AUM vs iOS DAW? | my Workflow for Mobile Music Production | haQ attaQ
Вставка
- Опубліковано 1 жов 2024
- Viewers have questioned me about my choices of DAWs and music production apps so many times over the years. And my answers are always the same. It's all comes down to "workflow". So what I am trying to do - dictates what I end up using for achieving my goals. In this episode of haQ attaQ I am pitting AUM vs Cubasis against each other, while trying to highlight the pros and cons of working with a modular mixer versus a fully fledged DAW.
Auria and Garageband ...
"Why do you never talk about Auria or Garageband Jakob?". I do not talk about stuff I that I do not use. Before you get angry over that fact that I'm not into something you might be into, remeber that we all have preferences. Preferences in what we eat, what we wear and what apps we use.
I have never "clicked" with either Garageband or Auria due to their GUI (Graphical User Interfaces). Believe me, I have tried many times under long periods for the past six years. It just does not work. There is nothing wrong with these apps, they're both extremely competent apps, but they're just not for me. The reason to why I put them in the thumbnail and video is because I wanted to show other DAWs that aren't cubasis (and I also wanted to some of my Auria and Garageband using viewers happy).
❤️ CONNECT WITH ME ❤️
2ND CHANNEL ► / @jakobhaqlive
PATREON ► / jakobhaq
PAYPAL DONATE ► www.paypal.me/...
INSTAGRAM ► / jakob_haq
TWITTER ► / jakob_haq
FACEBOOK ► / haqattaq
DISCORD ► / discord
➡️ APP LINKS ➡️
AUM ► apps.apple.com...
CUBASIS 2 ► apps.apple.com...
AURIA PRO ► apps.apple.com...
GARAGEBAND ► apps.apple.com...
HARDWARE SHOWN / MENTIONED IN VIDEO
IKM iLOUD MTM ► www.ikmultimed...
NANOKEY STUDIO ► www.korg.com/s...
NANOKONTROLL STUDIO ► www.korg.com/s...
👊🏼 MORE iOS MUSIC UA-camRS 👊🏼
THESOUNDTESTROOM ► / thesoundtestroom
THEAUDIODABBLER ► / @theaudiodabbler
NU-TRIX THE SYNTH GUY ► / @nu-trix
HENNY THA BIZNESS ► / @hennythabizness
THEGARAGEBANDGUIDE ► / thegaragebandguide
DAVEYPOO ► / @daveypoommm
REDSKYLULLABY ► / redskylullaby
PETE JOHNS ► / @petejohnsmusic
DJ PUZZLE IPADLOOPS ► / ipadloops
▼ IOS MUSICIAN RESOURCE SITES ▼
Want even more information on how to create music with your iOS device?
►discchord.com
►www.matrixsynt...
►www.palmsounds.net
►www.synthanatom...
►forum.audiob.us
►apptronica.us
►iosmusicandyou....
►apps4idevices.com
►smitematter.com
"You NEVER talk about Auria or Garageband Jakob?!"
.
.
.
.
.
I do not talk about stuff I that I do not use. Before you get angry over that fact that I'm not into something you might be into, remeber that we all have preferences. Preferences in what we eat, what we wear and what apps we use. I have never "clicked" with either Garageband or Auria due to their GUI (Graphical User Interfaces). Believe me, I have tried many times under long periods for the past six years. It just does not work.
.
There is nothing wrong with these apps, they're both extremely competent apps, but they're just not for me. The reason to why I put them in the thumbnail and video is because I wanted to show other DAWs that aren't cubasis (and I also wanted to make some of my Auria and Garageband-using viewers happy).
It took me a while to get used to GarageBand and I agree, the UI can be very difficult but like you said, it is a very capable iOS DAW as well. Happy to hear you talking about these other DAWs and featuring them in your videos, even if you don’t use them yourself. I agree too... having options of what DAW to use is a good thing and preferences are a good thing as well! Love your content Jakob!
Jakob Haq I have also tried very hard with GarageBand and I think it has some excellent features. But, it just drives me insane. I think that because the way it works in several key areas is so fundamentally different from the Apps I have “clicked,” with - it just feels like it is resisting me rather than working with me. It’s me, not the App, but I just naturally turn to the things that feel natural, not apps that are hard work.
Perfect response. I haven't dived deep into Cubasis, Beatmaker, or Auria, even though I have Cubasis and Beatmaker but they are fantastic apps. I think it's time I embrace that. I don't need to know all apps.
I think the reason why Cubasis relates to you is because you started out with Cubase, so the interface is similar. I started with Garageband because it was free and I didn't find a DAW that was similar to Ableton, simple to understand, and was also cheap.
So for me, Garageband, Gadget, Nanostudio, Zenbeats, Ampify suite (Groovebox, Blocs wave, Launchpad), and a few others have started entering into my workflow as my staple DAWs of choice. I get the feeling that I will go to Cubasis soon though if I can't connect with Zenbeats, or Beatmaker 3 for storing a ton of performances in scene mode.
Keep up the quality content. I learn a ton with each video.
Auria has a place as possibly the deepest iPad app for traditional ProTools style editing. But it’s languished and i think the dev hasn’t evolved it enough at all. I still use it for live recording because, well... I actually wan’t to see the waveform being drawn of my multitrack as i record my event. No idea why Cubasis doesn’t do that. Anyway, i think Auria could be the best, but i don’t know if the dev is up to the task of modernizing and iPad OS’ing the app.
