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.

iOS looper - Audiobus, AUM, Loopy, Blueboard: how to use them (with Audiobus preset)

Hi,

Lot of looper talk on our forum lately.

@McDtracy asks me for an AB preset to help him starting with Loopy stuff. So I thought it could be useful to share some of my app setup with whole AB forum community.

So here is a small explanation/tutorial of how to use Audiobus/AUM/Loopy and a pedalboard like BlueBoard.

This setup is adapted to play backing loops in Loopy and recording loops at the same time. AUM will allow for lower monitoring latency, advanced mixing, performance recording. Audiobus will glue everything, offer apps state saving and switching. Three apps have midi learn support.

Any variant is possible.

All apps routings are made in Audiobus for best sync between Loopy and AUM.

AUM goes to Loopy for loop recording

Loopy slots 1-5 goes to AUM, those slots are for imported backing loops: drum, bass, etc. A variant is to have an AB/AUM lane for each slot, but it’s more cpu intensive.

Loopy slot 6 goes to individual AUM channel, this is the audio looper slot.

Now AUM side. First channel is mic audio input. Than can be any app. Here is why it’s so interesting to use AUM: audio monitoring channel goes to AUM’s audio physical output. There is NO cumulative latency between apps, like with AB + Loopy. There is a bus A send (parallel) to Loopy input channel. Use insert effects before bus A send if you want them to be recorded in Loopy.

Here is Loopy input send, from Bus A. You can of course have various Bus A sends and trigger them by midi or on screen, for several sources Loopy recording. Signal is routed to AB then Loopy.

This is Loopy looper slot 6 return (routed though Audiobus). As you can see there is an AUM Mid/Side node which is another trick. This helps to leave some space in the stereo field if you want to soloing along your loops. This is especially useful with overdubs.

Next channel is for backing Loopy loops 1-5. You can adjust level quickly, add EQ and compression here.

At the end, master channel receive Bus B. All channels are routed to this bus except Loopy input send. Enable master channel record button and you will be able to record your whole performance as a stereo file.

And now Loopy setup. Be sure monitoring option in Loopy is disabled, as monitoring is made in AUM.

Here is track management page setup. Note that fade in/out on the upper part is enabled. This allows to do fading with a double tap :-) Synchronisation settings must be like on the screenshot if you want a synced looper behavior with count in/out, very Ableton-like. You can experiment with this.

And now let’s talk about hands freedom!! Here’s a typical BlueBoard midi actions setup. You have single and hold taps (and you can double a single/hold tap for fade in/out for any mute action) for loops slots 1 to 5. So you can basically toggle mute (play/stop synced with loops lenght). This is like playing with Launchpad or Ableton with your foot using buttons 1-2 single/hold taps and 3 single tap. Single tap button 4 will start blank recording in loop 6. Tap again to overdub. Hold button 4 to re-record, this will erase previous recordings. Button 3 hold tap will mute your loop 6 recording. Re-record will works with loop 6 playing or muted. So all muting actions are on buttons 1-3 and all recording actions on button 4.

And now the Audiobus preset:

Audiobus preset 'JANOSAX LOOPY AUM SETUP': http://preset.audiob.us/cm5JB1ZZQxlNkk3

And AUM file:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/277l4put18a15j4/JANOSAX LOOPY AUM SETUP.aumproj?dl=0

You can do lot of variants, with multiple looper slots, various sources, etc... You get the idea with routings though Audiobus, AUM busses, and loopy actions.

Have fun!! :)

Edit: and of course, a little bit of shameless self-promotion. Here is what can be done with that kind of setup:

Comments

  • This is great! I will be downloading and trying it out. Do you also have an AUM preset to go with this?

  • @Hmtx I thought it was restored via AB preset, my mistake. First post edited with AUM file Dropbox link just below AB preset :)

  • Many, many thanks!
    Going to dig deeper into this.

    And AB should save the AUM state.
    Sadly, I did not test with the AB preset alone, but also downloaded the AUM preset.
    So, cannot compare.

  • @Janosax. Wow, thanks for putting that together. I’m not sure how I’m going to use it exactly but I will figure it out.

  • This is how a Pro uses IOS for Looping. Thank you for sharing and documenting the small details. I also like the track that comes along with the setup. Anyone that plays with backing should record a track and upload the result here. That will keep it on the front page for a few days.

  • Amazing post. Thanks for share :heart:

    Did you consider add midiflow in the stroking side of the setup. It could help enabling/disabling more than one slot with just one midi command (from pedal ie).
    This is what I was asking Michael years ago when he said inside Masterpiece roadmap before AUM and before GTL.
    For simple back tracking I recommend it, it’s heaven with quantized launch and loop grouping. It has AU fx hosting in the input channel and even next/previous song from midi binding.

  • Thanks for sharing this and for the track.

