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Newbie of Newbie's getting started
I'm trying to get started from square one recording with an iPad Air. The most I've done so far is record a few tracks Garageband (on my macbook) with my Dobro and harmonica using a Samson Go mic. I like the look of GB in iPad although I haven't purchased it yet. I love all the features of Vocalive, so I purchased it with the 8 track and full editing version. I hope I haven't wasted money already buying more than needed. I thought I'd seek some advice here before I spend any more as I just got the Air and want to use it as opposed to the Macbook.
I'll try to lay out my situation as specific as possible and ask if someone can advise me on what I need to keep it as simple as possible starting out, yet have good tools to work with.
-I have a Presonus Audiobox, XLR mic (which I figure is the better choice over the Samson), Dobro guitar, keyboard, harmonica with Shure Green bullet mic.
-My wife and I are both singer / songwriters & want to use a lot of the Vocalive effects especially the harmonies.
-I'm not sure if I should buy Amplitude b/c I wouldn't use a fraction of the effects most likely. I want to stick with pretty organic rootsy guitar sounds, but at the same time don't mind exploring as many settings within that feeling, muddy, swampy, old slide sounds etc. One nuance with my guitar playing, I've had a neural injury that impaired my guitar playing which is why I had to switch to dobo lap style. As a result, my playing can be a little sloppy, so any advice on apps or settings that can gimme a "little help" would be great. Don't know if there is such a thing as autotune for guitar players, but I would probably use it..lol!
-Keyboard wise... open to any suggestions...
Thanks for helping a newbiesupremo in advance! 
Comments
I'd stick with Garageband Ipad if you've already used it on the desktop and haven't used other stuff. Good starter, lots of sounds to get you going without a lot of overhead.
I'm not sure if your Presonus works with the iPad. You can ask them or just try it out. You'll need to buy the Camera Connection kit for your ipad to plug it in. Otherwise, you can pick any old interface from the interface thread at the top of this forum that fits your budget and has XLR inputs.
For guitar effects, JamUp and Amplitube have free versions so you can test the waters. Flying Haggis is popular and has a pretty friendly price.
You'll need to purchase AudioBus to go from Vocalive/other effects processors to GarageBand.
Do a little bit with that setup and then you'll see holes that need filling. Come on back and ask how to fill em.
The Samson Go does work with the iPad.
Thanks for the fast response.. great forum! I have seen a vid showing audiobox with iPad using camera connection kit.
Can anyone recommend a very ABC tutorial using audiobus with GB and vocalive (or others)? Everything I've found shows features well, but not a comprehensive start to finish. Blog or video is fine whatever you may know of.
Welcome to the forums dobroz. A Shure SM-58 mic would be a great mic that is affordable and has been used to record just about everything in the industry.
Your quote about hoping you haven't bought more apps than you need made me laugh - if you're like many of us ... You'll have acquired a dozen or more by this time next year! I thought the same... Now I have maybe almost 100 maybe. All useful of course - maybe not entirely needed
.
But yeah - I started with GBand. It's good to start with for sure. But it lacks many editing features - and there are a few other better choices out there. Welcome to the wonderful world if ios music - it's awesome!
@Halftone said:
Haha! You're right. I should've clarified that comment about "spending too much". What I meant was just for Vocalive specifically. I have a feeling I might not need the editing suite or even the eight track if I'm going to use it on the bus with GB. Am I right?
Also, any good step by step tutorial blogs out there for these apps w/ Audiobus?
I don't know of a guide specifically but it's pretty straight forward.
You can also set the AB input slot to 'microphone' and then put Vocalive in the Effect/Filter slot of AB. Some apps behave differently depending on where you stick them. I don't own Vocalive so I'm not sure.
@dobroz Welcome aboard.
Good and highly sensible comments above.
Everything sounds so calm and straightforward.
An app here, maybe a little color from another over there. Something special for your dobro perhaps Sir? You do know that the Okeycokey2000 will make you wife's already lovely voice a thing of even greater beauty, right? True love sustains (and randomizes). Uh-oh, there's a sale on. A new version. A new app altogether. Better than the last one. Less latent. More bigger. Just one more, just one more.
If things get out of hand (oh, you'll deny it at first, we all do), there are meetings.
Good luck.
@syrupcore said:
Thanks!
@JohnnyGoodyear said:
Lol! I'm diggin' this forum. Seriously though if you do know of something special for dobro, I'm all ears. Especially in regards to my comment on being less than par due to my injury. I joked about autotune for guitar, but is there anything that can help disguise the possible slight sharps and flats that can come from he steel "slipping" a little
?
Search youtube for Audiobus - there are lots of great videos. Some of my favourites are by someone called Effectism - great live jams using Audiobus with Loopy and Thumjam and other apps. I found they really opened my eyes and ears towards making music on ipads
No, there's no auto tune for guitar that I know of. I say let it slip anyway. Part of the magic.
@Halftone said:
Thanks.. I'll check out those users! I hadn't found much yet like you mentioned.
