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getting back into the loop with iOS DAWs
I've not been doing iOS production for the past few years and have worked extensively in Auria and Beatmaker. I prefered Auria for it's traditional environment and 3rd party FX, and used it for mixing and mastering. I liked Beatmaker for tracking and arranging.
With Auria being so buggy now, what's the best "traditional" DAW these days? I'm not into the subscription thing, so Logic is out. Are there top tier FX for Beatmaker these days like Auria? Or am I stuck with Cubase? I see AUM being suggested, but is it good for arranging?
Comments
Is Auria still that buggy? I’ve heard it was getting better and saw some recent updates that addressed stability issues. I’ve downloaded it again to try mixing and mastering in it but haven’t had time to work with it. I really like Audio Evolution Mobile but some don’t get along with the interface. I’m personally not a fan of Cubasis or Zenbeats, but many are. There are other DAWs, but those are the ones I’m familiar with. Good luck!
Outside of modular experiences like AUM etc, for a traditional DAW on ipad my favourite has always been MultitrackStudio.
If Nanostudio 2 were ever to disappear from the appstore, I'd probably switch to Cubasis 3 simply for the fact it works on my iPhone as well as iPad. CB3 is far more stable than it was upon its initial release. It has Waves plugin IAPs. Steinberg also recently added HALion sounds IAP to Cubasis 3, which is a ton of sounds for a one time payment.
I'm not a fan of Zenbeats, because it seems unstable and prone to crashing. I've tried a handful of times with it. And its UI is less than ideal.
Audio Evolution Mobile is robust, but I don't really get on with its UI. It has Toneboosters plugins as IAPs, but you can buy those separately and for cheaper than Fabfilter plugins. (And those plugins are universal.)
Of course Logic seems to be the new standard for DAWs these days, and the sub is only $5/month. I personally use Logic for the AI Mastering Assistant since it does a better job at mastering my tracks than me. 😂 But it's not my main DAW due to it being iPad-only. But it does come with a ton of downloadable sounds. And it can open Garageband projects.
Outside of Logic I’d say Cubasis 3 is the best DAW on iOS. And no subscription. The built in effects and Waves bundle are fantastic. The HALion sounds are among the best on all of iOS. And it’s stable as a rock. It’s just missing a couple key features (tempo track and mix busses).
For your other question “are their top tier effects for Beatmaker like with Auria” what do you mean exactly? There are a ton of amazing AUv3 effect plugins but they work with all DAWs. Not specifically for Beatmaker or Auria. Are you asking if Beatmaker has built in stick effects?
For the most traditional linear tracker style DAWs I'd put my votes in for Audio Evolution and Cubasis too. Both pretty solid and feature rich and no subscription.
The fabfilter plugins are available as standalone AUV3 now so can be used in any DAW, Including Beatmaker.
Bleass is some good one stop shopping for more creative fx, or FAC, but honestly there are so many it's better to search for recommendations on specific fx types.
Logic comes with lots and lots of effects, synths, patches, samples and has the best routing for mixing with groups, subgroups, sends etc. Honestly, it’s the only subscription I have.
You can buy separate apps and use them in your DAW of choice. In terms of budget it will cost more over time to get the variety of apps and features Logic already offers for 2 beers a month.
Outside of Logic and Auria, I would also recommend Cubasis 3. Depending on how your workflow is, I’m pretty sure every DAW app can please on a good day, but overall Cubasis 3 does the job for traditional arranging and comes with pretty ok IAP effects for mixing and mastering.
Comparing the most prominent downsides (my personal opinion):
-Nanostudio: has no audio tracks
-Audio evolution: limited effect slots per track
-AUM: non linear. But then again: it is not a DAW: it’s simply the best mixer on IOS. Make sure to check it out.
-Zenbeats: Roland Cloud is very pricy being sub. But you can try ZB for free and see if it fits.
-Multitrack Studio: limited audio/midi tracks, limited effects per track.
-Cubasis: mix and midi routing not optimal. Has no PDC.
-Logic: midi routing almost non existent. General UI and menudiving is a critical breaking point for Logic starters.
Hope you find the right apps out of so many to get you going!
Cheers!
You don't need Roland Cloud to unlock for iOS. I believe the single platform unlock is a $14.99 one-time purchase. All platform one-time unlock is currently $60, but I've seen it on sale for far less than that.
I agree. The only ‘acceptable’ subscription for me, considering what’s offered.
@Thomas I remember enjoying your Gadget tracks years ago (with bass guitar).
Do check the 1 month free Logic before deciding.
Probably. But it is a nice app to be stuck with.
AUM is wonderful but a different animal to Auria/Cubasis.
Doug has some good videos on AUM and what it can do:
https://www.youtube.com/@TheSoundTestRoom/search?query=aum
FWIW, I’ve tried most of the iOS DAWS, or things like DAWs. AUM is the only one that has stuck with me. About to try Nanostudio 2. I am probably less tolerant than most folks on the forum about the fiddly interaction of iOS. Also, I really prefer something that I can work on mostly on the iPad but also on the iPhone. And the iPhone form factor is pretty awkward for most DAWs, understandably so.
In case you missed it, you can add extra effect blocks as required using the FX Grid display option in Audio Evolution Mobile Studio (Preferences >Insert effects). Single tap between existing effect blocks and confirm ‘Insert column’ on the dialog shown.
Using the FX Grid also allows flexible parallel processing.
AUM is not a DAW. It is a digital mixer and sort of audio hub. It is a very nice app but not a DAW in any way. If you load up various AUv3 that provide daw-like recording and editing, you can do DAW like things.
If you like Auria in the past, I don’t think it is any buggier than it used to be. It is somewhat sensitive to which AUv3, you host in it, but that was always the case.
If you are looking for the best DAW you might want to reconsider you prejudice against subscribtions and try it for a month. Quite a few people that were skeptical have switched and not looked back.
And flexible insertion of sends anywhere you want.
Thanks for this, I was not aware of it. The limited effects slots was one of the reasons I stopped using it. Seems like its been a while, just verified and its a frequently updated app.
Thanks everyone for your input. More time and research is needed on 3rd party processors available for Cubase, and I'll give the Logic trial serious consideration as well.
NS2 on iPhone is really really compatible with the workflow on iPad. Some pages are split into smaller sections on the iPhone to make the UI easier. Takes very little getting used to moving between pages on the iPhone with most things being just a simple tap of the thumb (holding iPhone in both hands) on the left hand side. Projects can be shared via Air Drop with no problems. I often start a project with iPhone and later move it to iPad to take advantage of iPad only apps. The low cost of the app makes it well worth trying for a while and see if it is easy to get along with and actually get music finished.