External hardware FX: cases Cubase and Ableton

For natural reasons most blog posts are about their writer’s expertise, and rightfully so. When there is a lesson to be given, someone with adequate level of knowledge is definitely the right person for the job.

Rarely does the writer openly present his or her case from the viewpoint of how stupid the person has been. I will now do exactly that. After all, those lessons are the most memorable and may even save time and trouble would the reader encounter something similar. I will also add the necessary images to clarify my case.

The starting point was the following: I wanted to use my Korg Kaoss Pad 3+ as an external hardware effect in a DAW, but I thought this was not possible.

The reason for this was that using an outboard effect requires its own audio input and output in the audio interface (such as M-Audio, Focusrite, Alesis etc.). My interface is embedded in my mixer, Allen & Heath ZED 10FX, a really sturdy and well-designed device. There is only one pair of stereo input and output for audio routing though, so I had no way of using KP3 as a track FX with just that one pair.

Here’s the rare bright spot in my thinking: I almost bought a new interface with plenty of I/O, but only almost. Instead I took a look at my old interface, the M-Audio Audiophile USB. Like my mixer, it is equipped with one pair of inputs and outputs.

I was absolutely convinced that using two different audio interfaces simultaneously was not possible in a DAW running on Windows 7.

Apparently this is not true.

I got the KP3 working as a track effect in two hours in two DAWs, Cubase and Ableton. The following of course goes for any outboard hardware effect, but for continuity’s sake I will use KP3 as an example.

What I needed was the following:

1. audio interface one with pair of I/O (often called 2×2), in my case Allen & Heath mixer

2. another audio interface with pair of I/O, in my case M-Audio Audiophile USB

3. two stereo RCA audio cables (red-white)

4. usb cable for Audiophile (my mixer was already connected via usb)

5. ASIO4All driver (I had it already running, the mixer uses it)

and that’s it. For KP3, I connected the Audiophile RCA outputs to KP3 Line In stereo inputs and vice versa with the two audio cables:

After switching all devices on I installed the Audiophile drivers. From Windows Control panel I checked that my mixer was still the default audio device, but that Audiophile was also up and ready.

 

CASE CUBASE

1. I launched Cubase and opened Device Setup menu. I then opened the ASIO4All Control Panel menu in the left column:

2. I clicked on the wrench icon to access advanced options (this lets you use more than one device within ASIO4All). My master mixer I/O pair (USB Audio CODEC) was already activated so I activated the M-Audio Audiophile I/O 1/2 pair above it.

3. From Cubase’s Devices -> VST Connections menu I created a new pair of input and output buses. Here master/mixer bus is called STEREO IN/STEREO OUT and the new external FX bus using the Audiophile interface is FX IN/OUT. Note that both pairs use the same ASIO4ALL as audio device:

4. I created a new stereo audio track with STEREO IN as input and FX OUT as output. This will route the track audio from Cubase/master mixer to Audiophile/KP3:

5. For demo’s sake I added a wav drum loop on that track (any audio is good, it’s for testing).

6. I created another stereo audio track, but with FX IN input and STEREO OUT output. This track receives the loop with KP3 FX from Audiophile and brings it back to Cubase:

7. I set up an effect in KP3. Whatever effect pedal or such you may have, just enable it. I then clicked on the small speaker icon on my second audio track (this enables the audio playback in Cubase).

And that was it. I could now use KP3 as a track FX on an audio track. I then went on to use a VST synth with the same FX.

8. I created a new empty project and loaded a vst synth (here it is Absynth, but it can be any vst instrument) as a rack instrument from Devices -> VST Instruments menu. This automatically creates the necessary audio and MIDI tracks. From the Absynth audio track in the middle I selected FX OUT as output:

9. I added a new audio track with FX IN input and STEREO OUT output and clicked on the speaker icon. The new track now got its audio from Absynth, but the FX came from KP3.

I then moved on to Ableton to try the same.

 

CASE: ABLETON

Before start it is good to notice two things that to my knowledge happen by default. The first one is that ASIO4ALL lists audio interfaces in a certain way, and the order of that list cannot be changed. Here for example my master/mixer is listed below the added FX interface:

The second thing to notice is that Ableton automatically (as far as I know) takes the first interface available and makes it its master input (1/2). As a workaround I changed the master output pair in Ableton. Thus in the following tutorial my master/mixer IN/OUT is called 3/4 STEREO, and the Audiophile FX interface is FX 1/2.

1. I created an audio track with Audio From 3/4 STEREO and Audio To 1/2 FX. This sends the audio on track to KP3:

2. I then created a second audio track with Audio From FX 1/2, set monitor to In, set Audio To to Master and put an audio clip on the first track. Adding the audio, as far as I know, should take place in Session view, as in the image on the right. That way you will have the clip playing with hardware FX, and by enabling Record Arm, you will be able to record the audio clip with external FX.

