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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Audiobus is the app that makes the rest of your setup better.

Connecting multiple midi devices with a powered USB hub?

Hello, I'm just getting into live performance using loopy, audiobus, and some other instrument apps and I have some questions to ask of you more knowledgeable forum members before I make any purchases.

I'm wanting to connect my M-Audio M-track audio interface to my ipad via a camera connection kit and powered usb hub. The M-track has mic, guitar, and midi inputs but no usb inputs. I also have an Oxygen 49-key usb controller that I want to use with the ipad.

My question is this: if I plug the usb midi controller and the m-track both into the usb hub, can I use the M-track's midi functionality in addition to the usb controller's midi data simultaneously? Also, if not, is it possible to just send the midi data from the keyboard controller and still receive audio from the mic and guitar inputs of the M-Track interface?

I hope I was clear enough to explain what I'm asking. Thanks in advance for your time!

Comments

  • Yep this should be possible. I've run multiple MIDI devices in addition to an audio interface through a powered hub and it was all recognised. Personally I found I had issues with reliability although that might've been the hub I was using. Anyone got a good hub recommendation?

  • I use the Belkin 4 and 7 port USB sticks with no issues. Lots of controllers. Just be sure to put your audio interface on the hub closest to the iPad CCK if you are chaining hubs for more ports.

  • @dwarman could you give the specific model names for those hubs that you use? I've been looking into getting one too but I've been hesitant as I want to make sure I get one that works!

  • This is great news, thanks for the info. I was getting ready to go buy an entirely new midi controller with traditional midi connections or possibly even a new audio interface to get this all to work. Now I just gotta get a powered usb hub and the cck.

    Also, I found this Belkin 4 port for less than 15 on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K8AB1MI/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3RAOEV704YNHP). It sounds like it's what @dwarman is talking about

  • @jcb08j - yes, that's the one. Also have a 7 port version, on my main desk.

  • Spend some $$ and get a good quality usb3 powered hub it will save you a lot hassle later as you add more to your setup.

  • edited January 2015

    hello, I would like to connect a mpk midi device to a behringer UCA 202 / 222 through a USB HUB. Actually iPad is connected to UCA 202 through CKK. Should I connect everything to USB HUB (behringer UCA, iPad and mpk device)? Can iPad recognize the midi device? Should I need to configure something?

  • @phasmid said:

    Spend some $$ and get a good quality usb3 powered hub it will save you a lot hassle later as you add more to your setup.

    The Lightning goes all the way to 2.0 so that might be overkill.

  • @ellof5446 said:

    hello, I would like to connect a mpk midi device to a behringer UCA 202 / 222 through a USB HUB. Actually iPad is connected to UCA 202 through CKK. Should I connect everything to USB HUB (behringer UCA, iPad and mpk device)? Can iPad recognize the midi device? Should I need to configure something?

    Use as if you were connecting it to a computer. It should be just fine.

  • i.e. UCA to one of the hub slave ports, mpk to another, CCK to hub host port. Make sure your synth is listening to the mpk; first just by playing the synth's screen keys to test it to the UCA, then playing the mpk. If the latter makes no noise, you may need to go into the synth's MIDI configuration to select the mpk port. But most will start up connected by default.

  • On a slight tangent... has anyone using multiple midi controllers experienced noticeable decrease in system performance, such as crackles in audio signal? Or is midi resource requirement insignificant in reference to CPU/RAM usage?

  • MIDI is a per note load, audio is per sample load. So typical audio load for a 120 bpm song per track playing eighth notes continuously would be about 1000 times heavier (conservatively) than the MIDI load. When MIDI is also used to drive visual animations, however, that can get heavy too.

  • @dwarman said:

    MIDI is a per note load, audio is per sample load. So typical audio load for a 120 bpm song per track playing eighth notes continuously would be about 1000 times heavier (conservatively) than the MIDI load. When MIDI is also used to drive visual animations, however, that can get heavy too.

    Thanks for the breakdown, Dwarman. I didn't think midi used much system resources but now I feel sure.

  • Hi all,

    I'm using a portable, battery powered Alesis Transactive speaker for busking. It has a USB charging port (5V, 2.1A). Can anyone tell me if I can plug a USB powered USB hub into that port and then plug in a Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 USB Audio Interface into one port and a iphone or ipad into another port and have:

    • The Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 be successfully powered
    • The audio interface and the iphone or ipad successfully talk to each other? (from this thread, I gather this part would work)

    The Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 specs state:

    USB bus powered

    Take your Scarlett 2i4 anywhere! With USB bus powering, your Scarlett 2i4 will work anywhere your laptop will, even when using 48V Phantom power. No mains power supply required.

    What I gather is that the 2i4 WILL successfully run off the charging port, but what I'm not sure of is what happens when I plug an iphone or ipad into one of the powered USB ports (so it can talk to the 2i4). Will that then add too much power drain and screw it all up?

    I just put an email into Focusrite and hopefully they can answer this. I will post their response here. In the meantime, if anyone has any experience or info about this, I'd love to hear it.

    Thanks!

    p.s. - The Focusrite iTrack Solo Lightning and USB Compatible Audio Interface would work well for this because I could just plug its USB connection into the charging port and then it has a separate "device link" for the iphone/ipad. However, the iTrack Solo doesn't do MIDI and has RCA outs (I'd prefer XLR for sound quality).

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