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.

Seeking Powered USB hub recommendatons

Seeking recommendations: I'm looking for something that I'm having difficulty finding. I'd like to get a powered hub that is confirmed to work with iOS7 and doesn't have a lot of cables and mess. something really simple to use just for my iPad. I would rather not need a hub, but it seems that most devices require one. It doesn't need to have a lot of ports either since iOS only allows the usage of one port anyway. I'd like it to be sturdy if possible. Thanks for any and all help offered! :-)

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Comments

  • edited September 2013

    This one seems to get recommended by some. Anyone tried it?

    http://www.cyberpower-eu.com/products/accessories/hub/cph420mp.htm

    Edit: Apparently, it has been discontinued...... bummer...

  • edited September 2013

    I use all four ports on my Plugable USB hub simultaneously with my iPad. Curious what info led you to believe that only one port works on iOS?

  • As for the battery powered part of the equation, most USB hubs require 5V, so any one of those power banks on Amazon will work. Just get a USB to barrel adaptor cable (if one isnt already included with the battery bank) to go to the barrel port on the hub. I do it all the time with mine.

  • Interesting! I had been led to believe only one device at a time would work!

    Would you point me to a link of a decent inexpensive battery bank? I'm not exactly sure what you are referring to, but I'm extremely interested!

  • edited September 2013

    Maybe you are thinking of one audio interface at a time, which I believe is true, but you can run multiple USB midi interfaces at a time along with a single audio interface. I have an Anker Astro Pro (2 of them actually) and it is great but any one that supplies 5v should work. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005NGLTZQ

  • I use Newtrent 12AH battery pack. Surprisingly small, designed to charge iPhone and iPad together, though I use it to power my hub all the time (much cleaner than A/C brick supply). Seems to last forever powering MIDI and Audio gear.

  • Multiple USB midi controllers at once definitely works: http://i.imgur.com/VOKwv3w.jpg

  • Thanks Guys! This information from both of you is REALLY helpful! I wonder if a standard usb keyboard would work with my word processing app... Lots of interesting possibilities that I hadn't previously considered....

  • Dwarman, are you powering both the USB devices and the iPad from the battery pack?

  • No, USB only, but only because I do not have any charger pass-through adapter to do that. Does such a thing exist? I was hoping a Cable-Jive inline adapter I found would do it, but it also hijacks the USB path out through the side mini-B connector when you plug anything in to it.

  • Finding a way to accomplish that (powering a USB hub and the iPad from batteries) is my current project.

  • Some people have reported this works well:4 port USB 3.0 hub .

  • edited April 2014

    Bumping this thread. Have there been any significant advances in battery powered usb hub technology in the last 3 months?

    Edit: I'm not hugely bothered about powering up my ipad but having 1 audio and 1 midi device plugged in simultaneously sounds attractive.

  • Not sure about battery powered hubs, but there are a bazillion usb power packs on the likes of amazon. Then you just need a usb to barrel cable to power most hubs.

  • @supadom, if you don't really need power for your iPad then any of the solutions mentioned in the thread here would allow you to power a hub with a small battery pack.

  • edited April 2014

    Just upgraded to this one. Looks like it is sold out at the moment. http://www.amazon.com/20000mAh-Aluminum-Portable-Multi-Voltage-Technology/dp/B005NGLTZQ/ref=sr_1_4?srs=2528932011&ie=UTF8&qid=1397571390&sr=8-4&keywords=Astro+pro

    It is a powerhouse. Powers an apogee one ios while simultaneously charging the ipad (4.5A output!) plus power to spare for external 9v pedals. Note: if you plan to power a guitar pedal with this battery pack, check the polarity! Most pedals are center negative while this is center positive. You will need an adapter to flip polarity (or modify the power cable).

    I'm on a mission to have the smallest modular rig possible that fits in my tablet bag so I am actually using it as a mini pedalboard. Your best rig is the one you always have with you! It fits two standard sized pedals next to each other with only about 1/2" overhang at the top. Very cool!

  • @ringleader, very nice! I did not know the Apogee One can charge an iPad. Problem is you can't also charge the iPad if you are going thru a USB hub and connecting other USB MIDI devices.

