Hi Andrew - I just became a subscriber to this forum the other day, having had my whole approach to making music with Ableton turned completely upside down (in the best way possible, of course) after watching your earlier YouTube video on how you make music with iPad and Ableton. I have acquired the same gear, more or less, as you show in your videos, the only differences being that I use a Win PC instead of a Macbook (my bad, I know) and don't have an Octatrak or Digitakt. I also purchased Landforms and Lekko, which I'm already enjoying, although still new to them both.
I had written you an email a number of weeks prior seeing if you would be available for private lessons to enable me to better understand the whole kit and kaboodle of MIDI routing with the Audio4c/iPad integration, but your post here really seems to be the answer I was looking for, so thanks for this!
Just a quick question: I was really stoked so learn from you about the reConfigAudio app, as I had found the Auracle app provided by iConnectivity to be a little less than totally user-friendly and intuitive. I've downloaded reConfig now and have it running on my iPad (instead of my Windows PC, hosting Ableton as USB1 connecting to the Audio4c). But in your post above, after you mention reConfig, you go on to talk about settings you use in Auracle, which I found a little confusing. Are you presenting both connectivity options for the sake of folks who don't download reConfig? Or do you actually use them both together for some reason? I would have assumed that if I download reConfig, I could bid adieu to Auracle - even delete it from my PC desktop, if I preferred reConfig. But your discussion didn't seem to confirm that.
The whole patchbay element of this setup still is a bit non-intuitive for me and, aside from simply using the default routings that come with reConfig, I'm not sure that I know how to tweak the routings in a way that would be most optimal for how I use it. My setup is simpler than yours because the only external MIDI instrument I currently use is a Novation Impulse USB/MIDI keyboard controller.
I guess this is my long-winded way of asking/suggesting whether you might have any interest in devoting a future newsletter and/or video to the topic of using the routing capabilities of reConfig in place of Auracle, to enable a PC (or Mac)-iPad-MIDI-Audio4c based setup. That would be totally helpful and welcome.
Thanks again for all you do - I'm learning so much from your posts of various kinds.
First, I apologize for missing your email - somehow that slipped through the cracks! But I’m glad you’ve found your way here and happy to hear that the videos have been useful.
Regarding Auracle vs. Reconfig; you can certainly use whichever one is easiest for you to understand. It’s an “either/or” situation and totally up to personal preference. You’re exactly right, I’m only showing Reconfig here for the sake of sharing additional options. I thought it may be appealing to anyone reading who prefers the matrix mixer view that it presents.
After using the Audio 4c for so long now, I have settled into a rhythm and have it set up the way I like it, so I rarely have to configure any deeper settings these days. I typically just stick with Auracle since it’s easy to get firmware updates there when iConnectivity drops them. Very rarely I will need direct access to all 8 USB ins/outs that I can’t see in Auracle, so I’ll pull up Reconfig in those rare instances.
So, long story short: feel free to use whichever is easiest for you.
Thanks for your reply, Andrew! So I'm thinking, now, after having read your note, that it may be the case for users like me who have a simpler setup (i.e. only one USB MIDI device, at least for the time being) that maybe reConfig provides possibly more than I need anyway (?). Though I don't really intuitively grasp Auracle, I did find that using the Play1 config allowed me to do the simple routings between the different elements of the setup. So if it's the case, like you say, of a need for "direct access to all 8 USB ins/outs that I can’t see in Auracle" then reConfig might come in handy; otherwise, Auracle might actually be simpler.
Im in the same boat Frank. I dropped other projects to master the AL Ipad IN/OUT flow for audio/midi. I have a shortlist of testing to go through and likewise the routing is a maze. Its similar in its outline as AUM midi routing so thats been project one before I go down next rabbit hole. Andrew has promised a new video on the config routing so I look forward to that when it drops...it will send many ripples & waves to the curious.
Thanks for your note, Seo. I'm actually glad to know I'm not the only one who has been finding the routing issue a bit of a challenge. Sometimes, say with AUM's MIDI routing matrix, it seems straight-forward, but then other times when things don't work the way I'm expecting them to, I get a bit stressed out wondering what I'm doing wrong. Plus, there are all these settings details one always has to stay on top of and not overlook (e.g., which MIDI channels am I remembering to send which playhead from Fugue Machine to?). I'm hopeful all this stuff will become more intuitive for me with experience. I too look forward to any new videos from Andrew on that. Cheers.
Thanks for writing this. Its time & effort you didn't need to do but did. The notes above are a starter 101 for sure on the mapping in AL so I look forward to seeing the videos your going to provide. I guarantee one thing for you in this - A lot of views & love back to you = Output to a wider circle = opportunity doors opening. One last thing I want to say. Your presentation, voice, persona is a 10/10 in all things, perhaps your not aware of how good you are at this, please be encouraged. Best Wishes from David UK - Searching the Stars, Hearing the music.
