[Loose StringsParticipant]

Reading Audiobus Forums this morning, it seems AB3 breaks Bluetooth MIDI. The problem is reportedly scheduled for a maintenance update along with an Audiobus Remote fix. Over 900 iOS music apps have to be supported by AB3 along with evolving CoreMIDI and CoreAudio standards. Keeping everything running smoothly together is a Herculean task for the developers.

Bottom line for thread readers: Bluetooth MIDI may be crippled in iOS for a while.

[Loose StringsParticipant]

We tried running our stringed instrument pickups through my M-Audio DMP3 preamp but the sound quality was better (and no possibility of ground loops) via the Radial ProD2 DIs. Radial Tonebone PZ Deluxe looks like an amazing piece of gear for music pros…. but probably overkill for our youth group.

[Loose StringsParticipant]

I played with Cubasis a little this morning. My first impressions were that it’s not as sophisticated as Auria Pro. Hardly any plug-ins exist at the Cubasis Store – just two $4 packages of basic reverbs, delays, tremolo, auto-wah, etc. Nothing like the breadth of plug-ins, sampled sounds, etc., available to Auria Pro.

Cubasis fared no better than Auria Pro with 48 KHz audio. This may not be a Cubasis shortcoming but an Audiobus issue, or maybe just software compatability growing pains. The warning I received when I tried to create a 48 KHz project in Cubasis was: “Audiobus requires a samplerate of 44.1 kHz. Crackling will occur at other sample rates.” In fact, I didn’t hear any crackling of Animoog sounds over Audiobus MIDI, but Cubasis’ built-in instrument presets crackled badly when I switched back out of Audiobus. Hard to know where to point the finger on this.

First impressions may not be final impressions. I can’t grumble too much about Cubasis for $25, however Auria Pro is a steal at $50.

[Loose StringsParticipant]

Bob, thank you. What is a “Continuous alignment of the MIDI data?” Is that a DAW feature, a Qu feature, or some sort of post-process technique? A web search only came up with this article discussing computational analysis of melody contours but it doesn’t seem exactly relevant:

https://www.comp.nus.edu.sg/~mohan/papers/slope_ret.pdf

[Loose StringsParticipant]

I just ordered a Yamaha UD-BT01 off eBay for $35.50. I should have some BT-over-MIDI results by the end of next week.

Because of the Qu’s solid reliability, I may continue using Qu-Drive for analogue audio recording, and my iPad for MIDI recording wirelessly into Cubasis or Auria Pro. MIDI data should put minimal burden on my iPad, which can also run Qu-Pad or Qu-You simultaneously. I can later import AIFF files into my DAW and align analogue tracks with the MIDI track in post-processing. Hopefully track clocks will match well enough to avoid time warping within a song. This approach is only slightly more complicated than what I described in my top post… workable at least in theory.

Assuming the UD-TB01 functions reliably at 50 feet, I can still drink at the bar while recording the KB MIDI and running Front of House, all from one iPad! If it works as I hope, this will be a fair use of $35.50 (plus the bar tab and tipping).

[Loose StringsParticipant]

BTW, the Qu-Pac is a pretty amazing value when one considers the quality of preamps inside. We get a full, rich sound from our passive pickups and A-T cardioid mics with only a pair of Radial Pro2 DIs between the pickups and the Qu-Pac. That’s a lot of digital gain from mega-ohm piezo pickups without much distortion. The Qu-Pac PEQ compensates (as well as can be hoped) for sound spectrum problems associated with using piezo pickups on violins, viola, cello; blending mics also helps bring ambience while flattening the spectrum. The final mix is luxurious and deep.

We’re pretty satisfied overall with the Qu-Pac, just trying to achieve the next level of mastery. MIDI recording is what is missing for us, but maybe we can solve it.

[Loose StringsParticipant]

Not to beat up on Cubasis too much, but what did you find frustrating about it?

