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Getting started on iOS
Well.. I'm hooked, dude. I'm a vocalist by trade and like a lot of noobs I got sucked into affordable and convenient recording by GarageBand. But I am just that, a complete newbie. GarageBand is all I have worked with thus far.. I could use some help.
I've been arranging tunes and recording straight through the built in mic on an iPhone 5s (it's been terrible.. haha) for the last couple months. I'm about to make the step into my first real upgrades next Friday. I'm on a tight budget and can't go over a grand for good quality essentials. I won't be able to upgrade any more than a couple dollars here or there for the next year after this initial splurge.
I think I've decided to go with these hardware upgrades to get me in the game:
iPad Air 2 64gb (I need the bigger screen for editing files and it will be dedicated to music only, unlike my phone.)
Focusrite iTrack Dock pack (Comes with a condenser mic and headphones. I found a bundle that also comes with a mic stand and all the extra cords and stuff that I'll need for a good price.)
This leaves me with roughly two hundred dollars to decide on how to spend. Here are my questions..
I know this hardware isn't top of the line, but is this stuff a decent starter kit on my budget?
It's going to be at least a year until I can spend real money again. As a singer, should I invest most of the remeaning $200 on a mic upgrade or should I put it into apps. (Is $200 even enough to make the mic upgrade I could afford worth it?)
From scouring the net I've concluded that I will not be satisfied with the vocal effects and mix down I can get with just GarageBand alone. What are the best apps out there in 2016 for vocal processing?
Besides audiobus, what are the five most essential recording apps to you? If you could only have five, what are the five you couldn't live without?
I appreciate any help with this stuff, man. I just want to get set up as good as I can on my budget and the sheer mount of information on the net is overwhelming. There's a lot of people here with knowledge. Hats off to ya 
Comments
Tc helicon voice rack could be your app. Pretty extensive selection of fx aimed to vocals and loop recorder.
About the recording app it really comes on how deep you want to get on iOS: what are your plans? Just Recording vocals; recording vocals along with a backtrack; add stuff; compose; mix; etc.
What is your goal? Are you trying to record entire songs from scratch - guitar, bass, drums, keys (or virtual equivalents) and then add vocals? Or using tracks from your band and just adding vocals? Or?
I think that the big weaknesses in your proposed setup are the headphones and microphone.
The iTrack Dock is fine, but those bundled phones and mic probably won't be that great and you will eventually need to replace them, in which case it makes more sense to buy something better from the get-go IMO.
Do you need to record instruments as well as your voice? That will make a big difference to the kind of interface you need.
If you only need to record your vocals, the best budget option is probably the Shure MV5, which plugs straight into the iPad (no interface necessary) and is reasonably priced.
There are also some higher-end options such as the Apogee Mic, and the Blue Spark Digital (Lightning Edition) but they cost a bit more.
If you need an instrument line in as well then there is the Shure MV51, the Line 6 Sonic Port VX, or the Apogee One. I would pick the Shure MV51 as it has the largest condenser capsule and is priced quite nicely. All of these options will almost certainly be better than the mic bundled with the iTrack, and obviously you won't need the iTrack with any of them since they are mic and interface combined in one.
I like to write, too. That's what I've been doing on GarageBand. Writing my own music then coming up with vocal lines and tracking them. That app makes my limited instrument knowledge much better. Haha. Most of my pals are musicians. I figure I can take the portability of my little studio to them and have them record a bunch of guitar down. Then I can bring it home, edit, and write to it so I get a more natural sound. I really want to figure my way around more apps and get good at producing over the next year or so then invest more money after I have a better grasp. I want to write, record, and mix songs using mostly my vocals and friends guitar work. Most of the rest of the "full band" will probably be synthetic instruments and virtual drums. The music I write ranges from mellow stuff like Tori Amos, to stuff like NIN, and even heavier stuff like Pantera.
For Software I would recommend Auria, in combination with some well chosen plugins: Fabfilter Pro C2, Fabfilter Pro Q2, and Fabfilter Pro DS - these should cover all of the basics of vocal processing and give top-notch results of a professional standard. If you have some money left then Fabfilter Pro L is also worth getting.