Thank you David. I really appreciate the kind words and your support. It means a lot! I do hope all of this is useful, and I enjoy doing it so will definitely continue to share more. Looking forward to the ride here!
Hi again Andrew - I hope I'm not being too verbose here with a quick addendum to my note below, but one other issue of Ableton/iPad/Audio4c connectivity that has me stumped is the issue of sending raw MIDI from Ableton on my PC through Audio4c to control iOS instruments. Ableton seems to require that anything it sends MIDI to has to be listed as a Control Surface in Preference, and aside from Imaginando's LK, there are no other iOS apps that seem to interface this way. And yet, I have no difficulty going the other direction - sending MIDI from iPad (or external MIDI controller) to Ableton. Is there a way around that, or am I just approaching this incorrectly? Anyways, this would be a further suggestion for a future video or post on connectivity/routing in your system, if you happen to have any interest in covering that. Thanks again, Frank Paul
Hi Frank, no problem at all! I think I know what you mean. I’m away from my computer and just using my phone to type this comment, so I don’t want to use the wrong terminology without checking my Ableton setup, but I was planning to film a video today showing the workflow again and I can address this.
So good! Thanks for sharing all of this. It’s really inspiring me to dive more into using my iPad with logic, I’ve played with a lot of iPad music apps but have always kept them separate for some reason. I need to test it but I think connecting an iPad to logic is easier than ableton and some of this might be possible without an external hub. Not sure about that.
My pleasure; glad you found it useful! I'm not too sure on what (if any) improvements there may be with Logic, as I haven't used it in ages now. You can still connect an iPad to a Mac and send audio/midi directly to the computer through IDAM regardless of the DAW you use, but if you want to send audio back into the iPad that's where things get trickier and thus why I've gone this particular route. If you have a different experience then by all means feel free to report back!
Totally agreed - it’s the one missing link! Would be great if it could directly sync up with eurorack modules. Maybe future iConnectivity hardware will have DC coupling on the outputs or dedicated CV slots.
Hi Andrew - I just became a subscriber to this forum the other day, having had my whole approach to making music with Ableton turned completely upside down (in the best way possible, of course) after watching your earlier YouTube video on how you make music with iPad and Ableton. I have acquired the same gear, more or less, as you show in your videos, the only differences being that I use a Win PC instead of a Macbook (my bad, I know) and don't have an Octatrak or Digitakt. I also purchased Landforms and Lekko, which I'm already enjoying, although still new to them both.
I had written you an email a number of weeks prior seeing if you would be available for private lessons to enable me to better understand the whole kit and kaboodle of MIDI routing with the Audio4c/iPad integration, but your post here really seems to be the answer I was looking for, so thanks for this!
Just a quick question: I was really stoked so learn from you about the reConfigAudio app, as I had found the Auracle app provided by iConnectivity to be a little less than totally user-friendly and intuitive. I've downloaded reConfig now and have it running on my iPad (instead of my Windows PC, hosting Ableton as USB1 connecting to the Audio4c). But in your post above, after you mention reConfig, you go on to talk about settings you use in Auracle, which I found a little confusing. Are you presenting both connectivity options for the sake of folks who don't download reConfig? Or do you actually use them both together for some reason? I would have assumed that if I download reConfig, I could bid adieu to Auracle - even delete it from my PC desktop, if I preferred reConfig. But your discussion didn't seem to confirm that.
The whole patchbay element of this setup still is a bit non-intuitive for me and, aside from simply using the default routings that come with reConfig, I'm not sure that I know how to tweak the routings in a way that would be most optimal for how I use it. My setup is simpler than yours because the only external MIDI instrument I currently use is a Novation Impulse USB/MIDI keyboard controller.
I guess this is my long-winded way of asking/suggesting whether you might have any interest in devoting a future newsletter and/or video to the topic of using the routing capabilities of reConfig in place of Auracle, to enable a PC (or Mac)-iPad-MIDI-Audio4c based setup. That would be totally helpful and welcome.
Thanks again for all you do - I'm learning so much from your posts of various kinds.
Kind Regards
Frank Paul
Vancouver, BC (Canada)
Hi Frank,
First, I apologize for missing your email - somehow that slipped through the cracks! But I’m glad you’ve found your way here and happy to hear that the videos have been useful.
Regarding Auracle vs. Reconfig; you can certainly use whichever one is easiest for you to understand. It’s an “either/or” situation and totally up to personal preference. You’re exactly right, I’m only showing Reconfig here for the sake of sharing additional options. I thought it may be appealing to anyone reading who prefers the matrix mixer view that it presents.
