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-MacBook combo - Experiences, Setups and Tipps
So far I am producing iPad only but I have enough of the limitations and workarounds. The desktop DAWs have much more functionality and are very stable and mature. Sometimes I have a feeling that I've spent more time on figuring out workarounds then on actually making music. The final nail in the coffin was my new M1 iPad Pro 16 GB 1 TB - I am underwhelmed by its performance for music production. A not very big project with Cubasis 3 (EG Pulse with 5 outs, 2 x DRC, 3 audio tracks, 2 Steinberg mini samplers, some FX: Steinberg channel strip on every channel, 1 blackhole, 5 x TB Reverb, 5 x TB EQ, 2 x Bleass delay) and I’m already at 30-36% DSP and 3% CPU. Look at the music-pro Logic Pro benchmark. The M1 MacBook Air can do 110 tracks of this kind:
we have Logic playing back 104 instances of Sculpture with a signal chain of Channel EQ, Multiplier, Chorus, AutoFilter and PlatinumVerb. The 2019 MacBook Air can play back only 13 channels in this configuration, while the 2018 MacBook Pro plays back 66.
I already called up Apple. I will return my iPad and I will order the iPad Pro 256 GB, add some money and and also order a MacBook Air 16 GB/512 GB. So I think I will shift most of my music making to the MacBook but I still would like to use the great apps that I have already bought on the iPad. The question is now what is the best setup for combining an iPad with a MacBook? I know many of you are already doing this so I would like to benefit from your experiences. I think on the MacBook I would go with Logic Pro. I am in the Studiomux beta and it works great for me with Ableton Live Lite on my Intel MacBook from work. But that’s my work MacBook. I don’t really want to use it privately, I just wanted to check how Studiomux is working. Moreover I have an iConnectAudio 2+. So there are plenty of options to combine an iPad with this new MacBook… Additionally I have a BeatStep Pro, Launchpad X and a MicroFreak.
Which setups you are successfully using in which you can utilize the apps on your iPad?
Which MacOS DAW seems to be a good choice? Given that many apps have an Ableton export.
How to best use the cool sequencer apps like cykle or riffer? Load them into AUM or apeMatrix and Ableton link them?
I usually do some electronic music or dub reggae. I like to record clips, add some sampled loops, and FX, jam with these clips on my Launchpad and then arrange it on a timeline. I think Ableton, Logic and Bitwig would support this workflow. But which one is best in conjunction with an iPad?
Please give me some advice.
Comments
I highly recommend Logic Pro. Logic Pro is a steal for the price and it’s also M1 native. If you are working with an iOS device use idam. It’s that simple.
And don't forget about Logic Remote, it's a great companion app
Logic Pro is a great choice, but what works for one might not work for someone else. They offer a free 90-day trial, why not try it yourself? You can even use your Launchpad with it to control live loops
@SirMcp I think using my iConnectAudio 2+ offers much more than IDAM - it delivers 10 virtual audio channels and also a number of Midi devices between my iPad and my Mac or is there something that IDAM solves better that the iConnect? So how is your setup then? Hosting AUs in AUM, sync with Ableton Link, then Midi from Mac to iPad and audio back? Any latency issues?
I think I will also go with Logic. It's blazingly fast on the M1 and it can host AUv3s - potentially more and more of my iOS AUv3s. On the other hand there are sooo many good EDM tutorials and techniques out there for Ableton. I also have the impression that Ableton's plugins have a little edge over Logic but on the other hand the suite is very pricy.
@yug did you use a Launchpad with Logic?
Did anyone use Studiomux for some serious project? Is it something you can rely on?
Personally I think Ableton is a lot easier to use compared to Logic, and so many apps support Live export it seems like a no-brainer to me. Logic is definitely the best deal in terms of cost to features, but I wouldn't base my decision solely on that.
If you were set on a more traditional linear style DAW I'd actually recommend StudioOne or Reaper over Logic myself. Both have more modern take on the DAW and get much more frequent updates.
I’ve been using iPads with Logic/Mac since the iPad 2 was released.
Over the years I’ve tried lots of different ways of combining them and have basically ended up by using them almost completely independently.
Logic remote is very cool and I sometimes will use IDAM but I prefer to use the ipad (and to be honest more often iPhone) on its own and then export everything as audio.
Using the iPad with more than one instrument at a time with Logic ends up being too much housekeeping for what it’s worth. And coming back to old projects becomes increasingly frustrating if you expect to carry on from where you left off. Too much can break in between sessions, especially when you come back after a few months or years.
So what works best for me is to export lots of audio and save the loops in iCloud Drive. When I make a Logic project I import these loops and build the track. I then export all the extra stuff I do in Logic if I want to bring them back to my iPhone/iPad.
