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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Full iDevice production: Original composition, multi-tracked audio/video.

edited February 2021 in General App Discussion

In the fall, I decided to try to start making multi-tracked videos on an iPad and came to this forum for help overcoming various obstacles along the way. I've scattered various threads around concerning remote camera triggering, DAWs, studio monitors, etc. I appreciate everyones help. I've listed the apps used below, in case anyone wants a resource for making these types of videos as I couldn't find much in the way of technical details when I started down this road. I would love any constructive feedback as this was really my first effort in mixing audio as well as videography.

My first attempt at a multi-track instrumental video. An original performed on ukulele, pedal steel and cümbüş (Turkish, pronounced “joom besh” or “joom boosh”). All percussion sounds are flamenco guitar techniques adapted to the uke.

Pedal steel: Emmons GS-10
Ukulele: Lanikai baritone
Cümbüş: copper model with custom neck rebuild by Kerry Char.
Cat: Mandrake

APPS USED:
DAW: Auria (non-pro version).
Video Editor: Lumafusion
Remote iPhone camera trigger: MIDI Camera
AudioBus and StreamByter allowed me to trigger arming/recording in Auria while activating "MIDI Camera". SEE POST: https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/42848/recommend-a-daw-that-sends-midi-control-when-record-is-pressed
Amp modeling for pedal steel: THU-Overloud
Reverb: ToneBoosters Reverb
Amp modeling on cümbüş double tracking with magnetic pickup: Blue Mangoo Gain Stage Vintage Clean
EQ, Compression and Delay: Auria built-in PSP channel strip and delay.

NOTE: There's a real issue with mobile devices and recording in variable frame rate. Clips will eventually go full kung-fu style lip-syncing the longer they run. I had to record the audio and video seperately and line them up in Lumafusion which shows the audio waveform of the video clips in the timeline. Other apps, like "iMovie", "Accapella" and "Roland's 4x Camera" just couldn't get it done. One thing that helps is to change your iPhone camera format from "High Efficiency" to "Most Compatible".

Comments

  • This is great! Turn on the comments!

  • eh? What do you mean?

  • @ipadbeatmaking said:
    This is great! Turn on the comments!

    Wait, I had "made for kids" in the video settings. I guess that disabled the comments? Updated now.

  • @Sabicas said:
    In the fall, I decided to try to start making multi-tracked videos on an iPad and came to this forum for help overcoming various obstacles along the way.

    Great job! Video and audio production, composition and performance all excellent!

  • Blown away. Amazing.

  • @mjcouche said:
    Blown away. Amazing.

    +100 This is terrific!

  • Really good, very effective! Which interface did you use? Did you record the pedal steel with a microphone and then re-amp in th-u? Or was it plugged in direct into the interface? I’m assuming you recorded the other instruments mono with a microphone, or did you do stereo mics? I’m gonna put this on repeat for a few hours, it’s so evocative!

  • edited February 2021

    @JoyceRoadStudios said:
    Really good, very effective! Which interface did you use? Did you record the pedal steel with a microphone and then re-amp in th-u? Or was it plugged in direct into the interface? I’m assuming you recorded the other instruments mono with a microphone, or did you do stereo mics? I’m gonna put this on repeat for a few hours, it’s so evocative!

    Thanks!

    • My interface is a Motu M2
    • I recorded the pedal steel direct into the M2, no micing.
    • I recorded the ukulele with a single mic, an AKG P170.

    I mentioned that I was new to mixing but I was once in a very atmospheric band where I made a lot of the arrangement and mixing decisions, I just wasn't in control of the board, EQ, compression, etc. I did get involved in the micing setup, however. I often found that recording acoustic instruments with stereo mics in an XY position was seldom more effective than a single mic at the right location. XY was often more trouble than it was worth.

    • The way I tracked the cümbüş is more interesting. Long ago, for playing live, I installed a Lace Alumitone pickup which you can see at the end of the fretboard. I tracked the cümbüş with a single mic and with the magnetic pickup plugged in to the M2, direct. I took several takes and used the mic from one take and the pickup from another to create a "doubling" effect. I choose not to make this a subtle effect particularly in the second half of the tune. The pickup is very imbalanced and heavily emphasizes the bass/wound strings over the unwound trebles. The mic is pretty balanced. So, you can really hear that when I'm playing the bass notes in the 3rd and 4th verses.

    Also, I panned the magnetic pickup 90% to one side and can never play the same phrase exactly the same way again, so this really makes the doubling even less subtle. Check out my tremolo picking at the beginning of the 3rd verse, for example.

  • I'm wondering if any of you experienced mixers could comment on my mixing choices. I pretty much turned the EQ and compression knobs until it sounded good as individual instruments (tracks solo'd) but didn't revisit those at all when I brought the tracks in. I really didn't spend much time on panning either, except for the double-tracking of the one instrument.

    Any constructive feedback is welcomed and much appreciated. What could have improved what I went with?

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