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 Store

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

Is IOS capable of professional producer projects yet? What's the State of iOS Music Production?

I run FL Studio and Cubase.
PC Specs, i7 4790, 16GB RAM, SSD.
My projects get to 90% CPU and use up all my RAM about.
I usually run a project something like this:
Cubase 100 disabled tracks (uses no CPU / RAM untill Enabled)
40 tracks Enabled, 20x Kontakt samples, 10 Synthesizers, 10 Sample Synthesizers
Routed to
50 mixer tracks
on all 50 mixer tracks, I have, EQ,Compress,
then I route them to a Reverb/Delay bus,
I have 4 ampsim instances of Bias usually running or more. I mix with this setup then create a new project for mastering.

Now my question is the iPad Pro powerful enough yet to create projects like this?

I see you have Bias, Sampletank 3, Syntronik, Roland Canvas (hopfully they port their other synths as well)
I'd love to see an iOS Kontakt, or standard sampler created here. Is Artuia collection available on iOS?

I'll say we replace kontakt with sampletank.

Can a Cubasis (or whatever the best daw is) run 20 tracks of sampletank, 10 of syntronik, 4 bias instances, 15 other synths, all with EQ and Compress on each channel, routed to a reverb, without any bouncing tracks to audio? (besides guitars ofc)

I've been very intrigued about just using an iOS device to do music, but I need it to be powerful enough here.

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Comments

  • Sampletank is IAA, so you can only run one instance of it. Only AUv3 plugins allow for multiple instances, the older IAA format doesn't support this.

    Having said that, I don't think iOS is the right platform if you want to have a bunch of live MIDI instrument running in a DAW. The closest you can get to that workflow without too much hassle is with Korg Gadget. With iOS you have to be prepared to commit and bounce to audio if you want to avoid a lot of hassle.

  • As richardyot also said, if you intend to keep the exact same workflow on iOS that you also have on Windows you'll be frustrated and disappointed. However, iOS is the perfect platform if you are fed up with your current way of working and want to rethink your music making habits from scratch. The tools are there, but they'll force you to think different(tm).

  • ISTM that you should dip your toes in IOS music making, and see if it suits what you want to do. For sure, as the learned gentlemen have said, trying to recreate desktop workflow just isn’t going to happen.

    But the good news is that there are a huge amount of seriously great apps, and if you can adapt to a new way of working, making IOS work for you as you work with it, you’ll have a whole lot of productive fun.

    As for what is and what isn’t pro, there is always a debate about that. Mostly, from desktop based people who have paid out thousands of dollars, seeking to justify that expense. Technically, desktop will have certain superiorities. Practically, if you think about how most people listen to music, that advantage doesn’t seem so critical.

    Will you be able to produce excellent quality work using IOS? The answer is a resounding yes.

  • edited October 2017

    Back in the day musicians worked with 4 track recorders in professional studios. Obviously things have changed since then.
    If someone wants to go so far in mixing needs probably should wait until power in tablets grow a bit more... but my gut says that maybe will be unnecessary due to changes in our “professionalism” or ways to goal “professional” results. More or less like Digital multitrackers vs Protools some time ago.

    Another intermediate option could be use iDevices as small portable multitrackers for some tasks and later export the recordings into desktop to final stage. Apps like Garageband exporting into Logic or many others exporting into Ableton (and FLSM and Cubasis have its own export project functions if I remember right...) can do the middle step until iOS became an macOS/Windows replacement.

    Apple denies it but works for it. Windows works for it but reality denies them :trollface:

  • I think you should stay well away from iOS.

    You have clearly defined what you want to do and ios won't do that, so you will always be moaning about this or that missing feature like 8TB sample storage etc etc.

  • Don’t bother mate. I had very similar set up and took the plunge and I really regret it!

  • The answer is no, yes and maybe.

    No, you won’t be able to replicate what you’re doing on desktop, but yes it’s possible to create professional results working within the tools available. And maybe, as there are hardware issues with some devices, and with the rate of updates and changes no-one has any idea what the state of play will be like in 12 months time.

  • The 2 worlds collide in amazing ways.
    It's not one vs the other for production, so embrace IOS, keep your DAW, make them sing together, and your productions will only be better for it!

  • Like yourself I come from a PC background. Reason 9.5 is my primary DAW and honestly, nothing on iOS can come close to that all in one package and trying to get multiple apps to behave in the same way is an exercise in frustration. So I’ve gradually learned to just...stop trying.

    And I don’t mean that in a negative sense. I mean, the iPad is good at what it does. So I load up Gadget, tap in a cool drum beat, sync it to Reason with Ableton and record the result to audio. That might be the only thing I use the iPad for in that production but it could also be the seed that gets the idea started in the first place.

    If you’re thinking that an iPad Pro will allow you to run big multi track projects with all your instruments running live just like on desktop...I mean it probably can but it’s just not a nice experience, IMHO. Chances are if you’re anything like me you’ll end up using a drum machine here, a granular synth there, and most of that extra power will go unused.

