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.

THU—Holy Grail for Fender sound

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Comments

  • @JoyceRoadStudios said:
    >

    HahaHa I think I’m just going to impose a rule not to buy any more rigs until they go on sale. Ok I’ll buy just one more tonight and that’s it...

    Thanks to you and a number of others, I've seen my own app addition reflected in your purchase actions.

    So I vicariously obtain satisfaction from your purchases through your posts and videos, and have managed to abstain for any TH-U insanity until (hopefully) a Black Friday sale comes along.

    First of all, you guys have saved me from spending massive amounts of money on rigs few knew little about, I also now know the rigs I wish to target when the sales eventually arrive.

    A deep gratitude to you all!

  • @SNystrom said:
    A deep gratitude to you all!

    See "appreciation". Priceless.

  • wimwim
    edited September 2020

    @JoyceRoadStudios said:
    It’s interesting that even the “Green” rigs on the Fenders aren’t so clean, they’re plenty gritty. But it turns out that you can tame any of them by lowering the gain a smidge and the rigs are way more tweakable than I thought. I was just playing with the sliders on the first Super Reverb rig, and I must say this technology sounds incredible. I mean this some real guitar shit, I don’t hear anything digital.

    I noticed in the vid that most of the time your input was pegged in the red. I was wondering as I watched whether input distortion was affecting the tone. I mean it sounded really good, but I wouldn’t drive an input to those levels myself except in rare extremes.

  • edited September 2020

    @wim said:

    @JoyceRoadStudios said:
    It’s interesting that even the “Green” rigs on the Fenders aren’t so clean, they’re plenty gritty. But it turns out that you can tame any of them by lowering the gain a smidge and the rigs are way more tweakable than I thought. I was just playing with the sliders on the first Super Reverb rig, and I must say this technology sounds incredible. I mean this some real guitar shit, I don’t hear anything digital.

    I noticed in the vid that most of the time your input was pegged in the red. I was wondering as I watched whether input distortion was affecting the tone. I mean it sounded really good, but I wouldn’t drive an input to those levels myself except in rare extremes.

    Yes. So what’s interesting about that is I don’t think those left/right input levels are a good indicator. I have the Overloud master volume at -8db and sensitivity “low”,
    when I turn it up to -3db the red is exactly same, down to -15db still the same red. When I turn down the actual amp volume and/or amp level it still shows the same level of red. The only thing that brings it down is if I roll the volume off on my guitar, but that’s pointless and changes the tone. My interface is at the lowest input level possible. If the master volume is at 0db I actually get crackle and pop so -8db seemed like the place it doesn’t quite reach that. I’m perplexed by it too, I think my humbuckers are just hot. But I don’t understand why the red stays the same even if I turn everything down...

  • I’m guessing that the input meter is measuring the signal at the very first point the signal enters the app and that the -8db is being applied between that point and the beginning of the signal chain. If so, then that would fix the level going into the amp, but would do nothing to fix any clipping that might be happening at the entry point.

    I wouldn’t rectify that by turning the guitar down, but I personally would see if there is another way to cut the level between the interface and the app, perhaps with an AUM gain plug, or by putting the amp post fader and turning it down that way. If nothing else, as an experiment.

    When I play through my iRig HD, the input levels in the app follow the indicator on the iRig pretty closely, only peaking in the red when the iRig does as well.

    But on the other hand, you like your tone, and that’s all that matters. 👍

  • @wim interestingly enough I’m getting different meter readings on the screen between 44/48/96 with other settings identical. When I switch sample rate my interface volume spikes up but even when I turn that down all the way the meters are still different. It’s an Apogee Jam Plus so the knob is continuously circular not set in stone. I also notice at 96kHz the Apogee randomly spikes into the red between chords when I’m not even playing, doesn’t do that at 44/48. Still figuring it out, but the interface can’t be set any lower...

  • @wim said:
    I’m guessing that the input meter is measuring the signal at the very first point the signal enters the app and that the -8db is being applied between that point and the beginning of the signal chain. If so, then that would fix the level going into the amp, but would do nothing to fix any clipping that might be happening at the entry point.

    I wouldn’t rectify that by turning the guitar down, but I personally would see if there is another way to cut the level between the interface and the app, perhaps with an AUM gain plug, or by putting the amp post fader and turning it down that way. If nothing else, as an experiment.

    When I play through my iRig HD, the input levels in the app follow the indicator on the iRig pretty closely, only peaking in the red when the iRig does as well.

