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.
Audiobus icon DSP?
Hi. Just curious to what this icon is and why the number doubles when I route to AUM. Assumed it was measuring DSP or something? Thanks!
Comments
Apologies for bumping. It does seem to be dsp related as everything crackles above 100.
And the number more or less doubles when connectin Audiobus to AUM. Does this mean that using these 2 apps together isn’t particularly viable anymore (don’t remember this happening before...)?
Maybe I’ve got some settings wrong? All rates/frames match.
As a Xequence/Audiobus person, this is bad. I’ve never been an AUM fan so having to use it exclusively isn’t ideal but can only use a few apps before I get crackling if Audiobus is in the chain.
Have a feeling I’m doing something wrong but stumped...
That icon does (sort of) indicate CPU usage, and sustained peaks over 100% do indicate a problem. To be clear, the number is just an indication of the percentage of CPU usage that is presented to Audiobus at any time. iOS scales the processors it uses to conserve battery and lower heat. So, it could be running on a slower core and then iOS kicks in more power when needed. That's why sometimes when adding an app CPU usage actually appears to go down instead of up.
Which is a long way of saying yes, it's one indicator of something not being in good shape. The real confirmation is the crackling. And the first question when crackling comes up is: What is your buffer setting?
Actually, that's the second question. The first is "Have you tried powering the device off and back on?"
You should be able to use AUM in Audiobus with no problem. However, you are using some of the most CPU hungry apps on iOS there. It wouldn't be the first time Model 15 and Model D have brought a device to its knees. After rebooting, check buffer sizes and set them higher to see if that kills the crackles.
If not, then it's also possible you have a midi loop going on. If one of the Moog apps is sending midi out and that's being routed back to Xequence or something, it could be the cause.
Thanks for detailed response wim. Have rebooted and settings are 1024 so reasonably high?
It’s quite weird. I’m not getting why simply connecting AUM produces such an increase in dsp.
Tested a few apps and the very low usage ones don’t show much of an increase if any.
When more hungry apps are inputted (moog, audio kit, imaginado etc.) it’s very noticeable.
When there’s a few apps together it peaks pretty easy.
I don’t understand why AUM on it’s own causes this? Maybe a problem particular to my device? iPhone 8+ 14.4.....
What do you have loaded in AUM?
Nothing, just pressing the connection button in audiobus.
1024 buffers should be more than enough. In fact, I would not go higher as some apps don't handle that well. I think @espiegel123's question about AUM is good. Also, it could be important to check midi routings to be sure you aren't creating a loop.
Ignore the DSP number. It's a general indicator only and can be misleading. Focus on crackles. If you have high DSP but no crackles, forget about it. If you have crackles, then that's another matter.
This could be an iOS 14 thing too. I can't test because I'm not upgrading until if/when Apple fixes the current problems with 14.
Hmm, iOS 14....
Don’t think there’s any midi loops. Not making any midi connections but turned off midi out from apps just in case.
I duplicated a Xequence/AB/AUM project so that it cut out AB and can happily run more apps in it (even moog stuff).
Really don’t get on with AUM though. Can’t stand all the resizing windows and really miss the side bar.
Half a workaround is to have AB running with dummy AUM and Xequence channels but not ideal.
I found my ideal combination of apps for workflow and it’s a pain the arse 😂
In the example you posted, you are sending Moog's audio to AUM. What happens if you host the Moog in AUM? What is AUM doing for you in this example?
Under iOS 13, I don't find that I pay a performance penalty for using AB3 and AUM together. I wonder what other parts of the configuration can be fiddled with.
I think the idea is it's nice to make use of the Audiobus toolbar and not to have to do AUM window diving. I prefer this approach too, and host everything I can in Audiobus, and only what I need in AUM.
Same.
@Michael : any ideas?
Only using AUM out of necessity for effects bussing etc.
I can cut AB out of the process but don’t get on with AUM for various reasons (resizing etc.).
I’ll keep experimenting. Maybe iOS 14?
It’s weird, the way the higher the dsp of the app the higher the additional dsp when connected to AUM (approx). 🤷🏼♂️
Out of curiosity , are you on the very latest iOS update?
No, none! This should definitely work without issues.
@Zerozerozero let’s bring it back to the most simple case, like an otherwise empty AB session with just AUM in the output and system mic input, and AUM running an empty session. What do you see then?
With empty session and only AUM in output, nothing. 0 dsp indicated. It’s only when I add hungrier apps in the input.
I’m on 14.4 but not updated to 14.4.1 yet. Could maybe help? Maybe a setting I’ve got wrong?
Okay.... So with a few hungry apps in the input, but still an empty AUM session, does the CPU monitor go up a lot when AUM is added?
I can’t imagine 14.4.1 would make much of a difference.
iOS 14.4.1 is just a security update, not likely to make a difference.
Is it possible that AUM is requesting data directly from either of the synths, even though it's not configured to do so? That could cause them to do double processing. I only ask this because of the apparent doubling of CPU load when AUM is connected.
Just as a wild guess, what happens if you make the AUM connection first, before loading anything else in AB3?
Couple of vids to demonstrate. It’s more random than I first thought. Sometimes an app will do it, sometimes not.
Lower cpu apps don’t seem to change much.
I know we’re supposed to ignore these numbers and I can see some level of throttling going on as I change configuration etc but as mentioned before, a duplicate project using only AUM will run many more apps without crackling.
I don’t get why an empty AUM project being connected causes this.
What do you think, @j_liljedahl ?
Could it be the IAA connection eating CPU? Does it happen only with AUM or also if you try another output app, like Loopy, Garageband, Cubasis, etc?
Also, what does the CPU meter in AUM say when this happens?
What's your buffer size and sample rate setting in AUM? When you load Audiobus first, it should be Audiobus dictating this, but maybe something changed regarding Audio Session handling that allows AUM to override it, and maybe you have lower buffer size and/or higher sample rate in AUM?
I don’t have many options here. GB reduces it to 1% 🤷🏼♂️. AudioShare and ThumbJam increase it.
On first glance AUM reads the same as AB but can do more tests running projects if helpful?
Everything at 48 and 1024
If there’s other tests I can do, please let me know. Would love to resolve if possible.
Thanks for all responses 🙏🏻
Do they increase it the same amount as AUM? Would be good to know if this is something specific to AUM, Audiobus, or a generic IAA problem.
Please do. If AUM with an empty session shows about the same as AB, it means the extra CPU time happens in
ABSourcesReceive()or when AUM reads the hardware audio inputs.By the way, I can't replicate this with Model 15 -> AUM in AB3 on my iPad Pro running iOS 14.2. The DSP% stays the same after I add and connect AUM.
No. ThumbJam was highest, then AUM, then AudioShare.
See below. Videos show duplicate project with different cpu costs (they sound slightly different as DM1 timing off in AUM and haven’t bothered setting effects yet but all same apps are active).
No, some apps will do it with just the connection, others will only do it if something else has been connected. It doesn’t seem to be a straightforward issue. I’m on iPhone 8+ 14.4 if that has any bearing?
And if you run the AUM session, and then just connects an empty or simple AB3 session to it? Like Microphone -> AUM.
I’m not sure I follow, sorry....if I have AUM connected to an AB output and nothing else going on then it reads 0 dsp. Not sure I follow the microphone bit..?