  • Here is my short tutorial :smile:

  • edited January 2019

    Thanks for all comments, I hope it will be useful :)

    @TheDubbyLabby GTL is not universal, if I had an iPad there is a good chance I use it. However, I like AB/AUM/Loopy capabilities, and there is something in AUM in routings which allows for very advanced things, and the audio engine really make music sounds good. Loopy has nice triggering capabilities too, and I like its minimalistic GUI.

    I use a custom MidiFire script which allows for up to 24 BlueBoard actions, I can assign actions in AUM to AU parameters with ramp up/down, etc. The issue with grouping slots is this one: action is TOGGLE mute, so that will not works, if a loop is muted and others not, they will be inverted, so the scene behavior will not be necessarily correct.

    Here is the workaround to have a scene-like Loopy live setup: using solo actions instead of mute, and two versions of Loopy.

    • think live. Use something like Blocswave and do your scene premix inside it. Export your scenes as audio stems.
    • Use Loopy HD (orange) with 12 slots, import scenes in each one of them, like you need.
    • Assign solo actions per slot. MidiFire Blue velvet module will allow for more actions. Now you will be able to solo each scene, this will works just like any scene based launcher.
    • Use Loopy (blue) for all the audio looping. One slot is enough to start with the actions I’ve shown. You can have several when you want to keep and trigger previously recorded loops. This is needed to use two loopy apps, because soloing scenes in orange one will also mute your looper slot. So orange + blue app is the key.
    • Do all routing via AB, with same system as above.

    What you lose: fade in/out by double tap on individual instrumental parts, as scene group them in one audio file. That could be possible with drum parts being in blue loopy and other instruments as scenes in orange one, and a MidiFire script, to keep fading on drums. But that starts to be overcomplicated!! I also use Ableton Live on laptop so I have other solutions. I keep experimenting with all of this.

    Song set changing via midi is possible via Audiobus. But that works well with only one Loopy, two loopy and loopy sets sometimes are not recalled correctly. That could certainly be fixed. But another issue with AB preset midi switching using AUM, is that after X loads, sometimes an AU will eventually don’t reload correctly, and each load take lot of time. So this is another limitation of this system, as it’s needed to change presets manually. Note that it can be risky too to change song presets with pedalboard: a bad move and you’re just dead!!! Note that it’s possible to use only AB/Loopy without AUM, but again there is audio engine, double loopy for scenes, and AB preset loading via midi will stop transport, even if it’s MUCH faster. In my case, I don’t change AUM as my sax setup stay the same, I have several AU fxs triggering depending on songs, so I only have to clear blue loopy and change orange loopy song. For a DJ that’s another story :)

    Here is how I name crucial Loopy presets to stay organized and change them faster:

    Even if I will always need my iOS setup for being ready to loop in no time, or special live situations, I think that the best setup for me is Ableton Live with Mcmillen Softstep2 which has 16 presets. So it’s possible to have all songs clips sets in only one ALS, and switching between songs triggers with Softstep2 presets via dedicated switches, so there is no risk. Also all the midi is in pedalboard, the laptop only manage Ableton, so more safe. There is that nice iConnectivity Play 12 interface which allows to use two laptop with transparent safe feature: if a laptop crashes, it switches to the other magically. But audio inputs are missing. I asked them on their forum to make a Play12+ with audio inputs for 2019, they took note of my request with a smiley, so perhaps it’s already on roadmap :)

  • Yeah... GTL only for iPad is a bummer :disappointed:
    the good news is probably we will see an AUv3 version in some moment in the future.
    http://forum.grouptheloop.com/index.php?p=/discussion/190/iphone-version-let-s-talk-again and I even did a dirty mockup to inspire @jmarshallgtl :sweat_smile:

    Also we can praise for @Michael releasing Masterpiece (or almost update us)

    I will love to see them working together...

  • Hey Janosax, are you using Sreambyter inside of MidiFire to write your script to have 24 actions with a BlueBoard? Or is it a different module? I don’t have MidiFire, just wondering if need it, or just the Streambyter app. And do you still need the BlueBoard app? Thanks

  • @Fitz said:
    Hey Janosax, are you using Sreambyter inside of MidiFire to write your script to have 24 actions with a BlueBoard? Or is it a different module? I don’t have MidiFire, just wondering if need it, or just the Streambyter app. And do you still need the BlueBoard app? Thanks

    You will need MidiFire, streambyter module is more powerful inside full app than AU version. Also, MidiFire is lighter on ressources than AU. Blue velvet alone is not enough, I can share one of my full working scene of you’re interested :)

  • @Janosax said:

    @Fitz said:
    Hey Janosax, are you using Sreambyter inside of MidiFire to write your script to have 24 actions with a BlueBoard? Or is it a different module? I don’t have MidiFire, just wondering if need it, or just the Streambyter app. And do you still need the BlueBoard app? Thanks

    You will need MidiFire, streambyter module is more powerful inside full app than AU version. Also, MidiFire is lighter on ressources than AU. Blue velvet alone is not enough, I can share one of my full working scene of you’re interested :)

    That would be really cool, if you don’t mind. I did a little bit of script writing in MidiBridge a while ago, but I’m not sure I’d know where to start anymore.