    Of course if you have the cash then go for it (although apparently the Pro has had some issues specific to audio performance so do some Research!). But I reckon you could save yourself a lot of money and just get an Air 2 and use it as a little idea starter, or as an outboard synth or whatever. It’s really good with an audio interface!

  • No...... iPads are not good enough for full DAW productions at the moment. It is good for Sketching out ideas, then taking your ideas over to your PC, then taking it further from there. You can of course use the iPad as a sound generater in you PC DAW(as you would a VST in a track). The only Tablet based for full production, instead of using a desktop, would probably be a Windows Surface Pro(only a little more in price than an Apple device, if you were going for the Big Boy IOS Pros prices....... Plus, Surface Pros are expandable, (where as our beloved iPads are not).......... iPads are good, in what they do, but unfortunately they are limited in some ways........ ;)

  • edited October 2017

    I also say NO for this kind of set-up.
    Even if an iPad could handle that, you might miss some tools and even a 12.9" tablet is too small to handle comfortable such large projects.
    But you could integrate it in your current workflow.
    Otherwise like mentioned you have to change your workflow completly or you might get frustrated.

  • I got an iPad mostly for the live music capabilities (running my violin through BIAS FX and messing around with synths). I'm finding that iOS producing will compliment the work I do on my PC, but not the other way around. If you're producing music solely on mobile platforms at this point, you pretty much have to accept that that is it's own reward and there will come a day where it will pay off a little more (hopefully), but that day isn't today. That certainly doesn't prevent the iPad from being a valuable production tool.

  • @Aoseifuku out of interest, can you estimate what it cost to put your desktop rig together?

  • I've been happily making music on iPad for years now, but I'm going to add a resounding 'No!' to the more detailed answers above. What you are looking for is simply asking too much of these devices right now.

  • No, but it is a nice game to play while kicked back on the couch or commuting to work. You may even come up with a few loops or inspired ditties for your desktop projects.

  • iOS is a great sketchbook/experimental hub but not ideal if you want to use as a DAW like a desktop.
    You'd be better off Instead connecting it to your DAW via an interface.

  • No to this setup, but I don’t care for what most call “professional” music as it has no life for me.

  • @Tritonman said:
    Depends on how good of a producer that you are but of course it is capable enough!
    https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/10/the-technical-constraints-that-made-abbey-road-so-good/381820/

    Can't make dubstep with that.

  • Too many numbers in your question. If you approach the iPad as being something new to explore music making with, then you'll be fine. If you want your current PC in a tablet, good luck with that.

    Numbers and specs don't make good music.

  • @AudioGus said:

    @Tritonman said:
    Depends on how good of a producer that you are but of course it is capable enough!
    https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/10/the-technical-constraints-that-made-abbey-road-so-good/381820/

    Can't make dubstep with that.

    Lmao! Well hopefully not. Thankfully it was not the question.

  • edited October 2017

    Hey
    I tried FL studio on iOS and returned it for refund. At least in my opinion Auria pro is in a completely different league than FL. I also gave a poor review to FL studio for lacking many vital features since their major update to v3.
    Just get AP on sale for 25 vs 20 for FL studio it's simply a no brainer, though likely the money will be spent on psp and ff just wait for a sale lol

    Auria pro really can mix down professional sounds even without the ff filters. Add psp microwarmer and Fab filters and it gets sick.

    Also I have had over a dozen IAAs AUs and the Lyra sound font player on multiple tracks with multiple fx on iPad Air 2 and IPad Pro 12.9 with AP with no issues on CPU, though loading some projects can take a few starts when it is crazy big ie dozen AUs and IAAs etc

    We do not however have a Kontakt quality sampler yet, but sf2 exs24 on Lyra as well as Bm3 and thumbjam are decent

    You can also convert to audio and save as audio tracks to give headroom once you are set and send over to AP

  • @Tritonman said:

    @AudioGus said:

    @Tritonman said:
    Depends on how good of a producer that you are but of course it is capable enough!
    https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/10/the-technical-constraints-that-made-abbey-road-so-good/381820/

    Can't make dubstep with that.

    Lmao! Well hopefully not. Thankfully it was not the question.

    I bet it would be fun trying though :)

  • @AndyPlankton said:

    @Tritonman said:

    @AudioGus said:

    @Tritonman said:
    Depends on how good of a producer that you are but of course it is capable enough!
    https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/10/the-technical-constraints-that-made-abbey-road-so-good/381820/

    Can't make dubstep with that.

    Lmao! Well hopefully not. Thankfully it was not the question.

