iPad, Music IO and Metro

[drd001]

Hello,

I hope this is the right place to ask my question. I am a long-time user of Metro but hardly and expert. I recently upgraded to Metro 7.2.4

I also recently purchased iM1—a soft synth app for the iPad. To get MIDI from the iPad into Metro I use another iPad app, Music IO and its related Mac application. Using the Music IO plugin I am able to use the iPad like a sound module and record the input in Metro. Playback is also possible when the iPad is connected.

According to the makers of Music IO, it is possible to record the audio output from the iPad via their app onto a second (audio) channel in most DAWs. They have this to say:

****RECORDING****
An important thing to note: normally, a DAW will record the audio coming into
a track, not the output of the track. For example, if you were to make a
recording of a guitar, and send it through an amp simulator -- the DAW would
record the raw guitar signal, but not the result of the effects -- this makes
it easy to adjust the recording and change effects after laying down the
original guitar track.

With Music IO, the audio input to the track is overwritten with the sound coming
in from the iOS device. Without doing anything with the configuration, the
only thing the DAW will record is the input to the track -- *not* what your iOS
device produced.

To capture permanently the sound from your iOS device, you will need to do a
little bit of extra routing. In a DAW such as Logic, you can assign a "send
bus," and route the output of the track with Music IO onto a second track
-- with the bus as the input. Record on the track which has the bus input.
Other DAWs have similar mechanisms.

This configuration requires a little bit more routing in the DAW, but avoids the
need for complex audio input and output set-ups. Music IO will integrate with
your DAW setup, without needing the creation of aggregate devices, or switching
your current audio input and output setup.


They give examples of how it is done in Logic 10 and Ableton Live. They claim that most DAWs would use a similar setup. Basically I need to know if this is achievable in Metro and what I would have to do. I know I can run a line from the headphone jack of the iPad into Metro but I’m looking to capture digital audio in the way that they (the Music IO developers) suggest it can be done.

Apparently my account to doesn't give permission to post links. I hope I'm clear enough from what I've written.


Any suggestions greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Darren

[Jerm]

I know very little about how this product works. Have you tried setting the audio in from the audio setup dialog and then recording audio, after selecting the correct audio input port in the tracks window or graphic editor?

[drd001]

I know very little about how this product works. Have you tried setting the audio in from the audio setup dialog and then recording audio, after selecting the correct audio input port in the tracks window or graphic editor?

Thanks for your reply. There are YouTube videos that show how Music IO works. Basically it involves two components: an app for the iPad and a server application for the Mac.

Connecting the iPad to the Mac via USB and running both applications establishes a connection between the two machines that allows MIDI and audio to be streamed from the iPad to the Mac. You can then use an iPad app such as Korg’s iM1 from inside Music IO and send MIDI and audio to Metro or another DAW.

The installer for the Mac sever application includes AU and VST plugins that are installed in the appropriate folders. When creating a track in Metro I can then select “MusicIO” as the output port from the drop-down menu. Using this method I have successfully recorded MIDI from the iPad onto a track using a controller plugged into the Mac. As long as the iPad is connected, playback is possible.

To answer your question, yes I have tried setting audio in from the audio setup dialog, but it is a MIDI track and, as was quoted in my previous message, while you can record the MIDI input, apparently you can’t record the audio output from the iPad without some extra routing.

They suggest on their site assigning a “send bus” which I assume would be like using an Aux bus in Metro, then using THAT as the input for a second track which would then be used to capture the audio. I am relatively inexperienced in this area, despite having used Metro for years.

I have experimented with the online manual and tutorial and have been somewhat successful in having audio routed from the Music IO track to Aux 1 but I have so far been unable to use this as an input to a second track on which I can record the audio. Attempting to mix or render audio as has been suggested as a method of doing this in other forum threads I have read does not appear to work in this case.

My best guess is that everything is possible, since Music IO supposedly works with a variety of DAWs. I simply need to figure out the particulars of getting it to work with Metro.

Thanks again for your help!

Darren

[Jerm]

Hello Darren,

It sounds to me just like a configuration problem.

I think all you have to do is assign a MIDI output to track 1 and an audio output to track 2. Record enable track 1 to record MIDI and/or record enable track 2 for audio. Be sure the input select is correct for both tracks, i.e the MIDI source is correct for track 1 and the audio source is correct for track 2.

If this does not work. Send me a screenshot of your audio devices selection popup.

[drd001]

Hello Darren,

It sounds to me just like a configuration problem.

I think all you have to do is assign a MIDI output to track 1 and an audio output to track 2. Record enable track 1 to record MIDI and/or record enable track 2 for audio. Be sure the input select is correct for both tracks, i.e the MIDI source is correct for track 1 and the audio source is correct for track 2.

If this does not work. Send me a screenshot of your audio devices selection popup.

Thanks again for your help. I'm going to go through your suggestion step by step and see how it works. In the meantime I did come up with my own solution, although I don't know if it is the most efficient way to do it.

I ended up recording initially on the MIDI track (the one receiving from the iPad), routing through Aux 1 then setting the input of the audio track on which I wanted to capture the performance to "Output Master Direct L" selecting record on that track and muting all the other tracks except the MIDI track. I was then able to capture the performance with no problems. It's not elegant but it works.

Looking forward now to trying your method. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Thanks!

Darren

[Naskatew]

then using THAT as the input for a second track which would then be used to capture the audio.

[Naskatew]

In the meantime I did come up with my own solution.