I really wanted to like it more, but it just doesn’t have as nice and intuitive a workflow as Cubasis!
I agree. I prefer Nanostudio2 for make music.
If AUM didn't exist, then I probably wouldn't use an Ipad to make music.
There is also Audiobus...
You should try ApeMatrix then. It’s like AUM on steroids (if you like AUM because of its modular workflow). Too bad MPE midi isn’t great (from ROLI gear, it’s fine as AUV3).
@@EnriquePage91 ApeMatrix=AUM on steroids? I’m going to check this one out. Thanks 🙏 for the suggestion. Best regards, Emiel333
@@emiel333 good luck! I have to be honest, they both have their strengths. AUM is more stable but ApeMatrix is more “modular” to a certain extent. However there’s a bit less control on the MIDI side of the host itself.
I think for me, at this point, it has come down to how “fast” I want to work and whether I will be using gear or not. If I’m not using gear and I want speed, ApeMatrix is my favorite still. When I need to talk to gear, especially lots of gear, I prefer AUM as it has more options for syncing stuff with gear :).
ApeMatrix is amazing when u r only using the iPhone or iPad though!
There’s also this new one I wanna try worth 5 dollars called visualswift - music, but it needs iOS 14.2 I believe and I don’t want to upgrade my iPad and have it get slower... so I’ll have to wait on that one at least for now. It seems like a great modular host too!
AUM destroyed my work flow . So I have moved on to a two machine edict! That’s what apple has been making very clear. Two machines ! With Logic remote ( the iPad Pro IS the ultimate controller that works perfectly with Logic Pro no ccs or controller device setup required ) Workflow on AUM sucks and now it’s bye bye time AUM ! AUM is the most cluttered garbage I have seen . It’s for dudes who love exclusively unique garbage . I think mapping is a waste of time ! Especially with midi 2.0 coming ! Period! ✌️👽
Sounds like AUM is the center of the universe . I know Daws are passed over for this puzzle . It’s the most popular but least intuitive way to make music on the iPad . It’s for folks who thrive on exotic tools to achieve so so music . People say GarageBand steers the user in a certain direction that it nurses the user . This doesn’t even make a sound until you navigate seven or eight little nodes And looks like a @#@$&#@ mixer ! There is no simple and straightforward way way to use this ! Come on it’s about endless mapping mapping and more mapping with eye strain. The music comes last here . A daw is a place we’re ( if it’s done right ) ideas move at the speed of sound literally. Instruments, midi clips, audio files all Organized in the time line that ( when done right) gives a real over view of the project not little nodes and bits of waveforms in a porthole. I’ll never get this AUM thing as much as I love AudioShare which I use and love every day ( except retrieving stuff put in the trash and returning to its original folder with a simple undo move function) I use GarageBand and Gadget the latter ( gadget) is better suited for the more hardcore electro etc . GarageBand is the mobile version of logics engine and is a hybrid in my opinion of Logic and Ableton ( kinda ) certainly the way GarageBand allows 90% of the editing to be accomplished within the time without touching anything but the midi or audio puts its workflow light years ahead for composition and ease of use on mobile . Your method thrives on tons of preparation to control things . I’m sure controllers don’t compose the songs yet too so that is the main difference. M is for minutia in AUM and others like it . Ease of use isn’t for people with twenty years of using a daw . And no over view is ridiculous and totally off putting. 👽✌️
Great Stuff Jacob ! I'm 64 years old and I come from "Old school Gen" I record mostly with Logic, but since the Covid restrictions kicked in,
I have had more time to delve into a Dawless Rig!! And live Jam setups! For me , this is "Newland" so !! I watch all your great and fun Workshops!
Many thanks Jacob and Rock on !! (Er ... Am I allowed to say that 🤣👍🏾😉)
Love from Leuzigen in Switzerland !
I need an app that allows me to record midi notes from a 3 rd party app and edit them (using a synth for example)and record again making changes like cutoff ,res etc. GB won’t allow this although I like it.
Thanks ahead.👍
Hey Jakob this might be the wrong place to ask this question, but in your opinion with your experience using AUM….if you had completed/mastered backing tracks that you used to perform a live gig with….and you wanted to sync midi hardware gear(such as a Digitakt )with your backing tracks….is AUM the thing you would use to sync all that together? From my limited knowledge of AUM it seems like you could do that. Especially syncing up the BPM etc with your tracks & gear together…..🤔🤔🤔
Cubasis and AUM are totally different types of apps. You don't use one instead of the other. They serve different needs. You don't have multitrack recording line in cubasis. In cubasis you can record different instruments and vocals and create midi tracks and edit each track. AUM is for creating performances. You can't edit recorded tracks into a song with AUM. The apps are apples and oranges. Like Jacob said, cubasis is a classic daw and AUM isnt. A lot of people consider any complex app to be a daw but that just makes things confusing. It's like calling a midi keyboard a synth. You can call anything whatever you want but you will confuse people. I drove my washing machine to work yesterday. Oh yeah, I consider a car to be a washing machine.
great video! thanks for the inspiration~. can i ask how many ipads you have and how you use them all together for different purposes?
I really learned some very good tips from this presentation and clarified some thinking .