On the iPhone/iPad I use a variety of apps and often use BlocsWave as a halfway house as it’s a great way to jam out song ideas really quickly — it loads almost instantly and it’s very simple so there are no barriers to just playing with arrangement ideas. It also has really good exporting so I can get all the loops back into the
Mac all time stretched and pitch shifted as required.
So yeah. My personal method is to keep it simple. Commit to audio early. And remember that Complex setups break in complex ways.
I can’t be doing with all the troubleshooting j don’t have time for that. Committing to audio early helps keep things going without the complexity.
Which includes using IDAM. I assume that the current session will never be able to be repeated so always bounce as I go (but I save all the midi tracks so I can always reproduce with different settings).
Sometimes I will just sit with the iPad and use a self contained app such as ielectribe and just use it to make loops for future use with no external distractions or ulterior motives.
I’ve been making music with Logic since version 1.1. This is the best way for me.
I used to have complex setups with loads of external hardware, rewired reason projects and lots of vsts. Some of them legit ;-).
And al those projects broke.
The ones where I bounced everything to audio live on.
TDLR. Keep it as simple as possible. Complex projects aren’t clever ;-)
Forgot to mention Logic Remote which is super useful. I have an iconnect also and
Idam is just plug in usb, enable the device and record. There’s is nothing extra it will do your iconnect has more pass through power than idam. I sample drums, make loops and play live synth from my iPad into Logic as audio. If I start the track on my iPad then I stem out and import them into Logic.
And yes Logic works great on my M1 Mac Mini but it’s still slugging like a champ on my 2015 MacBook Pro, intel based I7. So Logic will run incredibly well on older machines.
This is the closest to my experience as well, although better written than I could have. I only make music on ipad and mac and I only use these to make music. I had dreams of integrating everything with everything at the beginning, but gradually realised that "you can" rarely means "you should".
And I wouldn't even say I always can...
On the Mac, Logic seems really the one to go for. It offers everything I need and then some. And the price isn't just better initially; most upgrades also come for free, so with time most other daws start looking decidedly like robbery in comparison.
The 90-day free trial is a hook of genius.
These days I use idam every once in a while, but it's usually independent use of the two platforms, just like @klownshed described.
Good luck with your choice!
I bought an ipad mini so x 2 ipad and audio4c. Would people just buy any mac and export to logic. Even if most of track or all were made on ipads?
I thought long and hard. A choice between a new M1 iPad Pro or a MacBook Air M1. I went with the MacBook Air M1. I've not regretted it. The performance with Logic is stunning.
@klownshed @ervin good points, probably I should let it go the goal to create a combo setup. I already made bad experiences with too complex setups on the iPad. Definitely I do not like very much to commit to audio early as I like to create tracks with a lot of motion by synth parameter automation but I think I need to do this either on the Mac or on the iPad and then record it to audio.
@CapnWillie interesting idea with GB and Logic, but that means you rather use the iPad as a sketch book and then replace the instruments once transferred the song to Logic, right? I really have many synths on the iPad that I love and also developed some decent sound design skills with them. I feel a bit sorry to reduce the iPad to be a sketch pad.
But honestly if this is what is the most effective combo: either loop creation or sketch book, then I don’t need an iPad Pro for my combo but probably an iPad 8 would be enough. I think I use the next days I check out Logic trial on my work MacBook and dig a bit deeper into a setup with a deeper integration with either Studiomux or the audio channels of iConnectAudio and then make a decision which iPad model to buy.
Thanks so far for the input. Interesting to see that you came to similar conclusions. Thank you so much. Definitely I don’t want to leave this great community.
I use 3 ipads and dump everything to logic for mixdown. It all goes there in 1 take.
So how do you use the iPad then?
With an audio4c or similar? Not that im making tracks anyway. Maybe there will be a good app before I buy a mac.
Motu828 + 2 minidsp's dumped via AVB
I never had a great experience with any of the iconnectivity stuff.
(not that im a fan of the web based software of the motu either...)
Once you go with Logic and enjoy its pleasures — the iPad will fade from relevance…and become more of a Netflix device.
Also I agree that GB iOS/iPadOS is a great sketchpad that can go a long way towards a project and then easily transfer into Logic, some AU’s (like FAC) will also transition intact.
Im not a fan of logic as a composition tool. Nor any DAW. But thats just me. Moving blocks around a timeline isnt fun to me, and I end up writing with my eyes rather than my ears.
The sketch book combo gave me another idea… Sketching out clips on the iPad with Garage Band using plugins that exist on both platforms or where the AUv3 can be installed on a Mac and are able to share patches via iCloud or otherwise. Which AUs can do that? SynthMaster and DRC I think. Can Drambo share patches cross platform? Or Fab Filter and TB plugins?