IMO those Fabfilter plugins wipe the floor with any of the standalone iOS apps (and I have most of them), and using them as plugins in Auria means that you have none of the usual frustrations that you get from using apps as plugins (such as state saving and running many instances).
When recording guitar, can you use your own external amplifier or do you have to always use the preset ones in the apps?
You can use your mic in front of an amp to record guitar. I tend to use the apps though
To help with recommendations I would need a bit more information like what your goal or vision is.
As a vocalist, are you wanting to create your own music to sing over or do complete tracks with vocal loops, beat boxing and such or import music tracks and record vocals over them? Do you play any other instruments?
I would also recommend starting out slow, once you figure out an app to buy, sit down and learn the app. Don't get caught up in the world of buy every app that is available. We all get caught up in that but try to limit yourself.
I try to live by the motto: Use what I have until I cannot get the results that I am looking for. Then figure out how I can accomplish this, either with a hardware upgrade or another app.
Some amps also offer a modeled out (different naming, depending on the manf), which eliminates the need for micing.
@richardyot ..thanks for the plugins info. May be a little pricey for the short term but I will look onto it more and keep it in mind.
Hmm...
I would go for:
-A basic usb hub (D-link for instance)
-Then a good USB mic. (if it could be audio and USB, that would be even better, but I don't know if that exist)
So no soundcard at all.
Do you have a midi keyboard ? If yes a midi interface, like an old Edirol-um2x is perfect, it will be pluged into your usb hub.
If you own already a mic, I would recommend a TC-Helicon Voice Live Touch (first version) they can be found really cheap second hand now.
I need to test, but I'm almost sure the audio signal can go thru USB (I'm sure about midi, not audio).
The good point with this device is that you have a real clean sound out of the box, no CPU used for internal apps, and it's really fun to play with live, you'll be rediscovering your voice !
Also, you may connect a Guitar (with effects) and/or keyboard and/or an external line signal. (you're computer ? MP3 player ?...)
So you'll get a mini mixtable...(really need to check the audio thru USB...)
I would not recommend Idock or such devices too much related on the Ipad itself.
Then next year, you'll see more what would need you could have...
@gmslayton That's good advice. Thank you. Like I said, reading up on all this stuff is overwhelming. It is def easy to get caught up in it and lose perspective. Baby steps.
Yeah. I want to create my own original music to sing over, but I only know a couple chords on guitar and piano. The GarageBand app helps me get around that and use my limited instrument knowledge to create something bigger than I otherwise could. I will have a lot of friends who are really good guitar players and they write. As soon as I get an audio interface next Friday and figure a few of the tech aspects out we'll be writing and recording.
Audio thru USB with Tc-helicon : good to go
So you may also record your friend playing the guitar, or record the all band with the mini jack input.
@crony thanks. That's a lot to think about.
You really need to think about the mic first I think, for a vocalist it's the most important part of the signal chain.
@creep13x producing music involves a chain of events and the quality of your songs is dependent upon the weakest link in the chain. The sound output/input from the headphone jack isn't as high a quality as the digital signal going through the lightning connector, camera connection kit to USB, DAC, an amp, and finally to speakers/headphones.
It sounds like you have the vocals and guitar playing covered. Next up would be a mic and USB interface and camera connection kit. It seems a high quality phantom powered mic you can record through your USB interface would give you the best quality and flexibility for vocals. All this hardware could be used on a different iPad or PC while iPads and apps change much more frequently.
An iPad Air 2 should be good depending upon how long you plan on using your iPad, otherwise get the full size iPad Pro. If you sacrifice the quality of mics and your USB interface, or headphones to get an iPad Pro, you're not doing yourself any favors. If you're going with an iPad Pro, ask yourself why not a PC?
If you're going to record guitar other than electric directly through your USB interface, you'll need a mic for this. You can try recording electric guitar directly into the iPad via the USB interface first and processing the signals with apps before deciding if you want to mic your guitar.
Purchase quality monitoring headphones with a neutral bias that work with iPads or a headphone DAC/Amp combo so you can monitor the quality of your sound throughout unless you can use your USB interface to do so.
You may want to process the dry recorded guitar so consider apps for this. Use DAW with adequate effects/mastering tools or apps to process your vocals.
If you are not experienced with recording and mixing tracks, it'd be worthwhile to spend time educating yourself about this before purchasing software so you'll have a better idea of what meets your needs. For drums and synths, I'd read lots of reviews, hear what they sound like, and learn how they work.
