iPad as effects rack?

The Lounge Other Gear
#1

Hello all.

I’ve been looking to supplement my gear with an effects pedal and really liked the look of the Zoia and the Beebo.

Before I splurge, is there any iPad app that does something similar? Sort of a modular/effects rack hybrid. I know about MiRack which is full on modular but I’m wondering if there are more immediate alternatives offering the flexibility of the aforementioned pedals. Id be using a faderfox or octatrack to control it.

I want to see if the setup works out for me before I drop £450+ on one of them.

Thanks!

#2

I haven’t been following apps for awhile, but I enjoyed ElasticFX.

But the beauty about the iPad is you can stack excellent, single-purpose apps: Borderlands -> Space, for example.

#3

I don’t think I’ve tried either of those, but I think you have to go through AUM for them simultaneously? Unfortunately I really never got along with AUM at all :sweat_smile: I know it’s amazing but it just didn’t click with me. I’d rather have a dedicated app if it exists.

#4

Fair enough.

There might be other, similar apps since I last kept up (years ago) Turnado is another, but I thought Elastic sounded better.

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#5

К-Devices and Toneboosters are the best sounding that I’ve got / tried. Host them in Drambo and you can make an extremely powerful fx rack. Slaving AUM to external midi clock is a right pain - you need to do it through via Audiobus. Drambo slaves well to midi clock, but I haven’t used it as an fx rack to treat external audio signals so I can’t comment on potential latency issues.

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#6

Whatever the stumbling block you should revisit the App. For your needs I would recommend thinking of and setting up AUM as a physical mixer as in Jacob Haw’s video here…

https://youtu.be/KrGM85DHwTc

… along with all his other AUM videos. I too, at first, didn’t click with AUM and it just sat on my iPad underutilized, but then I made the effort to understand it better and realized there is a reason everyone likes it. I was mistaken thinking it wasn’t good.

Turns out I was the one that wasn’t good at putting in The effort to learn it. Now I create custom workflows to accomplish just about anything I want to do including but not limited to -

  • making mixers
  • making super synths
  • making mega sequencers to run my physical hardware and software - even at the same time
  • making FX racks to run alone or in conjunction with my Empress Zoia
  • sampling, looping, podcasting
  • anything else you may need

If you made me decide between my Zoia and an iPad with apps, the Zoia would be gone because it doesn’t do as much, and isn’t as easy as the iPad with AUM and audio/midi interface.

Good luck on your decision!

9 Likes
#7

Thanks for that! Will check them out :slight_smile:
How do you connect it all then? I know it’s doable with an audio interface but how would you do it if you were performing live and using it as a send effect?

#8

I’ve got an older iConnect Audio interface with midi. 2 audio ins, 4 audio outs.

2 Likes
#9

Thanks very much for your detailed response. I’ll watch the video now. Everyone swears by AUM but I guess I like you haven’t made much of an effort with it.

Interesting point on the Zoia! It does look like a fantastic machine though.

#10

I tried running external signals to fx hosted in AUM, and got unacceptable latency. But I was trying to use clocked fx.

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#11

How have you got your outside equipment set up to your iPad? I’m not sure if what I’m trying to accomplish here is doable, but I want to get the 4 individual outs of my analog four into the ipad and back. Alternatively, I want to have the audio coming out of the cue out of the octatrack going into the ipad, and then going back into the main inputs. Not sure if this is similar to what you have going at all but figured it’s worth asking!

#12

It’s doable if you have a multi channel audio interface to handle all the channels. I use my iPad a few ways.

With my Digitakt and DigitoneKeys as looper, master Fx, FX to record into a DAW, extra synth voices, drum machine.

With a 4 channel USB audio interface as either 2 stereo in or 4 mono in or combination. Individual FX per channel, looping, recording stems.

As a midi sequencer for my DAW or hardware synths using midi interfaces.

So not sure if that Elektron synth is mono channels or stereo, plus the Octatrack channels… add them all up and look for the proper audio interface or digital mixer.

2 Likes
#13

check into these boxes, midi and audio routing MANY possibilities!

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#14

I’m pretty sure Drambo could do this pretty well.
Easy to build modular effects chains and also host external AU effects.

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#15

yes to this. but isn’t elektron to iOS only stereo i/o not 4 individual?

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#16

Yes, Elektron is not multi channel, which is why you need a multi channel audio interface or digital mixer for individual ins and outs.

When I use my Elektrons I use the iPad for looping, master effects, individual FX a channel at a time, and midi sequencing, midi LFO/effects etc.

2 Likes
#17

As a former Beebo owner I can say that Drambo does anything Beebo can (one of the reasons why I sold Beebo), and then some because an iPad or iPhone’s processor has a lot more grunt than the CPU in Beebo.

As other posters have noted, the main issue will be working out what audio and/or midi interface is going to best slot into your current setup.

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#18

Have you tried to lower the buffer size in AUM? Often it is the plugins that add latency. If you click on the battery icon you can see the actual latency. In the latest beta, you can display the latency for each plugin. This is very helpful.

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#19

Thanks for that. I’ve currently got a Behringer UMC404HD, though I’m looking to upgrade soon.

I imagine then I’d have to do the routing through the DAW right? The end goal here is to be able to do it standalone for live gigs etc and somehow throw a faderfox or something for the iPad into the mix too, but the routing of it all throwing me off a bit :joy: it has to be simpler than I’m making it out to be in my head.

#20

My main Issue with all this Hardware + iPad stuff ist, that I was not able to get MIDI Clock and Transport Messages working correctly :frowning:

1 Like