Thanks for this advice!
That’s possible but IMHO not really making the best of either device.
I feel like GarageBand is a very capable app, but it’s effectively a heavily cut down version of logic.
The touch instruments are fun but most of the features are significantly limited compared to their big Logic brothers and sisters.
There are tons of great iOS only apps that make the best use of the device.
I get frustrated using DAWs on the iPad as they’re all frankly rubbish compared to the big desktop DAWs and nowhere near as fast to use.
So if I’m going to be using GB on an iPad I might as well just go straight to logic. It’s far quicker for me and much less fiddly. I do sometimes use GB on my phone but generally, my MacBook is a much better host for a DAW so why not use it?
Building things in Drambo, AUM, Samplr, BlocsWave any other number of other great iOS only apps is a different thing though.
It can be really inspiring using the iPad/iPhone as an instrument and coming up with new ideas. In the same way a guitarist reaches for the guitar when he gets a song idea, or just fancies a jam.
iOS has been a boon for me. It’s enabled me to make music after a children-induced hiatus and without it I’d probably never use logic.
I think I’ve said this before on this forum; it wasn’t until I stopped using iOS the same way I use logic that I became more productive and less frustrated.
Most of my songs/ideas start life on iOS.
All of them end up in Logic.
One thing I frequently do to use fx I have on iOS but not the Mac is to use them in NS2 on aux busses. When you export all the tracks in NS2, fx returns also get exported as their own tracks. I use these fx return tracks in Logic and it’s a fantastic trick for sound design. You can use them without the original track (ie 100% wet) and mangle them to create really interesting sounds. Blackhole and FAC alteza are two good examples that I’ve used quite a bit.
ios + Mac is a fantastic combo. I know a vast number of forum members love making music exclusively on iOS. I personally don’t enjoy that at all. Logic has spoilt me as far as DAWs are concerned.
The hybrid approach suits me fantastically well personally.
Logic can’t be beaten on iOS.
But It doesn’t have to be. A huge percentage of my music making time is spent on iOS.
Moog Model15 is another
@klownshed thank you so much for you very extensive answers and insight into your workflows. Your approach very much speaks to me. It is indeed the touch UI that makes the iPad the much better instrument than any computer that is operated by keyboard and mouse. Samplr being a great example. Which iPad model are you using? Do you think a new iPad Pro makes sense for such usage or is it waste of money?
On the other hand arranging and editing piano rolls is a breeze with a mouse. I tried a lot of piano rolls on the iPad and it is fiddly to get want you want. Always accidental notes. Without a pencil it’s hard and changing constantly from finger to pencil and back is not really a great experience. Remember the very much wanted ‘sausage finger’ mode for Atom 2? No further comment 😅 And yes, all iPad DAWs are far behind the desktop world. And again yes, most of them suck. Buggy as hell and a feature like sidechaining causes euphoria - in 2021. I was euphoric, too.
You are right. Best use the device for that where it excels. I really like to do the sound design with my fingers. That’s why I was now thinking about the cross platform synths. Did you ever create stuff with Drambo on the iPad and then used that in Logic?
or just run drambo on the mac? isn't it universal?
i don't have an m1, so not sure.
Yes, AFAIK the dev enabled it on the Mac appstore and it works well. I was just wondering if it’s possible to share patches. So easy finger sound design and jam on the iPad and then using the result for an arrangement in Logic.
Update: just checked it… Drambo’s file dialog has got an iCloud tab, so should be easy to share cross platform. And Model 15 as well… the vision materializes more and more.
Found a thread about cross platform synths: https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/43272/ios-apps-that-also-exist-on-desktop
Also just checked sunrizer. The VST version still exists.
2012 mini server for lyfe!
@krassmann when you get your MacBook go get Faust (https://faust.grame.fr) It's these sorts of things that are blocked on iOS that I find to be serious pointless limitations.
If you decide not to get Logic, get MainStage anyway. You can at least use all the synths and stuff that comes with Logic in MainStage that way and it is really cheap. In lots of ways, MainStage is lacking compared to AUM, but it does give me some of the feel and usability.
No, not yet. I'm thinking about buying one, so I did a bit of research last week, watched a lot of videos on youtube, and looks like it works really well. Not every feature is supported, some buttons are not working, but nothing I can't live with.
The only issue with Studio One is that - for some unexplained reason - it doesn't support Apple's IDAM protocols. Took weeks of app wrangling and repeated (failed) instructions to find out it wouldn't work no matter what I did.
I've also found it very handy to use something like LightBlue to make bluetooth connections ... the Apple set-up has lots of blind spots - doesn't see a lot of devices.