  • @TheDubbyLabby

    I’ve asked Jack on Grooptheloop forum on your iPhone thread for the universal version. We need it!!

    I made extensive tests with my Loopy technique for soloing scenes. That works well, but needs to make zero mistake. Tap two buttons and two loops will be soloed. It’s ok at home, but on stage it’s not useable at all.

    But I think I’ve found a solution on iPhone: using LP-5 loop player. It uses scenes, with midi trigger for up to 40 scenes, and is AB compatible (in out transport sync) with Link. Could works well with backing loops, with still Loopy for loop recording, using the same setup shown in this thread. 40 scenes should allow for 5-8 songs playing before needing to change LP-5 song preset. This needs I change notes in MidiFire, not a small work, and to have different MidiFire scenes I can change by midi, and changing AB presets at the same time for Link tempo change. Complicated setup but I have to try.

  • @Fitz said:

    @Janosax said:

    @Fitz said:
    Hey Janosax, are you using Sreambyter inside of MidiFire to write your script to have 24 actions with a BlueBoard? Or is it a different module? I don’t have MidiFire, just wondering if need it, or just the Streambyter app. And do you still need the BlueBoard app? Thanks

    You will need MidiFire, streambyter module is more powerful inside full app than AU version. Also, MidiFire is lighter on ressources than AU. Blue velvet alone is not enough, I can share one of my full working scene of you’re interested :)

    That would be really cool, if you don’t mind. I did a little bit of script writing in MidiBridge a while ago, but I’m not sure I’d know where to start anymore.

    Here it is, 24 actions ready to rock, have fun!!!

    https://www.dropbox.com/s/e8gwbxgsd4fg9nx/Scene-Jsx BlueVelvet 24 actions.mfr?dl=0

  • @Janosax said:

    @Fitz said:

    @Janosax said:

    @Fitz said:
    Hey Janosax, are you using Sreambyter inside of MidiFire to write your script to have 24 actions with a BlueBoard? Or is it a different module? I don’t have MidiFire, just wondering if need it, or just the Streambyter app. And do you still need the BlueBoard app? Thanks

    You will need MidiFire, streambyter module is more powerful inside full app than AU version. Also, MidiFire is lighter on ressources than AU. Blue velvet alone is not enough, I can share one of my full working scene of you’re interested :)

    That would be really cool, if you don’t mind. I did a little bit of script writing in MidiBridge a while ago, but I’m not sure I’d know where to start anymore.

    Here it is, 24 actions ready to rock, have fun!!!

    https://www.dropbox.com/s/e8gwbxgsd4fg9nx/Scene-Jsx BlueVelvet 24 actions.mfr?dl=0

    Thanks Janosax, that’s very kind of you! I just saw your review for MidiFire on the App Store, which I guess means you’re in France. Where abouts are you?

  • @Fitz said:

    @Janosax said:

    @Fitz said:

    @Janosax said:

    @Fitz said:
    Hey Janosax, are you using Sreambyter inside of MidiFire to write your script to have 24 actions with a BlueBoard? Or is it a different module? I don’t have MidiFire, just wondering if need it, or just the Streambyter app. And do you still need the BlueBoard app? Thanks

    You will need MidiFire, streambyter module is more powerful inside full app than AU version. Also, MidiFire is lighter on ressources than AU. Blue velvet alone is not enough, I can share one of my full working scene of you’re interested :)

    That would be really cool, if you don’t mind. I did a little bit of script writing in MidiBridge a while ago, but I’m not sure I’d know where to start anymore.

    Here it is, 24 actions ready to rock, have fun!!!

    https://www.dropbox.com/s/e8gwbxgsd4fg9nx/Scene-Jsx BlueVelvet 24 actions.mfr?dl=0

    Thanks Janosax, that’s very kind of you! I just saw your review for MidiFire on the App Store, which I guess means you’re in France. Where abouts are you?

    You’re in France too? I’m near Paris, in banlieue more exactly Essonne.

  • I’m from the UK, but we moved to the Val de Loire 18 months ago to be closer to my wife’s family. She’s from Tours.

  • Not that far away, that’s cool :)

  • @Janosax said:
    Not that far away, that’s cool :)

    :)

  • edited January 2019

    I’ve tried LP-5 for a few days. It works well for group launching but unfortunately is buggy with Audiobus, with random audio buzz and app freezing. I tried to get in contact with dev but zero answers, and latest update is two years old. I got a refund as I can’t use it. Grouptheloop iPhone version is on the road so I’ll wait for it :)

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