  • edited April 2014

    The latest iOS version of the Apogee one can charge the iOS device when using the special Apogee lightning cable. But you are right, no external midi devices when doing this (except for Bluetooth of course). The nice thing is that you can switch over to the special Apogee USB cable on the one when device charging isn't crucial so then you can use it with a powered hub and midi devices and everything. It even saves the Maestro mixer settings in the device so it works the same as when using the lightning cable. The one is great, I only wish it had stereo ins plus the mic and that they were built into the unit without the breakout cable, but oh well.

    First company that makes an audio interface that charges the iOS device with a USB port that accepts a USB hub wins. Or, just a USB hub that also allows device charging so I can use any class-compliant USB midi/audio device. Or, if Apple makes a USB adapter that has a courtesy lightning charging port (like their HDMI adapter). Until one of these options becomes available, it will always be a compromise.

  • Excellent post @WMWM! :-)

  • edited April 2014

    @WMWM said:

    No offense but the Anker I referenced above kicks this things ass on so many levels (4.5A, multiple smart-charging USB ports, 9v or 12v option, capacity, build quality, etc.). 9000mAh won't even fully charge an iPad3 or above, especially when you take into account that about 30% of an external battery's charging power is lost to heat. IMHO, 20,000mAh is the new minimum.

  • edited April 2014

    None taken, that does look neat, it also says unavailable.

    Btw read the other link I posted also.

    Glad you like @Audiojunkie

  • Anker has a great reputation on Amazon, for sure.

    WMWM's other link with the idea of a USB -splitter to get extra power to the CCK seems like a decent alternative to using a powered USB hub. But still doesn't charge the iPad...

    Related to all this, even though it doesn't display to be charging, I feel like my iPad battery lasts much longer when I have CCK> Powered USB hub> Scarlett 2i2 all connected and running several music apps.

  • edited April 2014

    Here's what I use; it works great.

    EasyAcc External Battery 10,000 mah

    Link: http://amzn.com/B00BJCHH36 and less than $30 US

  • edited April 2014

    @WMWM said:

    None taken, that does look neat, it also says unavailable.

    Btw read the other link I posted also.

    It's the #1 best seller right now in external batteries, they probably can't keep up with demand at the moment.

    Right, that method provides the same exact results as using a USB to barrel end connector from the ext battery to power an external hub, it is just a different way to do it. Neither method will also charge the iOS device at the same time as this is currently impossible when using a CCK.

  • edited April 2014

    @Hmtx said:

    Here's what I use, works great

    EasyAcc External Battery 10,000 mah

    Link: http://amzn.com/B00BJCHH36

    Can you charge your ipad while using it? Up until this latest one I just got, no battery pack had quite enough juice to charge the ipad with the screen on and in use. Or if it did, it was really only a trickle charge. I use these batteries not only for powering hubs, but for also keeping my devices charged. This is where the 4.5A really makes a difference, just something to keep in mind if anyone is in the market.

  • edited April 2014

    The harmonicdog post is for a mobile solution, hence no power outlets, say at the beach, or in a forest.

  • @Ringleader said:

    Can you charge your ipad while using it?

    Yes, when the iPad is directly connected it will charge slowly.

    My primary use is to power the USB hub so I can use the 2i2 when mobile. And it works great for this, but won't charge the iPad thru the USB hub and CCK.

  • edited April 2014

    @WMWM said:

    The harmonicdog post is for a mobile solution, hence no power outlets, say at the beach, or in a forest.

    Right, all of these are for that when using an ext battery. Unless I am missing something here?

    For example, with just one of those Ankers (4.5A) I could power my Zoom MS-100bt and a Logidy EPSi via the 9vdc output, power an external USB hub plugged into one of the USB ports on the battery (via USB to barrel end cable) with the Apogee One, Fishman Triple Play receiver, and a Qunexus, charge my iphone via one of the other USB ports on the battery, and still have one more USB port (and power to spare) to power another 5v device such as an external speaker or my FTP transmitter - and have a small gig out of my van down by the river (lol) all without power outlets. And it would run for hours, it is sick.

  • Excuse my ignorance but is any of these an all in one solution or are they all a usb hub and battery combo?

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