Thank you for sharing your setup and tips on how you do it. Since I watched your first video where you shared you use the AUDIO4c I got sold into it. My previous setup with a Focusrite Solo was not doing the trick due to the hiss or noise sounds coming from the iPad into Ableton. I moved forward with the AUDIO4c and I'm really happy after 10 months of use. I really believe this is an underrated audio device. Very powerful with MIDI routing and the internal Audio patching. I can't find any other audio device that can be shared between 2 devices simultaneously, so iConnectivity rocks on this field. Thanks again for this. I have enjoyed watching your videos and listening your music! ✌
That's great to hear. It was a total game-changing moment for me, too! I am so glad this device exists. I wish other manufacturers would jump on the dual-device train...we can keep hoping.
once again thank you Andrew for demonstrating how you set things up. I have been following your channel for a while now and purchased an audio4c a few months ago but had nothing but trouble and was finding it difficult and frustrating to use. As you mentioned its not perfect but taking it back to basics like you have and just using the USB1 set up seems to be a sweet spot. I set up an ableton template like you described and straight away got some pleasing results out of just using 1 instance of fugue, chordjam and some ableton instruments. thanks sooooo much for sharing this - now i hope to be able to find some time to record some music :)
That's great to hear! Thank so much for taking the time to watch and for sharing this. Wishing all the best to you on your music-making journey. Cheers, AT
This is incredible, thank you so much for taking the time to break your workflow down. I'm new to this space and have been wanting a workflow like this for awhile. Eternally grateful 🙏 Do you or anyone else know if the Audo4C workflow also works on PC?
Thanks for the clarification of your first video here. Through some investigation and trial and error its the the same routing as i have been using, apart from routing the ipad audio out through channels on Ableton, shall try this as having it direct fron the 4c would occasionally trip me up! Also i found setting the clock to usb 1 (Ableton) in Auracle improved the synchronization, always had issues with clock and IDAM
Great to hear, and thanks for watching! Yeah, there are many ways to do it and it's quite flexible. Good to know about that sync tip. Thanks for sharing!
Why not give AUM channels and midi busses its own dedicated audio/midi channels in ableton using external audio racks. That’s where the external audio racks are made for. This also allows for using effect plugins in AUM as inserts or as send/returns in Ableton. Just create multiple virtual channels on both OS and iOS side on the iconnect. Gives more control and less thinking about what goes where during the creative process imho.
Great comment, thanks! And yes, you can definitely do that. I actually do it occasionally when performing live. I was debating on whether to include that info here but simply ran out of time. Since I spend most of my time just slowly making sounds in Kontakt on the laptop, and I don't do any live processing on the iPad effects, I don't really have a lot to think about and it's easy for me to just glance at the session view and see the send knob levels. I know anything going to outs 1/2 or 3/4 will be available to catch on the iPad anyway, and I personally prefer the quick visual reference there. But your comment did remind me to revisit this method again sometime soon for upcoming live performances.
A question. This is what I need. Do I need a specific hardware for that, or can I just connect my ipad directly to my mac through usb and setup things in ableton/AUM? I have a lot of good effects and instruments apps on my ipad and would like to fully integrate them to ableton all in their specific channel with their specific effects. Also I have some masterizing/mixing apps that could be loaded in the master channel on ableton. Is that possible some way?
I read on the audiobus forum that you can have up to nine stereo channels from iPad to Ableton (with one stereo channel from Ableton to iPad). In your video it looks like there are only 4 stereo channels into Ableton. Where would you configure the routing so nine stereo channels are available in Ableton? Thanks!
Just to clarify, by “stereo channels” do you mean pairs? As far as I know, the most you can send in any one direction is 8 mono channels, or 4 stereo pairs. I don’t know if that’s changed. The current control software is called Auracle and is extremely simplified, it only lets you access 2 stereo pairs at a time. You have to use an older version of the control software to configure the full routing potential in a matrix mixer - it’s called “iConfig” but is no longer supported by the company. A group of people have repurposed the code and developed an alternative called “reConfig for audio” that’s searchable on the App Store and elsewhere…would recommend playing around with that instead!
Amazing video , this is a very interesting use case, after some research the only audio interface that can do this is the Audio 4C ( and maybe the Antelope Zen Quadro) but i was wondering if you actually tired the preamps on that interface! because i read it has bad noise floor and pretty noisy in general for instrument in or xlr in.
Thanks for watching! The preamps are not that great for demanding use cases, I’ve found that there’s some noise at high gain settings. I find that I need an inline booster to use my Shure SM7B with it, for instance.
Nice setup... I have only just started to use Ableton and I have mostly been using iOs so joining two up is what brought me here... Do you know of any other audio devices that have the USBC midi and audio functionality?
Welcome aboard! Unfortunately the only other remotely similar interface to the 4c is the Lewitt Connect 6. It’s missing some Of the functionality, but it does allow you to connect two devices simultaneously.
Hi thanks for the in-depth look at your setup. One thing I have had trouble with is getting audio from Alberton into Simplr in AUM, I created an empty audio channel and set it to receive 7/8 from 3/4 in the return channel in Alberton and it works but unfortunately it doesn’t in simplr when I open the record options and choose 7/8. Other than that all else works. Thanks. One small issue however, I’m using an iPad with lightning and could only get the 4c into the AUM matrix when I used an Apple lightning to USB 3 camera adapter with the supplied iconnectivity USB C to USB 3 adapter. Again thanks for the follow up to your previous video.
Cheers, thanks for watching! Just to make sure, do you have a channel in AUM set up with Samplr on it? Samplr runs as an "inter app audio" or IAA device, so you will need to put it on its own channel in AUM and have the app running in the background. You will hear its audio from the output of AUM. Hope that helps!
