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.

Which iPad? iPad 2018 (32GB) VS iPad 2018 (128GB) VS iPad AIR 2019 (64GB)

RoyRoy
edited April 2019 in General App Discussion

(sorry in advance, posted in "General app discussion" instead of in "Support and feedback" and couldn't move or delete the post)

Hi Friends,

Could you please help me decide which iPad to purchase? I'm mainly interested in recording audio,
acoustic instruments and vocals and to use effects and recording into loopy hd or any other apps.
(I'm not into the mini iPads and wouldn't want to buy second hand)

These are my thoughts so far:

iPad 2018 32GB :

  • A10
  • 2GB RAM
  • not so good display
  • "very little" storage (32GB)
  • $329 Saving money

VS

iPad 2018 128GB :

  • A10
  • 2GB RAM
  • not so good display
  • "a lot" of storage (128GB)
  • $429 not here and not there value for money wise

VS

iPad AIR 2019 64GB :

  • A12 Faster processor
  • 3GB Bigger RAM
  • much better display (quality and colors)
  • "medium" size storage (64GB)
  • $499 spending more but getting more

(Apple's list prices)

«1

Comments

  • Unless you want to use a paid iCloud account for all your storage, then don’t go anywhere near the 32GB model. It might seem like a good idea now, but you’ll regret it almost immediately.

    I wrote this about the iPad Pro, but it’s relevant for any iPad purchase:

    How to pick the best iPad Pro storage option for you

  • edited April 2019

    @mistercharlie said:
    Unless you want to use a paid iCloud account for all your storage, then don’t go anywhere near the 32GB model.

    It depends on how much samples you use ... i never ran out of space on my 16GB Air1, actually most of time i had 4-5 GB free :-))

  • @Roy Are you in the US? Amazon currently has the 128GB 2018 base iPad for $100 off. The 32GB is $80 off.

    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BTS6H4W/ref=fs_a_i_3

    Here:s where to check prices:
    https://prices.appleinsider.com/ipad (Currently, the 2018 base iPad 128GB is $100 off at Amazon ($329), 32GB is $80 off ($250). Apple probably won't be releasing a 2019 base iPad. 2018 iPad Pro is currently at least $50 off, etc.).

  • edited April 2019

    You're going to want the faster processor and more RAM. Things can max out pretty quick on iOS, and while you could probably get away with less, it's worth it not to limit yourself. Just tighten your belt a bit for the extra cost the next six months (or whatever length of time is needed).

  • I wouldn't go for anything less than 64GB. While people that don't use any sample-based apps/libraries, you might be able to get away with less. But I have been surprised at how much storage I've ended up using both because a few great sample-based instruments might end up using many gig between them and also because I tend to work on a lot of projects in parallel -- with their audio tracks building up. If you are doing MIDI sequencing only without recorded tracks that reduces storage needs. If you use sample-based instruments (both samplers and things like the LUMbeat apps), they use up a fair amount of storage.

    The screens on the 2018 iPad are quite nice. Perhaps by comparison to the latest models they are different. But I never look at the screen and think "this doesn't look very good".

    While the 2018 doesn't have the same horsepower as the 2019 models -- they are comparable to the first generation Pros. If money were a big consideration and you use sample libraries, there is a lot of bang for the buck with the 2018s. I though the 128GB I got might be ridiculous overkill -- but right now as I experiment with large pianos, I am glad that I have that storage.

  • edited April 2019

    2018 ipad is about equal to air 2 in terms of processing power. I have air 2 and feel like its bit too slow for ios musicing nowadays, even tho i mostly use it as an fx box/mixer/recorder. This is partly because i need to keep it 128 sample rate to keep latency low enough for real time audio.

    It also depends a lot on how you use it. For some uses even oldest ipads have enough horsepower. Most likely 2019 air is clearly the best choise

  • I tend to buy the maximum storage available (which is not "memory"), but capped that at 512 GB and would not buy the 1TB solutions.
    You cannot expand, so better buy large.

