Any iOS music makers in the house?

[chimp_spanner]

Hey all! So barring some kind of catastrophic courier malfunction, and assuming the deal really wasn't too good to be true, I should have an Air 2 with me tomorrow! I've been dabbling on my Mini 1 for a long time now, and I've made some cool stuff with Gadget and Tabletop but I've not had the processing power to really look into IAA, Audiobus, etc. or really explore the other apps I bought in anticipation of owning a better iPad (Borderlands, Laplace, even picked up Thor!).

Anyone else here explored this side of music making? I'd really like to get some insight into people's workflow, which apps they use and specifically how they handle the disconnect between saved sessions across multiple apps as I can see this potentially being an issue!

[selig]

I'm fairly new to the iOS music world, but immersing myself lately to a large degree. I'm even participating in a live event (schedules permitting) in the Denver area in a few weeks, consisting of three iOS musicians interacting - we hope to sync up with Ableton Link and see how that goes. This performance may become fodder for a future magazine article, as the participants are all writers (and an editor) for Recording Magazine.

Right now my "setup" includes all the Props stuff, AniMoog, SynthMaster Player, Gadget, GarageBand, AudioBus, and Auria Pro (plus a few oddities like SoundBow and HandyRec for my Zoom microphone). There are a few more synths on the horizon that I'll be checking out in the coming weeks - you caught me at a good time in this sense!

Running all this on an iPad Pro, which is finally big enough to really play the AniMoog (as only one example).

This is all pretty new to me too, and I'm taking it slowly to try to find the limits of the format. I've had friends using iPads in live performance for years now, but until recently I've felt it wasn't ready for "prime time". The jury is still out as to whether it IS ready or not…

[EsotericSound]

I like what's going on in the synth app world for iOS and I like the possibility of what it can bring to music, but I'm sad to report that I'm not having much fun with it. It's fidgety getting it to integrate properly. I'm using an iConnect MIDI 2+ to get audio and MIDI out of the iPad and into Reason, but it doesn't always work. The laptop configuration options will work on one session, and then not on another session, or the iPad will crash halfway through recording.

I am using an iPad 3 (the first gen of the retina iPads) and when I bought it, I thought it was going to be great. Now, it is woefully underpowered.

Plus, I thought I would like the iPad as an alternative to the tactile experience of working with hardware.I just doesn't do it for me. I found that I prefer tweaking in Reason when it comes to software. I have started to acquire some hardware, and I prefer that when I want the tactile experience.

[chimp_spanner]

Selig - that's awesome man! I'd come along and check it out if I lived on the same continent Envious of your iPad Pro! Although I'm hoping the Air 2 will remain current for at least a little while longer. I'm moving up from a Mini 1 so hopefully I'll feel the benefits of screen size and power. It's a minor miracle I've been getting out of Gadget what I have. Wasn't until I experienced it on my 5s (now that it's a universal app) that I knew it was time to upgrade.

How do you find Auria Pro? I have Cubasis but two things put me off; lack of auto merge when overdubbing, and the zoom. My GOD the zoom. It's so broken. But yeah ideally I'd like to run it like a plugin host, and use all my external synths over IAA. Not sure how it handles this though, like if it opens all IAA synths with the project and remembers their settings or if you have to manually load the apps and recall patches.

Esoteric - ah sorry to hear that man. I would recommend you get the Camera Connection Kit if it's available for that iPad. It's allowed me to plug my M-Audio controller straight into the iPad/Phone, bus powered. Works every time! I agree with you totally on the tactile thing. Again my controller keyboard has helped in that area as it has a bunch of controls on it. Ideally what I'd like to do is get something like the iTrack Dock and have my iPad set up like a hardware synth and FX processor that I can record into my proper DAW. I think that'd be pretty sick. Best of both worlds!

*Should add, looking at this link https://browser.primatelabs.com/ios-benchmarks it seems that an iPad 3 is comparable to the Mini power wise, so I know your pain! Mini Retinas are really cheap now. As are Air 1's actually. Might be worth it if you ever wanna give that side of things another shot

[selig]

Selig - that's awesome man! I'd come along and check it out if I lived on the same continent Envious of your iPad Pro! Although I'm hoping the Air 2 will remain current for at least a little while longer. I'm moving up from a Mini 1 so hopefully I'll feel the benefits of screen size and power. It's a minor miracle I've been getting out of Gadget what I have. Wasn't until I experienced it on my 5s (now that it's a universal app) that I knew it was time to upgrade.