    I bet it would be fun trying though :)

    I usually just hit myself in the head hard with a hammer to have that kind of fun. :#

  • edited October 2017

    Almost didn’t click on this because it’s been discussed to death on here but what t a GREAT thread!
    Re: Reson, if you look at the new Reason 10 Video on YouTube you’ll see many reader’s comments that kinda look like this thread.. Reasons why Reason is “still not ready for prime time”..
    It was between iPad Pro and laptop for me and being that I’ve never actually owned a computer (I know, I know.. never had a cell phone untill 2008) I went ios. Auria Pro has just come out and Ithought it was a harbriger of things to come . Concerning Sampletank , if you buy the IAP’s for it it’ll give you a wide palette. I’ve become an appaholic . In the two years since I’ve gotten the iPad , iOS has exploded.. Like laptop, almost too many choices . But I digress .
    I’m a hardware guy and I just wasn’t getting g any work done . I needed a “Command central”, a cockpit if you will so as tempted as I was to go for a laptop and FL Studio , I chose ios . No turning back now. I believed Jakob Haq when he said it’s all possible on iOS and I still do..
    I’ve decided on the new Korg Kross 2 because it’s so light, runs on batteries and now has a new midi-audio interface as well as a pad sampler and a two track digital recorder ...It’s light too at under 9lbs... A great way to get STARTED and use iOS to fill in the gaps... Samplr, perhaps Midi Sequnencer, Vir Synth slicer etc. As I’ve posted earlier I’m considering adding Squarp to the mix. Without my iPad this might be a limited set up but with it , I almost have too many options . I’ve created good music on far inferior synths and workstations to this one. The sounds here are more than adequate for my needs.

    Plus I check into this forum every day.. This place is in itself a good reason to stick it out using iOS.
    And please remember that in two years the landscape could be quite different . I have every reason to believe that ios will eventually catch up. The gap narrows daily

  • @Gustos said:
    Hey
    I tried FL studio and returned it for refund. At least in my opinion Auria pro is in a completely different league than FL. I also gave a poor review to FL studio for lacking many vital features since their major update to v3.
    Just get AP on sale for 25 vs 20 for FL studio it's simply a no brainer, though likely the money will be spent on psp and ff just wait for a sale lol

    Auria pro really can mix down professional sounds even without the ff filters. Add psp microwarmer and Fab filters and it gets sick.

    Also I have had over a dozen IAAs AUs and the Lyra sound font player on multiple tracks with multiple fx on iPad Air 2 and IPad Pro 12.9 no issues with CPU though loading some projects can take a few starts when it is crazy big ie dozen AUs and IAAs etc

    You can also convert to audio and save as audio tracks to give headroom once you are set

    He meant the PC FL Studio...

    I personally don't understand writing/composing music 50 + tracks at a time...my tracks proliferate in the process of recording one at a time then rendering and duplicating and playing with each...I've mixed multitrack when recording bands but that's not my writing method for sure....

  • @Jocphone said:
    Numbers and specs don't make good music.

    >

    That is possibly the best most concise point made in this thread.

    So often the pro desktop lobby tells us that the technical standard of IOS based music is not good enough. There are people here who are far better judges of such technicalities than I, so I’d not argue the point. But what I do believe is that no amount of technical superiority can guarantee a superior or even interesting tune/song. Pop and rock radio proves that, in spades.

    IOS music making is where the innovation and imagination are alive and thriving. The music industry ignores that, because it’s run by accountants who will not take a chance on anything new, unless forced to by declining sales. The industry is all about selling copies of regurgitated, often degenerate, blandness; the musical equivalent to fast food!

  • edited October 2017

    The OP says...

    Cubase 100 disabled tracks (uses no CPU / RAM untill Enabled)
    40 tracks Enabled, 20x Kontakt samples, 10 Synthesizers, 10 Sample Synthesizers
    Routed to
    50 mixer tracks
    on all 50 mixer tracks, I have, EQ,Compress,
    then I route them to a Reverb/Delay bus,
    I have 4 ampsim instances of Bias usually running or more.

    This is probably going to take a decade from now to run on a tablet and at that point the bar for 'professional' on desktop could very well be those hundred disabled tracks now enabled with 3D sound in VR space with total 3D occlusion etc. So yah, my ipad kicks ass on my desktop from twenty years ago but any tech advances that help this tiny slab to function will also benefit desktop which will always kick it's ass.

  • Yes I know. His question was ios related.

  • @Littlewoodg said:

    @Gustos said:
    Hey
    I tried FL studio and returned it for refund. At least in my opinion Auria pro is in a completely different league than FL. I also gave a poor review to FL studio for lacking many vital features since their major update to v3.
    Just get AP on sale for 25 vs 20 for FL studio it's simply a no brainer, though likely the money will be spent on psp and ff just wait for a sale lol

    Auria pro really can mix down professional sounds even without the ff filters. Add psp microwarmer and Fab filters and it gets sick.

    Also I have had over a dozen IAAs AUs and the Lyra sound font player on multiple tracks with multiple fx on iPad Air 2 and IPad Pro 12.9 no issues with CPU though loading some projects can take a few starts when it is crazy big ie dozen AUs and IAAs etc

    You can also convert to audio and save as audio tracks to give headroom once you are set

    He meant the PC FL Studio...

    I personally don't understand writing/composing music 50 + tracks at a time...my tracks proliferate in the process of recording one at a time then rendering and duplicating and playing with each...I've mixed multitrack when recording bands but that's not my writing method for sure....

    I don't know about 'at a time' but chaps like this seem to pile on the tracks atop mountains of moneys.

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