Official Virtual AMPEG Portaflex Club

[Rip Topaz]

Originally Posted by fivestringgecko

I bought Amplitube and an iRig when I first got my iPad (about a year ago) and never really explored it until just the last couple weeks. I didn't like the stock bass options, but I bought the B15R model a few days ago when I caught the iRig thread and I have to say it made a big improvement.

I tried Amplitube live for the first time last night at a rehearsal for some upcoming Christmas concerts and wasn't expecting much, but it actually worked quite well. The sound guy (who I've worked with on a number of occasions) and I agreed that it sounded pretty decent through the house. I DI'd straight to house and we were using a Hearback monitor system, and I didn't have any problems despite being in the mix with 20 choral vocalists, piano, drums, aux percussion, violin, cello, an Irish pipes player and three trumpets.

Pbass V with Chromes > Amplitube > DI to house with Hearbacks

I did notice a couple things about the app... 1) unless I just haven't figured it out yet, I miss being able to tune silently, like I can with the TU3 on my pedalboard. 2) I didn't get AT completely dialed in, but I noticed I can't quite get the treble range I normally do. Normally I have the tone knob on my Pbass at about 50% to get the tone I like with it, but through the Amplitube rig, I had to crank it to max. 3) Amplitube seems a little noisy... I didn't have any wild settings and still had to run the noise filter to bring it back down to "acceptable." Not a huge issue, just something I noticed.

Obviously I'm still getting used to it, but I already think Amplitube is a decent ampless solution. Will I switch to it as my main rig? Probably not... I'd rather run my actual pedalboard. But it's a viable option, and will be a handy practice tool if I'm traveling as well. If I get more serious about using it, I might think about upgrading my interface, probably to an Apogee. I also might decide to check out Jamup if I get more serious about an iOS solution... My main effects are envelope and pctaver, and in AT, they're both abysmal.

5sg.

Here's the settings I used at rehearsal last night... I'm sure many are already aware, but the B15 model currently has some bugs: ON is actually OFF and the Ultra HI/LO are reversed. I plugged in a couple pedals before rehearsal to mess around, but didn't use anything other than the noise filter while we were actually playing.

Keep tweaking. The noise filter should just be thrown away in Amplitube. That's where your highs went.
Also, engage the EQ in the mastering section, and turn the compressor on as well. Crank it to about noon, and EQ to taste.
I use a passive P and I've always gotta tame the highs down, no noise filter needed even using Irig.
Just keep tweaking. You're almost there.

To tune silently, you have to go into the tools section to activate the tuner and mute it.

[Duke21]

Originally Posted by Rip Topaz

Keep tweaking. The noise filter should just be thrown away in Amplitube. That's where your highs went.
Also, engage the EQ in the mastering section, and turn the compressor on as well. Crank it to about noon, and EQ to taste.
I use a passive P and I've always gotta tame the highs down, no noise filter needed even using Irig.
Just keep tweaking. You're almost there.

To tune silently, you have to go into the tools section to activate the tuner and mute it.

+1 Noise filter on AT is a highs killer. I never use noise filter anyway.

[fivestringgecko]

Thanks for the info guys, I'll definitely keep messing with it. Using the noise filter was the quick solution, I figured I could go without it if I really worked at it. But for a first time run with hardly any time through the house system by myself, it worked out pretty well. I bring my iPad with me for charts anyway. Running both Amplitube and ForScore didn't really seem to run the battery down any faster than when I just use ForScore for charts either. About 10-11% per hour.

I'll definitely keep tweaking, I want to get AT as tight as possible if I'm going to use it for an ampless solution. It'd be a pretty sweet option to just show up with my gig bag and iPad when I know I'll be going ampless...

When I have time, I'm going to sit down and power through both this and the iRig thread to see what other tips/info I can gather as well.

EDIT: just looked and I wish they sold the Mastering section separately for less. I'm not quite ready to shell out another $14.99 on Amplitube just yet... I want to see just how much I'm going to use it first.

5sg.

[adambomb]

Originally Posted by fivestringgecko

1) unless I just haven't figured it out yet, I miss being able to tune silently, like I can with the TU3 on my pedalboard. 2) I didn't get AT completely dialed in, but I noticed I can't quite get the treble range I normally do. Normally I have the tone knob on my Pbass at about 50% to get the tone I like with it, but through the Amplitube rig, I had to crank it to max. 3) Amplitube seems a little noisy... I didn't have any wild settings and still had to run the noise filter to bring it back down to "acceptable." Not a huge issue, just something I noticed.