How do you find Auria Pro? I have Cubasis but two things put me off; lack of auto merge when overdubbing, and the zoom. My GOD the zoom. It's so broken. But yeah ideally I'd like to run it like a plugin host, and use all my external synths over IAA. Not sure how it handles this though, like if it opens all IAA synths with the project and remembers their settings or if you have to manually load the apps and recall patches.

Aria Pro: don't know about the overdub merging, or what that means - can you describe it in more detail?

I actually LOVE the zooming, and don't find it broken at all - maybe it's been updated? It's basic two finger zoom, which I find gets me to my "destination" quicker than other DAWs. In fact, the basic feature set for audio is executed quite well, especially considering the amount of time they've had and the format they are working within. I dare say I almost prefer editing audio as much (maybe more?) than in Reason, Pro Tools, or Logic. Or maybe it's just that "new app smell" fooling me, but either way I was able to jump right in on day one and move quickly and intuitively through the recording/editing process.

Works well with and without audiobus, haven't tested Link much because few of my apps support it (but the list it growing quickly). The channel strip is also fantastic (from PSP), giving a few more options than the Reason mixer for dynamics and EQ. Haven't dived deep into MIDI editing yet, but it looks reasonable enough so far. Same for the included FX. Am hoping it will support AU plugins in the future.

I don't do huge projects, but so far have not really maxed out the iPad Pro, CPU wise. Will be pushing things harder in the weeks to come, so I'm sure I'll hit the wall soon enough!

[chimp_spanner]

Ah yeah sorry I think I phrased that poorly; the zooming in Cubasis is broken! And when you record in cycle mode, it creates new parts on top of the old one, and you have to drag-select them and glue them down into one take again. Bit lame. I picked up Auria and it certainly looks cool and has a lot of features I'm used to on desktops (including the real time MIDI modifiers). I am struggling with it a little though. Perhaps it will come into its own once I've used it with a controller. Trying to do everything on the screen atm. I have a camera connection kit but really I'd like the iTrack Dock so I can power the laptop while I work, record guitar, power my keyboard, etc.

Will experiment more tonight!

[Resonator]

I use a lot of apps. But lately, the AU hosts, instruments and effects have been where its at.

Viking Synth by Blamsoft, Inc.
https://appsto.re/us/CE_Rab.i

Audio Unit Effects Bundle by Blamsoft, Inc.
https://appsto.re/us/g8eZab.i

AUM - Audio Mixer by Kymatica (Jonatan Liljedahl)
https://appsto.re/us/4T76-.i

iSEM Synthesizer by Arturia
https://appsto.re/us/JIZkO.i

[chimp_spanner]

Oh man...the RE's are certainly prettier aren't they!!

[tiker01]

I'm fairly new to the iOS music world, but immersing myself lately to a large degree. I'm even participating in a live event (schedules permitting) in the Denver area in a few weeks, consisting of three iOS musicians interacting - we hope to sync up with Ableton Link and see how that goes. This performance may become fodder for a future magazine article, as the participants are all writers (and an editor) for Recording Magazine.

Right now my "setup" includes all the Props stuff, AniMoog, SynthMaster Player, Gadget, GarageBand, AudioBus, and Auria Pro (plus a few oddities like SoundBow and HandyRec for my Zoom microphone). There are a few more synths on the horizon that I'll be checking out in the coming weeks - you caught me at a good time in this sense!

Running all this on an iPad Pro, which is finally big enough to really play the AniMoog (as only one example).

This is all pretty new to me too, and I'm taking it slowly to try to find the limits of the format. I've had friends using iPads in live performance for years now, but until recently I've felt it wasn't ready for "prime time". The jury is still out as to whether it IS ready or not…

Is the Zoom microphone a lightning one? If yes which one and how does it compare to e.g. a Zoom H5?

[chimp_spanner]

Just picked up Analog Kit. My mind is blown. It's like Reaktor for iPad! Gonna design ALL the sounds...

[MannequinRaces]

Some apps to check out that I don't think others have mentioned that you might enjoy are:

Samplr - great way to 'play' with samples
GlitchBreaks - fun way to glitch up samples
BitWiz - perfect for harsh digital distortion and lo-fi madness
Nave - cool synth with a nice interface
Sector - probability sample triggering
Soundscaper - great for experimental, ambient, soundscapes, etc.
Musyc - generative music making
FLUX:FX - best multi-effects app I've played with
DFX - another good multi-effects app
Drum Perfect - can program some very convincing acoustic drum takes with this

Have fun!!

[chimp_spanner]

Some apps to check out that I don't think others have mentioned that you might enjoy are:

Samplr - great way to 'play' with samples
GlitchBreaks - fun way to glitch up samples
BitWiz - perfect for harsh digital distortion and lo-fi madness
Nave - cool synth with a nice interface
Sector - probability sample triggering
Soundscaper - great for experimental, ambient, soundscapes, etc.
Musyc - generative music making
FLUX:FX - best multi-effects app I've played with
DFX - another good multi-effects app
Drum Perfect - can program some very convincing acoustic drum takes with this

Have fun!!

Thanks for the recommendations man! I have Sector and it's amazing! Also have Musyc (works really well with Borderlands). DFX is cool also, although it still seems to run a bit slow even on Air 2! Not quite as smooth as I was hoping.

I'll check out those other apps for sure. Soundscaper has been on my wishlist for a while now but I was scared off by the apparent complexity. Cheers man!

*Edit: seriously though, can't recommend Analog Kit enough. Easily one of the best apps out there right now.

[MannequinRaces]

Curious how you are using Musyc with Borderlands? Another one I forgot to mention is Audulus 3. I don't own it yet but it's on my watch list and if you like AnalogKit you might like that as well.

[chimp_spanner]

Curious how you are using Musyc with Borderlands? Another one I forgot to mention is Audulus 3. I don't own it yet but it's on my watch list and if you like AnalogKit you might like that as well.

Audulus is also on the list, as is Modal Pro. Gah. So many apps. So little money haha. Although to be fair, iOS stuff is so crazily priced. But that's what makes it dangerous. "Oh these synths are only £7, might as well buy ten!".

There are a couple of ways I've found; the first is to set Musyc as a generator in Audiobus and then record into Borderlands. The other (more preferable one) is to just record the output of Musyc standalone, try out different things and save them all to Audioshare. Then from Audioshare I can load them into Borderlands. Do you know of any good apps for creating pulses? Almost like Synchronous? I tried one called Swedish Curves or something. But it wasn't quite right. Would be cool to be able to turn Borderlands output into rhythmic, pulsing sound beds!

[MannequinRaces]

Very true. They aren't expensive and there are lots of them! Great value for the money though. Thanks for explaining about how you use Borderlands and Musyc. I have not come across any good apps for creating pulses...

[selig]

I'm fairly new to the iOS music world, but immersing myself lately to a large degree. I'm even participating in a live event (schedules permitting) in the Denver area in a few weeks, consisting of three iOS musicians interacting - we hope to sync up with Ableton Link and see how that goes. This performance may become fodder for a future magazine article, as the participants are all writers (and an editor) for Recording Magazine.

Right now my "setup" includes all the Props stuff, AniMoog, SynthMaster Player, Gadget, GarageBand, AudioBus, and Auria Pro (plus a few oddities like SoundBow and HandyRec for my Zoom microphone). There are a few more synths on the horizon that I'll be checking out in the coming weeks - you caught me at a good time in this sense!

Running all this on an iPad Pro, which is finally big enough to really play the AniMoog (as only one example).

This is all pretty new to me too, and I'm taking it slowly to try to find the limits of the format. I've had friends using iPads in live performance for years now, but until recently I've felt it wasn't ready for "prime time". The jury is still out as to whether it IS ready or not…

Is the Zoom microphone a lightning one? If yes which one and how does it compare to e.g. a Zoom H5?

Yes, the Lightning version, but don't know how it compares to H5 (other than the lack of additional inputs. My only real gripe is the connector won't fit when the phone/pad is in a case, which is all the time (already had one drop/cracked screen when not using the case). Other than that, I had to get a better windscreen than the one provided, but it was cheap.