That's a dream coming true... I'm seriously considering buying this interface but I fear all this won't work well with my mid 2015 macbook pro and my mid 2016 first generation ipad pro... a little bit old machines (with different usb too). Can I ask your possible opinion about this? I see you use maybe the latest laptop an ipad generation and everything seems sooooo perfect!
Thanks so much for watching! It is such a fun setup to use. I honestly think any MacBook or iPad supporting the latest OS builds is perfectly fine for this stuff. It doesn’t need to be blazing fast or cutting edge. This stuff in the video is all 2.5 years old (2021 models) and it still feels great. Apple releases so much stuff at such a rapid pace, but don’t feel pressured to upgrade if what you have works.
@@andrewtasselmyer2436 iConnectivity interfaces and USB class compliant and use coreaudio and MIDI. This means the hardware will always work on iOS and Mac OS unless Apple changes their whole system. The only trip up could be the control software, Auracle X. You will need a "newer" Mac OS version (10.13+) If you have an older Mac Os version you should be able to use iConfig but the setup will look different in that software, but you can still set it up the same way.
@@andrewtasselmyer2436 Hi! Excuse me if I bother you again but I think I have an issue here and I could use any kind of suggestion: I just got my brand new Audio4c but I had problems connecting both my old macbook and my old ipad with lightning port… The usbC-usbC cable and the usbC-usbA little adapter included in the box worked fine for connecting the mac via port1 of the audio4c. So I tried to connect the ipad, at the same time, using a charger cable borrowed from my iphone12mini, it's a lightning-usbC cable. From port 2, with this cable, the ipad is being charged but doesn't seem to recognize the unit. To make the ipad recog the unit I had to unplug the mac and use: the included usbC-usbC cable + the little adapter included + a camera kit connection and external charging anyway!!!... So what's the point?? Maybe for lack of cables and adapters (or maybe of knowledge about’em: which one will I need???) I still haven't tried the two device workflow experience, which is may main goal!!! 🎛🤖🤯
Amazing, thanks a lot!! One question, the capability to connect both iPad and Laptop and/or iPhone to share midi/audio is unique to iConnectivity or does it work the same with, let's say a Motu M4 or UA Volt etc. if using a powered USB adapter with multiple ports? Am I missing something?
Thanks for watching! Yes, this interface is the only one (aside from the Lewitt Connect 6 that allows two connected devices to seamlessly share audio and MIDI over USB. The other interfaces you mention only communicate with 1 computer or tablet at a time. A USB hub only transmits data on each port; not audio.
Thank you so much for the detailed explanation! I've been looking to run my ipad and external synths running through Ableton, controlled by my SL MK3. I have most things working from your description. I can send audio from my macbook, through ableton, out channels 1+2, and have the iPad read on inputs 5+6 to record audio. I can also send Midi from the ipad to Ableton on the laptop. However, the thing I still cannot get is having audio coming from the ipad, into Ableton by monitoring ext channels 5-6, or even 7-8 (ipad output is USB 1-2, or USB 3-4, respectively). When I open up Auracle, I can hear audio as long as I have USB 1-2 turned up. However, I'm not picking up any audio from Ableton. The Audio4c is reading the audio from the ipad just fine. I get an audio feed from Auracle, like you do in your video. However, when I turn it down or mute it, and try turning it up in Ableton, I don't even get any readings on the channel itself that any audio is coming through. If I plug in a microphone to Input 1 on the analog inputs, and talk into it, I get an audio feed on all ext channels, 1 - 8. It's like the mic in Analog Input 1 is taking over the entire input chain for ext channels in Ableton. Do you know what I might be missing? I've tried looking through the Audio4c manual, but to be honest, I don't even know what this problem would be called to look it up lol. Any help would be appreciated!
Thanks for watching! Gosh, I have no idea what to make of that problem. That is bizarre and can’t say I’ve ever seen something like that happen. It almost sounds like an issue in Live, but no way to tell for sure without seeing it. Have you tried contacting the folks at iConnectivity? They have been super helpful in my experience, and I’m sure could direct you to a solution.
@@andrewtasselmyer2436 Thanks for responding! This week I even bought a new Audio4c thinking maybe mine was faulty. Same issue. I even tried uninstalling / reinstalling Ableton in case something got messed up on the install, but still no luck. The strange thing is that I can send audio out on Ext 3/4, and receive audio into the ipad in AUM on channels 7/8. I can even receive midi from the ipad to the macbook. The only thing not working are Ext In audio tracks. If I plug my mic into Mic 1 on the Audio4c, I get audio coming into Ableton. If I instead plug the mic into Mic 2, and ensure audio is turned up in Auracle, not a peep. Can't even see the bars indicating audio is being fed in. I've reached out to iConnectivity like you said and am hoping they may be able to help me out. I may reach out to Ableton as well to see if maybe they might know what I could have configured improperly in Ableton. It's quite a frustrating issue! I'll respond back if I can get a solution in case it helps someone else. Thanks again!
Just wanted to drop another note. I tried plugging in a Scarlett Solo and was receiving the same issue. This weekend I tried reinstalling Ableton, and the problem persisted. So I took the nuclear route and reinstalled MacOS on my laptop, grabbed a fresh download of Ableton, installed it and now everything is working beautifully. I have no idea what software or setting I had on my Mac, but once I got rid of it and started over, everything works great. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Thanks again for the video!
thank you very much for this tutorial. I'm not far from buying the 4C. I just wonder if in the set up that you present I could also use the 4 physical inputs and the 3/4 physical outputs for hardware... Thanks again for sharing!
Thank you so much Andrew, your videos are invaluable resource. Just ordered the 4c and will probably have some questions here too. My audio journey started on iPad with AUM and some of the apps you're using, then I got into Ableton and sort of forgot about these brilliant apps, so your ideas are a perfect way to get them married and live happy, creative life full of sounds. I will certainly want to experiment with live sampling of voice from the mic, any ideas how to set it up, so it can be used in Samplr (I assume it's just getting the audio from the right channel) or Ableton's Sampler and playing the samples with midi from Fugue for example? Cheers!
So glad to hear it's helpful! Thanks for watching. Unfortunately, you can't sample from he iPad microphone if it's connected to an audio interface (at least not that I'm aware of). You'd need to connect a microphone to the 4c or audio interface of your choice and then sample from that input. If you're using an apple laptop, you could set up an aggregate device that combines the inputs from the MacBook pro's microphone as well as the audio interface you have connected.
Thanks for the great detailed walkthrough! The timing couldn't have been better as my Audio 4c arrived in the mail last week. One thing I'm stuck on is using the iPad for insert effects rather than the send effects you demonstrated. It is possible with the 4c to send a dry signal from Ableton into an iPad for processing, and then send it back to Ableton without hearing any of the original signal? I was messing around for about half an hour yesterday and couldn't for the life of me figure it out...
Awesome! Welcome to the 4c club. Yes, you can do what you're describing. Assuming you have laptop connected to USB port 1, and iPad to USB port 2, you can do this: When using "Play USB1" Configuration in Auracle, the audio from output channel 3/4 will land on the iPad on input channel 7/8. So, on the Ableton track you want to send to the iPad for processing, set the output channel to 3/4 - not the "Master" - and create an input channel in AUM (or whatever app you're using) to receive audio from input 7/8. You should have the laptop audio coming through to work with there. You can create a separate track in Ableton to receive the processed audio; iPad's output channels 1/2 will show up on the laptop from inputs 5/6, or inputs 7/8 if you're sending from outputs 3/4 on the iPad. Hope that helps and makes sense. It's hard to type all of the routing stuff sometimes.
I have a lovely Aurora 32 channel with all my external gear connected. How can I use this setup ? I mean I will have to find a way to send the midi data and send/returns with my own config I guess ?
Hi there, what exactly are you hoping to use from this setup? I’m not sure what to suggest! But to send audio to iPad to process, you will likely need a second interface to interact with the Aurora. Would need more info to make a recommendation though.
Thank so much for sharing your workflow, Andrew! I came across your videos and your beautiful music because I want to change my workflow and I also want to work mainly with an iPad. I totally see the convenience of the iConnectivity interface, but since I already have the Arturia MiniFuse 2 (and no iPad yet), I am wondering if I could send Midi from the iPad to Ableton via the MiniFuse somehow? The MiniFuse has one USB-C port and one USB-A hub at the back. Is it possible to just connect the iPad with the USB-A port/hub?
Cheers! My pleasure, thanks for watching. If you have an Apple laptop, then you can send MIDI from iPad to Ableton by simply connecting your iPad to your laptop via USB cable. Audio and MIDI can be sent to the laptop via IDAM (Inter Device Audio and MIDI). Search for videos here - lots of people have done better explanations of this than I can. The main limitation of IDAM compared to this workflow I’m showing is that audio and MIDI from Ableton live can’t be sent back to the iPad this way (2-way communication is the main advantage of the connectivity interface). The USB port on the back of your interface is only for controllers/peripherals like MIDI keyboards and such. It will not recognize a computer or tablet plugged in there.
@@andrewtasselmyer2436 Oh I see. Thank you so much for clarifying. I think I might try sending MIDI to Ableton directly and see how far I can go. Maybe this is already a good starting point. In case I want to level up the setup, I know which interface to buy ;-) Thanks again, Andrew!
Thanks so much for this! I picked up an audio4c after watching. In the video you sample the audio from ableton into Samplr and then process it… but is there a way to use this workflow to live process audio from ableton into AUM (FX chains there) and then send it back into ableton? I sort of have it working based on the audio routing you explain, but when I monitor the audio coming back into ableton it’s creating feedback…
Yes, you can do that! There will likely be some considerable/noticeable latency, though, so just be aware of that. It sounds like the audio you’re sending back to Ableton is running to the iPad again…make sure that whatever you are sending back to the laptop from the iPad isn’t also being monitored on the same channel you’re sending to the iPad for processing. I hope that makes sense…tough to type about it without looking at the settings!
Makes sense! Thank you! That solved the feedback issue :) But I wonder, is there a way to send audio from ableton thru FX on the ipad then back into ableton, and not hear the original audio clip playing in ableton at the same time, only the processed audio that is coming back from the ipad? Any attempt I make to isolate the signal coming back from the ipad mutes out the initial audio clip from sending anything into the ipad... if that makes sense. Sorry to trouble you with this trivial audio routing stuff!@@andrewtasselmyer2436
thought I had it then......I copied your iconfig map...took in the idea someone suggested about making auracle software have the clock from usb 1. My ipad seems to have an issue with recognising ableton link (and show the moving bar under the play sign) and only working when I disconnect and reconnect the ipad...then when audio is played...high pitched tone that doesn't go away even after I close all apps and disconnect all wires...only when i power down the 4c....only happens with audio coming from the ipad tho. its alright with midi...must be some kind of feedback yeah? I've copied everything so closely
@@andrewtasselmyer2436 yes and thank you for taking the time to chat!....I'll type this here incase anyone else reading comes accross the same issue as I did...If you have an Ipad pro 4th gen with a usb-c port (or similar) you will need a usb hub or preferably the apple cck out the ipad then a usb-a cable from that into usb-c on the interface....works a charm now!
somehow I'm getting some sort of groung loop/high pitched noise whilst using this audio4c. I have it connected just like you do...mac in usb-c 1, ipad in usb-c 2 and kontrol m32 in usb host. getting it working the other day but everytime I add an audio source to go from the ipad to ableton on top of a midi player (already working nice) I get the high pitched squeel that only goes away when the 4c is unplugged! watching vids now of how to stop that and got a support ticket opened!....I'm almost there!
ok....I watched intently on your first vid and loved it so much I bought the audio4c.....it arrived today and I'm setting it up....rewatching this over and over...still cant get it going got the sound interface working in Ableton fine (and followed all the same settings of yours too) plugged ipad into port 2 and again followed all your settings in aum but somehow my sequencers on the ipad aren't playing now no audio at all....maybe ive missed something in the audio4c software?
Hmm...without seeing your settings for myself, it's hard to say what's happening there. There are a lot of potential root causes: 1. When you say the "sequencers aren't playing" - are you referring to MIDI sequencers on iPad literally not responding to transport messages (Start/Stop/Clock)? Or are you saying that you do not hear audio playing from the instruments you want to sequence in Ableton Live? What sequencer are you trying to use? 2. Can you see MIDI signals being received in Ableton Live and do you see any level meters active to indicate that audio is being generated from the channel you're trying to sequence? If so, are your monitoring settings correct on the appropriate Ableton Live channel? (i.e. monitoring set to "auto" with record enabled?) 3. Have you ensured that MIDI on USB2 is being routed to USB1 using the MIDI Matrix Router in AUM? 4. Is your MIDI sequencer on the iPad set to a different channel than in Ableton Live? 5. Are your MIDI settings in Ableton Live set to receive Track/Sync/Remote signals from USB2 in settings (i.e. checkboxes checked)? 6. Have you checked if any channels in Auracle are muted?
@@andrewtasselmyer2436 ah man, thanks for the reply.....it actually started to work. pretty sure I hadn't changed anything but it just started to work! had to get over the audio4c making anear piercing shriek at me (had to turn it off to stop it) but I also found your substack post which was most helpful! both mac and pad are now talking to one another! got fugue playing a VST in Ableton! how do you route different playheads to different VSTs tho?
Great video, really helped. One issue on Windows i can't set it up to 48khz, when i do that in Auracle just doesn't send any audio anymore. Could be a driver issue?
Thank you! Hmm. I’m not very familiar with Windows audio settings, but it does indeed sound like a driver issue to me. I wish I could be more helpful there!
@@andrewtasselmyer2436 No worries, i'll look for help, working on 44.1 is also good. I have another question, i did follow your settings, everything does work flawlessly except when i tried sending Ableton audio back to ipad trough channels 7-8 like you suggested into SAMPLR. For some reason it showed that is recording audio(audio was going out on send C in Ableton like you explained ) and i did boost signal with utility a bit, but in SAMPLR there was no audio visible. What am i missing here? Thank you for your help, much appreciated
are you sure samplr works at 48KHz sampling rate and not 44.1KHz only? Every time to work with Samplr and ableton i got sound crackles unless i set the sampling rate to 44.1KHz...
I’m not sure about Samplr - I was moreso referring to AUM, which can work at a variety of sample rates but defaults to 48 kHz. I usually don’t change from 48 kHz and it tends to work OK in all applications including Samplr, but maybe someone more knowledgeable than I am can offer more insight.
I had a Push 2 and didn't really take to it. The upgrades in Push 3 are really great, especially MPE compatibility and the built-in audio/MIDI connections. They should've done that from the start! The standalone stuff doesn't interest me too much, as I'm not that worried about avoiding the use of my laptop to begin with...I'm totally fine having it there with me on stage or in studio. CPU specs look pretty weak so I'm glad it will be upgradeable over time. I do like the Push as a control surface though; it saves a lot of time and is more efficient than manually creating custom MIDI mapped widgets in Loopy Pro, LK, and the like. I just wish it was smaller and less expensive.
I've seen good reactions with hardware like the Maschine+ and new Akai MPC lineup (FORCE, LIVE, etc.) being used as the "computers" in this setup. You get full access to audio and MIDI. I don't believe the PUSH will work as it's not class compliant or hosting devices. I haven't looked into the PUSH 3 a ton yet so maybe that change will act more in the way of being able to host other devices.
I'm back, Although I haven't follow since 2022 it seems like I can get some lessons now. Remember I'm on windows and I have ipad and will get some ipads.
Thank you so much for sharing this. Your generosity is unmatched in the iPad/Ableton scene.
Thank you Ando. You're too kind! I'm glad it's helpful.
@@andrewtasselmyer2436 It's very helpful. It also shows me just how much I have to learn.
Thank you for sharing your setup and tips on how you do it. Since I watched your first video where you shared you use the AUDIO4c I got sold into it. My previous setup with a Focusrite Solo was not doing the trick due to the hiss or noise sounds coming from the iPad into Ableton. I moved forward with the AUDIO4c and I'm really happy after 10 months of use. I really believe this is an underrated audio device. Very powerful with MIDI routing and the internal Audio patching. I can't find any other audio device that can be shared between 2 devices simultaneously, so iConnectivity rocks on this field. Thanks again for this. I have enjoyed watching your videos and listening your music! ✌
That's great to hear. It was a total game-changing moment for me, too! I am so glad this device exists. I wish other manufacturers would jump on the dual-device train...we can keep hoping.
This is pure gold. Things the manual doesn't cover or gear review videos. Excellent job! Thank you.
Happy to help! Thanks for watching.
This is so helpful!
Thanks Brady, glad to hear that! It was fun to prepare and talk more about it.
Great for making the iPad a multi effects unit , extended sound engine hub. Excellent.
indeed - thanks for watching!
Your timing a this video is perfect. One hour!
Haha, the standard
Great tutorial bringing iPad to desktop!
Glad you think so! Thanks for watching
much appreciated!!!
Cheers! Thanks for watching.
The best explanation I have seen on the use of the Audio4C that I have found. Thank you for posting this. Now subscribed
Awesome, thank you! I appreciate the kind words and glad it helped.
once again thank you Andrew for demonstrating how you set things up. I have been following your channel for a while now and purchased an audio4c a few months ago but had nothing but trouble and was finding it difficult and frustrating to use. As you mentioned its not perfect but taking it back to basics like you have and just using the USB1 set up seems to be a sweet spot.
I set up an ableton template like you described and straight away got some pleasing results out of just using 1 instance of fugue, chordjam and some ableton instruments. thanks sooooo much for sharing this - now i hope to be able to find some time to record some music :)
That's great to hear! Thank so much for taking the time to watch and for sharing this. Wishing all the best to you on your music-making journey.
Cheers,
AT
This is incredible, thank you so much for taking the time to break your workflow down. I'm new to this space and have been wanting a workflow like this for awhile. Eternally grateful 🙏
Do you or anyone else know if the Audo4C workflow also works on PC?
Happy to help and offer inspiration! Yes, the 4c will work with anything - Mac, PC, android and iOS.
Thanks for the clarification of your first video here.
Through some investigation and trial and error its the the same routing as i have been using, apart from routing the ipad audio out through channels on Ableton, shall try this as having it direct fron the 4c would occasionally trip me up!
Also i found setting the clock to usb 1 (Ableton) in Auracle improved the synchronization, always had issues with clock and IDAM
Great to hear, and thanks for watching! Yeah, there are many ways to do it and it's quite flexible. Good to know about that sync tip. Thanks for sharing!
Why not give AUM channels and midi busses its own dedicated audio/midi channels in ableton using external audio racks. That’s where the external audio racks are made for. This also allows for using effect plugins in AUM as inserts or as send/returns in Ableton. Just create multiple virtual channels on both OS and iOS side on the iconnect. Gives more control and less thinking about what goes where during the creative process imho.
Great comment, thanks! And yes, you can definitely do that. I actually do it occasionally when performing live. I was debating on whether to include that info here but simply ran out of time.
Since I spend most of my time just slowly making sounds in Kontakt on the laptop, and I don't do any live processing on the iPad effects, I don't really have a lot to think about and it's easy for me to just glance at the session view and see the send knob levels. I know anything going to outs 1/2 or 3/4 will be available to catch on the iPad anyway, and I personally prefer the quick visual reference there. But your comment did remind me to revisit this method again sometime soon for upcoming live performances.
A question. This is what I need. Do I need a specific hardware for that, or can I just connect my ipad directly to my mac through usb and setup things in ableton/AUM? I have a lot of good effects and instruments apps on my ipad and would like to fully integrate them to ableton all in their specific channel with their specific effects. Also I have some masterizing/mixing apps that could be loaded in the master channel on ableton. Is that possible some way?
I read on the audiobus forum that you can have up to nine stereo channels from iPad to Ableton (with one stereo channel from Ableton to iPad). In your video it looks like there are only 4 stereo channels into Ableton. Where would you configure the routing so nine stereo channels are available in Ableton? Thanks!
Just to clarify, by “stereo channels” do you mean pairs? As far as I know, the most you can send in any one direction is 8 mono channels, or 4 stereo pairs. I don’t know if that’s changed.
The current control software is called Auracle and is extremely simplified, it only lets you access 2 stereo pairs at a time. You have to use an older version of the control software to configure the full routing potential in a matrix mixer - it’s called “iConfig” but is no longer supported by the company. A group of people have repurposed the code and developed an alternative called “reConfig for audio” that’s searchable on the App Store and elsewhere…would recommend playing around with that instead!
Awesome stuff!!!
Thanks for watching!
@@andrewtasselmyer2436 Thanks for sharing!
Amazing video , this is a very interesting use case, after some research the only audio interface that can do this is the Audio 4C ( and maybe the Antelope Zen Quadro) but i was wondering if you actually tired the preamps on that interface! because i read it has bad noise floor and pretty noisy in general for instrument in or xlr in.
Thanks for watching! The preamps are not that great for demanding use cases, I’ve found that there’s some noise at high gain settings. I find that I need an inline booster to use my Shure SM7B with it, for instance.
Nice setup... I have only just started to use Ableton and I have mostly been using iOs so joining two up is what brought me here...
Do you know of any other audio devices that have the USBC midi and audio functionality?
Welcome aboard! Unfortunately the only other remotely similar interface to the 4c is the Lewitt Connect 6. It’s missing some
Of the functionality, but it does allow you to connect two devices simultaneously.
Wow, thank you so much for that!
cheers! Thanks for watching.
Hi thanks for the in-depth look at your setup. One thing I have had trouble with is getting audio from Alberton into Simplr in AUM, I created an empty audio channel and set it to receive 7/8 from 3/4 in the return channel in Alberton and it works but unfortunately it doesn’t in simplr when I open the record options and choose 7/8. Other than that all else works. Thanks. One small issue however, I’m using an iPad with lightning and could only get the 4c into the AUM matrix when I used an Apple lightning to USB 3 camera adapter with the supplied iconnectivity USB C to USB 3 adapter. Again thanks for the follow up to your previous video.
Cheers, thanks for watching! Just to make sure, do you have a channel in AUM set up with Samplr on it? Samplr runs as an "inter app audio" or IAA device, so you will need to put it on its own channel in AUM and have the app running in the background. You will hear its audio from the output of AUM. Hope that helps!
That's a dream coming true...
I'm seriously considering buying this interface but I fear all this won't work well with my mid 2015 macbook pro and my mid 2016 first generation ipad pro... a little bit old machines (with different usb too). Can I ask your possible opinion about this? I see you use maybe the latest laptop an ipad generation and everything seems sooooo perfect!
Thanks so much for watching! It is such a fun setup to use.
I honestly think any MacBook or iPad supporting the latest OS builds is perfectly fine for this stuff. It doesn’t need to be blazing fast or cutting edge. This stuff in the video is all 2.5 years old (2021 models) and it still feels great.
Apple releases so much stuff at such a rapid pace, but don’t feel pressured to upgrade if what you have works.
@@andrewtasselmyer2436 iConnectivity interfaces and USB class compliant and use coreaudio and MIDI. This means the hardware will always work on iOS and Mac OS unless Apple changes their whole system.
The only trip up could be the control software, Auracle X.
You will need a "newer" Mac OS version (10.13+) If you have an older Mac Os version you should be able to use iConfig but the setup will look different in that software, but you can still set it up the same way.
@@andrewtasselmyer2436
Hi! Excuse me if I bother you again but I think I have an issue here and I could use any kind of suggestion:
I just got my brand new Audio4c but I had problems connecting both my old macbook and my old ipad with lightning port…
The usbC-usbC cable and the usbC-usbA little adapter included in the box worked fine for connecting the mac via port1 of the audio4c.
So I tried to connect the ipad, at the same time, using a charger cable borrowed from my iphone12mini, it's a lightning-usbC cable. From port 2, with this cable, the ipad is being charged but doesn't seem to recognize the unit.
To make the ipad recog the unit I had to unplug the mac and use: the included usbC-usbC cable + the little adapter included
+ a camera kit connection and external charging anyway!!!...
So what's the point??
Maybe for lack of cables and adapters (or maybe of knowledge about’em: which one will I need???) I still haven't tried the two device workflow experience, which is may main goal!!!
🎛🤖🤯
Amazing, thanks a lot!! One question, the capability to connect both iPad and Laptop and/or iPhone to share midi/audio is unique to iConnectivity or does it work the same with, let's say a Motu M4 or UA Volt etc. if using a powered USB adapter with multiple ports? Am I missing something?
Thanks for watching! Yes, this interface is the only one (aside from the Lewitt Connect 6 that allows two connected devices to seamlessly share audio and MIDI over USB. The other interfaces you mention only communicate with 1 computer or tablet at a time. A USB hub only transmits data on each port; not audio.
Thank you so much for the detailed explanation! I've been looking to run my ipad and external synths running through Ableton, controlled by my SL MK3. I have most things working from your description. I can send audio from my macbook, through ableton, out channels 1+2, and have the iPad read on inputs 5+6 to record audio. I can also send Midi from the ipad to Ableton on the laptop. However, the thing I still cannot get is having audio coming from the ipad, into Ableton by monitoring ext channels 5-6, or even 7-8 (ipad output is USB 1-2, or USB 3-4, respectively). When I open up Auracle, I can hear audio as long as I have USB 1-2 turned up. However, I'm not picking up any audio from Ableton.
The Audio4c is reading the audio from the ipad just fine. I get an audio feed from Auracle, like you do in your video. However, when I turn it down or mute it, and try turning it up in Ableton, I don't even get any readings on the channel itself that any audio is coming through. If I plug in a microphone to Input 1 on the analog inputs, and talk into it, I get an audio feed on all ext channels, 1 - 8. It's like the mic in Analog Input 1 is taking over the entire input chain for ext channels in Ableton. Do you know what I might be missing? I've tried looking through the Audio4c manual, but to be honest, I don't even know what this problem would be called to look it up lol.
Any help would be appreciated!
Thanks for watching! Gosh, I have no idea what to make of that problem. That is bizarre and can’t say I’ve ever seen something like that happen. It almost sounds like an issue in Live, but no way to tell for sure without seeing it.
Have you tried contacting the folks at iConnectivity? They have been super helpful in my experience, and I’m sure could direct you to a solution.
@@andrewtasselmyer2436 Thanks for responding! This week I even bought a new Audio4c thinking maybe mine was faulty. Same issue. I even tried uninstalling / reinstalling Ableton in case something got messed up on the install, but still no luck.
The strange thing is that I can send audio out on Ext 3/4, and receive audio into the ipad in AUM on channels 7/8. I can even receive midi from the ipad to the macbook. The only thing not working are Ext In audio tracks. If I plug my mic into Mic 1 on the Audio4c, I get audio coming into Ableton. If I instead plug the mic into Mic 2, and ensure audio is turned up in Auracle, not a peep. Can't even see the bars indicating audio is being fed in.
I've reached out to iConnectivity like you said and am hoping they may be able to help me out. I may reach out to Ableton as well to see if maybe they might know what I could have configured improperly in Ableton. It's quite a frustrating issue! I'll respond back if I can get a solution in case it helps someone else. Thanks again!
Just wanted to drop another note. I tried plugging in a Scarlett Solo and was receiving the same issue. This weekend I tried reinstalling Ableton, and the problem persisted. So I took the nuclear route and reinstalled MacOS on my laptop, grabbed a fresh download of Ableton, installed it and now everything is working beautifully. I have no idea what software or setting I had on my Mac, but once I got rid of it and started over, everything works great. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Thanks again for the video!
@@user-qc3mr2ub5j did you ever get this sorted out?
thank you very much for this tutorial.
I'm not far from buying the 4C.
I just wonder if in the set up that you present I could also use the 4 physical inputs and the 3/4 physical outputs for hardware...
Thanks again for sharing!
Yes, absolutely! Whatever you plug in to the 4 inputs is always available on either connected device.
Thank you so much Andrew, your videos are invaluable resource. Just ordered the 4c and will probably have some questions here too. My audio journey started on iPad with AUM and some of the apps you're using, then I got into Ableton and sort of forgot about these brilliant apps, so your ideas are a perfect way to get them married and live happy, creative life full of sounds. I will certainly want to experiment with live sampling of voice from the mic, any ideas how to set it up, so it can be used in Samplr (I assume it's just getting the audio from the right channel) or Ableton's Sampler and playing the samples with midi from Fugue for example? Cheers!
So glad to hear it's helpful! Thanks for watching.
Unfortunately, you can't sample from he iPad microphone if it's connected to an audio interface (at least not that I'm aware of). You'd need to connect a microphone to the 4c or audio interface of your choice and then sample from that input.
If you're using an apple laptop, you could set up an aggregate device that combines the inputs from the MacBook pro's microphone as well as the audio interface you have connected.
@@andrewtasselmyer2436 Then the plan is to connect the mic via the 4c, cheers!
Thanks for the great detailed walkthrough! The timing couldn't have been better as my Audio 4c arrived in the mail last week. One thing I'm stuck on is using the iPad for insert effects rather than the send effects you demonstrated. It is possible with the 4c to send a dry signal from Ableton into an iPad for processing, and then send it back to Ableton without hearing any of the original signal? I was messing around for about half an hour yesterday and couldn't for the life of me figure it out...
Awesome! Welcome to the 4c club. Yes, you can do what you're describing. Assuming you have laptop connected to USB port 1, and iPad to USB port 2, you can do this:
When using "Play USB1" Configuration in Auracle, the audio from output channel 3/4 will land on the iPad on input channel 7/8. So, on the Ableton track you want to send to the iPad for processing, set the output channel to 3/4 - not the "Master" - and create an input channel in AUM (or whatever app you're using) to receive audio from input 7/8. You should have the laptop audio coming through to work with there. You can create a separate track in Ableton to receive the processed audio; iPad's output channels 1/2 will show up on the laptop from inputs 5/6, or inputs 7/8 if you're sending from outputs 3/4 on the iPad.
Hope that helps and makes sense. It's hard to type all of the routing stuff sometimes.
I have a lovely Aurora 32 channel with all my external gear connected. How can I use this setup ? I mean I will have to find a way to send the midi data and send/returns with my own config I guess ?
Hi there, what exactly are you hoping to use from this setup? I’m not sure what to suggest! But to send audio to iPad to process, you will likely need a second interface to interact with the Aurora. Would need more info to make a recommendation though.
Thank so much for sharing your workflow, Andrew! I came across your videos and your beautiful music because I want to change my workflow and I also want to work mainly with an iPad. I totally see the convenience of the iConnectivity interface, but since I already have the Arturia MiniFuse 2 (and no iPad yet), I am wondering if I could send Midi from the iPad to Ableton via the MiniFuse somehow? The MiniFuse has one USB-C port and one USB-A hub at the back. Is it possible to just connect the iPad with the USB-A port/hub?
Cheers! My pleasure, thanks for watching. If you have an Apple laptop, then you can send MIDI from iPad to Ableton by simply connecting your iPad to your laptop via USB cable. Audio and MIDI can be sent to the laptop via IDAM (Inter Device Audio and MIDI). Search for videos here - lots of people have done better explanations of this than I can.
The main limitation of IDAM compared to this workflow I’m showing is that audio and MIDI from Ableton live can’t be sent back to the iPad this way (2-way communication is the main advantage of the connectivity interface).
The USB port on the back of your interface is only for controllers/peripherals like MIDI keyboards and such. It will not recognize a computer or tablet plugged in there.
@@andrewtasselmyer2436 Oh I see. Thank you so much for clarifying. I think I might try sending MIDI to Ableton directly and see how far I can go. Maybe this is already a good starting point. In case I want to level up the setup, I know which interface to buy ;-) Thanks again, Andrew!
Thanks so much for this! I picked up an audio4c after watching.
In the video you sample the audio from ableton into Samplr and then process it… but is there a way to use this workflow to live process audio from ableton into AUM (FX chains there) and then send it back into ableton? I sort of have it working based on the audio routing you explain, but when I monitor the audio coming back into ableton it’s creating feedback…
Yes, you can do that! There will likely be some considerable/noticeable latency, though, so just be aware of that. It sounds like the audio you’re sending back to Ableton is running to the iPad again…make sure that whatever you are sending back to the laptop from the iPad isn’t also being monitored on the same channel you’re sending to the iPad for processing. I hope that makes sense…tough to type about it without looking at the settings!
Makes sense! Thank you! That solved the feedback issue :) But I wonder, is there a way to send audio from ableton thru FX on the ipad then back into ableton, and not hear the original audio clip playing in ableton at the same time, only the processed audio that is coming back from the ipad? Any attempt I make to isolate the signal coming back from the ipad mutes out the initial audio clip from sending anything into the ipad... if that makes sense. Sorry to trouble you with this trivial audio routing stuff!@@andrewtasselmyer2436
thought I had it then......I copied your iconfig map...took in the idea someone suggested about making auracle software have the clock from usb 1. My ipad seems to have an issue with recognising ableton link (and show the moving bar under the play sign) and only working when I disconnect and reconnect the ipad...then when audio is played...high pitched tone that doesn't go away even after I close all apps and disconnect all wires...only when i power down the 4c....only happens with audio coming from the ipad tho. its alright with midi...must be some kind of feedback yeah? I've copied everything so closely
Sorry you’re having trouble! Hopefully iConnectivity could get you sorted over email like we chatted about.
@@andrewtasselmyer2436 yes and thank you for taking the time to chat!....I'll type this here incase anyone else reading comes accross the same issue as I did...If you have an Ipad pro 4th gen with a usb-c port (or similar) you will need a usb hub or preferably the apple cck out the ipad then a usb-a cable from that into usb-c on the interface....works a charm now!
somehow I'm getting some sort of groung loop/high pitched noise whilst using this audio4c. I have it connected just like you do...mac in usb-c 1, ipad in usb-c 2 and kontrol m32 in usb host. getting it working the other day but everytime I add an audio source to go from the ipad to ableton on top of a midi player (already working nice) I get the high pitched squeel that only goes away when the 4c is unplugged! watching vids now of how to stop that and got a support ticket opened!....I'm almost there!
Sorry you’re having trouble! Hopefully iConnectivity could get you sorted over email like we chatted about.
ok....I watched intently on your first vid and loved it so much I bought the audio4c.....it arrived today and I'm setting it up....rewatching this over and over...still cant get it going
got the sound interface working in Ableton fine (and followed all the same settings of yours too) plugged ipad into port 2 and again followed all your settings in aum but somehow my sequencers on the ipad aren't playing now
no audio at all....maybe ive missed something in the audio4c software?
Hmm...without seeing your settings for myself, it's hard to say what's happening there. There are a lot of potential root causes:
1. When you say the "sequencers aren't playing" - are you referring to MIDI sequencers on iPad literally not responding to transport messages (Start/Stop/Clock)? Or are you saying that you do not hear audio playing from the instruments you want to sequence in Ableton Live? What sequencer are you trying to use?
2. Can you see MIDI signals being received in Ableton Live and do you see any level meters active to indicate that audio is being generated from the channel you're trying to sequence? If so, are your monitoring settings correct on the appropriate Ableton Live channel? (i.e. monitoring set to "auto" with record enabled?)
3. Have you ensured that MIDI on USB2 is being routed to USB1 using the MIDI Matrix Router in AUM?
4. Is your MIDI sequencer on the iPad set to a different channel than in Ableton Live?
5. Are your MIDI settings in Ableton Live set to receive Track/Sync/Remote signals from USB2 in settings (i.e. checkboxes checked)?
6. Have you checked if any channels in Auracle are muted?
@@andrewtasselmyer2436 ah man, thanks for the reply.....it actually started to work. pretty sure I hadn't changed anything but it just started to work! had to get over the audio4c making anear piercing shriek at me (had to turn it off to stop it) but I also found your substack post which was most helpful! both mac and pad are now talking to one another! got fugue playing a VST in Ableton! how do you route different playheads to different VSTs tho?
Great video, really helped. One issue on Windows i can't set it up to 48khz, when i do that in Auracle just doesn't send any audio anymore. Could be a driver issue?
Thank you! Hmm. I’m not very familiar with Windows audio settings, but it does indeed sound like a driver issue to me. I wish I could be more helpful there!
@@andrewtasselmyer2436 No worries, i'll look for help, working on 44.1 is also good. I have another question, i did follow your settings, everything does work flawlessly except when i tried sending Ableton audio back to ipad trough channels 7-8 like you suggested into SAMPLR. For some reason it showed that is recording audio(audio was going out on send C in Ableton like you explained ) and i did boost signal with utility a bit, but in SAMPLR there was no audio visible. What am i missing here? Thank you for your help, much appreciated
are you sure samplr works at 48KHz sampling rate and not 44.1KHz only? Every time to work with Samplr and ableton i got sound crackles unless i set the sampling rate to 44.1KHz...
I’m not sure about Samplr - I was moreso referring to AUM, which can work at a variety of sample rates but defaults to 48 kHz. I usually don’t change from 48 kHz and it tends to work OK in all applications including Samplr, but maybe someone more knowledgeable than I am can offer more insight.
Great! Any interest in push 3 standalone, wonder how ipad could interface with it?
I had a Push 2 and didn't really take to it. The upgrades in Push 3 are really great, especially MPE compatibility and the built-in audio/MIDI connections. They should've done that from the start! The standalone stuff doesn't interest me too much, as I'm not that worried about avoiding the use of my laptop to begin with...I'm totally fine having it there with me on stage or in studio. CPU specs look pretty weak so I'm glad it will be upgradeable over time. I do like the Push as a control surface though; it saves a lot of time and is more efficient than manually creating custom MIDI mapped widgets in Loopy Pro, LK, and the like. I just wish it was smaller and less expensive.
I've seen good reactions with hardware like the Maschine+ and new Akai MPC lineup (FORCE, LIVE, etc.) being used as the "computers" in this setup. You get full access to audio and MIDI. I don't believe the PUSH will work as it's not class compliant or hosting devices. I haven't looked into the PUSH 3 a ton yet so maybe that change will act more in the way of being able to host other devices.
can I used iPad without pencil is it work
Yes, you can. You don’t need the pencil.
I'm back, Although I haven't follow since 2022 it seems like I can get some lessons now. Remember I'm on windows and I have ipad and will get some ipads.
Thanks for watching!