Budget the hardware first and purchase it since it's the foundation for your tracks and costs the most. Start recording material and continue educating yourself using what you learn to create tracks with the apps you have before purchasing additional apps. This will position you to make more sensible decisions about apps to buy.
I would think about which is the most expensive bit of kit outside of the iPad itself, and then ask myself if I could still use that kit without the iPad.
So things to consider are interfaces that use USB instead of lightning, as this will mean that you can use that interface on a computer at some point in the future if you so wished, and microphone with standard XLR etc......
This does mean however that you may need 'extra' bits that you wouldn't otherwise, Camera Connection kit for example.
That way your investment is more valuable as you can use it in more situations.
If you are currently quite happy with the way Garageband works for you (apart from the improved quality of recording you'll get) then I'd stick with that for now. Keep the software money in your pocket, and spend it once you found a 'hole' you want to fill.
Not sure the best mic would replace fun with friends for a gig, or to create.
Having glitches while you're running multiple apps and having crash definitely kills the creation workflow...But also true an Ipad Air 2-32 Gb still a good choice to begin with...
With the Voice Live Touch, you'll get something that never crash, where you can plug a 48v mic or standard XLR one (all kind of prices, from 10$ to 200$ for something very decent), so may have a Shure SM48 for stage for 40$ , Berhinger B2 (48v) for 80 $ for studio, so you've got 2 mics, yeeha, makes huge difference for a singer to have a 48v at home for recording, but you would never use it on stage...
You can plug it to your Ipad, then record, go on stage just with the VLT, and you'll get a good voice on stage without a problem...
About the app, well, not sure, if Garage band does midi, why don't you keep using it ? Then you'll see what type of sound you'll need...I think it does IAA so you might use additional synths or machine drums if you want to later...
Good luck
PS : Pc on stage is evil
Yep, @crony, Mac are better on stage and maybe in general too, but consider that @creep13x is on a budget, and is starting now, so has to learn a lot.
So, instead of struggling with a iPad, likely not top notch, and a bunch of apps to learn, why not get a PC laptop (or a 2nd hand iBook, if he finds one), learn Reaper or even Ardour (not so different from GarageBand, all in all) that cost nearly nothing, and so doing make room to purchase better mics/interfaces, etc?
Consider it @creep13x , a lot of people start this way and stay so quite a bit.
PS: I am Mac aficionado and have Logic, but am familiar with other solutions and do not despise them
@zarv done music for almost 20 years with Pc, so no problem for me at all, and I agree, will be cheaper for sure...But when said Pc, I should have said : ANY type of computer on stage is evil. (Mac or Pc)
I just assumed that creep13x wanted an Ipad.
I'm on a budget because I have kids. My youngest is ten, so it's going to be a couple years of being more about them before I can gig out a lot. I'm only gigging benefits once or twice a year right now.
I don't have a pc (sold it during hard times) but I have a couple of sure 58's and an old ass off brand PA head I bought second hand in like '92. Haha. It works great but it's definitely not digital. I think someone's great grandfather was the original owner.
Part of the reason I'm getting into recording is just to be doing something creative.. and I need the writing and the music. Since I've been doing this I feel whole again. Now I just gotta get off this crappy little iPhone 5s screen.
Yeah, I have a LOT of learning to do. I'm feeling pretty comfortable with GarageBand but don't quite have it mastered yet. The bigger screen will help me get there. Between that and singing straight into the phone mic because I haven't had an audio interface has been frustrating. I'm telling ya, man.. you gotta want it bad to keep going on with a recording like that.
I think I'm still leaning toward my original plan.. with the exception of maybe upgrading the iPad Air 2 to a Pro 9.7. I think it's a good starter kit.. and that's all I need. Starter equipment to learn on and figure out where I want to go next when I get my tax returns back next year. I just wish I had just a few more dollars right now to get a MacBook instead of an iPad.
After hearing good advice, I'm also leaning towards working with Auria as well as GarageBand, those two only for now. I'll master those and using audiobus between them before I grow into other apps.
I appreciate all the feedback. Anymore advice about ANYTHING for starting out would be great. Keep it coming. I've got until next Friday to completely decide.. and I'm itching to retire GarageBand from this phone and get started with something better.
