The iPad Chronicles [iPad, Auria, Presonus]

[3daudioinc]

[ Addendum: This is the precursor thread to the Auria review. To read the final Auria review by Lynn Fuston, go here: http://www.3daudioinc.com/3db/showth...o-Audio-Review ]

I was asked to write a review about the Auria multitrack software for iPad. I looked into it and decided it would be something I would be interested in pursuing. This will be a sort of diary as I walk through this process. Partly because I need somewhere to journal my thoughts, and resources, so I don't forget. Partly because I think others might benefit from my experiences as I learn about the ins and outs of setting up a system like this.

My interest in this story was primarily "Is this a valid system to record music, as compared to the standard interface with laptop that has become so ubiquitous in recent years?"

Sure there are systems like ProTools running on a MacBook Pro (MBP) using an external chassis and hardware but we're still talking about thousands of dollars for a system like that. Even a refurb i7 MBP ($1300) with a Magma Thunderbolt chassis ($1000) and a PTHD Native card in it which comes with PT10 ($2400) and a used HD192 interface ($900) will total about $5600. That's a lot of money. Granted it's a no-compromise system but still, for some people, $6000 is about as far out of reach as $40,000 (the cost of my first PT system back in 1998).

Would it be possible to assemble a system that could record 16 inputs (very workable for a professional, heck we made records like that for years onto 2" 16-track machines) onto a multitrack for under $2000?

I honestly didn't know. Concessions would have to be made, no doubt. I decided up front what concessions I was willing to make and what I was NOT willing to make.

1) I didn't want to just see if it could be done. I know it can be done. There are people doing it.
2) This was not an exercise in what's the cheapest option out there.
3) I wasn't prepared to give up all my tools to make this happen.
4) The bottom line to me was "Can Lynn Fuston make something that sounds like a record using an iPad?"

[3daudioinc]

Random thoughts as I process through all this.

What was I prepared to give up? Not much really.

For this test, I'm giving up my external clock, my preamps, my converters. Well, OK, that's a lot. But I wasn't going to give up my mics. I don't want to make any concessions sonically. Same mics, same placement, same room. Actually I'm going to bring it into a studio and just see what I can get using the same rhythm players that I always use. Killer talent to be sure, so what's in front of the mic (the most important part) will not be a compromise. Of course, that also means that it's not quite a fair test. I'm not sure how many other people that are considering using iPads to record are working with A-Team players in Nashville.

I'm not going to be recording in a bedroom or a living room, either. This will be in a studio where all the instruments are already delivered and set up for a tracking date. Hopefully that will make it easy. Easier. The hope is that we'll just unplug the mics from the Neve console and all my external preamps and plug them straight into the USB interface which is connected to the iPad. That's the plan for now anyway.

[Philip Perkins]

I realize that the main interest of your publishers is in the iPad and Auria, but as I've mentioned elsewhere, this set up is not going to be the cheapest way to do what you want. A used laptop, a used interface and Reaper etc will beat your $2000 price for sure and be scalable to a larger setup in the bargain.

philp

[3daudioinc]

I was originally going to try out the Focusrite Scarlett 18i6 until I realized that it only has two mic inputs. And yes, you can get one at Sears.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...=31-43526284-2

So I decided to use the Presonus AudioBox 1818VSL instead, because it has 8 mic preamps.

http://www.presonus.com/products/AudioBox-1818VSL

A friend is loaning me an OctoPre so I can have 16 mic ins simultaneously.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/OctoPre/

[3daudioinc]

This is one confidence-inspiring setup, to be sure. Wow. Hooking this up looks like a job for McGuyver. Really?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAn4RMhbvyc

[Lawrence]

Interesting.

The recording part should be easy enough although you won't get lots of discreet cue outputs from any small USB device in any case if you need that. Where it will all probably get much more interesting is the mixing part, if there is a mixing part to your review.

What makes it a potential "game changer" (so to speak, in context) for a tablet OS is the plugins.

Will lurk and see where your adventure takes you.

[3daudioinc]

I can potentially do four stereo pairs as headphone outs. Not sure I'll mess with that for this test. Probably will just feed a stereo cue mix (Does anyone remember when that was all we had?) and loop it through the studio's cue boxes for time sake.

[3daudioinc]

Mixing on a tablet will be interesting. I'm curious to see what the stock plugins sound like.

[3daudioinc]

Just trimmed a 66-track orchestral recording with choir down to 44 tracks by submixing woodwinds and choir to stereo stems. So I'll drop those 44 tracks into the iPad and see what I can do.

Fair comparison? Not really. This was recorded at Oceanway B in Nashville with incredible players using great mics, including a pair of Neumann M50s. I "borrowed" the editing and tuning that was already done in the Pro Tools mix session so that's not really comparable. But it will tell me what I can accomplish using great files and nothing but an iPad.

[emrr]

I am most interested to hear if it can really capture 16 or more channels at 96/24 for any length of time without stuttering or choking in the pipe. Can it do it for an hour, and capture a bar band set at the local club? Error free? Stepping outside of the price window, with something like an Aurora 16 with USB card?