  • edited April 2019

    2018 iPad CPU is A10 Fusion like iPhone 7 Plus, works really well and faster than Air2. And A12 had audio crackles issues reported by some users, not sure for Air3. Only real music related advantage IMO of Air3 over 2018 iPad is 3 Go vs 2 Go ram. But 2018 iPad 128 Go is 400 euros on Amazon while Air3 256 Go is 750 euros (64 Go is not enough for music IMO), quite a big difference for 1 Go Ram. BTW my 7 Plus on big projects (GarageBand, AUM, Audiobus with lot of AU) never has even reached 2 Go limit (3 Go on board).

  • @tja said:
    I tend to buy the maximum storage available (which is not "memory"), but capped that at 512 GB and would not buy the 1TB solutions.
    You cannot expand, so better buy large.

    Money to one side, any other reason you wouldn't buy the 1TB?

  • @ToMess said:
    2018 ipad is about equal to air 2 in terms of processing power. I have air 2 and feel like its bit too slow for ios musicing nowadays, even tho i mostly use it as an fx box/mixer/recorder. This is partly because i need to keep it 128 sample rate to keep latency low enough for real time audio.

    No. The air 2 and iPad 2018 are not comparable in performance or horsepower. The iPad 2018 has considerably more horsepower than the Air 2.

  • @espiegel123 said:

    @ToMess said:
    2018 ipad is about equal to air 2 in terms of processing power. I have air 2 and feel like its bit too slow for ios musicing nowadays, even tho i mostly use it as an fx box/mixer/recorder. This is partly because i need to keep it 128 sample rate to keep latency low enough for real time audio.

    No. The air 2 and iPad 2018 are not comparable in performance or horsepower. The iPad 2018 has considerably more horsepower than the Air 2.

    Is the Air3 more powerful than the 2018?

    Keep hearing about audio glitches, with someone would confirm or deny this...

  • For what you're intending the 2018 iPad with 128GB seems the best choice. It has the processor suitable for audio record/playback, runs the great acoustic instrument apps like RC275 Piano, BeatHawk, BS-16i, etc.

    The first frustration you will face would be running out of storage. The iPad has "all or nothing" backup. I find when I hit the 128GB wall I deleted the largest Application (with it's data) that I use the least. For me that was the amazing Colossus Piano's with 4 IAPs around ~25GB. Then I loaded it on an older iPhone and use it as a sound module.

    If I could just backup and App and moving them in/out quickly I'd go for the most RAM but until then... storage is my top criteria using $/GB.

    One other trick: buy the least expensive and then plan on a 2nd unit as you find the limitations of the lowest entry price.

    iPad's have surprising re-sale value, IMHO. Spare devices for a musician are good things.
    Old iPhones make good sound modules. The UI is a pain but you can design on the iPad and Import setups to the iPhone.

    Really OT: Apps follow the buyer's account. Sharing an iPad means they can use your apps.
    That could be useful for a group to standardize on a set of Apps with one buyer.

  • @JohnnyGoodyear said:

    @tja said:
    I tend to buy the maximum storage available (which is not "memory"), but capped that at 512 GB and would not buy the 1TB solutions.
    You cannot expand, so better buy large.

    Money to one side, any other reason you wouldn't buy the 1TB?

    It's mostly about the money, the amount of space required and the lack of real 6 GB RAM.

    $400 more seems a bit too much.
    Also, I already have a 512 GB iPad and saw that this seems to be enough for me.
    And lastly, the iPad Apps can only use 4 GB, not the full 6 GB.

    In summary, this lead me to the opinion of not going the 1 TB route.
    Also, I hate Face ID and so the 2017 iPad Pro was the best solution for me.

  • @tja said:

    @JohnnyGoodyear said:

    @tja said:
    I tend to buy the maximum storage available (which is not "memory"), but capped that at 512 GB and would not buy the 1TB solutions.
    You cannot expand, so better buy large.

    Money to one side, any other reason you wouldn't buy the 1TB?

    It's mostly about the money, the amount of space required and the lack of real 6 GB RAM.

    $400 more seems a bit too much.
    Also, I already have a 512 GB iPad and saw that this seems to be enough for me.
    And lastly, the iPad Apps can only use 4 GB, not the full 6 GB.

    In summary, this lead me to the opinion of not going the 1 TB route.
    Also, I hate Face ID and so the 2017 iPad Pro was the best solution for me.