[tiker01]

I'm fairly new to the iOS music world, but immersing myself lately to a large degree. I'm even participating in a live event (schedules permitting) in the Denver area in a few weeks, consisting of three iOS musicians interacting - we hope to sync up with Ableton Link and see how that goes. This performance may become fodder for a future magazine article, as the participants are all writers (and an editor) for Recording Magazine.

Right now my "setup" includes all the Props stuff, AniMoog, SynthMaster Player, Gadget, GarageBand, AudioBus, and Auria Pro (plus a few oddities like SoundBow and HandyRec for my Zoom microphone). There are a few more synths on the horizon that I'll be checking out in the coming weeks - you caught me at a good time in this sense!

Running all this on an iPad Pro, which is finally big enough to really play the AniMoog (as only one example).

This is all pretty new to me too, and I'm taking it slowly to try to find the limits of the format. I've had friends using iPads in live performance for years now, but until recently I've felt it wasn't ready for "prime time". The jury is still out as to whether it IS ready or not…

Is the Zoom microphone a lightning one? If yes which one and how does it compare to e.g. a Zoom H5?

Yes, the Lightning version, but don't know how it compares to H5 (other than the lack of additional inputs. My only real gripe is the connector won't fit when the phone/pad is in a case, which is all the time (already had one drop/cracked screen when not using the case). Other than that, I had to get a better windscreen than the one provided, but it was cheap.

Which mic do you have? IQ? I thought if one than Zoom mics could fit as they made lightning connector a bit longer than usual and put a pad on the mic which you can remove.

[selig]

I'm fairly new to the iOS music world, but immersing myself lately to a large degree. I'm even participating in a live event (schedules permitting) in the Denver area in a few weeks, consisting of three iOS musicians interacting - we hope to sync up with Ableton Link and see how that goes. This performance may become fodder for a future magazine article, as the participants are all writers (and an editor) for Recording Magazine.

Right now my "setup" includes all the Props stuff, AniMoog, SynthMaster Player, Gadget, GarageBand, AudioBus, and Auria Pro (plus a few oddities like SoundBow and HandyRec for my Zoom microphone). There are a few more synths on the horizon that I'll be checking out in the coming weeks - you caught me at a good time in this sense!

Running all this on an iPad Pro, which is finally big enough to really play the AniMoog (as only one example).

This is all pretty new to me too, and I'm taking it slowly to try to find the limits of the format. I've had friends using iPads in live performance for years now, but until recently I've felt it wasn't ready for "prime time". The jury is still out as to whether it IS ready or not…

Is the Zoom microphone a lightning one? If yes which one and how does it compare to e.g. a Zoom H5?

Yes, the Lightning version, but don't know how it compares to H5 (other than the lack of additional inputs. My only real gripe is the connector won't fit when the phone/pad is in a case, which is all the time (already had one drop/cracked screen when not using the case). Other than that, I had to get a better windscreen than the one provided, but it was cheap.

Which mic do you have? IQ? I thought if one than Zoom mics could fit as they made lightning connector a bit longer than usual and put a pad on the mic which you can remove.

I have an otter case for the iPhone which is pretty thick. Even with the spacer removed (and lost BTW) it still won't quite fit.
It's the X/Y mic, fwiw. The Handy Recorder app works like a charm and the mic sounds great. Just gotta remember to put the phone in airplane mode to avoid recording RF interference…

[theshoemaker]

I've got a ton of apps, which I love for one or the other Reason.

Lately used Different Drummer a lot. Great interface for designing unusual Drum Patterns. Quite deep. So if you are into generative rythmic stuff, this is quite a beast. Using it mainly as A midi controller for Reason. Using Thesys from sugarbytes also a lot as Remote sequencer for Modular stuff and designing Arpeggios. Korg Gadget for prototyping and exporting to Midi. I love the graphical user interface. If you are into MPC iMPC pro is quite good now. Table Top is a desaster ... from my point of view. Samplr is fun to use and has some nice features.
If you are into synths there are really good ones for "free". Its a shame that the iOS market is so bargain on synths. The are equally capable of the desktop ones, when designed good. Have a look at iProphet (and the others from Arturia), Animoog, Thor is the same as in Reason (even patch compatible - using it for path design on the go), Nave, The complete line of Waldorf Wavetable Pionier Wolfgang Palm is quite good. TC Data as controller ... and TC 11 as synth. The Modular Apps are really good for what they deliver, if you are into modular namely Analog Kit, zMors Modular, Audulus (but I really hate the user interface for how I'd love to work, because I'm not using an external controller with the iPad). Midimittr got MIDI over USB (2ms low latency midi). And with its recent update the option to transfer audio over USB, which Apple introduced with Mavericks). If you are into Live Looping than Garageband got a decent update some weeks ago. The apeSoft synths are quite good. Oh I could go on and on. If you are really interested have a look at thesoundtestroom for a ton of reviews.

