2017
09/07
iPad Music Production Introduction
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So you’re a musician and you just got an iPad. At this point you probably want to know how to get started with iPad music production but don’t know where to start. The following quick start guide will give you the basics to get started without overwhelming you with the thousands of different apps available. I’m breaking it down into four simple items considering you CAN do everything within the box (pad) so to speak therefor I will not get into midi controllers and audio interfaces as that is taking things to another level and will be good for an additional topic of discussion.

I’d like to start by telling you a little about my self. I’m a composer with over 20 years in the music industry. I got my start producing royalty free loops for software companies (currently producing for Retronyms and Mixcraft) which led to a career in production music. Production music is music typically used for TV, film advertising, and video games otherwise known as sync. I got my first iPad for music production back in 2010 which is when I started this blog. At the time I was creating loop content for an iOS app that is no longer with us. The app was called Looptastic. Since then producing music on an iPad has become just as real as producing music on a desktop and laptop. iPads now have fast powerful processors and there are literally thousands of cool music creation apps out there. So with that said I would like to help you get started.

I know what you’re thinking. Where do I start? Well you might be following a popular blog such as my own and you’re probably aware of the many apps out there which is overwhelming I know. Don’t worry I’m here to break producing music on an iPad down to the core essentials. It’s really that simple.

1) Choosing your DAW – For those who are totally new to music production in general a DAW (digital audio workstation) is often times the central hub of your workflow. The DAW allows you to record, multi-track, sequence, arrange, and mix your music. Seems simple enough right? Well there are several options out there so you will want to spend a few hours researching the different DAWs available. Some DAWs are very open in regards to integration of other apps like Beatmaker 3, Cubasis and Auria for example where as some are a closed one stop shop type situation like Korg Gadget. I’ll get into that a bit later as you might want to look into getting both Korg Gadget AND an open DAW because Korg Gadget is really awesome. Most DAWs feature things like IAA (inter app audio), AU3 (audio unit 3), and Audiobus support as well as MIDI (musically integrated digital interface/instrument). MIDI is the language that allows synthesizers and drum machines to communicate with each other. It is also note information sent from those instruments as well as a few other things. I suggest googling MIDI if you want to know more about it. Eventually you will know everything about MIDI but honestly you can still write a wicked song with just the basics. Inter App Audio is a feature designed by Apple and it allows you to integrate apps from different sources and developers into your DAW much like a VST except you can ONLY integrate one instance of that app in a project unlike Audio Unit (also by Apple) which allows you to load multiple instances of an app within your project (DAW) similar to what we know as VST technology in the desktop world. Again if you are totally new and these terms confuse you PLEASE don’t hesitate to message me and google them. We will get you on the right path. I’m going to leave it at that because like I said I don’t want you to feel overwhelmed. These are the core essentials of what to look for in a DAW. To summarize does this DAW support IAA, AU, and MIDI.  SOOOOO to simplify things I want you to look and see if you got Apple Garageband with your iPad for free. You probably did. Garageband is a great place to practice and get your feet wet without having to spend any money or time researching other apps. You can do a lot with Garageband but it does have it’s limitations and you might want to expand your iPad production suite by investing in a totally different app like Auria, Cubasis, FL Studio Mobile, or Caustic to name a few. Will you also need to sync to hardware or other apps? If so there is a thing called MIDI sync (MIDI Clock) which until recently was the best way to sync BUT there is now a thing called Ableton Link which most DAWs support. Choosing the right DAW is really a matter of preference after you decide what is important to you. I used Cubasis because I use Cubase on my desktop DAW but I also have AUM and Audiobus at the center as well. Contact me http://ipadloops.com/about-ipad-loops/

2) Choosing a virtual mixing/routing app. iPad music production is quite unique because well you get a touch screen but it’s also unique because now you can have an additional hub to your workflow something to work beside your DAW. I’m referring to apps that act as extended routing and mixing. There are two popular apps for this at the moment and they are Audiobus 3 and AUM. These apps do similar things but they also have some features which are different from one another. Most iPad music producers own and use both apps!