    Thanks for the response. I'm not far off being in the market again, so good points to think about.

  • My 2018 128gb ipad has been fantastic overall, and no issues with the quality of the screen. I use the iPad less for music production these days, but anything I've tried to do with that ipad, music or otherwise, has been very smooth.

    And the pencil with goodnotes has been a GREAT experience. I do all of my social work and sound gig notes that way. The adonit bluetooth stylus I used with my air1 was not even close.

  • For the past 4 years I’ve used an Air2 128g, which has served me well but is starting to struggle with the CPU loads I’m asking from it. So this week I got a new (2017/18) 10.5” iPad Pro 512g, along with the Apple Pencil and the SmartKeyboard. This is the last iPad (and only iPad Pro) to include a headphone jack, as well as the faster screenrateX (important for drawing in Procreate) and the performance has been great; I have already smoothly run through several huge projects that made my Air2 choke & spit.

    I know this model isn’t on your list, but I am very glad to have found one, as it is being phased out by the new models, and has seen prices reduced. Grab one while you can, I live near NYC, and my local Apple store did not have any more - the surprised Apple employee actually went online and found the last one at a local BestBuy, but I think they are going fast.

  • So far I’m very happy with my 2018 9.7 128gb, no performance issues and things are a lot smoother, the extra storage is just great too

  • I just bought a 2018 128gb 9.7 and it's working great for me. I almost bought the AIR but it was to expensive. If you're in the states, Amazon keeps selling the 128gb 9.7 for $329-$379 and it's totally worth it.

  • If you're interested in the 2017 Pro 10.5 and are in the US, Walmart has the 256gb model for $579. Most stores still have them in stock.
    https://www.walmart.com/ip/Apple-10-5-inch-iPad-Pro-Wi-Fi-256GB-Space-Gray/55900700

  • RoyRoy
    edited April 2019

    @ocelot @slicetwo @thesoundtestroom @amarok @mrufino1 @JohnnyGoodyear @tja @McD @MonzoPro @mistercharlie @dendy @e121 @ToMess @espiegel123 @tja @Janosax @espiegel123

    Thank you ALL so much!

    I've decided to go with the iPad Air 2019 64GB and meanwhile it's awesome!! :smile:

    @ocelot Thank you.. I'm not in the USA, so I can't get those deals. and I was also considering that the Air 2019 has a newer processor compared to the 2017 Pro, equal power or not.. and also forward compatibility, ios updates.. etc'.. I might be wrong and I'm sure the 2017 is a great device but again, I couldn't get it in a good price.

    The screen looks great, the built in mic is amazing (for someone who never had an iphone/ipad, only android devices).

    Garageband was a very good surprise for me, it's actually a very nice app, now I just need to keep figuring things out,
    mostly how to use garage band's "live loops" grid, recording myself to a loop while listening to the other loops playing,
    I found that I have to trigger those loops before I switch to the page of the specific instrument i'd like to record, so It's hard to keep time.. but maybe I'm doing something wrong, I still need to experiment.

    Is there any other app like garageband? with built in instruments? I've tried sampletank but I didn't like it.

    I would be happy to know which are the best apps besides garageband and loopy hd to record audio and use instruments with.

    Thank you all again! :smile:

  • @Roy said:
    ...
    Is there any other app like garageband? with built in instruments? I've tried sampletank but I didn't like it.

    I'll list a few DAWs without rating which is very subjective anyway:
    "Linear": NanoStudio 2, Cubasis 2, Audio Evolution Mobile
    "Pattern": Korg Gadget 2, BeatMaker 3, ModStep, Groove Rider, Stagelight.
    The first three only support linear track-style recording while the others support pattern/loop-based recording for MIDI, some of them can record audio too.
    You seem to like the pattern-based approach (GB LiveLoops) so the "Pattern" DAWs are all candidates for you to check.

    I would be happy to know which are the best apps besides garageband and loopy hd to record audio and use instruments with.

