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.

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Audio Interface for New IPad Pro

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Comments

  • It looks like the iConnectAudio variants were an option earlier in the thread but are no longer in the running. Is this purely due to the availability of Studiomux, or are there additional factors?

  • @dubbub said:

    @wingwizard said:
    I’m now leaning toward motu m2


    I have both M2 and M4, and they both punch above their weight. But if you are overdubbing live instruments, trust me, spend the extra coin to have the blend knob on the M4…

    Thanks, you find it that useful then? I will be recording a lot of vocals and wasn’t sure how much hassle it avoids

    @Schmotown said:
    The MOTU M series would be a good choice. I’ve had an M4 for two years and I’ve compared it side by side with a Focusrite Clarett, Audient EVO, and Audient iD4 MKII, each of which I owned for awhile. The MOTU, Clarett, and iD4 had excellent sonics and each of them could deliver stellar recordings. What distinguished the M4 was its low latency, metering, headphone amp, and simple, functional ergonomics (no auto gain setting or midi control knob). It’s the only one I still own, along with an Apogee jam+ in a different room.

    FWIW, I don’t think the interface is the place to add color (vintage, classic, warm, “mojo”…) or apply compression. We’re so lucky these days. For a modest price we get a clean preamp, high dynamic range, and low latency. If we need some “mojo”, whatever that means, we have unbelievably cool software for that.

    This is great thanks, i do agree with the latter part but reading got me thinking as monitoring vocal takes with compression can be very useful in terms of giving better performances. Can you do this just using app compressors in a door Etc? With headphones plugged into the motu? I’m a bit rubbish with this stuff but not sure if you’d just be monitoring the live vocal signal direct from mic, or if the compression au say a fabfilter on iOS would be applied in what you hear as you sing.

    Sorry not sure if yiu or anyone could help me with this as it’ll prob tip the balance. And I don’t want to clutter up with a new thread

  • Totally agree with @Schmotown , my M2 is super clean and fast, nice level meters and just does the job better than others I’ve had in the past.

  • @wingwizard said:
    This is great thanks, i do agree with the latter part but reading got me thinking as monitoring vocal takes with compression can be very useful in terms of giving better performances. Can you do this just using app compressors in a door Etc? With headphones plugged into the motu? I’m a bit rubbish with this stuff but not sure if you’d just be monitoring the live vocal signal direct from mic, or if the compression au say a fabfilter on iOS would be applied in what you hear as you sing.

    You can have some loopback from the DAW with any interface (some have a blend knob to mix with the direct signal which is useful, but even if your interface doesn't have this you can still do it).

    So essentially you can monitor with compression and reverb no matter which interface you buy. I believe the Motu M4 has the blend knob, but not the M2.

  • @richardyot said:

    @wingwizard said:
    This is great thanks, i do agree with the latter part but reading got me thinking as monitoring vocal takes with compression can be very useful in terms of giving better performances. Can you do this just using app compressors in a door Etc? With headphones plugged into the motu? I’m a bit rubbish with this stuff but not sure if you’d just be monitoring the live vocal signal direct from mic, or if the compression au say a fabfilter on iOS would be applied in what you hear as you sing.

    You can have some loopback from the DAW with any interface (some have a blend knob to mix with the direct signal which is useful, but even if your interface doesn't have this you can still do it).

    So essentially you can monitor with compression and reverb no matter which interface you buy. I believe the Motu M4 has the blend knob, but not the M2.

    Yes - at the cost of increased latency in the monitor path, which won't necessarily be a problem in practise. I’ve ended up using “loop back through the DAW” when recording vocals, I don’t believe it’s affected my wife’s performances although she mostly wants to hear reverb.

  • @MadGav said:

    @richardyot said:

    @wingwizard said:
    This is great thanks, i do agree with the latter part but reading got me thinking as monitoring vocal takes with compression can be very useful in terms of giving better performances. Can you do this just using app compressors in a door Etc? With headphones plugged into the motu? I’m a bit rubbish with this stuff but not sure if you’d just be monitoring the live vocal signal direct from mic, or if the compression au say a fabfilter on iOS would be applied in what you hear as you sing.

    You can have some loopback from the DAW with any interface (some have a blend knob to mix with the direct signal which is useful, but even if your interface doesn't have this you can still do it).

    So essentially you can monitor with compression and reverb no matter which interface you buy. I believe the Motu M4 has the blend knob, but not the M2.