    But on the other hand, you like your tone, and that’s all that matters. 👍

    It would be interesting to see/hear the straight guitar signal. It might be fine and the meter broken.

  • @wim I actually have this problem in AUM, CB3, MultiTrack DAW, and others, the Apogee is too hot...

  • @JoyceRoadStudios said:
    The Edge Rig is the custom shop ‘57 Fender Tweed Deluxe 5e3 you speak of, in all its glory. The original Tweed Deluxe came with a Jensen speaker, but The Edge requested to put in the Celestion blue Alnico speaker into his signature model like a Vox, so essentially it’s the exact Tweed Deluxe schematic but modified with a different speaker

    There's apparently another important difference. I'd never heard of this amp so I googled it and found this review.
    https://guitar.com/review/fender-the-edge-deluxe-review/
    In a nutshell, this model has a higher gain tube in the preamp section than the original, and won't do the nice cleans at low volume of the original, unless you swap out the tube. Perhaps that can be allowed for in the simulation by lowering the input easier than in the real world. Just a point of detail FYI.

  • edited September 2020

    @wim @espiegel123 with the Overloud master volume down all the way to -40db and no sound in my headphones and an empty bank, my strumming still registers in the red. It must be the interface, pickups, cable, or combination of those...this is why I’m done with the Jam plus, sounds pristine and very portable but I need more than one input and more control over the gain stage... ordered an Xtone Pro a few days ago.

  • wimwim
    edited September 2020

    @JoyceRoadStudios said:
    @wim I actually have this problem in AUM, CB3, MultiTrack DAW, and others, the Apogee is too hot...

    It’s easy to compensate for, especially in AUM where you can just stick a built in gain plugin before the app, and turn it down. But like I say, if it sounds good, it is good. I just like to keep my signals generally under control, without overly obsessing over it.

  • @JoyceRoadStudios said:
    @wim @espiegel123 with the Overloud master volume down all the way to -40db and no sound in my headphones and an empty bank, my strumming still registers in the red. It must be the interface, pickups, cable, or combination of those...this is why I’m done with the Jam plus, sounds pristine and very portable but I need more than one input and more control over the gain stage... ordered an Xtone Pro a few days ago.

    Master volume is output. Does your interface not have a gain control? There does sound like some digital clipping on some of your clean strumming. It is worth getting that under control by having an AUM channel with nothing but the dry guitar. The meters in AUM seem pretty good. You can set the meter at the top to monitor the input.

    What interface do you use?

  • @espiegel123 said:

    @JoyceRoadStudios said:
    @wim @espiegel123 with the Overloud master volume down all the way to -40db and no sound in my headphones and an empty bank, my strumming still registers in the red. It must be the interface, pickups, cable, or combination of those...this is why I’m done with the Jam plus, sounds pristine and very portable but I need more than one input and more control over the gain stage... ordered an Xtone Pro a few days ago.

    Master volume is output. Does your interface not have a gain control? There does sound like some digital clipping on some of your clean strumming. It is worth getting that under control by having an AUM channel with nothing but the dry guitar. The meters in AUM seem pretty good. You can set the meter at the top to monitor the input.

    What interface do you use?

    Apogee Jam Plus, it has a circular knob that spins continually with no beginning or end, so it has a minimum volume setting but nothing lower.

  • @SimonSomeone said:

    @JoyceRoadStudios said:
    The Edge Rig is the custom shop ‘57 Fender Tweed Deluxe 5e3 you speak of, in all its glory. The original Tweed Deluxe came with a Jensen speaker, but The Edge requested to put in the Celestion blue Alnico speaker into his signature model like a Vox, so essentially it’s the exact Tweed Deluxe schematic but modified with a different speaker

    There's apparently another important difference. I'd never heard of this amp so I googled it and found this review.
    https://guitar.com/review/fender-the-edge-deluxe-review/
    In a nutshell, this model has a higher gain tube in the preamp section than the original, and won't do the nice cleans at low volume of the original, unless you swap out the tube. Perhaps that can be allowed for in the simulation by lowering the input easier than in the real world. Just a point of detail FYI.

    That’s a great point thank you. I see that the new custom shop Tweed Deluxes are still using the lower gain tubes. I suppose this makes the Edge squarely a modified Tweed. The review does say that the speakers have more clean headroom than the originals. I love this Rig but yes it’s not the tamest clean sound, more like a robust breaky Fender. Turning down the gain works great though.