I also use both a DAW (Reaper) and a well equipped AUM environment. Some of my compositional work flow will be created in Reaper simply because in that environment I work with some of my favourite Kontakt libraries and other VST instruments. I then export untreated stems to Aum for processing in multiple file player channels plus when needed including audio from my favorite audio Auv3 instruments and samplers. I also use a midi controller device for mixing . Final mastering is achieved by busing to a master mix channel with suitable mastering effects inserted.
Of course I could easily reverse the process , because you are right , working in a DAW on a project is really nice for all the reasons you said. My main reason for my work flow is that I have some sonically superb effect processors that cost a fraction of VST equivalents (eg TB reverb ) plus it’s important to me to be able to nuance these effects during the final mix.
We are so lucky as musicians and composers at this point in time because it iis actually possible to create a great digital work environment for less than a good night out . There really isn’t a stock answer or “correct” answer to the original question in my opinion as like all painters we choose and find our own pallet,textures and colors 🙏🎩🦄🎵🎶🎹
Hmmm...so, if I'm understanding this correctly, what you're doing is essentially replacing a DAW with AUM......right? Of course, to do this, you'd need to connect several apps via AUM. Those apps could consist of sound modules, but is AUM adequate, in and of itself, to function as a controller/recorder? I wind up confused about which DAW to use, because, in iOS, they're all so clunky and unwieldy. I'm used to working with something like Acoustica Mixcraft in Windows, and I've been trying to find an iOS DAW that has the same look and functionality, which comes from having everything I need in one easy to use window, instead of divided up so I waste my time looking for things and never get anything done. If I could use AUM to control several apps without having to leave the AUM interface, that might work.
Workflows are the most important parts of music creation. It's very personal and you can have more than one. You nailed it with the 2 basic workflow : Live performance or production. In my case also have other workflows for hardware synths (dawless = performance) and music production using Ableton Live. Keep up the good work @Jakob Haq.
Thanks Bro! 👊🏼 Yeah the DAW-less thing, I haven’t yet been able to streamline that yet over here. I’m still looking into ways of getting it done, but my favourite hardware devices ... it’s an ever changing thing. It’s kinda hard to streamline stuff when I’m being like that. 😅😂
Normally I start building a loop-like „first“ idea in aum. i build a beat with several synced drum apps or samples. for recording and sending midi notes to several synths i normally use several atom piano roll instances (at least one instance per synth). now, as the loop grows the more fun it becomes and at some point it sounds „good enough“ and progress starts to decrease. this is an opportunity to switch over to a daw, so i will be able to really arrange this stuff (instead of simply (un-)mute single tracks or groups in the aum session). therefore i connect all aum outputs as „inputs“ to an app called audiobus and route the audio signals to my daw (cubasis). now i press the record button to transfer it (max. 8 tracks per recording). i add more tracks from aum into cubasis be re-assigning the tracks and press record again. when all aum tracks are transferred into the daw the „real“ fun/work can begin. that’s my way of working the flow. hope it helps someone. :)
That's a great workflow, thanks for the tip! Since you know so much about music production on iPad are there things that are holding you back or are you satisfied with the results you get?
@Paul Prayton
Yes, making music on iPad is great. I recently uploaded a video with a short AUM session. Did did it for you, because I could tell you what ever I want, concerning the results, lol. Better you make your own opinion, so pls visit my channel. Hope u like it. :)
P.S. I‘d say at this stage it’s good to move over to a DAW. Take care to not make your AUM sessions too complex, before switching over, it could become quiet messy when you got plenty of audio tracks, crazy fx-chains and the cpu is already cooking. Recreate your fx in the DAW to get best results and to keep flexibility.
I have AUM, but have yet to use it. I'm really stuck trying to find the right (for me) way to incorporate it into my "work flow". Right now I only use BM3, sometimes beathawk, and even more "sometimes" ZenBeats. I guess my issue is that because I consider myself more of a beat maker, producer, Its difficult to incorporate AUM into that world. I not much of a performer...
This is how I see it,based on my personal experience. I make music almost every day, 3-8 hours a day.
So when it gets to like inspiration moment or really just experimenting where I can get, then I go for AUM and similar apps. In these moments I want to get to something new.
But when I have a schedule and I need to finish the track or tracks as soon as possible and deliver it to the customer or maybe it’s a personal project for which I only have 1-2 days, then I usually evaluate the style I will work on and usually start my project on KORG Gadget or Nanostudio 2 and when a draft is ready I export the stems to finish them on Logic Pro X . Sometimes the style is very specific and I start the project directly on Logic Pro X. But the truth is, making it on an iPad is very comfortable and useful, specially when I’m tired of my studio and want to go out.
Hi there love your content just got my IPad Pro 12.9 M1 512 and now I must choose a daw or AUM for it I am basically wanting to record my own instruments add backing track but also make some nice tracks like you do also have a novation launchpad mini Mk3 and live lite on my mac
I loooove AUM!!!! But to my knowledge there is no way to record yourself playing midi notes straight into the mixer! I always have to use Fuge machine that only allows you to add notes manually. Maybe a work around that would be to put cubasis in a slot and record it in cubase enclosed in AUM? Well, that’s getting complicated! 🧐 But why not! If you have another idea, I would be curious about it!
You are correct, it does not. That being said, 4Pockets has a MIDI sequencer, (AUV3) and there are other ways to do it. Once again, a workflow issue. But it is a gap, for sure.