    Yes - at the cost of increased latency in the monitor path, which won't necessarily be a problem in practise. I’ve ended up using “loop back through the DAW” when recording vocals, I don’t believe it’s affected my wife’s performances although she mostly wants to hear reverb.

    Personally I really hate any latency when I'm singing, but it's pretty easy to get around that by blending the direct signal with the signal from the DAW - that way you get to hear the reverb and compression but it doesn't mess with your timing. And yes reverb is usually what helps most for singers.

  • @richardyot said:

    @wingwizard said:
    This is great thanks, i do agree with the latter part but reading got me thinking as monitoring vocal takes with compression can be very useful in terms of giving better performances. Can you do this just using app compressors in a door Etc? With headphones plugged into the motu? I’m a bit rubbish with this stuff but not sure if you’d just be monitoring the live vocal signal direct from mic, or if the compression au say a fabfilter on iOS would be applied in what you hear as you sing.

    You can have some loopback from the DAW with any interface (some have a blend knob to mix with the direct signal which is useful, but even if your interface doesn't have this you can still do it).

    So essentially you can monitor with compression and reverb no matter which interface you buy. I believe the Motu M4 has the blend knob, but not the M2.

    Exactly, although I nearly always monitor 100% thru plug-ins and never notice any latency on guitar, vocals, horns, etc. M1 iPad Pro or MacBook Air, 24 bits @ 44.1 I’d be fine with a MOTU M2.

  • Well, I got myself a new Audio Interface and the choice fell on the Audient ID4Mk2...
    ...coming from the Steinberg UR-242 I can already tell that the headphone amp on the UR242 is a bad joke in comparison :sunglasses:
    (Granted I'm currently using the USB-C port on my MacMini it will be interesting to see how much 'weaker' the headphone amp gets when connected to a regular USB3/Hub as the ID4Mk2 can draw more power from a dedicated USB-C port).

    Cheers!

  • @Samu said:
    Well, I got myself a new Audio Interface and the choice fell on the Audient ID4Mk2...
    ...coming from the Steinberg UR-242 I can already tell that the headphone amp on the UR242 is a bad joke in comparison :sunglasses:
    (Granted I'm currently using the USB-C port on my MacMini it will be interesting to see how much 'weaker' the headphone amp gets when connected to a regular USB3/Hub as the ID4Mk2 can draw more power from a dedicated USB-C port).

    Cheers!

    Maybe you can test, if it is possible to set Cubasis 3 or BeatMaker 3 to 96k with this interface attached?
    And what exactly is needed to reach this 😅

  • @tja said:

    Maybe you can test, if it is possible to set Cubasis 3 or BeatMaker 3 to 96k with this interface attached?
    And what exactly is needed to reach this 😅

    Both Cubasis and AUM complain that some other apps are controlling the sample rate...

    I would not be surprised if it's some stupid thing like the camera.app or another system service that is always running in the background ready to shoot video or listening to the stupid 'Hey Siri!' :sunglasses:

    The ID4Mk2 requires quite a bit of power so a powered hub is needed for Lightning devices.
    The CCK3 can not spit out enough juice but no problem on USB-C devices.

    Guess we'll have to wait for iOS16 or something similar before we get a proper Audio Control Panel if ever...

    Cheers!

  • @Samu said:
    [...]

    Guess we'll have to wait for iOS16 or something similar before we get a proper Audio Control Panel if ever...

    That would be nice, but I think your "if ever" is going to be right. I've pretty much given up on this unless Apple makes a fundamental shift in their view of what an iPad is.

    Does the Audient ID4Mk2 require drivers on the Mac to handle "advanced" stuff?

  • @NeonSilicon said:

    Does the Audient ID4Mk2 require drivers on the Mac to handle "advanced" stuff?

    It doesn't require any installed drivers and you can use the standard Apple stuff to send stuff to the loopback...
    ...unfortunately since we don't have the standard 'Apple Stuff'(ie. Configure Speakers) on iOS I can not send audio to the loop-back-output...

    There is an app that can be downloaded to control the loopback levels from Microphone, D.I. and 'Computer'.
    (All these controls can also be seen in the Audio Midi Setup app but are 'greyed out').

    Apart from needing a bit of power it works very well in the iPad and even iPhone when connected to a powered hub which is what I always use anyway when I connect multiple devices to my iPad.