Obviously I'm still getting used to it, but I already think Amplitube is a decent ampless solution. Will I switch to it as my main rig? Probably not... I'd rather run my actual pedalboard. But it's a viable option, and will be a handy practice tool if I'm traveling as well. If I get more serious about using it, I might think about upgrading my interface, probably to an Apogee.

Glad to hear it went well.
1. its in the tools button on the bottom not the tuner button but in the tools section .... there is a mute button next to the tuner {on} button. (thats what i do for a quick check in the middle of a set)

2.i think that is a headphone/mic port thing... i hear it has a high frequency filter on all iOS devices... thats iRig for ya...

3. AT itself is not noisy.... that's also irig for ya. they (IK) knew there would be a huge need for a noise filter because of all the crosstalk and such through their device. i used to use the noise filter when i used the iRig with the pedal's knob turned to zero. it was enough to get rid of the noise then i used the 6 band eq to compensate the highs and mid high a little. then i started to use the 6khz slider as the noise filter after that and stopped using the noise filter all together. i read that a bass's frequencies are between 40hz and 4khz....so the 6khz slider about 75% down works as a good noise cut.

BTW there is hiss and noise when you mic a real amp you cant get around it especially a tube amp.....

since i started using the 30 pin and the art usb the noise and hiss has 99% disappeared and i have not used the noise filter again.

the only hiss you will hear on mine is is when i use an AT amp with high gain and high master volume settings just like a real amp, but when you drop the treble knob a little, it (the hiss) goes away.

[adambomb]

Originally Posted by fivestringgecko

EDIT: just looked and I wish they sold the Mastering section separately for less. I'm not quite ready to shell out another $14.99 on Amplitube just yet... I want to see just how much I'm going to use it first.

5sg.

i bought it recently when it went on sale for 9.99 i know its cheap but i thought the same thing. i just want the FX part. i really didn't want the 8 track because i have GB on the ipad the one track in AT already. GB on my mac protools on my mac so i really didn't want to pay 14 bucks for another multi track .....but hey it was on sale....

[Rip Topaz]

Got some news from Derek over at Positive Grid.

Check this out!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDpjvTYl6U4&sns=em
December 10, if you're wondering.

These guys really are paying attention. I got this video in a PM on twitter. Derek even offered to send me drum tracks to use in the looper!!

[PrietoBass]

Originally Posted by Rip Topaz

Got some news from Derek over at Positive Grid.

Check this out!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDpjvTYl6U4&sns=em
December 10, if you're wondering.

These guys really are paying attention. I got this video in a PM on twitter. Derek even offered to send me drum tracks to use in the looper!!

Wow, that's cool! Rip, what's he using to track audio while he records, if you know?

[Rip Topaz]

Originally Posted by PrietoBass

Wow, that's cool! Rip, what's he using to track audio while he records, if you know?

According to the video, Multitrack DAW. It's a killer app, just not all that great on the iPhone's small screen.

[Rip Topaz]

I gotta say, after my conversation just now with Derek from Positive Grid, these guys have my complete support!!
I'm sure I'll still use AT for the things it does that Jamup doesn't, but I'm able to get my live tone almost EXACTLY with either app.
And for me, the fact that the guys at Positive Grid actually LISTEN, and respond to questions and suggestions, means a LOT.
Make sure you follow @PositiveGrid and @buddemeyer72 (Derek) on Twitter. Any questions I've asked them have been answered in minutes.
Customer support like that really says something.

[BluesMan845]

Companies that "communicate with their customers are few and far between so it's so cool when you find one that cares enough about what customers want.. IK has had a long standing problem with that. Many times they don't say anything because they are afraid of saying something that maybe they can't live up to in the end I suppose.

Positive Grid is about to be the only app on my iOS devices as of Dec 10, 2012.

I would guess that IK won't be on board any time soon because it's not proprietary and they can't make money selling it to us.

There are a number of cool apps that are on the launch list for AudioBus... The future has arrived !

[Duke21]

What is audiobus?

