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.
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My experience tells me, the only difference between software amp (not any) and hardware amp (not any) is how fast you can get a decent sound out of it. With software you need a little bit more knob tinkering. That’s why I’m selling my hardware now.
Somewhat off-yet-on topic. When I play an analog synth into my PAs at loud, it's one of the best experiential things to do as a musician. With disappointment, but in all honesty, the iPad synth sound is just as good in a recording. And soooooo much easier, especially with tools like AUM.
Edit: $399. 8 guitar amp models, 3 bass amp models, noise suppressor, 2x cabinets for loading IRs, 4-band parametric EQ or 10-band graphic EQ, ambience/reverb, plus class-compliant audio-over-USB (or multi-channel with a driver on Windows/Mac).
[And btw, the new $299 SY-200 doesn't do pitch-to-MIDI like the SY-1000 or GP-10 (GP-10 only does it over USB), nor does it have audio-over-USB like the IR-200].
https://www.boss.info/us/products/ir-200/
I just spent an hour trying out amp sims on my iPad, and remembered why I prefer a hardware amp-sim box. I spent forever just trying to get it all up and running, and then AUM stopped seeing the connected audio interface.
That, and there seems to be no way to set the iConnectAudio4+’s inputs to Hi-Z via iPad.
I think I will buy a Mooer Radar instead.
I hear you, mistercharlie. That's why at one time I logged the time it took in config and setup to get the point of actual playing. And why I quit using my Macbook.
Does look tasty. Although for roughly the same price you can get a Pod Go which includes many more amp and cab models and dozens of FX, although it is much bigger. No MIDI though.
The IR200's GT1000-based amp models are, according to most owners, slightly improved from the older GT100 models, though a few folks have said they can't hear a difference. Could be the algos and DACs were improved, but the internal processing is 32-bit/96kHz now. Funny thing, the ancient Yamaha DG Stomp had 32-bit float processing. [Edit: It may have been 24+3 floating bits]. For ~10 years I much preferred the older Yamaha DG-series over more-up-to-date modelers.
I had the GP10 when it was released a few years ago, and was impressed with its GT100-based amp models. And its pitch-to-MIDI tracking (with the RMC-equipped Brian Moore) was slightly improved (faster tracking in the lower strings) over the GI20 that I'd used for years.
But I never used it with my iPad, so does anyone know if the GP10 has USB class-compliant audio+MIDI with the iPad? If so, getting another one would kill 3 birds with 1 stone [guitar+other instrument modeling, alternate tunings, amp+FX modeling, individual FX for each string, pitch-to-MIDI (over USB only)]. Of course no IR loader, but it's still a bargain, especially on the used market. iirc, all parameters could be accessed from the unit itself - the desktop software is more convenient, but unnecessary, iirc.
This couldn’t be any more true! Poor musicianship can never be fixed by simply throwing more expensive gear at it!
Well ... shit ... that just ruined my day.
Explains a lot though.
Good discussion. I don’t think it’s fair to compare a hardware modeler to amp sims on iOS. The main reason is that an iPad is a DAW, a synth, instrument, production desk, tv, and it’s also a guitar amp modeler. It needs the interface as the middle man. But my point is is that guitar amp sims are just one small part of the equation.
Hardware modelers or stomps are just that. Some of them have interface capability for the guitar inputs, but you’re not recording a drum set or condenser mics into a hardware stomp. So it’s the whole package that matter. If you’re just concentrating on guitar, or gigging with guitar, a hardware modeler is often a better choice. In the world of recording guitar or gone studio, gotta consider all that an iPad/interface brings to the table.
Now if you’re talking about front-loading your interface/iPad with a hardware modeler, it gets interesting. You’re basically feeding a line level signal of your chosen tone into the interface. So live setting, cool. But for recording, a hardware modeler will print the tone you’re recording. This is a big difference. Unless your modeler can record a dual path dry and processed track, you can’t re-amp or tweak your track as you could with iOS amp sims etc..
And in terms of iOS amps sims vs Axe and Kemper modelers, or other plugins like Neural… these days it’s pretty close. The iOS apps aren’t as feature rich, but they have the same tone and dsp engines of their desktop counterparts. With time spent tweaking, and a good IR, iOS sims like Nembrini or Overloud can indeed sound as good as a Kemper profile or a Neural sim. There is no reason why they wouldn’t. The specs are the same… it becomes a matter of taste and how well you know the software you’re using…
What about the Mac? What’s a good option there? Do any of these iOS apps also run on M1 Macs?