3. To use vst synths with external FX, first create a MIDI track and insert your preferred instrument.

Set Audio To to 1/2 FX (your FX interface pair). Then create a new audio track with Audio From FX 1/2 (there’s a mistake in the image, there’s only the Left channel 1 active) and Audio To Master and set the track’s Monitor to In. The audio track now has the vst instrument signal combined with your external FX.

I also tried applying similar FX process to some of my hardware synths so that the synths were connected to my mixer and the FX came from Audiophile interface. I could also record that signal in both DAWs.

As conclusion, not having multiple inputs and outputs in an interface does not stop you from using outboard FX if you have another audio interface with an extra pair of inputs and outputs. I didn’t know this before I actually tried it, but hopefully this will be of help to someone and thus expand one’s production environment. 

 

Plugin within plugin: case Softube

The current trend of software vendors turning into hardware makers is an interesting phenomenon. So are some of the new products they come up with.

It was not long ago when Plugin Baby was the name of the love child for most of the music producers around. It’s when they turned from instruments to programming, as one LA producer once described his local working scenario in the beginning of the century.

After that a lot has happened. Hipsters brought back the banjo and other acoustic instruments along with vinyl records and even c-cassettes. Thus it may not be that surprising that also VST vendors seek new markets outside the ‘greatest plugin synth ever’ scheme.

Following the latest trend, Console 1 adds both hardware and software to your home studio.

This setting could be best described as plugins within plugins. For example, the Swedish mixing software vendor Softube recently announced their launch of Console 1, an integrated hardware/software solution, which basically replaces the mouse-mixing with knobs. A number of questions concerning Console 1 are answered here, so I’ll just insert the image I respectfully downloaded from their site for presentation purposes.

This mix of hardware and software is of course a good example of a larger trend I described earlier: those knobs do remind me of an analog mixing console. Then again, Console 1 is a controller compatible with major DAWs (Digital Audio Workstation), enabling people to use digital plugins, although renditions and models would be based on so-called vintage consoles. Hence the reference to plugins within plugin.

Then again, the Korg analog synth renditions on iPad have proven that these two worlds are today interconnected and work well together if things are done right: people like vintage even more if it comes with the processor power of the twenty-first century.

One thing I noticed concerning Console 1 was the incompatibility of the controller with third-party plugins. This is a limitation for example NI Maschine does not have, and since people choose their favorite software plugins regardless of hardware vendors, it seems risky to me to have these sort of limiting factors. After all the transformation from hardware to software in mixing was originally caused by increased mobility as well as flexibility.

The ground rule here should be the same as in keyboard controllers: they all play the sound no matter who made it. There is an obvious need for DirectLink/Audiobus sort of general standard for mixing plugins and the respected hardware, and this need will only emphasize itself if and when new hardware mixing consoles keep popping up.

One other important factor is the tablet compatibility. DAWs like Cubasis are rapidly turning iPads into portable mixing consoles so it remains to be seen if one day there will be Console 1 (or maybe 2) with (even wireless) iPad connection.

So are the knobs back for good? In most cases they were never there in the first place: products like Console 1 are aimed at mouse-mixers with wrist pains (I know what I’m talking about here). The idea of bringing in more plugin hardware along with software ultimately faces the question of necessary empty space on my table. And the more universal the controller, the less space is eventually needed.

A vendor-specific controller sounds major trouble to me. Personally I like for example using the Izotope Ozone in mastering, and it is true that Waves is a major player in mixing plugin markets. Would Waves or Izotope – or the good old Softube business pal Native Instruments – at some point release mixing console hardware with Softube plugin compatibility, I believe my choice would be an easy one.

This does not mean that Console 1 would be of faulty design. I just hope the plugin integration will eventually span outside the borders of their own products. It helps when people think about including Console 1 as a part of their gear arsenal. Also the Console 1 price should from my perspective be closer to NI Maschine Mikro or IK iRig Keys than any of the Softube software plugins: for me as a hobbyist 200 euros would the maximum for this concept. There’s one thing vendors often miss regarding to this. Pros already own or have access to quality mixing hardware so they are not the Console 1 target group, but the hobbyists have limited financial resources.

And after all the less people you exclude, the more you will in the end include.

My iPad Music Week: summary

On Easter Saturday I more or less by accident started to research the possibilities of (more or less) serious music making using iPad as the centerpiece instead of a computer and its DAW. The notes made during the week are available in the couple of postings made earlier, so here I shall make a brief summary on my experiences. This also enables me to close the chapter so to speak for now and move on to other topics.

1. iPad can be used as an instrument. The touchscreen and movement detection add a whole range of new features to the game compared to VST instruments. Best example: ThumbJam.

2. iVST app enables more control. Again the touchscreen enables one to handle instrument and fx control in a manner not possible on most controller keyboards. Best example: Korg iPolySix synth with KAOSS pad-like controls.