AUM was a gift because it works like a series of channel strips without looking like an officious series of channel strips (Auria). Channel strips the user can purpose build with effect sends and inserts per channel without firing up a DAW? Or having to look at a DAW? Brilliant. No, you can't "produce" on the back end, but taking the editor out of a performance environment is ideal. You can create without the distraction of "Oh wait, I should automate that, or trim this..." No. Create. Edit. Print. If the tools are available to sustain that, turn it up. I beta tested the very first commercial computer MIDI sequencer, was a product specialist for half the country for Logic before it was Logic, so I can work in a DAW. But if I don't have to get a sound or a jam rig I want? Hell yeah!
wish it had a more traditional GUI mixer like pro tools, logic and cubase, its not a digital audio workstation its a digital audio live mixer DALM
I always start my projects in AUM, and then I make the post production in Ableton Live.
Awesome video Jakob! Totally agree, have started adopting a duo AUM and Cubasis 3 method for making songs this week, has been super inspiring
Currently I'm trying to put together a kind of DAW without a DAW using AUM as the mixer.
I'm trying to power everything with a single sequencer - like I would in a hardware scenario. So I have a sample-based drum machine, granular synths and regular synths all sequenced by a single device.
I don't have a settled solution yet, I will readily admit. I'm presently testing Digikeys as it sends out MIDI data to 16 different sequencing channels, but I'm having a few frustrations with it. For instance: I want to control swing for the drum machine but the resolution of the sequences mean that I can only use the built-in swing function. The randomisation is great, though and the option of sequencing songs (stacking up selecting live the sequences) is very powerful.
If anyone has a suggestion for the sampling element of the workflow I'd much appreciate the input.
Hello Jakob, I am one of your followers catching a few live streams and searching through all your content. I’m an old school musician from the Tascam 4track days and Roland synth and rack effect units. I am new to IOS and received a 6th gen iPad years ago as a gift. I’m wondering if in the future you might do a video of say a basic set up for Guitar,bass,keyboard. We have so many options and it’s overwhelming for me. Maybe I should start with basic looping. AUM style looks interesting to me. I don’t want to put more on your plate but a thought for a future lesson. I also played Viola in school as well. 🤷♂️I see you have a cello you play. Thank you for your channel and time Jakob. Timothy(from Chicago)
I still want to learn Cubasis better, but I am spoiled by having a hardware sequencer/arranger (Deluge). So I always end up using Deluge in front of AUM. Since I can copy/edit/paste/save/load timelines in the Deluge this turns the Deluge+AUM combination into a DAW according to Jacobs definition. I hardly ever turn knobs in real time in AUM, sometimes use MIDI cc to turn knobs. On the Deluge you can work with both midi and audio tracks, but as I don’t have a good USB hub yet for my iPad, I cannot send MIDI and Audio at the same time to AUM. So I usually do only midi and generate all audio on the iPad.
What about ApeMatrix? I love the matrix methodology... Audio and midi routings are super fast. But Im still so used to AUM .
I’ve only glanced at ApeMatrix so far. But we’ll see. I might have to cover it at some point. I do see a lot of people praising it so I’m curious about it.
@@JakobHaq That would be great to see. Cheers!
Ape Matrix reminds me of looking at an Excel spreadsheet. The X/Y axis gives me a headache. Not that Midi routing in AUM is any better, but at least I don’t have to stare at that while I’m playing!
Totally the same hier. I’m in love with AUM because I literally never know how the whole process will end. And because the way it is build, I always end it up finding a sound or a song that otherwise I’ll never composed. And this is for me the greatest thing about AUM. It brings my creativity to places I couldn't imagine. Great video, thanks
I think my main original purpose for using AUM was to combine several apps to do loop sampling. I would then export those loops to send them to the DAW of my choice. But I really never saw another functional benefit to AUM than that which a DAW may not have. Thanks Jakob!!
What is your workflow like now
This is what I’m struggling with. I love AUM. It has opened up the iPad music playing world for me but struggle with recording music. While is can see that I can bounce sounds/tracks to files then bring them back in as audio files but in my mind it becomes cludgy. A traditional DAW while better but I’m not doing Sony any more, linear progressions from beginning to end but more like a Collage of bits of sound appearing in a time line at chosen points. Some times these might be loops that play continuously and sometimes sound fragments played at random (with thought) location and times. I like Abelton as it seems offer a work flow that from my perspective might work but I want to do it on the iPad. Maybe Cubasis is worth a look
I LOVE your videos!! Not only are they informative and inspirational, but they are often highly entertaining. You have a great sense of humor.
hi Jacob! What tool you use to animate your image while speaking? ;)
Hi, does AUM makes sense if I own only one midi controller (arturia minilab) and how would you use it? Thx
My workflow:
Mixing(AUM) >>> Finalizing (DAW)
Simple as abc
Would it be possible to have an in-depth tutorial or over the shoulder style of video where you focus only on mapping the Nano korg midi controllers on AUM?
DAW is a digital audio workstation. AUM is a highly advanced mixer as jakob mentioned. However you could see iOS as a daw if you used a bunch of standalone apps that together formed a fully fledged audio workstation in a digital format. Or then again apps like cubasis or bm3 would be daws as they have all the typical features of an fully fledged audio workstation and are in digital format, hence are DAWs. Tho technically if you had stuff like sequencers, audio recorder and editor etc. which you now can have loaded inside AUM, it could be a fully fledged digital audio workstation. But is it AUm that is the workstation if its a bunch of 3rd party plugins that give it the functionality? Well that goes into realm of philosophy, and ill just say that in my opinion it is in that case iOS that is the DAW, not AUM. But maybe some programmer can prove that the plugins in fact are part of AUM when loaded in it xD Anyways, its silly to call AUM a daw, even if it could be in some cases using 3rd party plugins act as a DAW.