  • @wim @espiegel123 Thank you, in AUM with the input gain at 50% I get much better levels while the sound and tone is completely retained. I’ve just been insularly standalone with the Overloud lately, time to chain some other apps to it that have been collecting dust...

  • @JoyceRoadStudios said:
    @wim @espiegel123 Thank you, in AUM with the input gain at 50% I get much better levels while the sound and tone is completely retained. I’ve just been insularly standalone with the Overloud lately, time to chain some other apps to it that have been collecting dust...

    With apogee at its minimum and AUM’s input fader its 0db and nothing else what do the input levels look like when you set the meter to display the input signal? Making sure you aren’t clipping coming into the iPad is important.

  • @espiegel123 said:

    @JoyceRoadStudios said:
    @wim @espiegel123 Thank you, in AUM with the input gain at 50% I get much better levels while the sound and tone is completely retained. I’ve just been insularly standalone with the Overloud lately, time to chain some other apps to it that have been collecting dust...

    With apogee at its minimum and AUM’s input fader its 0db and nothing else what do the input levels look like when you set the meter to display the input signal? Making sure you aren’t clipping coming into the iPad is important.

    at AUM default input gain of 76% pretty easily in the red. At 50% hovers at -3db and then red with a strong strum. At 30% it’s comfortably between -16db and -12db. This is both with Overloud chained and just clean guitar direct to AUM. So I guess 30% input gain is my happy place. Funny every time I went to adjust the gain, the Apogee automatically spikes up the volume and I have to turn the knob to minimum every time.

  • With your Apogee’s input gain all the way down and AUM’s input fader at 0db the meter is in the red when you tell AUM to meter the input not the output?

    Are you sure you have set the meter to monitor the input?

    What do you mean by AUM’s input gain?

    Does AUM provide some input gain control for your Apogee?

    Or are you talking about the channel fader?

    With my interface there is no input gain control in AUM. I have to do it by turning down the input level on my interface (iRig HD 2).

  • @JoyceRoadStudios: (see questions above) also when you are playing your guitar, what color are the level LEDs on you Jam+?

  • It looks like the Jam Plus has normal and overdrive modes selectable by pushing in on the input gain control. Maybe you have overdrive engaged @JoyceRoadStudios?

  • edited September 2020

    @McD said:

    @richardyot said:

    ... people complain about TH-U not uses knobs. Knobs on a 2D Touch screen are a nightmare to use. Knobs suck. Sliders good... knobs bad.

    Cant agree more, try to tweak a Nembrini amp in an Iphone, thats horrendous.
    First usability, then aesthetics

  • @jassy said:

    @McD said:

    @richardyot said:

    ... people complain about TH-U not uses knobs. Knobs on a 2D Touch screen are a nightmare to use. Knobs suck. Sliders good... knobs bad.

    Cant agree more, try to tweak a Nembrini amp in an Iphone, thats horrendous.
    First usability, then aesthetics

    Bingo. I edit Nembrini Amps on my iPad and AirDrop the AUM config onto the iPhone and save it there.

  • @wim said:
    It looks like the Jam Plus has normal and overdrive modes selectable by pushing in on the input gain control. Maybe you have overdrive engaged @JoyceRoadStudios?

    Overdrive is never engaged on the Jam Plus, it’s always in normal mode and showing green. The overdrive would show yellow lights. I’ve actually found little use for that overdrive option because you can’t engage it by foot and there are already good apps with overdrive pedals and saturators. It does sound good engaged with a clean amp sim but not with one that’s already distorted. In Overloud I always have the jam set to lowest possible, and even though it maxes out the meters on the screen, the jam only shows one green circle out of three, but it will randomly spike red between chords and only in 96kHz. In GarageBand for example I can turn the input level down and actually turn the jam up a little which drives into the second and third circle level wise. I’m strapping in now to figure this out, I’ve actually wanted to drive the Jam’s own preamp a little more. But if Overloud doesn’t have input gain option then I’m stuck with a really hot signal standalone aren’t I?

  • @espiegel123 said:
    @JoyceRoadStudios: (see questions above) also when you are playing your guitar, what color are the level LEDs on you Jam+?

    One green circle that’s it, my playing doesn’t light up circle two and three, but still too hot for the iPad. Strapping in now to answer you questions. I was referring to the Mic & Speaker “input gain” in AUM settings menu on the right. I’m assuming since the Apogee takes over the input and the output with its headphone jack, this input gain is relevant to it. Adjusting it down from the default 76% to 30% keeps the playing at -16db to -12db but yes that was the Out reading...