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Thanks for the thoughtful post!
KEMPER PROFILER Rig Manager now available for iPhone
Nice!
Big disagree from me. I play regularly in small bars. Just me on guitar, with a singer. I play a Gretsch through a Swart AST, which is a highly regarded, hand built American tube amp. I love it. I also play at home through iOS amp sims and love that too. Occasionally I use that set up live using Loopy Pro for an instrumental set. It's not the same, I probably wouldn't enjoy doing guitar accompaniment with it so much, but it can sound great, and whatever i might miss out on in feel or whatever I can make up for in versatility.
Depending what you do, how you want to sound, and probably a bunch of personality related factors, you may not find a big difference.
A tube amp has a 10-12" speaker and exists in the air around you. To make a recording you end up mic'ing it.
An amp sim aims to reproduce that same recording sound in a pair of headphones.
Of course, the real world air sound is great for the player but w.r.t. recording the amp sim is a lot less expensive and can produce quite similar results. and if you make music in a spare room at 2AM the amp sim helps you get something done while the kids are asleep.
Define your production environment and one will make the most sense.
Many live bands are switching to amp sim hardware to just provide in ear monitor mixes to the players on the stage and there's actually no speakers on the stage at all and set-up, tear down is less effort. Time is money and the audience is getting the results through the venue sound system. Fake cabinet stacks can be placed on the stage to re-inforce the illusion of old school look of a live band.
Throw is the fact that much of the music is studio based pre-recorded content and the whole show is closer to a pantomime performance.
Oh no it isn't!
I haven't played or even seen one in person, but those Swart amps sound really good in every video or demo I've heard. And, they look so cool! You've got to admit that they look way better than any amp sim. Gretsch + Swart has got to be a lot of fun.
Watch the Grammies and tell me when you spot someone playing/singing live. These are the "top acts". They have shifted to being dance companies. It's mime.
BTS?
I'm sure there are still bands that love to play but NOT on TV in general.
Agree many bands want to play live but due to logistical issues they cannot or are actually not allowed , to keep productions values consistent on TV (example , Super Bowl, Award shows and apparently while even singing national anthems)
With amp sims, I think the question is not “does it sound the same as when I am in the room with my amp?”
The question is “Does the recorded sound rival the recordings of my amp?”
The answer to the second question is often yes (or even “it sounds better”) even if the answer to the first question is no.
I'd say I can still get a better sound out of micing my amps than any amp sim.
Once in a mix though, I could even prefer an amp sim just for being able to make it fit better with the amount of fine tuning available,
Agreed. I find Overloud almost always fits right in with a mix better than a hardware pedal chain to amp pedal (I use Strymon Iridium) out. With either, setup, but especially full software DSP, once you get past the mental block of knowing it’s not the “real thing” and just accept it as an amazing 21st century instant/pre-packaged production tool, there’s really no going back if you’re 1) not a professional yourself, 2) don’t have top of the line gear, or 3) not in a professional studio having an engineer take care of all the fuss.
I suspect most people, though, don’t have a decent enough sounding room to do good full volume recordings of their amps…even if they have the mics they’d need.
My preference now is to use either my Engl preamp or my little Hughes & Kettner head direct into AUM and then play with and muck about with everything that's available there. I don't really use sims most of the time anymore. I thinks it's a best of both worlds approach.
All of the above. I have a really good amp for recording (a ‘68 Fender Champ) and a variety of good mics but I don’t think I’ll ever track that way again. Sims are indistinguishable or better in a mix and SO much easier.
Heck, I’ve even started recording acoustic guitar parts through the Nembrini Acoustic Voice and getting very usable results. Like all Nembrini sims, you have to dial them in rather than using the presets.
Sorry, it was a pantomime joke:
He’s behind you!
Oh no he isn’t!
Oh yes he is!
Maybe this is a UK-only thing?
I sold my GP10 a couple of years ago because it was not USB class-compliant.
Has anyone taken the output of an iOS device and pushed it through a powered speaker and gotten a good tone for live work? The benefit being amp like tone with the ability to swap amps? Or is this a bridge too far?
Maybe be the savings in 9V batteries would justify this approach…. Oh wait power distribution hubs…