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.

Need help with routing and apps (Live setup)

Hi,
I've been using Garageband as the center of my live setup for a while. I prepare all the tracks in there that are not played live and I choose the live instrument to play on top. Now I want to use a vocoder as well but couldn't figure out the best way to do it.
I want the vocoder to be fed MIDI from a prepared MIDI track so that I don't have to use the keyboard for the vocoder.

I thought I could do this in AUM. I can turn Garageband projects into sound files and open them in AUM, entering the bpm and signature. I can choose the "live" synth in there as well and configure my controller to send MIDI to that app. Then one app could send a prepared MIDI track (which app?) to vocoder (which app?) so I can sing without playing the notes for the vocoder.

Would this work? Seems like I will be heavily relying on the file player of the AUM. I have AUM but haven't used it much so I don't know how easy this will be, especially when changing songs.
Is there any better way to go about this?

TL;DR: I use Garageband for everything. I want to add a vocoder into the mix but I need the vocoder to be fed by a prepared MIDI track. What is the best way to do it for a live setup?

Comments

  • Not sure which vocoder you are using, but you can send midi out of GB using an AU track loaded with this plugin:
    https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/routemidi/id1347099452?mt=8

    I only recently learned of its existence and have not tried it at all, but the app description spells it out pretty clearly. This could take care of your prepared midi track getting to your vocoder. Now to pick a vocoder. :)

  • @CracklePot said:
    Not sure which vocoder you are using, but you can send midi out of GB using an AU track loaded with this plugin:
    https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/routemidi/id1347099452?mt=8

    I only recently learned of its existence and have not tried it at all, but the app description spells it out pretty clearly. This could take care of your prepared midi track getting to your vocoder. Now to pick a vocoder. :)

    This looks nice. So with this app, I will have an AU track in GB with MIDI written, and the Vocoder app open in the background getting MIDI from GB and sound input from my interface, right?

    I don't have a vocoder app yet and looking for suggestions on that as well.

    I wonder if using Audiobus and/or another DAW would have any advantages over this. I'm open to all kinds of ideas.

  • Honestly for me, anything else would be better than trying to use something like GarageBand because it limits you in weird , frustrating ways, seemingly by design. :/

    But yes, having Audiobus or AUM is always handy for most routing needs, so including them will bring in more apps to the setup, but will ultimately make your life much easier.

    I have iVoxel and it is pretty cool. I haven’t used it a whole lot, just played with it for a day or two after I bought it. There are great videos on YT showing how to set it up in Audiobus for different use cases. Also check out Voxsyn by the same dev (virsyn), it is newer and seems more like a voice synth, but may interest you. And Caustic has a good vocoder in there, but I am not sure about the current status of this app or developer, but as far as I am aware the app works fine still.

  • @CracklePot said:
    Honestly for me, anything else would be better than trying to use something like GarageBand because it limits you in weird , frustrating ways, seemingly by design. :/

    I use Garageband because I like the instruments in it and I got used to the workflow. If I could use it in the Input of AUM or another app as an insturment, I would use a more versatile DAW but it is not possible afaik.

    I checked out the Voxsyn and saw that it has an option to use the pitch of the voice, without MIDI. Maybe I should just practise singing and use it like that as IAA? :D

  • @nothumanatall said:

    @CracklePot said:
    Honestly for me, anything else would be better than trying to use something like GarageBand because it limits you in weird , frustrating ways, seemingly by design. :/

    I use Garageband because I like the instruments in it and I got used to the workflow. If I could use it in the Input of AUM or another app as an insturment, I would use a more versatile DAW but it is not possible afaik.

    I checked out the Voxsyn and saw that it has an option to use the pitch of the voice, without MIDI. Maybe I should just practise singing and use it like that as IAA? :D

    Get good enough at singing and you won’t need the vocoder any more. :D

  • @CracklePot said:
    Get good enough at singing and you won’t need the vocoder any more. :D

    Noo it's a cool sound, I'd use it even if I was perfect :D

  • @nothumanatall said:

    @CracklePot said:
    Get good enough at singing and you won’t need the vocoder any more. :D

    Noo it's a cool sound, I'd use it even if I was perfect :D

    Yeah, I love the sound, too. :)

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