You can use MIDI clock to sync other music apps or MIDI devices to the tempo used in GarageBand when playing or recording. Open the song settings, then tap Advanced. Turn Send MIDI Clock on. When you use Live Loops, MIDI clock is only sent when recording or playing back a Live Loops performance. Send the midi clock from garage band to an external loop pedal (pigtronix infinity) How i think i would accomplish this. Ipad new / lightning to USB adapter / (usb cable) / Zoom u24 (midi out) / (midi cable) / pigtronix infinity looper (midi in) What this will achieve. So i can loop in time to a backing track. Open the GarageBand app and choose 'Audio Recorder' from the instrument selection panel. You can plug in an external microphone or use the iPad's built-in microphone. Tap on the '+' sign in the upper right corner Tap on 'Section A' in the window that appears. External Midi sync (Midi Clock). Midi over wifi latency compensation. Internal routing of inputs, outputs and Midi sync. Send Midi to a virtual port that can be used as Midi input by other Core. It also has MIDI clock support. As with FunkBox, it’s a standalone drum machine, too, but the fun part is that you can also use it as a controller or sync other devices (or your computer) via MIDI clock. S1 was spotted this week on Synthtopia, demonstrating how you can use an iPad to extend tangible controllers you already have.

What is Audiobus? — Audiobus isan award-winning music app for iPhone and iPad which lets you useyour other music apps together. Chain effects on your favouritesynth, run the output of apps or Audio Units into an app likeGarageBand or Loopy, or select a different audio interface outputfor each app. Route MIDI between apps — drive asynth from a MIDI sequencer, or add an arpeggiator to your MIDIkeyboard — or sync with your external MIDI gear.And control your entire setup from a MIDI controller.

Download on the App Store

Audiobus is the app that makes the rest of your setup better.

Title says it all. If yes how?

I have heard that GB transmits MIDI clock - possibly through IAA. is that right?
If so is it possible to get that into either Audiobus or AUM and use it to generate Ableton Link?

My wife is used to GB and is starting to use the Live Loops feature for her new project.. I would like to be able to sync my iPad to hers and play along in time.

Anyone got any alternatives to GB for the Live Looping clip launcher iOS thing?? She wants to be able to record her voice live and then instantly loop it as well as MIDI keys/synths.
I've tried showing her BM3 - but it's a bit buggy and there aren't any built in loops or sounds really - GB is tough to match in that respect. The live recording of vocals in BM3 works really well though.
How is the launchpad / blocs wave combo?? is that what you use @Dubbylabby ? Pros cons compared to the GB live loops?

Comments

• edited July 2017

  GB has IAA in but no sync. Editing Audio in GB is an absolute impossibility. GB is loads of fun and free so enjoy it for what it is, but don't see it as a competitor to other daws or synths because it is simply too incompatible with other software.

  As a looper it can be fun. I find the DJ effects pretty good and certainly the track limit is infinite. Compare with launchpad you only have 8 tracks but far more compatible with other apps, especially if you have AB and blocs wave.

• edited July 2017

  What would you like to play along in time...
  If your happy using just GarageBand (presumably including IAA and Au in GB) then you can set up a jam session in GB.

  One iPad works as master and sets tempo and controls the transport controls

  The other(S I think) act as slaves. Tracks recorded on the other iPad can be automatically sent to the master iPad at the end of each recording.

  You could also try
  MIDI Link Sync by Coding Cod Ltd
  https://appsto.re/gb/TCU1_.i

• BiancaNeve option for garageband is reliable for syncing but not sure how it will be for live looping.

  For what you described I will use GTL with Launchpad app.

  The workflow will be:
  1. Create the song at home inside BlocsWave.
  2. Export the basic structure into GTL (recording it with Link)
  3. Export the extras and one shots into Launchpad app.
  4. Sync GTL and Launchpad with Link. Use Footpedal for the first and LaunchControl XL for the second. Maybe user page also for GTL volumes..

  Pros: you have all you need.
  Cons: you will need launch hardware to take all the profit from Launchpad. If you need finger drumming add a launchpad. If you need extra fx (aside from being IAP the lanchpad ones) you will need to route all with AUM/AB3 making it a bit more clunky.. or use external fx unit.