3. Importing audio is troublesome. This is – as I’ve understood – Apple-based problem, which stems from the era of DRM-music files. Best example: try importing a track into iPad without using iTunes.

4. Apps can talk. With Audiobus, it is possible to record any compatible instrument by using selected iPad DAW. On the other hand, there are great-sounding music instrument apps with no means other to record the sound than connecting the iPad to hardware mixer.

5. Tale of three DAWs. Recording on iPad means basically using either Cubasis, Auria, or Multitrack DAW. The latter is less expensive, but Cubasis and Auria offer more features with tracks, instruments etc.

6. External keyboard helps. Playing the screen can be tedious, so considering getting for example the three-octave iRig KEYS mini keyboard may be a good idea for more extensive use. So far there are still some usability issues with this keyboard concerning losing connection from time to time though.

7. It’s not for all. If you prefer producing deep-sampled Hollywood-style orchestral compositions or other resource-consuming stuff, the traditional workstation will be your go-to environment also in the future.

8. It’s a play in the park. One thing I have always lamented is looking out the window when the sun is shining and I am inside by my workstation. You can do a mix on iPad anywhere. Best example: there will probably be a Portlandia episode on the subject in near future.

—

PS. After writing this entry, I discovered a semi-easy way to import one’s own audio files:

i. First you have to upload the preferred files on your FTP server.
ii. After that download the free FTP manager app or a similar paid version on your iPad and install it.
iii. Connect to your FTP server using the app, and after downloading open the files in your preferred iPad DAW.

Not the simplest of procedure but it does eliminate the iTunes phase.

The age of iVST?

Those who have followed some of the latest postings here are already aware of the fact that I am currently in process of getting more acquainted with iPad music production. It all started basically by accident: originally I was only looking for software for making mobile podcasts.

Well it didn’t stop there: since the wheels started turning, several new music-making apps have made their way onto my iPad. All this has been self-financed, as is my ‘traditional’ workstation hobbyism: both originate from my natural-born curiosity for all things new and preferrably digital.

Some of the apps I’ve tried – for example ThumbJam – have given me the chills: I really feel like I have found an instrument, something new and extremely playable. This is in my opinion the most common problem among large VSTi libraries, which sound great but give the user a feeling that he or she is knitting more like playing.

I am about to purchase the Steinberg Cubasis next. From the latest online reviews I have understood that the DAW’s busiest period of bug-fixing is now over, and since I am a Cubase user, the learning curve should not be too steep.

When I am in Cubase, I of course apply lots of VST instruments. Since the emergence of Audiobus, extended prospects for doing basically the same on iPad have emerged.

Some vendors like Korg have been active in transforming the concept of VSTi into a new mobile version: let us call it iVST for now. However there is a striking void in iVSTs when it comes to many of the biggest names in the industry.

How about for example a reasonably priced Native Instruments iVST synth? Nope, not mentioning iKontakt (I am going to trademark that name if it’s still free). How about a iMaschine, or any sort of integration between the Maschine family and iPad? Well no, unless the 2011 iPhone app is considered. Well how about at least iGuitar Rig, the most obvious iPad product of all? No.

In fact, most of the instruments currently available on the App Store are created by small business entrepreneurs. I have nothing against this: I think it is absolutely marvelous a phenomenon. With it however comes the obvious lack of any common procedures and standards. Audiobus is a good start, but even deeper integration between different apps will be required for the iPad production environment workflow to improve. All the import/export hassle may be fun for a while, but soon it will start to feel like a nuissance instead of strange but tolerable curiosity. Importing already existing vocal lines etc. must simply become easier for users than it is now.

But back to iVSTs. When it comes to most of the VSTi vendors, there seems to no real effort to penetrate into this new market of iVSTs. For example 8DIO recently released 8DIOboe, a new oboe VST instrument with ‘hyperexpressive’ features. I am not sure if the people there have ever tried playing ThumbJam where you can create vibrato by smoothly moving your finger or shaking the iPad instead of clumsy 1980s keyswitches. That’s real expression at work, not just empty big words (and numbers).

It is also hard to forget the odd 8DIO December launch of V8P, a new company presumably aimed at providing custom sampling for professionals. I would not be too surprised if nothing much ever came of this venture, since it was an ill-designed, wrongly timed, and in general unrealistic a project right from the beginning. Had they instead put out a couple of quality orchestral iVSTs and an iPad strumming guitar with touchscreen controls, maybe wind controls for brass and woodwinds, both equipped with reasonable price tags, they would have already made a decent lump of money already in the first quarter – including some of mine for sure.

As mentioned, there are still large vacant lots right at the very centre of iVST city. I think I am not too bold by stating that this won’t be the case for long. The only open question is the iVST company whose name is going to lit the skyline.