 

 

3) File management – Apple did a great job of making the iPad file system unreachable so this really cool app came along and it’s called Audioshare. Audioshare is ESSENTIAL to all iPad music production studios. Why? It will help you record, manage, share, and organize your project files and samples. Go ahead and just buy it now you’ll thank me later

4) Your virtual sound palette – This is where things can get hairy. There are literally thousands of synths, drum machines, and instruments out there. Most of them are IAA instruments which means you can easily integrate them into your studio and SOME are also AU3 audio units which is even better. Those are two terms that will really mean a lot when choosing your sound palette. DAWs like Garageband and Cubasis come with a vast selection of virtual synths and drums so I suggest you start there. You will easily get buried in a sea of virtual instruments when you decide to step outside of your DAW for more sounds and inspiration which is actually a lot of fun but it’s only fun when you already have had time to wrap your head around the basics so don’t worry just take is slow. Try writing a song first with the sounds from your DAW then when you get comfortable dive into the sea of sound and choose your weapons of music construction wisely as they can really start to add up in regards to financial investments.

So there you have it. My intro to iPad music production in a nutshell. There is a lot more to it BUT this will get you started no doubt as these are the basic core essentials. Eventually when you get comfortable you will want to improve your workflow so it could take a bit of a little here and a little there. Don’t think about that yet. Remember it’s not the tools it’s what you do with them you can get the job done with these 4 essential items!

Recommended apps:

DAW BeatMaker 3 – INTUA

DAW Auria Pro – Mobile Music Production – WaveMachine Labs, Inc.

DAW Cubasis 2 – Mobile Music Creation System – Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH

DAW GarageBand – Apple

Vrouting/Vmixing AUM – Audio Mixer – Kymatica (Jonatan Liljedahl)

Vrouting/Vmixing Audiobus 3 – Audiobus Pty Ltd

File management AudioShare – audio document manager – Kymatica (Jonatan Liljedahl)

My artist spotlight on Retronyms:

http://blog.retronyms.com/2017/04/artist-spotlight-dj-puzzle.html

My guest spot on SonicTalk:

2013
12/20
Caustic 3 Music Production For iPad
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Caustic 3 iPad

Caustic 3 is a music creation tool inspired by rack-mount synthesizer/sampler rigs. Everything is real-time and optimized for mobile devices.

Create your rack by adding up to 14 machines from a choice of:

* Subsynth – Virtual analog subtractive synthesizer
* PCMSynth – Multi-sample wave synthesizer
* BassLine – 303-like monosynth
* BeatBox – 8-channel sampling drum machine
* PadSynth – Harmonic table pad synthesizer
* 8BitSynth – 8bit equation solver synthesizer
* Modular – Fully configurable and routable synthesizer
* Organ – Tonewheel organ with rotary speaker
* Vocoder – 8-band harmonic vocoder
* FMSynth – DX-style 3-operator fm synthesizer

The app also includes:

* Effects rack supporting 2 effects per machine (16 effect types).
* Mixer desk with EQ, panning and global Delay/Reverb effects.
* Master section with effect slots, parametric EQ and limiter.
* Song sequencer

Supports automation recording on most controls and includes powerful editors for modifying automation curves.

Users can record their own WAV files for use in the PCMSynth, BeatBox, and Vocoder or import files through iTunes file sharing or the built-in FTP server.
Supports all uncompressed WAV files (8-16-24-32bit, any sampling rate).
The PCMSynth can also load SoundFont files (.sf2) and FL/Xewton instruments (.instr, .ZIP)

Exported songs can be shared using the AudioShare app.

Supports CoreMIDI for note and velocity data.

See the in-app help section for dozens of informative tutorial videos and full online manual.

There is also a FREE (full version) PC version available for download on the product website.

Come visit www.singlecellsoftware.com to download more presets, request features, share your tracks and hear what others are creating with Caustic 3.

Works on iPhone/iPod but iPad is recommended.

