Hi, I’m thinking about switching to an iPad for live shows with my band and I’d like to know if it’s possible to use 3 different iPad apps on the same iPad, i.e. Amplitube for my guitar tones, Vocalive for my vocal effects, and Sampletank for my keyboard sounds. Is it possible to set them up on the same iPad, or would I need 3 separate iPads for this?
I’ve heard there’s an app called Audiobus which can link different iOS apps, but I’m not sure if it’d be able to do this?
The other option would be to use something like Cubasis - would this work for what I’m looking for?
Finally, I want to be able to control them all with one or more bluetooth foot controllers - is this possible also? Is it possible to connect more than 1 bluetooth foot controller to an iPad and have each one control a different app (i.e. one for guitar tones, the other for vocal effects, etc)?
You can definitely control multiple iPad apps from a single controller, if you’re prepared to do some work configuring them.
I suggest you look at Camelot Pro, an integration app which is particularly suited to live performance. Another choice many like is AUM. Camelot is very good at configuring setlists, songs and “scenes.” AUM is a powerful mixer for audio and midi plug-ins.
I use a Keith McMillen Softstep 2 foot controller, together with a BomeBox midi translator. There are many other options, but I’ve found this combination to be particularly flexible and powerful, assuming you’re willing to take the time to learn how they work.
Camelot Pro will work with virtually any Midi controller. You can set the app to control many performance parameters from external controllers of all types.
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Hey thanks for the reply. This is great news! I’ll definitely check out AUM and Camelot for iPad. I was wondering how I would connect everything up to an iPad and route the sound to a mixer or powered speaker? I’d need an interface with 3 inputs presumably. Also, I use a MIDI / usb foot controller for my guitar - how would I connect this to an iPad? It can send MIDI messages via MIDI cable or USB cable - but how do these hook up to an iPad, do I need some sort of adaptor/convertor and what is the MIDI translator BomeBox you have? I would in face need to connect both the MIDI/usb keyboard controller AND the guitar foot controller to the iPad, so I’m not sure how to do that.
Using a USB hub, you can connect both one audio interface (a device that will digitize the audio from any analog instrument and inject it into an iPad or computer, then reproduce the processed audio in analog format) and multiple Midi devices to the iPad. I use a 2018 iPad Pro - your results may not be as good if you have a less capable iPad.
That said, my intuition as an engineer is that you will get better results if you rely on “outboard gear” (traditional guitar pedals) for processing your guitar sounds. Auv3 plug-ins are excellent tools for tracking (recording) and mixing, but will introduce unacceptable latency in the round trip (guitar to audio interface to iPad to amplifier) and unreliability for live use with the current level technology.
I would use the iPad as a control device and to play softsynths, and stick with hardware (midi-controlled foot pedals like Strymon Mobius, Line6 Helix and Hotone Ampero, etc) for processing your guitar tone. The key is avoiding round trips for audio signals through the audio interface and the iPad in a live situation.
I use the BomeBox to “translate” between the midi produced by my control pedal and other devices, and the midi understood by my keyboards, iPad apps and tone generators. My setup is heavily customized. For example, the keys on my Softstep pedal AND the slow/fast controls on my YC61 keyboard BOTH control the speed of the Leslie effect on my Strymon Mobius pedal. I “programmed” this with a few lines of “translators” in the BomeBox. That said, I am trained as a software engineer, so this was challenging (mostly the debugging) but not impossible.
Unless you’re comfortable with some coding-like effort, stick with controlling gear using an app like Camelot Pro (which can include controlling auv3-based synths on the iPad), and control Camelot Pro in turn from your midi pedal (this isn’t hard at all).
Again, I think you’ll get the best results using “outboard” (hardware) audio processing tools for your guitar, and controlling them from the iPad linked to your midi pedal.
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