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.
Comments
The channel allocation is a simple formula: any combination from zero to 20 (mono) channels for the whole unit.
That means you can in fact send 10 stereo channels from one system to the other, but then the target will have zero transmission capacity. All 20 channels are used by the sender.
8 stereo channels from sender 1 will leave 1 stereo pair to return for the receiver.
5 stereo channels result in equal capacity on both sides, as it sums up to 10 stereo (=20 mono) channels.
You may mix mono and stereo channels, f.e. send mono, return stereo.
Thank you! I mostly understand that part already, just was trying to find documentation of how one would do it. I read the user guide for the 4c and, unless I missed a section, it didn’t say how to dynamically allocate/assign the streams…. Which is so weird because it’s a huge selling point for the unit. I had read earlier in this thread that maybe “iConfig” is how you do that… and that info is only in the manual for the prior unit 4+…. But I’m not sure if iConfig runs under Big Sur. iConnectivity’s website indicates Big Sur is not supported. Has anyone actually gotten it to work with Big Sur?
IConfig still works with Big Sur.
You might have to run it in non-retina mode (or something—the checkbox is in the app’s Get Info” window in the Finder) to stop the visual glitches on the audio mixer page.
In fact, it’s still working in Monterey. And the iOS version works for me too
Awesome, great to know! And so is the best place to learn about iConfig the 4+ manual? Or is their some other documentation? Or even maybe a video showing how to set up the streams? (Sorry I’ve only focused on manuals so far and haven’t done my due diligence searching out vids)
There are some fairly detailed explanations on this forum. Search for the 4+, not the new 4C.
@stown I believe the 4C is functionally the same as the 4+, so the old manual should have you covered. Try that, and ask here when (not if
) you get stuck.
Thank you everyone! Putting the wheels in motion to get one. 😀
UPDATE: Ordered!
Hi! So I have managed to update the firmware, and have largely been able to set up synth+controllers on my powered usb hub. The only trouble I have run into with the hub is when trying to plug-in two multi-port devices up, my minilogue xd and Nektar Impact LX25+. I'm sure I must be doing something wrong. Their presence, when "maximum number of ports to use on multi-port usb devices" is set to "2", makes iConfig and Auracle loose connection with the AUDIO4c. If I set the limit to "1" then I can use the Nektar controller but it's knobs don't transmit midi (at least not on the first virtual port).
Has anyone here been able to get their Nektar controller to work (ie. all keys, knobs, etc transmit midi) with AUDIO4+/c? Would love to know how you did it! Thank you in advance!
I have two questions for the people still using their audio4+ Interface.
1.) 2 of the 4 analog inputs are “hi-z” labeled ... is it possible to feed these inputs with line-level signals from synthesizers or is this something one should not do? Either destroying the input and/or getting less quality on the signal?
2.) as far as I understand from previous discussions in this thread: iconfig still works under BigSur - so is it correct that the audio4+ interface still works with Apple M1 devices like the MacBook Air M1 etc ... ?
Regarding 2), yes, it works with any host.
And regarding #1, I’m using it with everything from synths and guitars to my mixer…
Hi-Z is line level.
Ok, thanks for the answers
Noob question: Can this thing do loopback? I’m just learning about loopback and see an application where I might be able to use it.
Yes, you can grab any channel (including system out) for tracking or route it to other ports (physical and virtual).
ps: if you have the control panel for setup. Dunno Auricle.
Considering an Audio4c for use with my 2017 iPad Pro 10.5" and Windows laptop, simultaneously.
Let's say I'd like to run 8 VSTi synths on the Windows laptop, and 8 AUv3s on the iPad (6 are synths, 2 are effect processors 'effecting' 2 VSTis from the laptop).
What is the lowest reliable latency I can expect? I relaize there are lots of variables, but how about an estimate?
Thanks.
Following!
I was about to ask the same question, but in my case with a macbook pro.
I'd like to use the iPad pro as a fx unit inside Reaper (Reaper--->iPad--->Reaper), but also as a guitar fx unit (guitar--->iPad--->Reaper).
I'm guessing all this is possible with the audio4c interface. But dunno about the latency on these particular scenarios.
Latency inside the iConnect is pretty much zero, I think. There’s no conversion to analog when sending from iPad to Mac, for example. It’s just like a wire. Make sure both devices are set to the same sample rate, and probably to the same buffer size.
This is just my experience, and understanding from reading about it over the years since I got mine. However, sometimes Ableton has a massive delay when using the iPad as send effect via iConnect, and I can’t ever figure out why!
the (Reaper--->iPad--->Reaper) roundtrip in Buffers would read:
Windows Reaper Asio-Out —> iCA virtual out
iPad iCA virtual in —> Effect AU in -> Process -> Effect AU out —> iCA virtual out
Windows iCA virtual in —> Reaper Asio in
you can easily look up the Asio and AU buffer sizes, but the iCA virtual buffers are rather cryptic (iirc) in the documentation and control panel setup.
Dunno size, but imho some buffer is required for that communication channel.
I cannot believe they exchanged this iconfig app for the auracle one.
Happy with my device. Should I keep it powered on when not in use?
If it’s similar to iConnectMidi it can be powered off and retain saved settings.
Yes that’s the headache of these devices, poor software and quite confusing naming conventions, but you get used to it’s idiosyncrasies.
Thank you.
I quite like this iconfig app. It’s quite straightforward/direct. The auricle one is intransparant.
Auracle is like the plague...
But at least on Win/OSX you can install iConfig (I have it on my Mini M1 in Monterey, needs Rosetta of course).
My iCA4+ is often on for extended periods of time. It gets a little warm, but nothing to worry about, as long as room temperature is (say) below 25 celsius.
Frequent power cycles stress the unit more than a constant temperature (imho). It‘s only the DC/DC converter that gets hot, but that‘s part of it‘s design.
Thanks!
Happy to have iconfig working on macbook. The ios app doesn't seem to work.
I cannot seem to find the box to tick for the non retina resolution. The mixer doesn't show up right now. Luckily patchbay does.
This audiorouting is something different.
Even if iConfig worked in IOS, it was often unreliable (lost contact and didn‘t find the device).
Behavior changed with IOS versions, and iirc sometimes times Safari seemed to interfere.
It had to be shut down to make iConfig find the iPad...
In OSX or Win (rarely used the latter) it always found the device.
Main difference is that you can do to some routing from the mixer by a popup menu.
The mixer channels seem to be reset to default (= zero) on major routing changes.
But once it‘s setup and stored, it‘s quite robust.
I managed to change the resolution to low by editing the plist file. That was a first.
Mixer shows up better now.
https://www.reddit.com/r/MacOS/comments/qh2e3u/urgent_no_open_in_low_resolution_mode_in_monterey/
Does anybody uses reConfig4AUDIO for audio4c?
https://apps.apple.com/jp/app/reconfig4audio/id1611970692
reConfig4AUDIO is community version of iConfig.
No but thank you for pointing that one out. I found the 'regular' iconfig ipad apps but they don't work.
I set my device with the iconnectivity app on macbook..
thanks @346 , that‘s really cool
(it‘s an Open Source project based on the original iConfig code)