work doesn't always harmonise with Cubasis. Having said that streaming from AUM directly into it has always been a breeze.
I also like using BM3 for more sample based/audio work so....depends on the mood.
Thanks. There doesn’t seem to be much take up as far as I can tell for Arturia but it looks quite good! Cubasis might be a little too heavy weight. Will check out BM3
I use Auria Pro and have so for a few years....it's a very powerful DAW and you'd be surprised how many actually use it...there are some pretty noisy biases on this site...(you know..influencers, strong opinions, people trying to pay their rent etc)...I also use BM3 a lot too because of the sampler and audio options...and yes, there are a few people out here who like to give that one a kick too...beware that not all that is said on this site is bias free...the one thing to keep in mind is that there is not one perfect DAW on this platform, there will be compromises in either work flow or capabilities etc. What's your iPad model and what apps are you enjoying using?
I have iPad Pro 12.9” think it’s second generation. 256gb. I like AUM and the AUv3 stuff. I use Polyphase, Riffer and Rozeta mostly for now but still exploring that side of things. SynthOne, Aparillo, Factory, SynthMaster one and house mark 1 are all great. -Lula some other bits and pieces like midi mixer, Refraktions and piano motifs
I prefer to do this. Editing and arrangement is just so much easier in Logic etc.
Still I don't mind Zenbeats for a change of pace to AUM.
Thanks for all the feedback, still only a week into using an iPad for electronica so steep learning curve but making some great progress (measured by being happy with the stuff I’m creating). So sorry for the newbie questions.
I little more background might be helpful.
My main passion is finger style guitar on acoustic and more recently electric. I’ve been exploring ambient guitar lately and this led electronic based music on the iPad. It’s a revelation and very inspiring. I can see the two ‘extremes’ (real human playing ‘real’ instrument and computer playing generative music) will probably meld together at some point in my arc but trying to keep both a little apart at the mo as learning still.
So the current interest is abstract, generative, landscapes, quirky beats (polyrhythmic), but anything really just not banging dance tunes. Not really into 80s/90s synth sounds per se, like the classic `Roland stuff etc. More into spacey, mellow, noise, industrial, soundscape styles. 😂. (Bit of a mixture there!). I have also just pre ordered the Digitalism 2000 as it’s cheap and looks like it could create some
I think my approach is going to be creating a bunch of tracks in AUM then mix in real time for a ‘live’ vibe and record with midi mixer then import all the logic for mastering. Or possibly similar but try and mix on ipad, that would be nicer from a standalone perspective. It will probably be a mix of live recording and more constructed pieces.
Any recommendations for a drum/percussion generator/ could do generative or not the run of mill 808 style style would be welcome. I like the what I’ve seen so far of the Sugar Bytes stuff so maybe Drum Computer. And for that matter any generators, sound engines to check out.
Thanks all
Might be way too much to bite off this early in the game, but Drum Computer has a super nice sequencer suited to polyrhythms or any other kind of rhythms. It has great generative tools but also can be sequenced traditionally or anywhere in-between. The drum synth part of it is really deep, and so can be overwhelming. But there are plenty of presets to get started with.
The Rozeta Suite has an 808 style sequencer that you're probably not interested in. But it also has a Euclidian sequencer that you might really like. While you're at it, you might want to pick up Ruismaker FM. I love that one for crafting ambient drum sounds on the fly.
Lastly there's the almighty Patterning 2. Not exactly generative, but amazing, polyrhythmic, and easy to make stuff you'd probably never have come up with in a DAW. It's not an AU unfortunately, but is still one of the few non-AU apps I recommend without hesitation. Besides being a great sequencer, it's an easy route into tons of drum kits of every kind.
I’ve just started with Rosetta suite. Yesterday I thought I’d go through all 10 parts but ended up playing with Collider and Particles for 7 hours! 🤪. Is the Euclidean sequencer in the 808 one of a different one? When I said not into 808 I mean more the generally sound and style but open to anything really.
Will have a play with the free Drum Computer but it does look extremely feature rich he endless fun so might just take the plunge. Sugar Bytes stuff is very good
Will try patterning too. Lots to learn.
Thanks !
@NimboStratus : check out this thread
https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/43172/noob-question-how-to-get-stems-out-of-aum#latest
for the specifics of (one way) of working with AUM stems. These days I create in AUM and arrange in Ableton as it seems to offer most flexibility to work this way.