Speaking of workflow ... this is a nightmare. I just hope AU will fix this! But right now, there are too few Audio Units for iOS out there. Personally gadget has been one of the tools I used for composing complete songs. I don't like all the fiddly midi and routing stuff throughout sessions. Audiobus state safe kind of helps here, but unfortunately not all apps support this, the PH ones for example ... I like to use it as creative tool for loops. I'm just too stupid handing all the session state management manually between apps.
I don't own any of the existing reason controller apps, which I like too (rsTouch Pro, OrangeAid, reTouchDuo), but Lemur, which I really like for experimenting with controller settings.

[chimp_spanner]

Woah thanks for the detailed reply! Yeah Gadget is probably the best on the platform, despite its flaws (no audio tracks, super simplistic MIDI editing, not a fan of pattern based arrangers). The closest I've gotten to finished songs is with Gadget and the look/feel of the devices is just superb.

iMPC Pro is also good - been working on that tonight actually. Question though; is there a way to edit a pad globally rather than per-sequence? Was driving me crazy earlier!

Yeah I have Pulse Code Modular and Analog Kit. Love them both, although AK wins for me.

So workflow - I agree, AudioBus is kind of cumbersome at the moment. I'm finding it better to work on individual elements in whatever app I need, and then bring them all together in a sequencer via AudioShare later. So it's a bit disconnected I guess, but I still prefer it to AudioBus.

Oh agreed about Tabletop btw. Like, when I first tried it it felt like it should be good. And I've made some cool loops in it. But the implementation is just horrible. It feels like it needs an update that will never come. More than anything I wish a lot of these apps had a Cubase style arranger, with parts and tracks instead of scenes and patterns. I get that it's kind of in keeping with the spirit of hardware but it seems needlessly limiting!

[Grumbleweed]

I've got quite into the iPad music game. I have the iTrack dock that I can plug my guitar(s) into and I bought a cheap Novation Launchkey 49 (mk1) that works nicely with it. I just got Cubasis (and the two fx packs) at half price and have Gadget (and most of its extras) various guitar amps/fx and god knows what else.
I do wish I hadn't bought some the hardware I've got - iRig Keys 37, iRig 2 (the iTrack dock is so quiet compared to the noise the iRig 2 generates), a powered hub to get my old Axiom 49 to work with the iPad, expensive cables etc.
I'm pretty happy with all of the software I have, Garageband (being free) is the bargain of the century!

Grum.

[chimp_spanner]

I've got quite into the iPad music game. I have the iTrack dock that I can plug my guitar(s) into and I bought a cheap Novation Launchkey 49 (mk1) that works nicely with it. I just got Cubasis (and the two fx packs) at half price and have Gadget (and most of its extras) various guitar amps/fx and god knows what else.
I do wish I hadn't bought some the hardware I've got - iRig Keys 37, iRig 2 (the iTrack dock is so quiet compared to the noise the iRig 2 generates), a powered hub to get my old Axiom 49 to work with the iPad, expensive cables etc.
I'm pretty happy with all of the software I have, Garageband (being free) is the bargain of the century!

Grum.

How do you find the iTrack Dock? I have the camera connection kit and a decent controller keyboard but I wanna charge while I play! I heard that there were some audio issues between iPad and iTrack with the last iOS update. Have you experienced this? Thanks!

[Grumbleweed]

I've got quite into the iPad music game. I have the iTrack dock that I can plug my guitar(s) into and I bought a cheap Novation Launchkey 49 (mk1) that works nicely with it. I just got Cubasis (and the two fx packs) at half price and have Gadget (and most of its extras) various guitar amps/fx and god knows what else.
I do wish I hadn't bought some the hardware I've got - iRig Keys 37, iRig 2 (the iTrack dock is so quiet compared to the noise the iRig 2 generates), a powered hub to get my old Axiom 49 to work with the iPad, expensive cables etc.
I'm pretty happy with all of the software I have, Garageband (being free) is the bargain of the century!