I’ve been pretty happy with Auria Pro DAW for post-processing despite its occasional bugs and infrequent crashes. I bought Cubasis because it was on sale at $25 through April 10. Cubasis appears to have better Audiobus 3 support and it’s on a rapid development path. Each DAW has its pros & cons. I don’t see any downside with trying Bluetooth MIDI to my iPad and see how it works, other than the cost of a Yamaha UD-BT01 bluetooth-MIDI transmitter.

I generally like the Qu-Pac user interface; recording with it to my Sandisk Extreme USB stick has been 100% reliable. Too bad that I have to choose between recording our band’s audio on the Qu-Pac versus recording audio + MIDI with a complicated and potentially unreliable DAW.

At worst, we could put a MIDI processor between the keyboard and the Qu-Pac and just record analogue audio from it into the Qu-Pac. That would limit post-processing opportunities a lot, but it would put our keyboardist more in the driver’s seat for his live sound.

[Loose StringsParticipant]

Having spent a couple hours reading this Forums section in recent days….

Qu DAW integration

… not all is sugar and cream with Qu-to-desktop-DAW integration. Audio distortion issues come foremost to mind.

I expect my exploration of Bluetooth MIDI and Qu-to-iPad-DAW may have broad appeal if I can work out the kinks. Fortunately, I have a 128 GB iPad Air2, so filling my iPad’s flash memory isn’t such a big deal as it might be for others with 16-64 GB iPads. External memory expansion sticks for iOS is a thorny subject, though Auria Pro claims to support it. I don’t see any mention of support for external memory expanders in the Cubasis guide. Maybe a Cubasis expert knows how to do it.

[Loose StringsParticipant]

You are probably right about a fully fledged computer DAW. Sadly the kids lack the $$$ it would take to replace all our iPad software with PC versions and also to purchase a laptop computer. It might add up to $3000 or more… definitely not an option. We will keep experimenting with iOS solutions at a tiny fraction of the Fully Fledged DAW cost. With Cubasis, it appears easy to transition projects over to Mac or PC Cubase Artist if needed.

I am optimistic about Bluetooth MIDI into my iPad. It seems to work well for most people with newer iPads. Latency is said to be negligible for most users. Although iOS includes CoreMIDI since version 7-8, a free app (either one of the Yamaha apps, such as Digital Piano Controller, or a free third party app named MidiMittr) is recommended to initiate the Bluetooth-dongle-to-iOS linkage. The BT MIDI search feature is buried in Yamaha Digital Piano Controller’s Information menu. This iPhone app runs perfectly well on my iPad, though I don’t have the Yamaha UD-BT01 to test it yet.

A $55 solution always trumps a $3000 solution if end results are the same – just my opinion. It leaves more $$$ for beer.

[Loose StringsParticipant]

It appears Bluetooth MIDI may have been integrated into iOS, obviating the need for a $5 app. Much to learn.

[Loose StringsParticipant]

To Dave – the goal is to give our keyboardist more options with his sound, such as letting him play Moog synth with his right hand and xylophone with his left, on the same KB, in real time or in post-processing. Maximize the possibilities!

I’ve used the camera connection kit for years with keyboards, guitars, violins, cellos, etc. Now working on adding the Qu-Pac as an input source to Auria Pro and Cubasis. It seems the main challenge is controlling and organizing data flow. iOS apps are truly approaching desktop DAW capabilities, but with better portability, lower cost, and complete silence.

XYZ – If I can’t get MIDI and analogue audio networked into my iPad via my powered USB hub, the next approach is MIDI over Bluetooth… though I hate dealing with Bluetooth unreliability. Yamaha UD-BT01 is one of several devices that could get it done, along with a $5 iOS app named Apollo MIDI Controller. Devil-in-the-Details stuff.

[Loose StringsParticipant]

It is as I suspected.

I will try using a powered USB hub to see if I can get USB data flowing in a “Y” from the Qu-Pac and the keyboard to my iPad using one of the DAWs (Cubasis or Auria Pro). My powered USB hub was a bit squirrely yesterday but perhaps some software settings weren’t correct.

I will miss being able to sit at the bar and drink beer while running the show. Assuming I can get iPad DAW recording to work my bar-sitting days will be over. I may actually have to say hello to teenage musicians. Ugh!

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