[BluesMan845]

Google it for a better explanation but it basically is an app that you purchase and then other music apps ( i.e. Jamup ) set up their app to work with audiobus which lets multiple music apps them work together. So Jamup can be used as the amp simulator for a multitrack DAW developed by another developer.

[adambomb]

Originally Posted by Rip Topaz

I gotta say, after my conversation just now with Derek from Positive Grid, these guys have my complete support!!

What was it exactly that he said to have you think they were the app for us,( bassist. I hope they are. I have not bought the bass expansion yet. So tell me why they are "the ones" to go to

[Duke21]

Originally Posted by adambomb

What was it exactly that he said to have you think they were the app for us,( bassist. I hope they are. I have not bought the bass expansion yet. So tell me why they are "the ones" to go to

I'm not sure the Jamup is the "one" to go to, the B15R in AT is still the best, at least for my part, but there are several nice amps in Jamup and there is more hope regarding the future with Jamup. The Redhead is one of my favorite amps in Jamup, specially combined with the BDDI.

[Rip Topaz]

Originally Posted by Duke21

I'm not sure the Jamup is the "one" to go to, the B15R in AT is still the best, at least for my part, but there are several nice amps in Jamup and there is more hope regarding the future with Jamup. The Redhead is one of my favorite amps in Jamup, specially combined with the BDDI.

+1. I still think the B15R in AT is the better amp as well, but the fact that PG is actually listening to its customers really impresses me, and leaves me hopeful for new bass stuff. With AT, I'm not holding my breath.

[adambomb]

Originally Posted by Duke21

What is audiobus?

I hope that it is a sort of pipeline from amp sims to allow daw to use them as a plug-in

[adambomb]

Ok I just bit the bullet and bought the bass expansion pack for jamup. Will give it a true test drive in the morning at run through for Sunday morning worship through JBL sound system and avioms. I have high hopes for just the bddi or bddi through redhead or svt

[Rip Topaz]

Originally Posted by adambomb

Ok I just bit the bullet and bought the bass expansion pack for jamup. Will give it a true test drive in the morning at run through for Sunday morning worship through JBL sound system and avioms. I have high hopes for just the bddi or bddi through redhead or svt

I'd love a chance to run this stuff through Avioms. I haven't played at church since I got serious about iOS amp sims.

Derek from Positive Grid sent me some really killer drums loops this evening. Gotta fire up the laptop and import them into ACID to build the drum track, then I'll dump those tracks into my digital 8-track and complete the song. This is gonna be a fun project, all guitars, bass, and vocal tracks will be processed through iOS sims. I'm gonna test the limits of this stuff.

Audiobus is going to be a real game changer. I'll be handing them my $9.99 on December 10th.

[fivestringgecko]

I just recently tried Amplitube through a Hearback system... Kind of a "poor man's Aviom" I guess. I still have some dialing in to do, but the sound guy and I agreed that it sounded pretty good.

5sg.

[adambomb]

Well I took the jamup for a test drive.....and it was awesome!!!!!!!

During run through I was using the svt and it sounded great the lows and mids were more defined than in AT and i was gonna use it but between run through and start of the worship I put on the headphones and was curios about the redhead and immediately fell out when I started dialing up the gain and aural knobs I didn't touch anything else I kept it as it came with default settings. I didn't use any noise gate or bddi in front. Just the redhead........WOW!!!!!! It was like freakishly great sounding. It blew me away.
In the headphones alone it sounded like the redhead I remember and it definitely had that SWR low tight bottom. Then through the jbl system it came alive......
I WAS BLOWN AWAY!!!!!!

I want more jamup please. I was really skeptic but I am convinced that PG is really on to an amazing thing here.

Later after the service I tried the ac30 on jamup ehhhh. That was ok...nothing to complain about.
I still think AT has JU a little beat on the guitar amp sim.... Of course I only have the free ac30 on JU so I can't compare the other amps with AT......and the recorder to me in AT is better it seems.

Watch out AT........ IK needs to step it up with the bass gear........
Jamup on the bass gear sounded so much more defined and powerful. The gain structure was different than AT. And the output was way more potent and clear and dynamic.

The redhead was AHHHHHHHHHHHHH. Where have you been all my live.

I haven't taken the time with any of the other bass amps or the bddi......yet.

IK take notice ........ That's how bass gear is done.
Again.....WOW!

Live .....jamup ......recording AT. I hope audio us will bring the two APPs together.