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.
Recommended Your Best Mic
I need to get a better mic. I have one condenser and one dynamic, neither very high quality. I want something that lends itself to a rich vocal quality, but something that might work well for a "natural" all-in-one recording for guitar and vocals at the same time, just informal sitting there playing for YT videos etc. All suggestions welcome!!
Comments
I've used a studio projects c-1 for years now. Just a little eq and some reverb, compression. It's served me well. Here's a sample below.
@bootsy MAN, that is solid! Great job. Is that actually recording vocal and guitar simultaneously with one mic?
@Bootsy dunno about the make of mic, but the doubling's great
@dobroz, thanks a lot! The mic is just on my vocals, I use a pair of audiotechnica pencil condensers on the guitar.
Thanks @JohnnyGoodyear, I really enjoy doing harmonies.
@boosty Cool. I've seen some video now of the c1 by people using it for both vocal/guitar simultaneously, and it is unreal how good it sounds. I was wondering about something to do both in one b/c I'm getting bad floor noise with my dobro plugged into an iO Dock. I'm also not getting both channels to work. If you have any knowledge on that, please let me know what you think.
I did use it like that originally as it was my first condensor, and it worked surprisingly well, they are very sensitive. What mic do you use now? I haven't used an io dock so not sure I can help there. I have used it with several different interfaces and with pc's and my iPad and now a macbookpro. Always seem to get a good sound from it. I think I like my current config best. Which is a focusrite 18i8 into iPad 4 and cubasis.
AKG D950 dynamic is the main one right now... pretty mediocre. I'm pretty sure I'll get the c1. You can hardly find one single bad word about it. Looks like the best out there for the price.
Studio projects C1 (original first version). Awesome
I own two condenser mics: an Oktava mk319 and an AT2035. The Oktava is noticeably warmer sounding, even just recording speech, and I definitely prefer it to the Audio-Technica for vocals. The AT mic has a lower noise floor on the other hand, and I can turn the gain up on the pre-amp further with it, so it's useful in some situations.
I did quite a lot of research before making my purchases, I would say the AT is fairly neutral sounding and very similar to most other mics in its price range (such as the AKG 220), whereas the Oktava has much more character and warmth - which may or may not suit you according to your taste, but it's definitely smoother sounding and less hyped.
Here are some comparisons:
Budget mic shootout. with audio samples:
http://recordinghacks.com/2011/11/28/the-best-200-condenser/
Oktava MK319 shootout, where it compares pretty favourably to a Neumann U87:
Another Oktava vs Neumann shootout:
PS: Bootsy, what a great performance!
Thanks so much @richardyot.
My favorite mic was my Soundelux U195 large dia condenser thru my Earthworks LAB pre. Nothing short of glorious. Yeah, those days are long gone.
I like the AT2020 I picked up last year. At $99 this is a lot of condenser mic for the buck.
Just snagged a Studio Projects C1 new on ebay for $129 + $9 shipping. YES! I think I'll be happy with this mic. Not to mention, over $100 less than the best retail price I found.
Thanks for all the great input. I think this will be a beneficial thread for many, with all the diverse suggestions. I'll try to remember to chime back in with a review!
The AKG Perception 220 pretty much wiped the floor in recordinghacks.com's "best condenser mic under $200" shootout ... Three years ago (scroll down for overall summary):
http://recordinghacks.com/2012/02/19/best-inexpensive-drum-overhead-mic/
I myself use a 17 year old Audio Technica 4033a which still sounds great to me
Also rated pretty high at Gearslutz ... Three years ago:
https://www.gearslutz.com/board/reviews/689858-audio-technica-4033a-at4033a.html
In the decades I’ve been involved in electronic multimedia, it seems that there’s two areas that defy a linear correlation between money paid and results obtained: microphones and cameras. The most expensive of each will certainly give excellent results, but the thing that fools a lot of people initially is that the cheapest end of each may or may not not necessarily produce rubbish. Like many people I have many cameras and many microphones and have had the time to hunt and catch several of each at each end of the spectrum — cheap ones that perform surprisingly well, and expensive ones that weren’t expensive that one time, and the wife wasn’t looking when it arrived.
For example, my favourite vocal mic was actually purchased more as a video prop than a specific mic, but turns out that it’s actually quite a good, warm, full-sounding dynamic mic that I like using. It’s the Yoga DM-828 mic that doesn’t look convincingly like a Shure 55 unless you're the general public. Then again, the general public probably doesn’t consider the star of the film Good Morning Vietnam to be a Shure 55 mic, they probably think the late Robin Williams was the star.
^ this. There is also something about the way and the circumstance of use that makes a microphone's perceived quality fluctuate wildly.
One of my favorite mics ever is the $100 green and gold mic used by Snoop Dog as a prop on Soul Plane: Marshall V67g. Sounds great on male vocals, drums and cabinets (guitar and bass)! Hundred bucks.
$88.95
http://www.amazon.com/MXL-Large-Capsule-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B000JRPYGE
Now if only the wife wasn't looking....
[EDT: Reviews are very good.]
That’s £125 on amazon.co.uk here in East London at the mo.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/423685-REG/MXL_V67G_V67G_Cardioid_Microphone.html
My favorite mic is the Samson Q7. For a dynamic mic, it has a surprising high output level and a smooth, pleasant sound. I use it mainly for voice over recordings.
How about if you walk a few paces to your left?
No that’s no good. The pictures just gone snowy, lost reception completely — nothing but white noise and alien attempts at warning us about the future and living in peace with other planets. No wait, there’s something: Frequently Bought Together – klaatu; barada; nikto.