Also, if going the IOS DAW route, don’t overlook Audio Evolution - https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/audio-evolution-mobile-studio/id1094758623 - in many ways, it does what Cubasis does (and more...) at a fraction of the price. I have both (and Multitrack DAW, Nanostudio, BM3...) but Audio Evolution is now my go to. Oh, and don’t forget you can use Patterning to drive pitched instruments as well as drums. Much polyrhythmic fun to be had!
How can I integrate Patterning in AUM, is it possible at all?
If you are working in AUM, you just load it up alongside all the AUV3s. AUM (alongside AudioBus 3, but I work in AUM) is the glue that lets you do pretty much anything you want on IOS with both IAA and AUV3 apps.
Also: try Rozeta Particles driving Fractal Bits https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/fractal-bits/id1482725385 with some reverb on (maybe the free Zero Reverb https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/zero-reverb/id1051938245, at 100% wet) for random, generative effect. This provides the background bangs and clanks in most of my generative, dark ambient stuff:
https://soundcloud.com/irena-svetlovska
If you need more regularity, use the AUM file player to record a section of the madness, trim the wave in AudioShare, then set it running as a loop in AUM. Don’t forget you can speed up or slow down the loops, and dupe whole channels, so it is easy to build a ‘tape loop’ soundscape off the back of one interesting wav.
Still trying to understand difference with AU, inter app audio au extension and when / how to use in AUM!
AUv3 is like a native plugin that is part of the DAW that it is hosted in and the state is saved within that project and you can have multiple instances within the same project. IAA apps can only have one instance in a given project at one time and their state is not usually saved within the project. That's a very basic summary.
Drum Computer has a super nice sequencer suited to polyrhythms or any other kind of rhythms.
Yes, Drumcomputer is absolutely phantastic !
I really like Drum Computer.
Welcome @NimboStratus
IAA & AU or AUv3 is just the way the actual apps connect to a host or DAW.
IAA is the old way that apps connected to a daw or host. Ok, but can only use 1 instance of an app, and Apple has already started the depreciation process off IAA, so in a year, maybe 2 it will not work for most things. AudioBus says it will have a workaround to still use IAA or Inter App Audio apps once that day comes. So, it’s probably a good idea to focus on gettIng AUV3 apps
AUv3, the same as Au extension- is the newer, faster, lighter, better way that apps work inside a DAW or host. You can use 20 instances of the same app, if that app is lightweight and your device can handle all that processing power. So you can use multiple instances of the same app in the same project. It’s also more reliable then IAA.
In terms of using AUM, there are some great video tutorials that really explain things much better then I could type it all out.
Check out these channels and videos on YouTube
Gavinski’s Tutorials
Almost everything you need to know about AUM
The Sound Test Room
How to set up AUM to record into cubasis
Jakob Haq
AUM Audio Mixer - Midi control everything
SoundForMore
Learn AUM from the ground up
Logan Smith
AUM Basics
I learned a lot from YouTube, this forum, and trial & error. There are many more great videos and great iOS music related channels, if I missed any I believe there is a list on the Audiobus wiki, which is another great resource that’s a part of this forum. It’s right at the top of this page or any page here. Just click “Wiki” up top.
@Svetlovska if you had to pick, Cubasis or Audio Evolution
@NimboStratus : I have both, having bought Cubasis at the start of my IOS music making journey. (I also have Nanostudio and BM3, and while each have their strengths, neither are my go-to IOS DAW. ) Multitrack DAW was almost right, a cheap n cheerful way of rendering stems from AUM and readying for export to Ableton, loved that you could use the pop over window on iPad just to drag wavs straight from AudioShare into it’s tracks, but it ultimately proved too limited in functionality to last for me.
I am not invested in EDM, and so not particularly interested in some of the add ins such as the drum machines you can buy for Cubasis, which I would now see as it’s main u.s.p.
Most particularly, I do not like the fact that every year or so Cubasis makes you buy the whole thing over, for quite a lot of money, from scratch, to stay current. Yes, you can carry over your IAP, but fifty quid or so every year is basically a subscription model. I don’t do that.
So to my Goldilocks DAW: Audio Evolution, which is a third of the price, not too much chrome, but not too little either.
It seems very Cubasis-like to me in operation, does automation, but has a much better piano roll editor, better MIDI handling, more flexible effects handling, and recently added an excellent in-app synth - for no charge.