    Already used to the 'extra ooompff' the headphone output has when connected to a proper USB-C port...
    ...so I won't mind if my next iPad when I get one has a couple of USB-C ports :sunglasses:

  • @Samu said:

    @NeonSilicon said:

    Does the Audient ID4Mk2 require drivers on the Mac to handle "advanced" stuff?

    It doesn't require any installed drivers and you can use the standard Apple stuff to send stuff to the loopback...
    ...unfortunately since we don't have the standard 'Apple Stuff'(ie. Configure Speakers) on iOS I can not send audio to the loop-back-output...

    There is an app that can be downloaded to control the loopback levels from Microphone, D.I. and 'Computer'.
    (All these controls can also be seen in the Audio Midi Setup app but are 'greyed out').

    Apart from needing a bit of power it works very well in the iPad and even iPhone when connected to a powered hub which is what I always use anyway when I connect multiple devices to my iPad.

    Already used to the 'extra ooompff' the headphone output has when connected to a proper USB-C port...
    ...so I won't mind if my next iPad when I get one has a couple of USB-C ports :sunglasses:

    Interesting, thanks for the info. I'm trying to figure out what might be happening with my MOTU M4 interface on iOS/iPadOS. I was doing some testing and discovered that I can't set the output volume of channels on my iPad. On my Mac, the outputs are settable but the inputs are greyed out. I have the drivers from MOTU installed, but it does work as a class compliant device too. It's all a bit weird to me and I can't really figure out what is going on with iOS right now.

    The M4 drives headphones well too. That's one of things I really like about it. The DAC and the output amp for the headphones are better than the external headphone amp I usually use. I haven't tested with direct USB-C out vs. the CCK with it though. I should do that. I always use my new iPad as a direct out to the interface now. I always went through a powered USB hub on my old iPad. I think my new iPad works better with the M4, but there are too many variables and I haven't really paid enough careful attention to know if that is true or why.

  • @Samu said:

    @NeonSilicon said:

    Does the Audient ID4Mk2 require drivers on the Mac to handle "advanced" stuff?

    It doesn't require any installed drivers and you can use the standard Apple stuff to send stuff to the loopback...
    ...unfortunately since we don't have the standard 'Apple Stuff'(ie. Configure Speakers) on iOS I can not send audio to the loop-back-output...

    There is an app that can be downloaded to control the loopback levels from Microphone, D.I. and 'Computer'.
    (All these controls can also be seen in the Audio Midi Setup app but are 'greyed out').

    Apart from needing a bit of power it works very well in the iPad and even iPhone when connected to a powered hub which is what I always use anyway when I connect multiple devices to my iPad.

    Already used to the 'extra ooompff' the headphone output has when connected to a proper USB-C port...
    ...so I won't mind if my next iPad when I get one has a couple of USB-C ports :sunglasses:

    I’m using an ID4Mk2 with a Usb-C iPad Pro 2020. I have to turn the iPad off and on whenever I connect the interface, otherwise it doesnt send any signal even though the iPad recognizes its been plugged in. Do you face a similar issue?

  • Yes i have the same with my iconnectaudio 4c, i have to unplug and replu the audio interface, and then its recognized.

  • edited January 2022

    @sjm_90 said:

    >

    I’m using an ID4Mk2 with a Usb-C iPad Pro 2020. I have to turn the iPad off and on whenever I connect the interface, otherwise it doesnt send any signal even though the iPad recognizes its been plugged in. Do you face a similar issue?

    I don't currently have any iPad with a USB-C port...
    ...could be an iPadOS 'thing' as well. I've connected it multiple times to my iPad Air 2 (using CCK3 and a Powered Hub) and had no issues so far...

    Also there was a firmware update (1.0.7) available for the ID4Mk2...
    'Fixed issue preventing operation after the host computer wakes from sleep.'

    Could be relevant 'fix' for iPad as well...

  • @Samu said:

    @sjm_90 said:

    >

    I’m using an ID4Mk2 with a Usb-C iPad Pro 2020. I have to turn the iPad off and on whenever I connect the interface, otherwise it doesnt send any signal even though the iPad recognizes its been plugged in. Do you face a similar issue?

    I don't currently have any iPad with a USB-C port...
    ...could be an iPadOS 'thing' as well. I've connected it multiple times to my iPad Air 2 (using CCK3 and a Powered Hub) and had no issues so far...

    Also there was a firmware update (1.0.7) available for the ID4Mk2...
    'Fixed issue preventing operation after the host computer wakes from sleep.'