    Beatmaker 3 and Stagelight can record audio. Gadget can record audio too, even in a loop with auto-creating a new loop at each iteration (for some people the editing is too limited but it works).
    BM3 has a fantastic sampler built-in, Gadget has a great synth collection and a fair amount of drum sounds included, and Stagelight has a good mix of go-to instruments included in the $15 unlock.

    What music style (i.e. sounds) are you into?

  • edited April 2019

    @Roy said:
    @ocelot @slicetwo @thesoundtestroom @amarok @mrufino1 @JohnnyGoodyear @tja @McD @MonzoPro @mistercharlie @dendy @e121 @ToMess @espiegel123 @tja @Janosax @espiegel123

    Thank you ALL so much!

    I've decided to go with the iPad Air 2019 64GB and meanwhile it's awesome!! :smile:

    @ocelot Thank you.. I'm not in the USA, so I can't get those deals. and I was also considering that the Air 2019 has a newer processor compared to the 2017 Pro, equal power or not.. and also forward compatibility, ios updates.. etc'.. I might be wrong and I'm sure the 2017 is a great device but again, I couldn't get it in a good price.

    The screen looks great, the built in mic is amazing (for someone who never had an iphone/ipad, only android devices).

    Garageband was a very good surprise for me, it's actually a very nice app, now I just need to keep figuring things out,
    mostly how to use garage band's "live loops" grid, recording myself to a loop while listening to the other loops playing,
    I found that I have to trigger those loops before I switch to the page of the specific instrument i'd like to record, so It's hard to keep time.. but maybe I'm doing something wrong, I still need to experiment.

    Is there any other app like garageband? with built in instruments? I've tried sampletank but I didn't like it.

    I would be happy to know which are the best apps besides garageband and loopy hd to record audio and use instruments with.

    Thank you all again! :smile:

    About GB loops, yes you have to play loops before recording a new loop and have to count bars, good musical exercice :D you can always adjust loop start/end after recording using automatic recording length. You can even use automatic length to record multiple passes, and adjust later just like in Ableton Live. Also, when you record/have recorded a loop and want to try again, just tap record/play then record again transport buttons in recording view and not stop/set to beginning buttons or loops will stop playing.

  • @Roy You got the '19 Air 3? 🥳

    I know the feeling of 'which model should I spend my hard-earned cash on?:
    In the past 2 weeks, I exchanged a '17 Pro 10.5 for the '18 Pro 11 but returned it (stuck pixels). Got the '18 iPad 6 on sale, but returned that to get the '19 Mini 5, but they were sold out already.

    I'm glad you're happy with your decision. That's half the battle.

    You've got lots of great suggestions on 'what"s next?' Only thing I can add is that your 'workflow' is a personal preference. It sometimes takes a lot of 'mistaken purchases' since everything is such a great value on iOS. It's a great community, I've learned a lot. Have fun!

  • I'd recommend digging deep with GB (there is an excellent book with two included projects that teach GarageBand fundamentals by exploring Pharrell's Happy) before casting a wider net. It is the most underrated app on iOS . Then branch out if you feel like you need to.

  • RoyRoy
    edited April 2019

    @rs2000 Thanks a lot for your recommendations, I checked them all out,
    Stagelight looked the closest to the style of apps I prefer but it's looks more like for electronic music..
    and as for your question, I'm into anything acoustic, my main instrument is a classic guitar and I play mostly my own music, songs and instrumental, not in a "spanish" style though but many types.
    I also have real conga drums, a keyboard, electric guitars, bass guitar and a few more percussion instruments.

    I wish I could have more instrument and easy tools to create songs in the style of disney songs (thinking of lion king),
    not like an orchestra but more like "Big band" or musicals or even some reggae too :) not really into synths and electronic drum sounds etc'..

    I just got "Heavy Brass" which sounds pretty good to me although I'm still waiting for my audio interface so I can't connect my keyboard just yet so I can't really know how good it really is without a keyboard but this it the style of instruments I am looking for.

    I'm also looking for a drums app which has lower floor toms than the usual one and timpanis,
    for timpanis I've found this,
    but the page says the developer need to update his app to be supported on ios 11.
    That's another issue, you wont know of an app if it's not supported as it wont show in the app store,
    so I look for apps in google first.