You should consider creating an account on Appshopper or Appzapp and put all the suggested/ interesting apps on a wishlist to keep an eye on their prices/ updates (if you haven't done so already). Apps go on sale a lot of times, a good opportunity to save a buck or much more.
Just be aware that the smaller Pro has 2gb of Ram, same as the Air 2. Only the big Pro has 4gb.
In your shoes I would still go for the Shure MV51, it's the best way to record quality vocals on a budget, and it will also allow you to record other instruments as well.
Hmm I think between an Ipad Air 2 and a Pro 9.7 I'll go for an Air 2.
It's because they have the same amount of ram (2 gb) the Pro 12 inches got 4 Gb of ram, which make the difference while running lots of app at the same time.
So finally, the only thing that bring a pro 9.7 is a fastest CPU...(and some fancy techie things that are useless for music)
An Air 2 can manage Garage Band some effects and synths.
Air 2 are also lot cheaper second hand.I realize that there's no 32 Gb version, so I would go for the 64 Gb, with 16 Gb, you'll get stuck quite fast...
I think you boys are right about the Air 2 instead. I didn't realize they both had 2gb ram until after I posted it. I have no need for the better camera or fancy display of the 9.7, and the 12 is def out my price range right now. The 64 gigs will also come in handy. I read that Auria pro takes up about a hefty 5gb on its own.
@crony That mic seems great but I'm probably getting the iTrack I think an XLR connection would be better. Do you know of any XLR condensers in the same price range that would be equal that I can record vox, guitar, and piano with?
@creep13x Allow me one last bit of advice. Avoid at all costs (literally
) any 32Gb model. It is too limiting. I have a Pro 12" 32Gb, which should be great had I not to pay attention so often to storage occupied. .WAW and .AIFF are huge, and Auria is huge too (I do not like the app, but this a personal preference and quite another history).
Best wishes for all you'll do
If you're dead set on getting the iTrack Dock then you should look for a mid-range condenser mic, something along the lines of the Audio-Technica AT2020 or AT2035, Rode NT1, or AKG120. You will probably also need to factor in the cost of a stand and a shock mount, some mics come with shock mounts bundled.
I would also agree that 32Gb can be very limiting for music. And also you will need to budget for a decent pair of headphones or monitors, I think the cheapest headphones that can be used for mixing would be the Sennheiser HD25, which sound very similar to the Focal Spirit Pros that I like to mix on.
The trouble is that if you have a strict budget it's difficult to get everything you need from hardware to software in one go, unless you are very careful with your component selection. But I think it's also very easy to make a compromise you might regret later if you buy the wrong components. IMO the interface is probably less important than the mic and headphones, because they will have a much greater impact on your sound. The difference in sound quality between one digital interface or another is pretty much negligible, but the difference between one microphone and another can be enormous, and the same goes for headphones.
Also getting an iPad with more rather than less storage is not something you're likely to regret.
Yeah I have never heard anyone say wow I wish I had less storage....
I've been trying to find reviews on the mic and headphones that come with the Itrack pack. I haven't found a review that mentions them anywhere, or even any comments on them specifically. I find it strange. No mention may be a good thing? This is the Internet after all. If people hate something you're most likely sure to hear about it.
Why not just get a Focusrite USB audio interface or a comparable one? It will have better sound quality and can be used with a PC or future iOS devices as Apple is notorious for changing out connectors or resizing their product so they no longer fit in dock type interfaces. In addition, you're stuck with a particular orientation of your iPad. If your friends have a PC, you could record with them using your interface plus they usually come with a lite version of a DAW which for what you're doing, may come in handy.
You can also record using your phone with a USB interface too. If you want to run on batteries for portability or to avoid electrical interference noise from wall current, you can do so. iPad to camera connection kit to USB cable to battery powered USB hub to USB audio interface. If you wanted to use a MIDI keyboard/controller at the same time, you could plug it into the same USB hub.
If you wanted to save even more money you could look into getting a used USB interface, take your iPhone, headphones, camera connection kit, USB cable, and a powered USB hub with you to see if the USB interface works. This same setup plus a mic cable can be used to test the quality of any new or used mic or headphones you're interested in auditioning too.