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Need advice for getting 1/8” aux guitar input into app
Hi, I’m new to the forum and totally new to recording music on an iPad. I currently use a novation launchkey keyboard with their groovebox app, and I am very familiar with GarageBand too.
But I want to play my electric and acoustic guitars through my set up as well, to record music in GarageBand and various looper apps.
But… I bought a Behringer USB Uphoria interface, and everything works perfectly except the guitar. I tried a bunch of apps, including garageband, and the guitar just sounds muddy. Maybe I’ll figure it out.
But when I run a 1/8 inch auxiliary cable from my fender mustang guitar amplifier’s headphone output into my powered speakers (skipping the iPad), it sounds lush, full of treble, and totally with stereo delay.
So…
Is there a way to plug a 1/8 inch stereo auxiliary cable into my iPad and my novation launchkey at the same time? Like maybe a USB mixer instead of a regular USB audio interface (which for about my $100 price range, I only see ones that have a microphone and a line input but no aux input).
Thanks!
Comments
There’s the irig, but it’s no better than a bad usb interface. Sounds like your Behringer is faulty. He’s not known for reliability. I’d send it back if you can.
It’s possible that the interface doesn’t have the right impedance on the inputs. A line level input will usually make a guitar sound muddy. If you have a pedal with buffered bypass (e.g. any Boss pedal), try putting it between the Behringer and your guitar to see if it helps.
Also check to see if the interface has a switch or a dedicated “hi-z” guitar input. Pedals and amps have high-impedance inputs to “drive” the magnetic field on guitar pickups whereas mic and line ins have low-impedance inputs so you can use longer cables without losing signal quality.
Yeah, following on to what jrjulius said, make sure you’re using the “INST 2” input and not the “MIC/LINE 1” input.
@jrjulius is right, it is important you find the instrument input on your interface. Certain guitar sim in garage band sound pretty bad.
Which model of the uphoria do you have?
What style of guitar sound are you trying to achieve ?
In theory, I think the iRig 2 will match impedance and has enough inputs and outputs to get your job done:
https://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/irig2/
In practice, I suggest you get a real audio interface with some good mic preamps and more than enough inputs and outputs to last for a while. Focusrite, makers of launchkey, is my line of choice.
Focusrite 2i2? http://compare.focusrite.com/
You need to split your 1/8 inch aux cable into 2 mono 1/4 jacks for your Uphoria’s 2 line inputs - are you doing that? That’s effectively all an aux input would be and do. Probably simplest with a stereo mini jack to twin phono cable and then 2 phono to 1/4” adapters, but there are many ways to achieve the same thing.
Ultimately though I’d recommend going straight into the Uphoria from your guitar with a regular guitar cable and using amp sims and fx within iOS (of which there are many including good ones within GarageBand). Nembrini Crunck is a free AU3 amp sim well worth trying.
To use your Launchkey at the same time as the Uphoria you’ll need to use a powered USB hub. Alternatively you can use a Bluetooth adapter with the keyboard, but that has its own complications and costs.
There are audio interface options like the Zoom U24 that give you audio inputs and midi, but that’s 5pin midi, not the USB midi of your keyboard. The focusrite itrack dock might work for you, it has line/mic/instrument inputs and a USB midi port, though I don’t use one myself so can’t comment on how well it works.
Personally, as well as the Zoom above, I use a Line 6 sonic port VX (which does have a 1/8” aux input, though I use the 1/4 instrument input for guitar). My keyboard, guitar and looper footswitch controllers come in via Bluetooth.
EDIT: sorry, I was assuming you had the Uphoria with 2 line inputs, now I see the UM2 has just one. If you’ve got that one then definitely ditch the 1/8” stereo aux and go straight in with your guitar cable.
Wow, I chose the right place to post a question. A ton of answers in just an hour or two.
Really appreciate it!
(https://forum.audiob.us/uploads/editor/15/ebi0q5jfd04m.jpg "")
Attached is a photo of my set up (without the iPad shown). I do have a powered USB hub, and the audio interface is a Behringer uphoria UMC 202 HD.
I’ll try a few of the suggestions here and post back.
But I’m leaning toward returning the Behringer and getting a focusrite.
But aside from that, is anybody using a single device for both keyboard and guitar at the same time? The problem with I-rig is that it’s just guitar, right?
Oh and someone asked what kind of music I play.
My all-time favorite are lush Fender cleans with reverb and delay… Think Chris Isaak, the Smiths, etc.
But I love Texas blues, Eric Johnson, etc.
Any good iOS app suggestions for getting those fender cleans?
Did you try plugging the usb output of the mustang into the ipad via cck? I think the mustang can record through the usb. I have one but I haven’t tried it. I know it works on the computer, so no reason to think it wouldn’t on ipad.
Interesting idea. Not sure why I didn’t think of that yet ;-)
What’s cck?
@Nolefinity the picture helps. I agree with @steve99
The Focusrite and Behringer have similar features.
I recommend you plug your guitar into one of the 1/4" inputs on the front of the Behringer, connect your Behringer to a USB hub (e.g., Anker), plug your launchkey to the USB hub, connect your iPad to the hub, and you're good to go.
As for your amp, I'd send one of the outputs on the back of the Behringer to your amp, or just plug headphones into the Behringer and use an app like Nembrini PSA1000 for your amp sound.
Great stuff, @mojozart . Thanks!
I’ve plugged the behringer, iPad, and keyboard into the usb hub and got everything working, but the guitar doesn’t sound great. I think it’s the apps I’m trying. They all just sound bass heavy no matter how much I tweak the virtual amps and settings. Like I said, I probably need to keep tweaking and testing.
But ...
I did plug the usb out from the Fender Mustang amp into the usb hub, and it worked. I recorded it and played the launchkey at the same time, and it sounded great.
Morse testing tomorrow. I’ll see if I can post a video.
Thanks again!
Cck is the Apple Camera Connection Kit, now the Apple USB3 Camera Adapter, that you use to connect USB devices to the Lightning input, assuming your iPad has Lightning connector.
Sorry, I thought that you knew what it was since it was in your picture. @uncledave answered though.
Ha. Funny.
Yes, I’ve got a cck.
I’ll experiment more today and post a video most likely.
OK, this is a screen share video, not a shot of me actually playing, but I got everything working nicely. I’m only using Ampify’s BlocsWave as a way to pull in the usb input from my Fender mustang amp, since their Groovebox synth app only does midi-based virtual instruments.
The only problem I’m having, which I posted in another thread is, every time I switch between apps, the music stops. (See this thread: https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/38449/pause-in-music-when-switching-apps#latest)
I am not familiar with the apps you’re using, so I can’t be any help with the stopping audio, but I’m glad the usb from the mustang amp is working!
And for those on the mooer thread, yes, I have used the 59 bassman model on bass...😉 ha!
Dean does a good job explaining the cable connections, by the way: