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.

Off Grid Pocket Studio *Update

I have an iPad Mini 4, CME X-Key, Apogee Jam, and Keith McMillen BopPad that I want to take on the go with a usb hub hooked up to a powered camera connection kit. I am using a JBL Charge 3 for sound and I might get another one so I have stereo....

I was looking at Henny's video:

Which got me looking at this: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00X5RV14Y/ref=emc_b_5_t
But then I was looking at this: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0772VGZZH/ref=sspa_dk_detail_3?psc=1

Then you get leafing through tons of these wonder what is best.

Does anyone have a killer off-grid portable studio out there who isn't lugging around a car battery?

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Comments

  • Nothing useful to add but thanks for a link to that solar charger. WANT.

  • edited April 2018

    So here's the thing: In order to use my powered usb hub I need to have the ac adapter plugged in to a wall outlet. What's the best way to solve this issue? Is there some kind of integrated battery powered usb hub??

    If I want my keyboard, audio interface and pad midi controller all hooked up to my iPad I usually have the iPad plugged into the powered usb 3 camera adpater as I am sure many of you do. I assume you can just plug this into a battery pack instead of the wall. But, to be clear, for my breakout usb hub to be powered I would need a wall socket as it stands. Just trying to think this through while running the least amount of devices and fewest cords.

    My cheap usb hub that works well right now is 5VDC 2A output...

  • If you want/need portable AC and have cash to burn, check out the Mophie powerstation AC. :p

  • edited April 2018

    @seldomstatic said:
    If you want/need portable AC and have cash to burn, check out the Mophie powerstation AC. :p

    No I don't have cash to burn and I tend to skateboard to where I make music already carrying a small bass and guitar on my back. Too heavy to cart one of those around as well.

  • Here are some pics to illustrate the issue at hand...




    Also someone had been talking about this usb y cable here:

    https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-USB2HABMY3-Cable-External-Drive/dp/B003HHK576/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1456514778&sr=8-5&keywords=usb+y+cable

    I was reading this forum thread: http://auriaapp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=11150

  • I don't have an answer to your question, but I have a similar setup so I'll be watching this thread to see if any good solutions pop up. this seems like it should be a solvable problem but Google searches really haven't turned up a lot of good ideas for me...

  • No power hubs, just batteries in my circuit, zoom u24 and ehm, iPad.

  • @supadom said:

    So dope. B)

  • @CracklePot said:

    @supadom said:

    So dope. B)

    Thanks :)

    I actually never thought I’d have nanokontrol 1 as my sole midi controller but while it is flimsy as hell it totally outclassed beatstep, mpk mini and lpd8 and it does absolutely everything! It controls loops in loopy, presets in ToneStack, filters in AUM, Turnado and a lot of stuff in Circuit. Feels great to have so much power in such a small super portable unit.

  • @lukesleepwalker or whoever else is interested:

    I am wondering if I can just use that Y cable so that I can plug the usb hub into a portable battery but also into the camera connection kit and not worry about the ac plug. In that case I would need the splitter

    something like this:

  • If you have your hub and CCK-3, try plugging the iPad adapter into it like usual. Plug your hub into the CCK-3 and your gear into the hub. Don’t use the hub’s supplied adapter. Test to check if things are working, and if they are, then you can probably swap out a decent sized battery for the iPad adapter.

    I have an old USB hub that uses a supplied adapter, but I am pretty sure it worked just by plugging it into the CCK-3 without using its supplied adapter, and was able to run my H1 which needs the CCK-3 to work. I wanted to check again to be sure, but I can’t find the damn hub at the moment. Anyway, give it a shot. It will most likely work for you as well.

  • @CracklePot said:
    If you have your hub and CCK-3, try plugging the iPad adapter into it like usual. Plug your hub into the CCK-3 and your gear into the hub. Don’t use the hub’s supplied adapter. Test to check if things are working, and if they are, then you can probably swap out a decent sized battery for the iPad adapter.

    I have an old USB hub that uses a supplied adapter, but I am pretty sure it worked just by plugging it into the CCK-3 without using its supplied adapter, and was able to run my H1 which needs the CCK-3 to work. I wanted to check again to be sure, but I can’t find the damn hub at the moment. Anyway, give it a shot. It will most likely work for you as well.

    Once I test it I will need that Y splitter in order to pass information and power along the bus cable though won't I?

  • With my hub, it gets powered by the CCK just by plugging it in. It most likely isn’t actually powered, but passively passing the power supplied by the iPad adapter through the CCK.
    If your hub behaves in a similar manner, you should just need a regular USB cable between the CCK and your hub. The battery connects directly to the CCK lightning power slot with the USB lightning cable.