I enjoy AuM for random sporadic performances and experimental tweaking. I use a gang of Ens0 LooPeRs for different mixing elements.
Thanks so much for this! I've been extremely overwhelmed with delving into iOS coming from daws on Windows for the past two decades and that's completely alleviated.
I use AUM to try combinations of stuff adding effects ect and my daw of choice NS2 and fire bits I like into audiobus the into slate,I know this would be easier to cubasis but as much as I try I just can't get along with it,I've been make music since 1989 both professionally and now as a hobby I'm from the house,techno and garage era and find myself planning tracks a bit more now i.e. Chords and the key it is in but still like to go with the flow sometimes and work with a couple of synth apps and a drum machine as after all my time in making music I find the best tracks come from the less is more approach .We all have so many great apps to choose from these days and can fall into the trap of putting to much into them sound wise because we can and I am guilty of that myself,Space in tracks is so important to let them breathe sometimes frequency wise.Above all that if you enjoy making music it doesn't have to be technically perfect you just have to enjoy doing it that is the main thing,make music for yourself and not others and well if they like it it's a bonus.
Hi Jakob. Great reflexions! What do you use as a sequencer when jamming with AUM?
Great video!
Jakob, you’re a good spirit of iOS music production. Thank You for all the videos and keep up good work!
Nice. I like creating in Beatmaker 3 but do have different approaches when using Cubasis or Logic Pro (on the Mac). Each can be viewed as different tools in our production toolbox. Stay safe man!
Hybrid set-up here! My ipad is a sound source only on occasion(KQ Dixie, Fluss, Samplr) but routinely serves as a sequencer(Fugue Machine, Cykle, Polybeat) for external gear; mainly a Minifreak and a Syntakt. I process all sound through outboard gear, principally a 6U 84HP eurorack case. Everything gets summed to a single stereo track which in turn is recorded into ableton or a tascam. Could go deeper on my audio signal path, my midi routing, recording to tape/ableton or why I ditched multitracking if anyone is interested but to keep it relevant to ipad a few notes:
I use AUM currently in conjunction with a hardware midi router, the MRCC880. I guess I gravitated to AUM since I never record to the ipad, and I rarely process audio through it. AUM serves as a midi mixer and an audio bus for chords, granular pads and stereo samples. Love AUM’s routing, wish it accepted midi in. Instead I rely on Ableton link for transport and clock sync.
Ableton link seems to work best with a hardwired connection to the computer. Many usb c hubs have an ethernet port; I go from a hub to an ethernet> usb-c on my macbook air. Instant connection every time, no more waiting for the apple gods to take notice of yr plea.
I’ve disliked the WIDI jack for sending clock(wild jitter), but it seems stable for basic note data.
I send my audio over usb to either the Digitakt for sampling or the Syntakt for the analog filtration and saturation it offers. Being able to send both audio and midi data back and forth from these boxes with just a single cable is the foundation of my use of the ipad musically, and I doubt I’d be inclined to use it without that simple solution for hardware integration.
"AUM does not give you a complete view of everything..." EXACTLY! In fact, it is a complete mystery to a beginner like me.
Hey Jakob,
Really love your videos. Is it okay if I reference them in my channel? There's a ton of things you've explained a lot better that sometimes it's better just to refer people to this channel (and a particular video) than to make a complete tutorial.
Absolutely and thank you for asking! 👍🏼
I’m trying to move on from Gadget with Loopy Pro.
It reminds me of what you said about AUM, Loopy Pro is a jamming tool.
Doesn’t have the same level of control, you gotta hit it right or try again.
Tried GarageBand a little, but doesn’t click.
Cubasis 3 is on offer at the moment….hmm.
Jakob, thanks VERY much for this video. Yep I asked the questions you very thoughtfully answered here. This is EXTREMELY helpful. I had definitely made some assumptions about how you might use AUM and Cubasis, and this explanation and discussion really helps me focus my own experimentations, and get past the "frustration based inspiration breakage". I guess I would have just called this a "creative block" without really acknowledging that it was because of me being frustrated by my own tools - but you are so right!
I've never been very good at practicing or composing in a DAW - I think for the reasons you've highlighted - and their structured approach that makes much more sense once you're more experienced or ready to really build out that track. Now that I understand how you and many of those here in the comments actually _use_ AUM, I can see how and why you'd do so. I'll also check out your video on recording from AUM into Cubasis you linked at the bottom here. I'm new to the whole iPad scene, so this is all VERY helpful.
AUM on iOS reminds me functionally of PluginGuru's Unify on MacOS/Windows - which is where I spend a LOT of time on my Mac when I want to be inspired and just _play._ I think Logic Pro X on MacOS and Cubasis 3 on iOS are great, but you're correct - they're maybe just a little too structured to be used as my sole creative sandbox.
I'll be spending some time with AUMv3 in the near future to learn the ins and outs of it and see if that doesn't "click" a little more with me while just jamming. :)
*THANK YOU JAKOB* and *all the others* here who've shared their experiences! 👍🏻 You all *ROCK.*
I feel very much the same way about how and why to use a given audio tool. You have explained this well. That you could use a given app in a different way or use a different app altogether is both obvious and not relevant to your work. We know you explore new things all the time, so clearly you are alive to new possibilities. It is very helpful, however, to figure out a way to work that suits you while allowing you to get good results. You have done this; the import of your video for beginners is that they should do something similar for themselves. Learning some tools well enough to reach a solid comfort with them allows people to have baseline routines they can rely upon to be successful with their own music.