    Could be relevant 'fix' for iPad as well...

    Thanks for pointing out the firmware update. Will try that. Its a minor inconvenience to have to switch off the iPad and turn it back on everytime I connect the interface. Otherwise, I am pretty happy with the ID4Mk2

  • @NeonSilicon said:

    Interesting, thanks for the info. I'm trying to figure out what might be happening with my MOTU M4 interface on iOS/iPadOS. I was doing some testing and discovered that I can't set the output volume of channels on my iPad. On my Mac, the outputs are settable but the inputs are greyed out. I have the drivers from MOTU installed, but it does work as a class compliant device too. It's all a bit weird to me and I can't really figure out what is going on with iOS right now.

    Sorry to butt in, but I’m on the brink of buying an M4.

    Could you clarify what you mean about not being able to set the output volume of channels? Do you mean you can’t use the faders in AUM or similar? Or is this something else that I probably wouldn’t miss in everyday use?

  • @bygjohn said:

    @NeonSilicon said:

    Interesting, thanks for the info. I'm trying to figure out what might be happening with my MOTU M4 interface on iOS/iPadOS. I was doing some testing and discovered that I can't set the output volume of channels on my iPad. On my Mac, the outputs are settable but the inputs are greyed out. I have the drivers from MOTU installed, but it does work as a class compliant device too. It's all a bit weird to me and I can't really figure out what is going on with iOS right now.

    Sorry to butt in, but I’m on the brink of buying an M4.

    Could you clarify what you mean about not being able to set the output volume of channels? Do you mean you can’t use the faders in AUM or similar? Or is this something else that I probably wouldn’t miss in everyday use?

    Everything works fine in AUM with my M4. The faders in AUM work. What doesn't work is the volume control in iOS itself -- the volume buttons and the volume control in control center. For example, if I have the M4 turned off and set the iOS volume to 50% and then turn the M4 on, the volume jumps to 100% and then the control center fader doesn't work and the volume buttons don't work. It also feels like the volume is maybe 6dB down on the M4. Everything sounds fine and everything in the DAW works perfectly.

    Note that I'm on the beta path for iOS 15 so this could easily be a bug in the iOS beta. It doesn't really have any impact on me because I always max the volume on iOS (or macOS) anyway and then use the controls on the interface to set the monitor and headphone volume. I should test on my old iPad with with iOS 12 on it but I don't seem to have any way to do a lightning to USB-C connection with the collection of dongles and cables I've got.

  • @NeonSilicon said:

    @bygjohn said:

    @NeonSilicon said:

    Interesting, thanks for the info. I'm trying to figure out what might be happening with my MOTU M4 interface on iOS/iPadOS. I was doing some testing and discovered that I can't set the output volume of channels on my iPad. On my Mac, the outputs are settable but the inputs are greyed out. I have the drivers from MOTU installed, but it does work as a class compliant device too. It's all a bit weird to me and I can't really figure out what is going on with iOS right now.

    Sorry to butt in, but I’m on the brink of buying an M4.

    Could you clarify what you mean about not being able to set the output volume of channels? Do you mean you can’t use the faders in AUM or similar? Or is this something else that I probably wouldn’t miss in everyday use?

    Everything works fine in AUM with my M4. The faders in AUM work. What doesn't work is the volume control in iOS itself -- the volume buttons and the volume control in control center. For example, if I have the M4 turned off and set the iOS volume to 50% and then turn the M4 on, the volume jumps to 100% and then the control center fader doesn't work and the volume buttons don't work. It also feels like the volume is maybe 6dB down on the M4. Everything sounds fine and everything in the DAW works perfectly.

    Note that I'm on the beta path for iOS 15 so this could easily be a bug in the iOS beta. It doesn't really have any impact on me because I always max the volume on iOS (or macOS) anyway and then use the controls on the interface to set the monitor and headphone volume. I should test on my old iPad with with iOS 12 on it but I don't seem to have any way to do a lightning to USB-C connection with the collection of dongles and cables I've got.

    Thanks very much for that info. TBH I think my current interface operates like that anyway, ie there’s no system volume control, it’s set to 100% and stays there. But then my current interface is pre-ark. Edirol UA-20, and the MIDI ports don’t work as they need drivers, because it’s so old there wasn’t a USB MIDI standard when it came out!