After using the Audio 4c for so long now, I have settled into a rhythm and have it set up the way I like it, so I rarely have to configure any deeper settings these days. I typically just stick with Auracle since it’s easy to get firmware updates there when iConnectivity drops them. Very rarely I will need direct access to all 8 USB ins/outs that I can’t see in Auracle, so I’ll pull up Reconfig in those rare instances.
So, long story short: feel free to use whichever is easiest for you.
Thanks for your reply, Andrew! So I'm thinking, now, after having read your note, that it may be the case for users like me who have a simpler setup (i.e. only one USB MIDI device, at least for the time being) that maybe reConfig provides possibly more than I need anyway (?). Though I don't really intuitively grasp Auracle, I did find that using the Play1 config allowed me to do the simple routings between the different elements of the setup. So if it's the case, like you say, of a need for "direct access to all 8 USB ins/outs that I can’t see in Auracle" then reConfig might come in handy; otherwise, Auracle might actually be simpler.
Im in the same boat Frank. I dropped other projects to master the AL Ipad IN/OUT flow for audio/midi. I have a shortlist of testing to go through and likewise the routing is a maze. Its similar in its outline as AUM midi routing so thats been project one before I go down next rabbit hole. Andrew has promised a new video on the config routing so I look forward to that when it drops...it will send many ripples & waves to the curious.
Thanks for your note, Seo. I'm actually glad to know I'm not the only one who has been finding the routing issue a bit of a challenge. Sometimes, say with AUM's MIDI routing matrix, it seems straight-forward, but then other times when things don't work the way I'm expecting them to, I get a bit stressed out wondering what I'm doing wrong. Plus, there are all these settings details one always has to stay on top of and not overlook (e.g., which MIDI channels am I remembering to send which playhead from Fugue Machine to?). I'm hopeful all this stuff will become more intuitive for me with experience. I too look forward to any new videos from Andrew on that. Cheers.
Thanks for writing this. Its time & effort you didn't need to do but did. The notes above are a starter 101 for sure on the mapping in AL so I look forward to seeing the videos your going to provide. I guarantee one thing for you in this - A lot of views & love back to you = Output to a wider circle = opportunity doors opening. One last thing I want to say. Your presentation, voice, persona is a 10/10 in all things, perhaps your not aware of how good you are at this, please be encouraged. Best Wishes from David UK - Searching the Stars, Hearing the music.
Thank you David. I really appreciate the kind words and your support. It means a lot! I do hope all of this is useful, and I enjoy doing it so will definitely continue to share more. Looking forward to the ride here!
Hi again Andrew - I hope I'm not being too verbose here with a quick addendum to my note below, but one other issue of Ableton/iPad/Audio4c connectivity that has me stumped is the issue of sending raw MIDI from Ableton on my PC through Audio4c to control iOS instruments. Ableton seems to require that anything it sends MIDI to has to be listed as a Control Surface in Preference, and aside from Imaginando's LK, there are no other iOS apps that seem to interface this way. And yet, I have no difficulty going the other direction - sending MIDI from iPad (or external MIDI controller) to Ableton. Is there a way around that, or am I just approaching this incorrectly? Anyways, this would be a further suggestion for a future video or post on connectivity/routing in your system, if you happen to have any interest in covering that. Thanks again, Frank Paul
Hi Frank, no problem at all! I think I know what you mean. I’m away from my computer and just using my phone to type this comment, so I don’t want to use the wrong terminology without checking my Ableton setup, but I was planning to film a video today showing the workflow again and I can address this.
Cheers,
AT
Also I’m sure you’ve used it but if not, xynthesizr is a really cool app. Very powerful, and feels almost meditative
That's a new one for me. I'll check it out! Thank you.
So good! Thanks for sharing all of this. It’s really inspiring me to dive more into using my iPad with logic, I’ve played with a lot of iPad music apps but have always kept them separate for some reason. I need to test it but I think connecting an iPad to logic is easier than ableton and some of this might be possible without an external hub. Not sure about that.
My pleasure; glad you found it useful! I'm not too sure on what (if any) improvements there may be with Logic, as I haven't used it in ages now. You can still connect an iPad to a Mac and send audio/midi directly to the computer through IDAM regardless of the DAW you use, but if you want to send audio back into the iPad that's where things get trickier and thus why I've gone this particular route. If you have a different experience then by all means feel free to report back!
Thanks again for reading.
Andrew
Thanks a lot andrew for sharing more :) Shame the audio 4c is not compatible with cv and it will be even killer.
Totally agreed - it’s the one missing link! Would be great if it could directly sync up with eurorack modules. Maybe future iConnectivity hardware will have DC coupling on the outputs or dedicated CV slots.