Caustic 3 is available for $9.99

2012
12/13
Retronyms Tabletop Version 2
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Tabletop Music Workstation For iPad

This free update adds killer new features including a Timeline Editor, MIDI Controller support, and Session Sharing. Plus the brand-new iMPC from Akai Professional works inside Tabletop as the first Tabletop-Ready App.

Ready. Set. Remix! The exclusive Soundtrack in this video was created in Tabletop by Richard Devine. You can find the song Glitch Breaker Demo inside the Tabletop in-app community, or on SoundCloud. To celebrate the new update for Tabletop we’re making a call for remixes! Download the Glitchbreaker Session right in Tabletop. You get access to all of the custom samples, sequencing, and arrangement. Remix to your heart’s content. We can’t wait to see what you come up with!

What’s New in Version 2.0

• Timeline Editor. Edit, arrange, create notes on a pianoroll style timeline!
• Midi Controller Support. Control Tabletop devices via Core Midi with hardware!
• Tabletop Ready Apps. Standalone apps that work in Tabletop! iMPC is the first!
• Share Sessions. Post and download sessions for remixing, backup and more.
• Improved stability and performance.
• Brand new UI look and feel.
• Panhander. Autopanning effect device.
• iOS 6 enhancements and improvements.
• Improved template system.
• Various bug fixes.

————————————————
NEW: Timeline Editor

The Timeline Editor is designed from the ground up to provide a fast and powerful way to create and edit notes in using intuitive multi-touch gestures:

• Piano Roll style timeline editor.
• Cut, copy, paste, duplicate, and create notes.
• Correct note timing with Fix to Grid.
• Edit note length and velocity.
• Undo any changes and edits with Tabletop’s History Menu.

————————————————
NEW: MIDI Controller Support

Users can control Tabletop devices with their favorite hardware MIDI controllers. Connect with USB via Apple’s Camera Connection Kit and use Tabletop’s “MIDI Learn” mode to painlessly map controls and set up MIDI devices:

• Features Core MIDI Support.
• Works with any MIDI-compatible hardware.
• Control Tabletop’s keyboards, drum pads, knobs, faders, and other parameters.
• Customize control mapping with Midi Learn mode.
• Connect multiple devices.

————————————————
NEW: Share Sessions

Share complete song projects on the built in SoundCloud Community. When you share on soundcloud, other Tabletop users can download your session! Browse and download from the community to remix and collaborate with other users.

————————————————
NEW: iMPC — First Tabletop-Ready App!

An important milestone in the evolution of music apps on iOS, Tabletop Ready Apps are stand-alone apps that work inside Tabletop. When users purchase a Tabletop Ready App, a free version is automatically unlocked inside Tabletop. iMPC from Akai Professional is the first Tabletop Ready App! See http://akaiprompc.com/impc/ for more info.

————————————————
About Tabletop

An Expandable Studio with 12 included musical devices!

Tabletop is a modular environment where you can mix and match different devices. Select from over 30 devices including samplers, mixers, effects, sequencers and more. Buy only the gear you need from an expanding catalog.

Virtual, Modular Gear.
Plug the output of a keyboard into a delay to add an echo, or wire it up to a mixer and adjust the pan. Chain up multiple effects to create new and evolving sounds. Tabletop is an audio playground where you can create beats, compose songs, mix live, make mashups with samples from your iPod library… the possibilities are wide open.

Tabletop 2.0 is available for FREE

  • iPad Loops is an iOS music production blog dedicated to exposing the best iPad apps musicians, producers, and Djs. This is not a database of every app. It is, however, one of useful recommendations from someone with many years in music production. I try to update it on a daily basis (ok sometimes every two days) and I do my best to post useful apps only. My name is Jason Donnelly (Dj Puzzle). You might know me from my royalty free loop packs and sound design. Some of the apps that contain my sounds are Synth One, EG Segments, Hammerhead, Retronyms AudioCopy, Audio Evolution Mobile, LP-5, iPRO.DJSAMPLER, Looptastic. My work is published by Roland, Antares, Magix, Soundtrack Loops, Sample Logic, Acoustica, Loopmasters and many more. Subscribe to our RSS feed below to get updated when new apps are posted.
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