If you go Cubasis you are pitching a minor, expensive, offshoot of a massive manufacturers’ main thing against the passion project of one indie dev. And you’ll be buying it again, full price, in a year or so to stay in the game. In the long run that would probably make Cubasis the safer bet, especially (I suppose - I use Ableton) if Cubasis is your desktop DAW of your choice.
But frankly, I’ll take one man’s passion project over crumbs from a corporation’s table any time. As a partner to AUM, where I do all my actual composition, principally rendering audio rather than using MIDI, (though AE can handle both, obviously) AE already does everything I need it to.
I can do what I want in it quickly, and was up and running without even consulting the manual in minutes. Anything else it acquires in the future will just be a bonus. YMMV, of course.
Hope that helps.
@Svetlovska thank you for your long reply. I totally get what you mean about supporting an indie dev, I am one myself (albeit not an audio app dev) so will pull the trigger on Evolution. There doesn’t seem to be too many vids on it. @Gavinski what say you? By the way I watch all the ads now in your vids ;-)
I feel the need to correct the record regarding Cubasis.
Cubasis - Released Dec. 18, 2014.
Cubasis 2 - Released Dec. 18, 2019.
That's five years between needing to re-purchase. If you purchased Cubasis on or after Dec 18, 2018 then yes, there was a year or less between that and Cubasis 2. Cubasis was regularly updated at least once every year for free. Cubasis 2 has not charged for any of its updates since release.
@wim - fair enough, but I made the great mistake of buying Cubasis 2 not that long ago, and then got hit with the decision to either leave it to wither on the vine or get hit again, with the full and not inconsiderable price, for, frankly, not much of an improvement as far as I could see.
When you consider that you can buy a licence for the very full featured desktop Reaper for $60, that doesn’t look like a great deal.
I’m not stingy - I have paid out, literally, hundreds of pounds, supporting IOS devs at this point, and gladly forked over something like £360 for the full Ableton suite for my MBP.
And I’m prepared to pay again for software which is a radical step up from an earlier version. But not incremental improvements, five minutes after I already paid roughly twice as much for the software than I have for any other single app.
So, blame my timing and bad luck if you like, or the Apple stores inflexibility on upgrade paths, or whatever, but the move left me with a bad taste in my mouth and an immediate desire to ditch Cubasis for something else to avoid what I fully expect to be a repeat performance a few months hence. So: you do you, but as far as Cubasis is concerned, I’m out. Luckily, Audio Evolution is so good that I do not feel I am missing anything that I want from an IOS DAW at all.
Yeh, I was careful not to say you didn't get burned. I figured that you must have, but wanted to clarify the actual history for the record. FWIW, I haven't upgraded to Cubasis 2 myself, not feeling that the improvements were worth the expense for me personally, relatively speaking. However, I have no qualms about Steinberg / Cubasis. I feel like they provide an excellent product and excellent value. Not everyone agrees, obviously. ✌🏼
If you're looking to do 100% "in the box" electronic stuff to later pull into Logic you might want to check out NanoStudio. Think it ticks many of your boxes.
@syrupcore that doesn't support audio I think. I'd like the option of mixing down a MIDI/Audio mix on my iPad especially as an Audiofuse is on it's way so can also hook up to monitors via my 18i20 ADAT connection ;-)
In this thread user @tahiche found a way to sync cubasis and AUM. I'm currently playing around with this setup.
As I mention in a follow up to that post, I wish Zenbeats had a way to integrate with AUM and/or AudioBus (guess it’s the same underlying tech). It’s real easy to sync Zenbeats with AUM via Ableton Link, but without a way to link audio it’s pretty much useless. Zenbeats’s clip mode/ linear dual approach is ideal to record from AUM for later song arrangement. Cos that’s when you need a daw, for completing a song, arranging sections, fine editing...
I’m frustrated with iOS DAWs. I know, I would have killed for any of them 5 years ago... but there’s always something missing. Things I need:
But Auria is not sexy and fast, Nano studio doesn’t have midi, Cubasis is a joke with audio editing, Zenbeats is lost at sea connection wise...
Do I need to try Audiomobile?. How is it audio-editing wise?. No clip-mode, right?.
Cheers!
Nanostudio does have midi - use it all the time to drive Gadget
Seriously though, IOS really needs a professional level DAW right now, and whomever creates it will blow the rest out of the water.