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.
£12.80/$13.60 for Mackie USB mic including shock mount
https://www.thomannmusic.com/mackie_em_91cu.htm?reload=1
iOS compatible condenser mic for £12.80
Comments
Wonder if it’s any good? I have a Samson GoMic which is not bad, and much smaller.
It’s not going to be as good as a Neumann. Probably much better than the built in mic in your iOS device though.
If it’s crap I’ve lost the cost of a poor quality large Dominos pizza. And it won’t give me indigestion. Or make me a little bit fatter.
Postage is £10 though …
Amazon have just reduced it to £29. (It was £39 when I first posted this — I checked).
So you can get it delivered for free, if you have Prime, for only £6.20 more. :-)
I don't think I'd want a USB mic. Sure it's convenient, but with iOS only allowing one audio interface (except in Logic) you couldn't use it along with anything else, whereas a regular mic plugged into an interface can be used with other things up to the number of inputs it has.
Great price though. $41 US with free delivery on Amazon here.
Does iOS automatically recognize anything with a usb input as a second interface? So you couldn’t plug this into a usb hub? Or an interface with multiple usb inputs?
It recognizes any device with an input as an interface. So yes, plugging into a hub it would still take over as the interface “last one wins”. Even earbuds with a microphone will act that way.
An interface with multiple USB inputs? The only interface like that would be acting as a hub as far as I know, so it would be the same situation. Unless maybe you’re talking about one such as the iConnectivity 4c that can route between its USB inputs. I don’t know if that would work or not.
Postage is $59 for me.
I don't believe you get the stand or anything more than the mic and the mount.
No you don’t get a stand. Not sure why I thought you did. Maybe there was one in a picture and I jumped to the wrong conclusion. Anyway edited the title accordingly.
Anyone use one before? I’ve never had much luck with usb condenser mics, it’s like they can’t get the power needed for phantom power and record really quiet
Yeah the iConnectivity stuff is what I was referencing.
FWIW, I had some headphones with a mic and I can use both the mic and the headphones through my usb hub. Or did I misunderstand what you meant there?
I’ve used various interfaces and usb products with iOS and never had any issues though. For the way I work anyway.
They can be used if plugged in first. If plugged in after they steal the interface.
Ah okay. I don’t have that issue with my usb hub for some reason. Never tried it with an interface though. I’ve generally always used the classic xlr mics though so I’ve never really had the chance to have that issue. Wish they’d at least fix that for the iPad “Pros”.
I have the non-USB version - EM-91C. Paid $40 for it a year ago, regular price was $80 or $90. Came with the shockmount and XLR cable. It's cleaner sounding than the MXL 990 it replaced. Build quality is good - all metal.
With stand, shock mount, pop screen, and free shipping from Amazon in the US, $59.90
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08MQKK7LK?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_ZQ6JS34BFRT2DB7CKX78
Mine arrived today. Pretty good service.
Although to be honest for the £22.80 it cost me I was expecting somebody from Thomann to hand deliver it, install and test it for me and make sure it all worked OK before returning to Germany. Oh and bring some free German pastries obviously. I’d have supplied the coffee. I’m not unreasonable.
I bought an MXL 990 USB years ago, and it was kind of hit and miss. It wasn’t so good for vocals, but it recorded acoustic stringed instruments really well.
It’s been in its case for some time now. I might pull it out and see if it still works.
I'm not sure if they still offer the 990 and 991 in a kit for $70, but they did about 20 years ago. Both have pretty strident (and noisy) treble. The Mackie EM-91C is darker and I like it for fingerstyle guitar, and it's decent for vocals, at that price anyway, imo.
I think it was something like $40 when I bought it (maybe it was almost 20 years ago). Can’t remember exactly how I EQ’d it, but rolling off a lot of high end for recording acoustic guitar and mandolin rings a bell now that you say that. I’m also remembering having to sweep the low-mids to find a troublesome peak and notch that out.
Sold out 🙃