@syrupcore said:
Right. I'll have to do some scrubbing to check some good setting suggestions and just let it ride
I haven't watched this one in awhile, but Doug did an Intro to Audiobus video awhile back. Should be helpful.
Yeah, this looks good... two parts. Thanks!
@dobroz said:
Doug (thesoundtestroom) is an iOS legend. Be careful watching his videos, or your bank account will suffer. But seriously, I'd recommend you subscribe to his YouTube channel. He does app demo vids of all of he new apps within days of release. He's a great source of info.
Looks like you are absolutely right, very detailed material!
If you didn't already know, your audiobox will work just fine. That's the one I use as well. You'll just need a powered usb hub. VocalLive is probably the vocal app I'd say that's the best out there, so way to get lucky because there were a ton you could have chosen from. I don't really like the choir pedal though. You can get way better harmonies from Harmony Voice in my humble opinion. Both of those support both Audiobus as well as Apple's IAA. The latter of those two means that you don't necessarily have to use Audiobus if you have a daw like say Auria. Auria (as well as many others) will allow you to use other aps like effects on a track via IAA. So you could, for instance, record a wet and a dry signal of your vocals simultaneously. Whatever decisions you make, you're definitely in for some fun. And you're definitely going to need another source of income. Especially if you like Auria. GarageBand is just fine too, especially starting out. I think that's a very common path around here. You may eventually outgrow it, but I wouldn't go looking for something you don't really need just yet. Most important thing is that you enjoy the process, right? Come back here often and give us updates please. We definitely enjoy watching someone fall in love and become passionate about this platform. Lots of useful info here, and I think you'll find this community to be more than helpful when they can be. Enjoy the journey and Welcome!
Boone51 how do we go about recording a wed and dry track simultaneously? I'm learning too.
thanks
Thanks boone51 ! It's funny you say HV has better harmonies. That's the main reason I bought VL. After checking out Harmony Voice, I probably wouldn't have spent the cash on VL. I purchased the 8 track and total editing suite in VL, and I'm realizing I probably won't want to use either feature since I will use the bus to link to GB or the like. Would you mind elaborating on why you think Vocalive is the best though? Huge difference in price vs. Harmony Voice!
Wet and Dry together. Auria lets you connect external inputs to multiple channels at the same time in settings -> input matrix [normal]. It won't however let you do that with Audiobus or IAA sources. Don't know about GB though.
@dobroz - the compressor in VocaLive can sound very nice on vocals and electric guitar.
Vocalive does indeed work very well but make sure you are using headphones. Even my voice pleases me through it.
As you can see,there are lots of folks here that will be more than happy help out. Personally I believe that VL is the vocal processor for a few reasons. First, as you'll surely discover on your own soon enough, latency is a pretty big deal with several of these. VL offers the best response time in my testing. Then there's the auto tune stuff, and I think most of them sound gimmicky to me. The one in VL is best of breed in my opinion. Not sure why its so hard to get that right, but id guess it has to do with that latency thing. Dwarman above pretty much nailed the wet and dry thing for you guys. The only clarification id make is that you *can record a wet track with iaa enabled while simultaneously recording a dry track. The exclusive stuff hes talking about is that you cant record two simultaneous wet tracks due to limitations with Apples iaa. I'm probably just misreading his post, but I think the way I'm reading it right now, I disagree with the multiple effects across multiple tracks comment as it relates to audiobus. That is absolutely possible. With Audiobus 2 anyway.
@boone51 Ok. That's something I'll learn as well I guess. I'll just try to use VL for everything vocal at first & see how it goes. Interesting comment from supanorton about using it for guitar.
What app has the greatest variety of unusual percussion sounds? Like different wooden sticks, blocks, guiros, stirring drums, rock sounds. Maybe even (dare I go there) some 80's-ish industrial percussion?
Drum jam has lots of 'earthy and ethic' percussion sounds and loops, as you describe, and a fun interface so you play the loops and hits in real time and record. Give that a try
(There is also Rock DM, afrolatin DM, Drumperfect, Drumgenius, drum loops, and Drums HD that could be of use for acoustic rather than drum machine sounds)
And DM-1 will do yer 80s Industrial, but
Impaktor is more fun, and will definitely do unusual, weird and swampy
I'm a big fan of Different Drummer. It has a number of built in samples of traditional western drums, ethnic drums, melodic instruments, etc., but you can also add your own samples and trigger others via midi. It does have a steep learning curve though, but it pays off with generating rhythms that would otherwise be difficult to conceive.
Workbench will sample anything including other drum apps and has a really neat sequencer for working up amazingly original drum tracks in moments. It is extremely easy to use all the way around and sounds really great depending on what you sample. In addition to sampling drum apps for a massive sample collection from all of your drum apps, you can also sample glass breaking, hitting a stick on a desk, pots and pans , and on and on and on. You can further manipulate the samples for some really cool results also if you choose.