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.
MPC One vs Digitakt!
Hello. Quite the same price here, which one you go for? One is more of a one trick pony, the other one tries to do it all. Anyone have (used) them both? I know, I know. Decisions are though, that’s why I am seeking for opinions on this wonderful forum. How do you guys make use them together with you iPads, by the way? Any pros/cons regarding that? Big thanks to everyone helping me out here!
Comments
This is quite a deep topic.
Firstly, more than anything (IMO) it’s a choice of workflow. Feature wise on paper MPC One is head and shoulders over the Digitakt. Especially when we start talking about the actual sample engine. MPC has way more RAM, better editing, better storage, stereo sampling, autosampling of instruments, etc etc etc. MPC One runs the exact same OS as it bigger brothers the Live and X. Digitakt’s actual sampler is quite limited TBH.
I think where it gets interesting is the sequencer. Again, MPC has more facilities. And a legit Song mode. Way more tracks and polyphony. Where Digitakt (and all Elektrons) shine is there step sequencer and “p-locking” per step. Yes, the new MPC’s have a step sequencer, but not to the extent of the Elektron boxes.
Then there’s the physical interface. The built in pads on MPC’s are great and really lend themselves to live playing. You also have chord modes, etc. While again, the Digitakt has a better step sequencer interface with dedicated buttons.
The last thing I think to consider is connectivity. With the release of OS 2.8 Akai made the whole MPC line fully Multitimbral MIDI. The routing is really good now. You can easily sequence and control an ipad from the MPC One (AUM is great for this).
Ah, really informative. Thanks!
If you want to have a piece of hardware be the brains on the operation when it comes to sampling and sequencing your synths and iPad instruments, the MPCOne is the way to go.
If you’re into all the glitchy beautiful mangling and need an instrument to perform these acts of magic then the Digitakt is for you.
FWIW, if i were you I’d go with the MPC One and use Drambo on the iPad(OctaTrack for iOS) and grow your collection of gear from there.
I have the One and loved using it but i went a little GASSY and got the Maschine+ when it came out so the One just kind of sits in the background now.
I was wondering what happened to your effervescent posting using the MPC. Now I know.
GAS is a curse. 😉
Depends what else you have TBH. Digitakt is a sampling drum machine, the MPC One is basically a full DAW. Digitakt is quick and to the point, MPC One lets you go deep into the weeds.
I chose Digitakt because:
a) my sample library is pretty small — i spent an hour picking sounds, normalizing, and converting to mono and it weighed in at just 300mb.
b) I already have Ableton Live 10 and Beatmaker 3, so I’m covered for “deep functionality.” I wanted something quick and experimental.
c) My main computer runs Windows right now so Overbridge runs seamlessly in Live alongside my main interface with no aggregate audio headaches. And DT is class-compliant so I can record it into AUM on my iPad without a separate audio interface. The MPC software requires iLok and AFAIK the hardware runs solely as a controller for the desktop app, so you need to transfer projects back and forth manually.
Hope it helps! I’m very happy with the Digitakt so far but FWIW it’s been less than a month and I’m starting to notice the limits. It’s powerful, flexible, and elegant, but it does what it was designed to do. My previous drum machine was the Korg Electribe 2S, which was horribly clunky but let you get WEIRD in a hundred different ways.
Yes it is. But the One is still in the mix. Too many dang toys ya know😜
And also the MPC has actually audio tracks , I have a Live 2 and record live guitar and bass tracks all the time. And the MPC come with The Desktop software that you can control with the MPC hardware and use vsts or au’s with.
I love the Digitakt but there’s one really annoying issue for me that might or not be relevant depending on your use case.
The Digitakt is class compliant since a recent update, meaning you can use as an audio interface with the iPad. BUT for reasons I can’t comprehend, you don’t have access to the Digitakt’s physical inputs. For a small portable setup this means you still need an audio interface to record external gear or instruments. Also means you have have to stop using the Digitakt in usb mode, recable, etc.. very annoying.
I don’t have the Mpc One so I can’t comment on that. But if you want a little portable setup I would take it into consideration.
Thanks, something to consider!
Loading a drum kit on the Digitakt remains a total pain in the ass. Menu menu menu menu menu menu. It’s really more of a creative sample sequencer than it is a drum machine.
It’s cool that it has MIDI tracks but it has no concept of MIDI sounds or MIDI instrument presets so you have to set this up from scratch over and over. Or try to fudge templates by doing and awful lot of copy and pasting.
Patterns are limited to 64 steps. It has pattern chaining but it’s a total kludge. No song mode.
Love it for what it is but I find it lacking as a basic drum machine and more so as a central hub. It’s like an operatic diva that can bring the house down with an aria but refuses to do any basic blocking or sing back up during the ensemble sections.
Caveat: I’m finding lots of musical devices/apps frustrating lately. Also having internal struggles with creativity. They are no doubt connected so, grain of salt, etc.
The strength of the Digitakt is working live, spontaneously.
If my workflow requires mainly loading samples then I'll either just use it as a drummer with presets or I'll use anything but the DT.
I read somewhere audio tracks are limited to 5 minutes each, is that correct? Can you have mono tracks and have 2x record time?
I’ve never heard that but I’ve never recorded a song more than 5 minutes. I’ll usually record for as long as the pattern is and then arrange patterns in song mode. I’m curious though, I’ll give it a try and let you know. I don’t see why there would be a time limit if you have a big enough hard drive, I have a 1b ssd drive install in my MPC Live2
You have a hour to judge
Alright video, but as the dude admits straight away he’s new to MPC’s. He keeps saying the One is a “DAW”. No, the MPC line has been like this since the MPC60 forward. Yes, the One/X/Live has more features but the basic workflow is essentially the same as past MPC’s. You can work extremely fast on MPC’s if you know what you’re doing. Again, not a “DAW”, just a full featured sampler. It’s how samplers are supposed to be. Elektron just under-specs their machines like crazy. Most samplers from 25 years ago will be better spec’d than Elektron boxes. My E-MU E4XT Ultra is still head and shoulders above 99% of modern machines. Elektron uses it’s “P-Locks” as a crutch to make up for a poorly spec’d sampler. RAM and polyphony matter. I can’t even believe we’re talking about a modern machine with mono sampling and 8 note polyphony in 2021.
@Apex ditto for Polyphony for digital synths, looking at you Argon, Cobalt, among others.
Mpc is far away than full featured sampler , there is still no pitch envelope ,poor mod matrix , limited layers , a sample can't sync in bpm besides wrap , one lfo , can't automate start/end,loop points etc ...
But as standalone box , for the price it's very good
I think this is only relevant to the MPC One which can't have an internal SSD drive. Only option is SD card or an external Hard drive.
I will try to find the info regarding recording time and update you.
I have been watching a ton of MPC one videos in the last 2 weeks and I think I'll bit the bullet and get one. The other option was the Roland MC-707 but limited to only 8 tracks is no good for me. The MPC One is £100 cheaper and has so much more to offer.
Here's a link to the MPC forum; https://www.mpc-forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=182928