  • Basically, this. If you don’t have the battery yet, try with the iPad adapter in it’s place.

  • You can power an audio interface with phantom power with a USB Y cable and a battery into a hub (I do this all the time), so maybe it will help for your setup too?

    Check out this link:

    http://auriaapp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=11150

  • edited April 2018

    @richardyot said:
    You can power an audio interface with phantom power with a USB Y cable and a battery into a hub (I do this all the time), so maybe it will help for your setup too?

    Check out this link:

    http://auriaapp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=11150

    Yeah that's where I got the idea for the y cable in the first place, it's in one of the posts above.

  • edited April 2018

    The original issue that lead to this new setup was that I had multiple usb powered devices (keyboard, audio interface, drum pad), which not only require a usb hub, but would obviously drain an iPad battery too quickly. I was trying to find the right cabling, so that I could incorporate a battery in my setup.

    The key component is this Y cable:

    If you will always be around a wall outlet, you can just plug in your usb hub and you don't have to worry about all of this. But I like to make music outside -- the less people around the better.

    ** Now, I have not fully tested the solar panel so I will post some feedback when I can. But so far it looks like everything is a go.

    Parts list

    Y-Cable: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B003HHK58U/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    USB Hub: I can't actually find the one I have online anymore. But it doesn't really matter. I like that I have 7 ports, that it is small and light. I don't like that the power cables don't click into place very tightly. So just find a hub that has a good number of ports and that has a usb out with 'USB mini b', which is compatible with the Y-Cable above.

    Lightening to USB 3 Camera Adapter https://www.apple.com/ca/shop/product/MK0W2AM/A/lightning-to-usb-3-camera-adapter
    This is a common adapter people have. I have an official Apple one so I don't have any issues by the way of an error message from iOS that some people get. You can often find these used locally. (If anyone knows of a sneaky way to crack this let me know because I built an old USB game controller into stomp box that I use to control loops in Ableton but my iPad won't accept it).

    Apogee Jam https://reverb.com/marketplace?query=apogee jam
    Look for this used locally or at a retailer with a good discount. Many people claim there is no need for the 96k version. It is a nice audio interface if you want something you can just put in your pocket and you only need one input. It is a good companion to bring along with your phone as well if you are going minimal. Try to get one that has both the lightening and the USB cord, because you are going to want to plug the USB cord into the camera connection kit, reserving the lightening input for sending power to your iPad.

    Patch Cord Of course if you have a guitar, bass or ukulele you are bringing along, don't forget your 1/4" patch cord.

    USB Charge Cable Another obvious item to get power from the battery to your iPad

    Drum Pad https://www.keithmcmillen.com/products/boppad/ Not to promote having one of these but just to be clear on what is pictured below. This is a Keith McMillen Instruments BopPad -- so underrated.

    Keyboard http://www.cme-pro.com/ I have the X-Key 25 wired. Some people have the bluetooth wireless version but I haven't tried it. I can say this though. While not for everyone I love the feel the keys, I like how slim it is. It travels well and has velocity sensitivity.

    Battery https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00X5RV14Y/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 You want something with at least two USB outputs that both put out a good amount of power

    Solar Panel https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B075FR89CX/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
    Not absolutely necessary, possibly overkill. I have wanted to try something like this for years so I am into it. Again I have not fully tested it but I did notice that Amazon said people ofter purchase the battery above with this panel so I figured they would work well together.

    Other You will want some good neutral headphones for mixing the audio, or you may want some kind of rechargeable beach style speaker(s) if you want anyone to hear what you are doing. If you are running speakers, don't forget an audio cable. Also, any small instrument with a jack will plug into the audio interface. A quirky little guitar or bass, a ukulele, a violin, cello, whatever...

  • @futureaztec said:

    @seldomstatic said:
    If you want/need portable AC and have cash to burn, check out the Mophie powerstation AC. :p

    No I don't have cash to burn and I tend to skateboard to where I make music already carrying a small bass and guitar on my back. Too heavy to cart one of those around as well.

    Sounds like a dynamo fitted to your skateboard could help charge a battery for your Hub ;)

  • @futureaztec good stuff. Is it necessary to have the second USB port from the battery to power the CCK 3 to power the iPad? Or is it necessary to charge the iPad? Meaning: if I'm OK with a slow trickle battery drain from my iPad will the one USB port from battery to Y-cable suffice?