    I've left a note for you and everyone at the end of this message you could read too.. thanks again :)

    @Janosax Thanks a lot for your tips, still trying to figure out how it works and still I seem to be off time..
    in loopy HD I'm always synced so maybe it's its pre set quantization(?).. I still need to test more to find out :)

    @ocelot Ha ha, a lot of exchanges.. Yes that is the one I got eventually. Thanks for your tip, I'm getting there slowly.. and yes it's a very nice community.. happy to be a part :)

    @espiegel123 Thanks for that advice! I tried getting that ibook but it didn't let me,
    I'm not into the US and it says it's only available in the US app store. so I'm trying to cheat now but it's not easy.. ha ha..
    I made another apple id with my family's address in the US and still couldn't use a credit card which its billing address is not at the US so I tried paying with pay-pal but the address on the account is also not the US so it didn't let me..
    so I made a new pay-pal account with my card and setup the address for US.
    but it still doesn't work as I had to delete the card from the older pay-pal account and it still sees it as it is attached to it..
    I read it takes time to be processed so I'm waiting.. and eventually I might be able to pay for it and get it :)
    sorry to give you whole story but this might come in handy to someone sometime ha ha..
    I have watched the sample and examples and it looks cool and that I could really learn from it!


    For now Garageband and Loopy HD looks the best to me..

    GB gives many options for audio effects and adjustments and instruments although I still struggle to understand and control the live loops part of it..

    I did try to set up a low cut filter but didn't really manage to as changing the EQ for a track only gives me those 3 dots so the changes are too "big", I wanted to cut off just the lowest frequencies so I could use another dot or two. it doesn't look like it let you add any.

    Loopy makes it very easy for me to record stuff fast and in sync but it doesn't have built in instruments although I know I could use other apps and record to it which I will try when I'll get my audio interface and my keyboard connected soon.

    Thanks again for everyone :)

  • edited April 2019

    @Roy said:
    @rs2000 Thanks a lot for your recommendations, I checked them all out,

    Thank you for the feedback! :+1: :smiley:

    I did try to set up a low cut filter but didn't really manage to as changing the EQ for a track only gives me those 3 dots so the changes are too "big", I wanted to cut off just the lowest frequencies so I could use another dot or two. it doesn't look like it let you add any.

    Download the free LRC5 Audio Unit and use it as a track EQ instead.

    Loopy makes it very easy for me to record stuff fast and in sync but it doesn't have built in instruments although I know I could use other apps and record to it which I will try when I'll get my audio interface and my keyboard connected soon.

    A keyboard is essential indeed. You know that you can alternatively connect any keyboard with MIDI out port using a Bluetooth MIDI dongle like the Quicco mi.1 or Yamaha MD-BT01?
    Latency is quite low, unlike Bluetooth Audio which is unusable for playing instruments live.

    Edited: As for Loopy, here's a little tipp:
    Tap and hold on the black center knob of an existing loop (don't move your finger while holding or you'll only change the loop volume), then tap "Share", choose "Audio Copy" and paste the loop in a Garageband audio track.

  • edited April 2019

    @Roy you can use Loopy in GarageBand as IAA input and get best of both worlds.

    Set Loopy Sync like this, then add Loopy as IAA input in GB:

    You will have to tap global transport to send IAA sync (playing loops only don’t send sync) so set a blank section in arrangement view if needed, and tap global play from loops view:

    Then play your loops:

    Then open Loopy monitoring view. You will be able to monitor Loopy, record loops inside it with a midi controller if needed, record Loopy in GB as audio and apply AU effects here. Super powerful, iOS modularity:

  • @Janosax Thanks, that's even better! :+1:

  • Use Audio Copy from the share panel in Loopy to copy into apps 😊

  • Great info in this thread, thank-you. I just bought the iPad Air 3 plus USB to camera adapter 3 and wanting to take it to a few jams for a lightweight rig. Looking at Galileo, Heavy Brass and iSymphony as these guys are all ex recording/touring rock/blues/soul players. I’ve always used hardware so this will be a totally new learning experience. I’ll likely bring a Fantom X6 initially to use as a controller. Once I feel confident in using this setup will likely pickup a Studiologic Numa 2x and use that as the controller.

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