Experimentation is valuable and vital, but turning inspiration into music demands some kind of healthy workflow, whatever the specifics of that process turn out to be.
Well said - you have made the case, so I’ll wrap this up.
Super super useful video! Towards the end you mentioned you sometimes start something in AUM and finish it in Cubasis, maybe a video discussing how you do that?
Great stuff!
AUM and an Akai MPC One is my workflow. I have a template set up for both so it’s easy to get going. I use the MPC for the sequencer and for recording audio loops from AUM.
If I wanted to go all iPad it would be NanoStudio 2 as my main daw but the lack of audio tracks is a real let down as I sometimes need to freeze the tracks when the plug ins start to pile up. NS2 is so nice to use and super stable.
Hello I would like to know one thing I use an iPad Air 2 to make music specially with AUM ……. This one have 8 years old, but i’ve got many many problems like crash everytime. I wait for the next iPad Pro probably with the M2, and I would like to know if it’s the same case about crash….. thanks for comment and very very cool to see you trough video.. continue
I hate Cubasis, it is so buggy, especially when using with hardware and cc MIDI. Gaps in a recording lets me freak out. IOS DAWs still have a long way to go. Still no alternative to a OS DAW
Nice. Love it, thank you for the details!
I must be the only person who just can’t get on with AUM. It frustrates me every time I try to use it. I end up back in Cubasis 3 for writing, improvising, production and live performance. I’m a keyboard player in a band and I write most of the music. I don’t physically write music notation so when I’m creating I need Cubasis to capture the midi I’m playing so I can repeat an improvised performance later.
GarageBand and Ableton taught me to write in blocks or Scenes so I carried that over to Cubasis and I tend to create a chorus, verse, pre chorus, bridge etc. I have a template in Cubasis that loads up all my fave AU3 plugins, my midi controllers are mapped and loaded up so I can jam instantly and hit record to capture both midi and audio from real hardware, AU3s and Inter App Audio plugins. Plus I have the full mixer in Cubasis with insert and send fx.
When I play live I convert my project to all audio for backing tracks except the AU3s I’ll be playing live, plus I add a structure track to see the structure of the song and I use a midi track to send program change messages to my hardware to automatically change patches during the song, one less thing for me to remember to do. I send backing click tracks to my bands ears as well as any other tracks they want to hear and everything but the click track goes to the front of house mixer. Using tracking live in Cubasis let’s me adjust individual volumes to accomodate for different shaped venues.
So I can improvise, perform, experiment, use plugins and fx, record midi and audio, route midi to hardware, send patch change messages, type in notes, dynamically control volumes and fx with midi controls on my keyboard. I honestly don’t understand what AUM has to offer over Cubasis 3.
I will sometimes use audiobus 3 with a midi splitter plug-in if I need to split up one of my midi keyboards to be able to zone up that keyboard, and then I route that audio into Cubasis 3 as my live performance mixer and backing tracks hub. I should see if the midi splitter can be hosted in Cubasis then I won’t need Audiobus either.
Very coherently argued - thank you. Certainly helped me think more clearly about the difference between performance based, realtime working and production - and what software is best for each. Cheers!
Can you show us how do you start in AUM and end (import) the project in Cubasis please? Do you import the recording ad an editable midi or as a wav/aiff? Thx
Imagine if AUM became an au3 plugin with multi channel audio outs you can load in a DAW app. 😮
So when an audio unit crashes on cubasis like an audio synth for example. Does using AUM help solve the problem. Is it better to load the synths on AUM when stuff like that happens. And I heard AUM has multitrack, is it better than cubasis.
Thanks Jakob. Great as always. My preferred workflow is AUM jamming then recording it into Cubasis and further editing. It mirrors my workflow with recording hardware jams. The only bummer with that, is I really wish there was some way to sync AUM to Cubasis. That way if there were any mistakes recording from AUM I could edit them/add to it in Cubasis without starting over. We’ll see if that ever happens I guess.
Jakob is absolutely right that it all depends on what you are trying to do musically. Personally, I like to make songs with conventional verse/ chorus structure and I don't use external midi controllers. I want to be able to 'see' my tracks and be able to zoom in for detailed editing. Typically, I'll loop a chord sequence or bassline using midi editing rather than playing tiny keys on screen and then layer on phrases with lead sounds (these I can manage to record live - and then edit to correct mistakes). Before IOS, my workflow was very different - I would compose at my piano with a drum machine, singing as I played. I'd record things in rough and develop ideas gradually. I have never got on with AUM largely because I don't play much live in ios.
Well AUM is way simpler then any DAW plus all that junk and all the pages of effects i never use DAW 8s such a waste
I'll stick with gadget
Can I get a updated video in 2022 I can’t find one iOS daw that works with aum and midi support?
thank you! solving workflow upfront so important! curious if there is a playlist like file player to use in AUM or even in background along with AUM live playing?
My 5 cents: AUM is great for running plugins alongside hardware to support a dawless setup, for instance polyend tracker can send midi over to AUM to make a compact synth + sampler setup. I can’t wait to get my model 12 mixer out so I can test how well it works with iPad Air 4th gen I finally got about a month ago I think it’s going to be bliss
With regard to midi control in AUM, can you save “template” controls to work with a midi device or do you have to set the controls for each instance? Thanks!!!!