Grum.

How do you find the iTrack Dock? I have the camera connection kit and a decent controller keyboard but I wanna charge while I play! I heard that there were some audio issues between iPad and iTrack with the last iOS update. Have you experienced this? Thanks!

Funnily enough I hadn't as I've been using the iPad on its own and hadn't used the dock for a little while. Turns out that using today to see if there is a problem revealed that there is a problem!!!
There is a clicking sound when using any form of live instrument/mic that is unpleasant and makes using the unit a no-no but, don't panic, a little bit of messing around with the iPad makes the problem go away.
The first solution I found was a bit hit and miss, if you plug something into the headphone socket (like an iRig 2) and pull it out again would kill the noise - until you did something else so that was no good!
The next thing was killing Background App Refresh which seemed to work but then it didn't!
The actual solution is turning on Airplane Mode.

In the course of my investigations I ran the iRig 2 and, like I said in my first post, the background noise is awful. As the 2 is meant to be better than the original iRig I cannot imagine how cr@p that must be. Perhaps the HD version is okay but I don't need that.

The only downer on the iTrack Dock is the lack of midi ports (you can plug a USB keyboard into it but that's not the same). I quite like the idea of using Reason or Sonar to play an App on the iPad.
The Alesis dock has midi but I didn't buy one of them!

[chimp_spanner]

I've got quite into the iPad music game. I have the iTrack dock that I can plug my guitar(s) into and I bought a cheap Novation Launchkey 49 (mk1) that works nicely with it. I just got Cubasis (and the two fx packs) at half price and have Gadget (and most of its extras) various guitar amps/fx and god knows what else.
I do wish I hadn't bought some the hardware I've got - iRig Keys 37, iRig 2 (the iTrack dock is so quiet compared to the noise the iRig 2 generates), a powered hub to get my old Axiom 49 to work with the iPad, expensive cables etc.
I'm pretty happy with all of the software I have, Garageband (being free) is the bargain of the century!

Grum.

How do you find the iTrack Dock? I have the camera connection kit and a decent controller keyboard but I wanna charge while I play! I heard that there were some audio issues between iPad and iTrack with the last iOS update. Have you experienced this? Thanks!

Funnily enough I hadn't as I've been using the iPad on its own and hadn't used the dock for a little while. Turns out that using today to see if there is a problem revealed that there is a problem!!!
There is a clicking sound when using any form of live instrument/mic that is unpleasant and makes using the unit a no-no but, don't panic, a little bit of messing around with the iPad makes the problem go away.
The first solution I found was a bit hit and miss, if you plug something into the headphone socket (like an iRig 2) and pull it out again would kill the noise - until you did something else so that was no good!
The next thing was killing Background App Refresh which seemed to work but then it didn't!
The actual solution is turning on Airplane Mode.

In the course of my investigations I ran the iRig 2 and, like I said in my first post, the background noise is awful. As the 2 is meant to be better than the original iRig I cannot imagine how cr@p that must be. Perhaps the HD version is okay but I don't need that.

The only downer on the iTrack Dock is the lack of midi ports (you can plug a USB keyboard into it but that's not the same). I quite like the idea of using Reason or Sonar to play an App on the iPad.
The Alesis dock has midi but I didn't buy one of them!

Ooh this is good info man - a friend of mine works at focusrite and said they'd been inundated with complaints but it's not limited just to the itrack dock. It happens with other interfaces too. I don't think I'll get it until it's ironed out but I'll forward your fix to him in case it shines a light on what the underlying cause is.

As for USB MIDI that's all I use now anyway so that'll be perfect for me. It's weird how pressing the screen is really laggy but as soon as you connect a keyboard it's way better.

[chimp_spanner]

So tonight I had my little mind blown; picked up Studiomux and it's absolutely insane. Every connected iOS device can be addressed separately, and eight generators and/or effects can be loaded per device, and received (or sent to) discreetly using separate audio channels in your DAW, all over the charger cable. I've now got a Moog, an MPC, a EuroRack synth and about a dozen other toys all on my desk, all talking to my main computer. So, so happy!

Now if I could figure out how to send MIDI clock to my pattern based devices I'll be even happier!