  • @futureaztec How much was that solar panel charger? That looks like a big one, 24 Watts.
    Your setup looks awesome, BTW. I have been slowly trying to cobble together a fully portable, self-powered setup myself. I am still in the planning stages and your shared experience has been very helpful. Thank you. :)

  • @lukesleepwalker said:
    @futureaztec good stuff. Is it necessary to have the second USB port from the battery to power the CCK 3 to power the iPad? Or is it necessary to charge the iPad? Meaning: if I'm OK with a slow trickle battery drain from my iPad will the one USB port from battery to Y-cable suffice?

    No you don't need to have the iPad plugged into the second port. The battery pictured though is quite affordable and advertises that it can charge an ipad mini 4, 2.5 times. I would like to spend a whole day at the beach working on music, so the fact that the iPad is not draining (because the battery pack has two usb outs at a high voltage) takes care of the initial purpose, which was do be able to spend more than one hour working on music away from a power outlet. Also, it will save your ipad battery from usage wear. I am hoping that on a hot sunny day with the battery pack hooked up to the solar panel it will further augment the drain of the pack. The other bonus is that in the case where you live off-grid (or when the apocalypse arrives) you could set your phone up as a wifi hub and have a power source via the sun. Technically you could be in the middle of nowhere for months and charge up your studio every few days and work.

  • Bring on the Apocalypse!

  • edited April 2018

    ***slight correction -- _most_ battery packs cannot be charged by a solar panel while charging you iPad, but some can. More info a few posts down.

    Okay so epic fail! I go to the park, spread all my stuff out -- unfold the solar panel, hook everything up. My ipad starts getting pulse charges from the battery pack that's hooked up to the solar panel. It turns out (this has been basic solar/battery common sense for years), you cannot charge a battery brick with a solar panel, while it is hooked up to your iPad. I think for the reason is that the charging power has to exceed the draw power, but I am not sure. I thought having it hooked up to the solar panel would slow the drain a bit, because obviously there is not enough steady power to run just off of the panel.

    So the result is the battery brick has to be charged while not in use. :'(

    I immediately thought, why don't they make a brick this is essentially 2 in 1, so that you can divide the battery and charge one side while using the other side and then switch when back and fourth as you need to? Has anyone made this? Have I overlooked something. Is there some new tech that I need to exchange what I just bought for?

    So far the only solution that I can think of is that I need to have two bricks -- one to use and one that charges while I am not using it.

  • edited April 2018

    @futureaztec said:
    Here are some pics to illustrate the issue at hand...

    (https://forum.audiob.us/uploads/editor/ag/dlv39bacmurc.png "")

    Is this ^ your USB hub? Is it powered? If so, I think you just need a cable like this:


    This would keep your hub powered and all your peripherals would get enough juice. No need for the y-cable. Search for “USB to DC power cable”

  • Also, I think your 20,000 mAh battery would last longer than the most epic park session, why bother with the solar panel? You would just have to keep the iPad brightness down, under 50% if possible and not charge it during the session.

  • @Hmtx said:
    Also, I think your 20,000 mAh battery would last longer than the most epic park session, why bother with the solar panel? You would just have to keep the iPad brightness down, under 50% if possible and not charge it during the session.

    My issue with the brightness of the iPad is that on a sunny day I can barely see Beatmaker 3, but @lukesleepwalker just pointed out on the BM3 forum that iOS 11 has an invert colours function. I will have to try that as a temp fix and then see how much I can reduce brightness. One thing I wonder though is: does running a white background app use up more battery, as opposed to a black background app?

    @Hmtx said:

    You would just have to keep the iPad brightness down, under 50% if possible and not charge it during the session.

    I just want to be clear. I can charge the iPad and while running it off of the battery brick -- no problem there. I think this is because the output of the brick exceeds the draw of the iPad. Just like you can have your iPad plugged into the wall and use it while it is charging. I just can't have the solar panel plugged into the brick while the brick is plugged into the iPad.

    ....

    "USB to DC power cable" Awesome. I already have the Y-cable, but this looks like a good alternative as well. One issue with the Y-Cable is, as you can see, the red USB plug is really short. This means that the battery ends up every close to the iPad. It has not bothered me yet, but I can see it becoming bothersome in certain situations.

  • @futureaztec said:
    I just want to be clear. I can charge the iPad and while running it off of the battery brick -- no problem there.

    Yeah, I hear ya. I thought maybe you were trying to use the solar charger to get more time out of the external battery pack. So I was suggesting that dimming the screen would also help.

  • @Hmtx said:

    @futureaztec said:
    I just want to be clear. I can charge the iPad and while running it off of the battery brick -- no problem there.