  • edited September 2020

    @espiegel123 said:
    With your Apogee’s input gain all the way down and AUM’s input fader at 0db the meter is in the red when you tell AUM to meter the input not the output?

    Are you sure you have set the meter to monitor the input?

    What do you mean by AUM’s input gain?

    Does AUM provide some input gain control for your Apogee?

    Or are you talking about the channel fader?

    With my interface there is no input gain control in AUM. I have to do it by turning down the input level on my interface (iRig HD 2).

    Yes with the Apogee all the way down and input fader at 0db and the meter set to monitor input, my strumming goes +4db to +5db into the red. When I turn down the “input gain” in AUM’s setting menu to 30%, my playing sits comfortably at -12db or so. Apogee knob is turned down all the way. AUM recognizes the device in Hardware Input as Jam Plus HDSET (mono) with a drawing of a microphone and in the Hardware Output as Jam Plus HDPH (stereo) with a drawing of headphones. There’s no other way to adjust input gain, I think the Jam is set up to take over the mic and speakers, because once it’s plugged in I can’t use the iPad speakers only the Jam’s headphone jack for example. So I’m assuming the AUM input gain in the settings is the way to do this for my device. Does this mean if Overloud doesn’t have an input gain control I’m stuck with a hot signal standalone? I think it’s also the pickups on my LP, my Pbass and hollowbody don’t drive the jam as much.

    I also get random red spikes reading on my Jam at 96khz, and not at 48/44. I wonder if it’s telling me the headphone out is clipping or if it’s something internal with app settings, but it’s strange because all other settings identical.

  • @JoyceRoadStudios said:

    @espiegel123 said:
    With your Apogee’s input gain all the way down and AUM’s input fader at 0db the meter is in the red when you tell AUM to meter the input not the output?

    Are you sure you have set the meter to monitor the input?

    What do you mean by AUM’s input gain?

    Does AUM provide some input gain control for your Apogee?

    Or are you talking about the channel fader?

    With my interface there is no input gain control in AUM. I have to do it by turning down the input level on my interface (iRig HD 2).

    Yes with the Apogee all the way down and input fader at 0db and the meter set to monitor input, my strumming goes +4db to +5db into the red. When I turn down the “input gain” in AUM’s setting menu to 30%, my playing sits comfortably at -12db or so. Apogee knob is turned down all the way. AUM recognizes the device in Hardware Input as Jam Plus HDSET (mono) with a drawing of a microphone and in the Hardware Output as Jam Plus HDPH (stereo) with a drawing of headphones. There’s no other way to adjust input gain, I think the Jam is set up to take over the mic and speakers, because once it’s plugged in I can’t use the iPad speakers only the Jam’s headphone jack for example. So I’m assuming the AUM input gain in the settings is the way to do this for my device. Does this mean if Overloud doesn’t have an input gain control I’m stuck with a hot signal standalone? I think it’s also the pickups on my LP, my Pbass and hollowbody don’t drive the jam as much.

    I also get random red spikes reading on my Jam at 96khz, and not at 48/44. I wonder if it’s telling me the headphone out is clipping or if it’s something internal with app settings, but it’s strange because all other settings identical.

    If the input level indicator on the Apogee itself always in the green, you aren’t overdriving in the interface.

    From what you say, it sounds like you will have to use something like AUM that gives input gain settings. Otherwise that digital clipping will be noticeable, particularly on clean amp settings. Out of curiosity, in AUM, do you need to lower the input gain setting at all sample rates to avoid the input level being too hot?

  • @wim said:

    @espiegel123 said:

    @wim said:

    @espiegel123 said:
    FWIW, here is the free Darkface '65 pushed to the edge of break up by turning volume and tone controls to 10. The reverb is the free reverb pedal:
    For the 'clean' parts with no distortion, the guitar volume knob is backed down to 8. Otherwise the knob is at 10.

    Sounds great. 👍🏼

    I wonder how it would do if you put something like a tube screamer plugin with the volume cranked and distortion at zero, or just a clean boost plugin.

    Here it is with the input boosted cleanly a bit with Magic Death Eye to drive the amp a little harder without clipping the input signal.

    Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about! Yeh, that is really, really good. It has that “burn” I’m always looking for.