You pretty much have to do the mapping from scratch with every instrument/channel. That’s what I’ve done and then I save that as a preset which I use as a template for future projects. I’ve got several different presets like that for different mappings and workflows.
“Frustration based inspiration breakage” it is exactly precisely this which happens to be the enemy of completeness being achieved.
Bang on Jakob! You have perfectly described the differences between the applications and the different mindset when using them.
If AUM develops an arranger window that you can access whenever you need it, it would be the leading daw.
I’ve had AUM since it’s release, and honestly it took me a long minute to grasp how to use it because I’m use to having a DAW type layout. Eventually I too would use it as creative tool like you mentioned in your video. I will say as of late since I purchased EG Pulse (thanks to you) AUM+EG Pulse is the perfect pairing for sampling and beat making.
As always, great video Mr. Haq! 👍🏾
You and Bad Snacks are my go to channels for music tips and inspiration. 👏🏾
AUM is not capable making a track with. It's more for live jamming, trying out ideas. You definitely need a daw after it to make a track. But as Jacob said, it's absolutely fun. Superfast to come up with ideas, record knob tweakings as audio and then comes the regular work inside a daw. Whether it's on an iPad or on a desktop platform.
This is so untrue, so it fits your name. If you use Xequence and AUM you can most certainly make a complete track. You can have full automation, full timeline view, any parameters tweaked or automated, and much more. Don’t understand why you could say that about AUM. Anyway to each his own and make music. 😀
I think it depends on what you define as production. For live i completely agree that a regular DAW is not that great, and that AUM is amazing. But then if we are talking about what it means to produce i think we have to break up the parts more. If we are talking about sequencing and mixing as production then AUM would not be all that great. But if we are talking about sound exploration, as in trying to define a sound and get everything connected, and feeling like you are experiencing the feel of what can happen, as production, then AUM is still better than a DAW.
Sure, that does depend on what you are used to, but hear me out... If you are acting like a producer that’s trying to find the sounds you want to eventually compose, or you are working to produce an artist and define a sound, well then something like Cubasis is going to feel regimented and procedural and linear. Like you are already trying to put the song together before you even know what you want. But when defining a sound, having a playground that works well live is a great way to keep a flow and moving target until you nail some things down. Since AUM also records everything either directly or through IIA, you can use it to establish a feel and get some real basics figured out before moving into the linear timeline approach, and actually use what you create in that space in the other.
Point is that i think production is in stages, and for the part of production that is the least structured and the most exploratory, a standard DAW can very easily and very often act against what you want. Obviously once you want to craft the deliberate movement and sequence all those sounds, then moving to Cubasis is far superior. Production means quite a few things in music creation.
I’m even curious about a workflow that uses AUM just to create loops to then print in to Logic’s new loop based editor, thinking that even the standard DAW approach for some kinds of music is actually the worst way to make a song.
However at the stage where you are either mixing or mastering... Nothing is better than the linear timeline approach. But that is once you are past the discovery mode and just want to refine the hell out of the sound, use automation to control movement, and finally get the track polished.
Mostly here i love that you really engage the creators on your channel in thinking differently about how to approach music. It’s my feeling at this point in 2020 that any actually serious music producer is doing a massive disservice to themselves and their client creators if they don’t have an iPad production model in place. It’s just soooooooo much better than being stuck at a computer in linear land without touch and the open creative pallet an iPad offers.
Thanks Jacob!
Thank you for thorough comment! ❤️
I love your channel Jakob! You expose us all to a ton of great stuff. Glad to throw in when it’s appropriate!
Glen Allan “massive disservice to themselves” point: Although I agree, we will never get THEM to agree. You and I spend $1000 on an iPad, and $1000 on software, they spend HUNDREDS of thousands on hardware. You will never convince an SSL owner that your preamps on your Apollo Twin sound just as good. It’s a sunken fallacy cost, and I’m so tired of arguing about it.
How can I change quickly between presets in AUM? let's say I have three channels to find with three different instruments that have the sounds bass, piano, horns and they have their zones set. then for the next song I need to switch to a new set of presets that this time have strings, rhoads, oboe and they use some new instruments. If I have a set list of 40 songs is there a way to show a list of the 40 presets and just tap go to the next I'm ready to start the next song? I don't see anything in the manual about presets
How about workflow with Roland gomixer pro x 😃🙏💪☝️
I fully agree with your point of view! I love AUM on the iPad and it is probably my most used music app on there. But whenever I get to the point of properly recording and producing a song, I switch to the Mac where I can work in Reaper, which I have been using for close to 10 years now.
I have been following your stuff for a few years now, bought a lot of iOS instruments and some external gear but still am a total beginnner. I just want to jam and have fun but always get stuck trying to get things to work together. So today’s advice on AUM has been really useful to me because I also suffer from frustration uninspiration, especially when there is any kind of pressure to get things right. Some time tonight whe. Everyone’s gone to bed I’m going to put on my headphones, hook up my Novation mini controller and give it a go!
Top explanation and video, back here after liking the latest vid great AUM features.
Super. Entertaining and informative. Cheers. Lee
Did or would you make a video about midi mapping for beginners please?