    Yeah, I hear ya. I thought maybe you were trying to use the solar charger to get more time out of the external battery pack. So I was suggesting that dimming the screen would also help.

    I was trying to use the solar panel to get more out of the battery pack but the model of battery pack I have doesn't allow you to do that. I found out today that Goal Zero makes battery packs that do allow you to use them while charging with a solar panel. While Anker, my pack, does not. The tech at Anker said that it weakens the life of the battery. Not sure how true that is with Goal Zero products. The price difference is huge, considering they are both main stream companies.

    This is the product that the Goal Zero tech suggested: The Goal Zero Venture 70

    Or the Goal Zero Sherpa 50

    Now I payed $45 CAN for the Anker 20100. It has an input of 5v 2A and two USB outputs of 5v 4.8A. It is said to be able to charge an iPad Mini 4, 2.5 times.

    The Goal Zero Venture 70 is $200 CAN and claims it can charge a "tablet" twice. The Outputs are 2 USB A female, 5V, up to 2.4A (12W max), regulated. Input is USB A male, 5V, up to 1.5A (10.5W max)

    The Sherpa 50 is $220 CAN and can charge a laptop while charging via solar panel in the sun. It only has one USB outlet which is a 5V port up to 1.5A (7.5W max), regulated. But it also has a 12V 6mm port up to 8A (100W max), regulated. And it has a 19V laptop port up to 5A (100W max), regulated.

    Basically it is one of those situations where when you add more features you add more weight and raise the price.

    The Sherpa 50's usb port is surprising low output and it only has one. But it does have other outlets listen above. With some adapters and whatnot I am sure it could be rigged up. The Venture 70 is waterproof which is cool. I am not too impressed with the 10.5 watt max input. I have a 28 watt solar panel I mentioned I got above. Does this mean it would be wasted.

    I suppose in the end I found it a bit of a buzz kill that I couldn't have my solar panel folded out on the picnic table while having all my gear hooked up. But it looks like one of those situations where if you take the next step to be able to do that you go from a pocket sized battery pack to a fairly large unit.

    Not sure what I am going to do -- might just be happy with what I have for now and wait for the next round of innovation. I wrote this up mainly just to update the thread. You just happened to be the poor soul who got mentioned.

  • edited May 2018

    So I also found out that the Voltaic Arc 20 Watt Solar kit is probably the ideal way to go for efficiency:

    But it is quite a bit more money compared to what I have going. The issue with the first setup is that the Anker battery brick had an intermittent signal from the solar panel (they don't support 'pass-though technology)'. So if I tried to charge the brick while having everything hooked up, it would flash 'charging' on and off every 5 seconds, and power to the USB hub would flash as well.

    So I decided to order a RAVPower 26800mAh Dual Input Port Battery Pack which they claim on their site, does support pass through technology.

    It was only about $10 more than the Anker, claims to hold an extra .5 of a charge for a total of 3 extra charges of an iPad Mini 4. It also has two inputs which matches the two outputs of the BigBlue 28w solar panel. One thing I noticed though is that I can't seem to charge with both while using both USB outputs (one to power my hub and one to power my iPad). So, in order to use the solar panel while using my iPad with the hub, I have to charge from one USB of the solar panel at a time. Not too big of a deal, I seem to be getting at least 2A of solar from the panel through the one USB anyway. And my other reservation is that I preferred the size of the Anker battery. The Rav Power battery is a bit bigger -- but for what it does and the price, again, still pretty awesome.

    So in the end I have a powered iPad Mini 4 with a powered USB hub feeding a CME Key, KM BopPad, and a Apogee Jam 96k (for guitar and bass) all running off grid. With the CPU loaded up running BM3 and a whole bunch of AUv3's, working away in the sun for an hour or two, my iPad only dipped 3% to 97%. I imagine that if I didn't have the battery bank also hooked up to the solar panel, the iPad would have stayed at 100%.

    If you have the extra to spend though, I would probably recommend looking into the Voltaic Arc 20W kit (remember, manufacturers lie about the wattage of their panels so even though the BigBlue is rated at 28w, the Voltaic complete system is probably way more efficient). That being said it only cost me $140 CAN for the BigBlue panel, Rav Power 26800m Battery, and the Startech USB Y-Cable, in order to have unlimited solar power, and a bank of 3 charges for an iPad Mini 4. Even if you don'y get a panel, having a battery bank and Y-Cable is definitely worth it so you can power your usb hub and be away from a wall outlet when you want.

    At some point I may add something like the Steinberg UR22mkII to the setup instead of the Apogee JAM, and I will leave another update on how that works out off grid power wise.

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