    Oddly enough I just concluded for the second time that THU just isn’t for me. Now I’m gonna need to try it it again.

    Also fun, create a TH-U setup with two Darkfaces in series. Set the second one with tone controls and Gain set to max. Adjust the first one similarly and back off on the gain or tone controls to adjust the degree of crunch.

  • edited September 2020

    @espiegel123 said:
    If the input level indicator on the Apogee itself always in the green, you aren’t overdriving in the interface.

    From what you say, it sounds like you will have to use something like AUM that gives input gain settings. Otherwise that digital clipping will be noticeable, particularly on clean amp settings. Out of curiosity, in AUM, do you need to lower the input gain setting at all sample rates to avoid the input level being too hot?

    Switching between sample rates in AUM spikes the apogee volume every time so I need to turn the knob down every time, but otherwise all three sample rates play at the same level, the only difference is at 96kHz the Apogee randomly spikes red for split seconds in between chords, not on strums. I only use 96kHz because the Overloud tuner seemed to behave better and I got a slightly tamer noise floor frequency. But the playing sounds virtually the same at all sample rates.

    So this has been a monumental learning experience for me and I thank you @espiegel123 and @wim for taking the time to point this out. In Overloud the left meter is the input and the right is the output, when I played the left was always in the red but the right was not. So I always got a pleasant to gritty break on my sound that never quite distorted. Now I just went into AUM and turned the input gain down to 30%, and looking at Overloud the left meter is comfortably out of the red and I can even push the right meter a bit if I want to. I opened up the first SRev rig and it sounds so beautiful and clean, whereas in my video it was already sounding driven. So this means I’ve just opened up a ton more headroom with those rigs as they progress from clean to breaking. Like I said this is huge for me, I had just assumed my bridge pickup was gnarly....

    I want to be able to use Overloud standalone as well, it’s the best visual for tweaking and setting up presets, and doesn’t concede to AUM settings, and just using it on airplane mode as an in the box guitar rig with midi foot is appealing. The ad/da converter and specs on the jam+ are pristine, but the gain knob seems limiting and finicky and I have little use for the overdrive setting, unless I’m saturating a dynamic mic or clean amp for a whole track...

    I mean really it’s AUM for the win!

  • Wow! I never even noticed before there was an input gain control within AUM.

    Thanks for that tip! I run all my rigs through AUM, so this is really huge!

  • @JoyceRoadStudios said:

    @espiegel123 said:
    If the input level indicator on the Apogee itself always in the green, you aren’t overdriving in the interface.

    From what you say, it sounds like you will have to use something like AUM that gives input gain settings. Otherwise that digital clipping will be noticeable, particularly on clean amp settings. Out of curiosity, in AUM, do you need to lower the input gain setting at all sample rates to avoid the input level being too hot?

    Switching between sample rates in AUM spikes the apogee volume every time so I need to turn the knob down every time, but otherwise all three sample rates play at the same level, the only difference is at 96kHz the Apogee randomly spikes red for split seconds in between chords, not on strums. I only use 96kHz because the Overloud tuner seemed to behave better and I got a slightly tamer noise floor frequency. But the playing sounds virtually the same at all sample rates.

    So this has been a monumental learning experience for me and I thank you @espiegel123 and @wim for taking the time to point this out. In Overloud the left meter is the input and the right is the output, when I played the left was always in the red but the right was not. So I always got a pleasant to gritty break on my sound that never quite distorted. Now I just went into AUM and turned the input gain down to 30%, and looking at Overloud the left meter is comfortably out of the red and I can even push the right meter a bit if I want to. I opened up the first SRev rig and it sounds so beautiful and clean, whereas in my video it was already sounding driven. So this means I’ve just opened up a ton more headroom with those rigs as they progress from clean to breaking. Like I said this is huge for me, I had just assumed my bridge pickup was gnarly....

    I want to be able to use Overloud standalone as well, it’s the best visual for tweaking and setting up presets, and doesn’t concede to AUM settings, and just using it on airplane mode as an in the box guitar rig with midi foot is appealing. The ad/da converter and specs on the jam+ are pristine, but the gain knob seems limiting and finicky and I have little use for the overdrive setting, unless I’m saturating a dynamic mic or clean amp for a whole track...

    I mean really it’s AUM for the win!

    Btw, that digital distortion doesn’t sound “gritty” to my ears. Digital clipping has a kind of harshness that (to me) is only useful in rare circumstances...it has a very different character from analog distortion.

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