I feel the multi bus routing options within AUM to be a big advantage in sound design using multiple bus and effect routes, most things I do now start there. I can use a sequencer like Digikeys and generate multiple pattern ideas to export the stems into Cubasis. Stems I could not have created in another app. Therefore it’s not an either/or for me, I use both approaches together more often than not presently,
I’m hoping Cubasis gets AUv3 multi I/O support m soon. It’s my biggest and only wish right now when it comes to iOS music I think.
I have a question please.
I Love my ipad and the music apps but only having a 32gb version means I can't have access to all my apps unless I have a wifi connection. I have a Y-disc 64gb flash drive which I purchased so I could record video's directly to it, which works a treat.
Is there a way of using the flash drive to store apps for use so I can really be mobile with it please?
Cheers
Gary
Unfortunately, as far as I know, there is no way of running apps stored on external storage.
Hey Jacob, what about Camelot Pro? Looks like its designed for live AUV3 use. Maybe Camelot Pro vs AUM video someday?
I’m slightly glancing it only. So far it looks like it would require a lot of setup. It’s defined a very different thing from what AUM is. I might compare them one day.
Btw, I love your nickname! 😂👍🏼
My beef with Camelot, is that it is MIDI only. As a vocalist and guitar player, that is just not going to cut it. If Apple releases Mainstage for iOS, I will suddenly feel VERY conflicted.
Really enjoyed this video - inspiring and time to get back into it
As someone who has been using Ableton Live ever since it first became popular among my musician friends (like 2003-4?) I have to say that I find it very hard to get my head around making music without that Ableton workflow - be it a purely linear DAW or something completely improvisation based. On the iPad I ended up with Beatmaker 3 which is sufficiently different from Ableton to be infuriating, but close enough to be at least useable? Trying to learn AUM now and I feel like that time in 2002 when I had to read a 50 page printed manual to get Reaktor to at least make a sound ... any sound at all! 😂 At this very confused stage in my iPad music making journey I just want Apple to release Mac OS for iPad so that I can use Ableton on it too 🤣
Thanks for clarifying this Jakob, I’ve never bothered trying AUM as I didn’t see the big attraction. Now I do.
Question time....... have you ever used the Presonus Eris 3 Monitors? Why do I ask? I’m an IK Multimedia Fanboy :) Wonder how the Eris compare to the iLoud’s. Yes I realize the iLoud’s are several times the price of the Eris Monitors. Thank you have a good weekend.
I’ve actually never had a listen to any Eris monitors so I can’t say much about them I’m afraid. 😅
No worries man, thanks anyway. The Presonus Eris 3.5’s are affordable and sound pretty good considering their paltry price.
Thank you Jakob, exactly a question I wanted answered. I’m glad to be a long time Patreon supporter, you deserve it :-)
💚 Thank you! 💚
A daw is what stops the big bad wolf from getting into the house.
Yes! This! I want to make songs and not just jam but was feeling limited on AUM. The arranger in Cubasis is just what I need. Question then...two years later...is there an app that adds an arranger to AUM?
Anyway, it looks like LK Matrix and Xequence come close, but neither allows a track for real audio...just midi sequence tracks. I could use the Multi Track AUV3 plugin but then I don't have a complete overview of my tracks 😢
Jakob Haq I’m wondering if there is a DAW on iOS that bridges the gap between the performance freedom of AUM and the patient studio operation of a DAW. A best of both worlds or a DAW that can be designed to be a live performance tool. I would almost think that would be BeatMaker 3 but are there other candidates?
I would say that, music apps that emulates some sort of “Ableton-esque”, “clip-launch” type GUI’s do that best. Apps like Modstep, BLEASS groovebox and Zenbeats.
Well, I think Apple’s Mainstage does this really well. There are a lot of rumours flying about that Logic will come to iPad soon, but I would be very shocked to see Mainstage.
I really love your "Mellow" album, Jakob. :)
15 minutes of mixing vs arranging
How do you create the mini haq character? Awesome!
Ugh... Jakob, it’s like you’re “pushing” me towards Cubasis by showing folks they can make NICE tunes like “Endless Photon Waltz” ... i love your vids, bruh!
One thing I'll say for AUM: it makes EVERY DAW perfectly compatible with Scaler 2.
Superb video Haqmigo! ❤️🇲🇽❤️
4 minutes into the video still don't understand what to do with this not obvious and beginner unfriendly app. can anyone explain without stating what is obvious to anyone with half a brain?
This is not a video on AUM basics. It’s a response video concerning my workflow and why I choose AUM over conventional DAWs. If you need a beginner video then there are other ones out there like this one from Logan J. Smith ua-cam.com/video/4GemqeNhiTI/v-deo.html
I'm an AUM beginner, having been using DAWs for many years (mostly Acoustica Mixcraft, for PC) and I just came across this idea that AUM is a "DAW" for the first time this morning. So far, I am having to watch tutorials on AUM, just to learn where everything is and how to use it. Not very intuitive at all, then. Having experience with various DAWs, though, I already have a pretty good understanding of where things typically are, how they behave and what they do.
Nice explaination, so AUM is more of a jammin thing for you. I think of it the same way, and yeah I always finish off in a DAW, its just more powerful, complete!
AUM is the REASON, Well actually i just love the creative part of Reason and thats why i also love being creative with AUM..
"Frustration-based-inspiration-breakage" - a wonderful Haqism 😄
What is better sim or audio bus
This is a comment, hope, it helps...
Does AUM has it own sequencer?
Very pretty song “wind”