    Phew. I’ll do a little more research, but will probably push the "buy" button on Monday.

  • @bygjohn FWIW I’ve had a MOTU M4 since they were first released in late 2019 and I can’t recall having had a single issue using it with a MacBook or iPad Pro (both M1). The preamps are clean and have plenty of gain, even for ribbon mics, and the headphone amp is the best I’ve heard. I think you’ll be pleased.

  • I've an evo 4 which works fine but I use my a&h now with my ipad and it sits unused. Will sell it if anyone's interested

  • @Schmotown said:
    @bygjohn FWIW I’ve had a MOTU M4 since they were first released in late 2019 and I can’t recall having had a single issue using it with a MacBook or iPad Pro (both M1). The preamps are clean and have plenty of gain, even for ribbon mics, and the headphone amp is the best I’ve heard. I think you’ll be pleased.

    Thanks for that. I’ll be using it with an iPad 6 for the moment, it the MOTU site says it works fine with a Lightning CCK and powered USB hub, so I think I’m pretty much decided.

  • @NeonSilicon said:

    Everything works fine in AUM with my M4. The faders in AUM work. What doesn't work is the volume control in iOS itself -- the volume buttons and the volume control in control center. For example, if I have the M4 turned off and set the iOS volume to 50% and then turn the M4 on, the volume jumps to 100% and then the control center fader doesn't work and the volume buttons don't work.

    That’s standard behavior for audio interfaces. Some, like the K-Mix, let you control volume with the knobs, but that’s the only one I ever used that worked that way.

    I think it’s the same on the Mac too. The computer hands over audio control to the hardware interface.

  • @mistercharlie said:

    @NeonSilicon said:

    Everything works fine in AUM with my M4. The faders in AUM work. What doesn't work is the volume control in iOS itself -- the volume buttons and the volume control in control center. For example, if I have the M4 turned off and set the iOS volume to 50% and then turn the M4 on, the volume jumps to 100% and then the control center fader doesn't work and the volume buttons don't work.

    That’s standard behavior for audio interfaces. Some, like the K-Mix, let you control volume with the knobs, but that’s the only one I ever used that worked that way.

    I think it’s the same on the Mac too. The computer hands over audio control to the hardware interface.

    The UMC204HD I tested at the same time has the Control Center fader and volume buttons working. The M4 output volume is settable by Audio MIDI Setup on the Mac. The input volumes are disabled on the Mac.

  • After gathering up enough dongles, hubs, and cables, I've been able to test on my iPad Mini 2 on iOS 12.5 to compare to what I saw earlier on iPadOS 15.4. They work the same on both the UMC204HD and the MOTU M4. The M4 doesn't work with the iPad volume buttons or the control center fader. The UMC204HD works with both on both iOS versions. So, It doesn't appear to be a bug really but the way they each work with iOS.

    It isn't really an issue. I hadn't even ever noticed it before since I always leave the iPad output volume pegged at 100% anyway and use the DAW and interface controls. It's just kinda weird since it is consistent with what I see on the Mac. That could be because I have the MOTU drivers installed on the Mac and that may be what's enabling Audio MIDI Setup to have control of the MOTU output volume via the OS.

    BTW, I'll echo what @Schmotown said about the M4. In particular, the output DAC and the headphone amp are really good. The inputs are great for both mic and instrument. It's a really good interface, especially for the price.

  • I have a Zedi10 by Allen & Heath. Very happy with it. Enough inputs, good quality, mixer + interface , aux and fx sends, etc… I like how everything is accesible, no need to be reaching in the back to change cables.

    https://thumbs.static-thomann.de/thumb/thumb600x600/pics/bdb/376936/10613001_800.jpg

  • I’m after another interface to complete a 2 station studio arrangement (so I can jam with my wife, Cubasis 3 support for Ableton Link FTW!)

    FYI I have an Audient Evo 4.

    For the second interface I need MIDI, and preferably 4 outputs on jack (to make hardware processing an option), and I’m hoping to keep it cheap buying used (don’t ask a lot 😂)

    Ruled out:
    Audient iD14 no MIDI
    Focusrite 4i4 needs PC/Mac control
    Zoom U24, Steinberg UR24C RCA outs

    Candidates:
    Roland Rubix 24 can anyone comment on latency performance?
    Presonus Studio 26c does anyone have one?
    MOTU M4 unlikely to find cheap!

  • Audiofuse by Arturia works great on iPad /aum/GB

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