  BM3 could be the 'tool' in the future but ATM I trust more in GTL/Launchpad combo..

• Thanks for the input folks

  I will try out the MIDI Link Sync app - for 99p it's worth a punt. I think the GTL / Launchpad combo workflow will be too much for her to take on - she's not a real lover of technology. she just wants to make music.

  I'll probably want to jam along either on guitar, vocals / acoustic instrument or possibly an iOS app. Whatever it is I'd probably want to loop bits in Loopy - or perhaps Group The Loop. I am imagining I'd just be layering some simple ideas up with what she's doing.

  It needs to be doable live - its for performance not as a writing / recording method.

• @BiancaNeve said:
  What would you like to play along in time...
  If your happy using just GarageBand (presumably including IAA and Au in GB) then you can set up a jam session in GB.

  One iPad works as master and sets tempo and controls the transport controls

  The other(S I think) act as slaves. Tracks recorded on the other iPad can be automatically sent to the master iPad at the end of each recording.

  We did try out the Jam session yesterday - it's pretty good for what it does.. essentially each person has to have an instrument open (whether it's an iOS touch instrument - or could be a microphone for vocals or whatever). The bandleader presses record and then all the iPads start recording and you can all play along (no-one else can operate the transport controls it seems). At the end of the recording the bandlleaders iPads collects all the audio and MIDI from the other devices (if you haven't deselected that option). Then they could return to sort of the track and you could change to another instrument each and jam over the top..

  SO it's good for layering stuff up - but you cannot do looping - its not a live performance tool.

  We tried to activate the Live Loops during our jam and it immediately disconnects the Jam session.

• That's a shame then, seemed like good idea at the time.

• @BiancaNeve said:
  That's a shame then, seemed like good idea at the time.

  Yeah shame Thanks for the heads up on the MIDI Link Sync. fingers crossed that will solve the problem for now.

• @ricksteruk said:
  Thanks for the input folks

  I will try out the MIDI Link Sync app - for 99p it's worth a punt. I think the GTL / Launchpad combo workflow will be too much for her to take on - she's not a real lover of technology. she just wants to make music.

  I'll probably want to jam along either on guitar, vocals / acoustic instrument or possibly an iOS app. Whatever it is I'd probably want to loop bits in Loopy - or perhaps Group The Loop. I am imagining I'd just be layering some simple ideas up with what she's doing.

  It needs to be doable live - its for performance not as a writing / recording method.

  I don't know a simple app that could make live looping and sample mangling. There is anyone? Maybe there is one which matches..
  Another option is Audiobus remote and those apps on your iPad. Record her and so from your iPad but the control on her one.. could it be?

• I can't get MIDI Link Sync to pick up MIDI clock from Garageband.

  Does anyone know how to do it? What are the settings? There is an option in GB's advanced to send MIDI clock to connected apps or hardware. but checking that hasn't made a difference.

  What port would the GBs MIDI clock come out from?

• edited July 2017

  1st select midi to link at the top of the screen

  Then tick midi link sync in at the bottom of the screen

  Then in Gb enable both background running and send clock.

  Then press play in gb

  Switch back to midi link
  Then click enable sync.

  The top number (the clock from gb fluctuates a lot, but the link number seems to settle down

• @BiancaNeve said:
  1st select midi to link at the top of the screen

  Then tick midi link sync in at the bottom of the screen

  Then in Gb enable both background running and send clock.

  Then press play in gb

  Switch back to midi link
  Then click enable sync.

  The top number (the clock from gb fluctuates a lot, but the link number seems to settle down

  THANK YOU so much

  I almost had it set up - the only thing I was doing wrong was not pressing play in Garageband. D'oh. Isn't it always the little things that catch you out and make you feel like pulling your hair out!!!

  Before I was testing it by playing the LiveLoops (as that is what is going to be the GB source) and it seems that they don't cause GB to generate sync - even though all the loops are in sync with the GB song tempo.

  .. so all I've done as a fix is to record a 1 bar drum pattern and muted it. Now that 'plays' and generates the MIDI clock whilst the Live Loops actually provide the sounds from GB.

  Gonna try it out this afternoon and see if it works reliably with her GB and me on Loopy, Gadget, BM3 or whatever I decide to fire up on my iPad.

• Ableton Link would kick ass with the Live Looping in GarageBand. The reason I like it is because it’s the only app the combines both audio and MIDI looping into a simple grid interface like Ableton/Launchpad.

  Anyone know if you can assign specific MIDI input and/or Channel to a MIDI track in GB?

• @LucidMusicInc said:
  GB has IAA in but no sync. Editing Audio in GB is an absolute impossibility. GB is loads of fun and free so enjoy it for what it is, but don't see it as a competitor to other daws or synths because it is simply too incompatible with other software.

  As a looper it can be fun. I find the DJ effects pretty good and certainly the track limit is infinite. Compare with launchpad you only have 8 tracks but far more compatible with other apps, especially if you have AB and blocs wave.

  Edit: Old post. GB has a good Midi sync now and some of the trimming has been improved a little. Marathi fonts shivaji 1.

• edited April 2018

  Bumping this cause I’d still like to know if somehow I can change the MIDI receive channel on tracks in GB. Any tips? Right now all of my MIDI devices control the selected track, so playing two synths at a time is an impossibility while use GB.

  Gosh I love the way the jam feature is setup with both audio and midi looping. It just needs those last little improvements.

• I found that you have to press play in GarageBand while in tracks mode. It doesn’t start sending midi if I press play in Live Loops view.

• @mistercharlie said:
  I found that you have to press play in GarageBand while in tracks mode. It doesn’t start sending midi if I press play in Live Loops view.

  That is good to know. I think the loop transport is separate from the main one. I was trying to help my kid with the loop workflow and we had to record the loop performance into the tracks area to save it.

Garageband Ipad Midi Clock Sync App

Introduction

Thank you for being a part of the Audiobus community! This manual should cover the basics, but if you have any questions or suggestions – or you just feel like hanging out – please join us over at the Audiobus forum.

Audiobus? Huh?

Audiobus is a music app that makes your other music apps..better. And it works with a thriving ecosystem of thousands of great music apps and Audio Units.

Audiobus is like a set of virtual cables: you can plug one app into another, into another. With Audiobus you can, for example, take that great synth app or guitar amp app (or vuvuzela simulator. Hey, no judgement here.) and run it into your favourite live-looper or sampler, or a recorder like GarageBand.

And you can add some crunchy distortion or reverb along the way, with support for a huge host of great effect apps and Audio Units: chain them together to perfect your sound.

Audiobus works great with MIDI, too: drive your favourite synth from a sequencer or an arpeggiator, or from an external MIDI keyboard, with a scale quantizer added into the mix to keep you in tune, or add a MIDI based delay effect.

And with the Audiobus MIDI Learn in-app purchase, you can control everything from mixer levels through to preset loading and Audio Unit parameters from your external MIDI gear – or, another app.

Here are some things you can do with Audiobus:

Garageband Ipad Midi Clock Sync Keyboard

• Run your guitar into an amp simulator, then add a custom delay and reverb, and record the result into GarageBand.
• Play a synth app into a live-looper app like Loopy.
• Control a modular synth simulator app from a MIDI keyboard, through an arpeggiator.
• Set up one set of effects for one song, and a totally different set for a different song, and use a MIDI pedal to switch between them.
• Run vocals and guitar into your iPad, and apply different effects for each, then record each separate track live in a multi-track recorder, or record the mix in a live-looper – or, send each channel out separately through an external audio interface.
• Use a MIDI sequencer Audio Unit to drive a synth, and a different one to drive a virtual drumkit, and keep it all perfectly synchronized with your external MIDI gear.
• Use an LFO generator Audio Unit to drive the bandpass frequency parameter on an EQ effect, for a continuous sweep sound.
• Create a ducker or sidechain compressor using an audio-envelope-to-MIDI utility tied to the audio level control of a bass synth, or the parameter on a compressor effect on its output.
• So, so much more. Read on.