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Offline overdubbing/collaboration app-recommendations/ideas?


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Inspired by the Colorado Symphony Orchestra"s 'play-from-home' performance of Ode To Joy, my band wants to try something similar. My idea is to lay down a scratch piano+vocal+metronome track to a WAV file, and get everyone else to play along â we"ll then mix the individual tracks to create a complete performance.

 

However â this has to be simple. Not everyone in the band is running a DAW with an audio interface. However, we all have smartphones. Does anyone know of an app that will:

- Play back a WAV or MP3 file

- While recording a second audio file

- That can be independently exported as WAV or similar (for import into a DAW)

- And keep the two synchronised (sample-accurate?) to facilitate mixdown

 

This is an offline project â no (doomed-to-failure) attempt at real-time collaboration is required.

 

Video recording is a bonus, but not essential.

 

I"ve heard about the trackd app and others, but these seem to be limited to 8-9 tracks, and do not offer individual track export. We will need about 12-16 tracks â we can mix down in Pro Tools or Logic, but not record everyone.

 

Many thanks for any help/suggestions. (Note: cross-posted to Craig Anderton"s Sound, Studio and Stage forum).

 

Cheers, Mike.

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Inspired by the Colorado Symphony Orchestra"s 'play-from-home' performance of Ode To Joy, my band wants to try something similar. My idea is to lay down a scratch piano+vocal+metronome track to a WAV file, and get everyone else to play along â we"ll then mix the individual tracks to create a complete performance.

 

However â this has to be simple. Not everyone in the band is running a DAW with an audio interface. However, we all have smartphones. Does anyone know of an app that will:

- Play back a WAV or MP3 file

- While recording a second audio file

- That can be independently exported as WAV or similar (for import into a DAW)

- And keep the two synchronised (sample-accurate?) to facilitate mixdown

 

This is an offline project â no (doomed-to-failure) attempt at real-time collaboration is required.

 

Video recording is a bonus, but not essential.

 

I"ve heard about the trackd app and others, but these seem to be limited to 8-9 tracks, and do not offer individual track export. We will need about 12-16 tracks â we can mix down in Pro Tools or Logic, but not record everyone.

 

Many thanks for any help/suggestions. (Note: cross-posted to Craig Anderton"s Sound, Studio and Stage forum).

 

Cheers, Mike.

 

I've done a full "virtual collab" with someone from France and someone from Canada. We used a computer and a camera and manually synced tracks with video in iMovie.

 

[video:youtube]

 

For your case, here's what I would do, if no one has a DAW etc. Have them use something like Garageband if they have it; it will do everything you want except video (not sure what there is for Android). Have them import your track, make a new track, record while monitoring through headphones, mute your original track, and export the song in the highest quality possible (make sure they don't add any effects in the app - GarageBand likes to cut off reverb tails etc when it exports since you don't get to choose the range. That will give you their track alone and synced with the beginning of your own track. Export options are MP3 64kbt/s, 128kbt/s, 192kbt/s, 256kbt/s, Apple Lossless (ALAC) 44.1kHz/16-bit, Uncompressed AIFF 44.1kHz/16-bit, or Uncompressed WAV (44.1kHz/16-bit).

 

Audio quality might not be the greatest if you're working with smartphone mics. Just a heads up in case you don't already know that.

 

If you're going to want video, I might suggest you each record video while you play, but make sure you can manually sync them by having a clap or loud note or something at the beginning of each track to match with the video (make sure it can be heard both in the video audio and recorded audio so you can match up the spike).

Yamaha: Motif XF8, MODX7, YS200, CVP-305, CLP-130, YPG-235, PSR-295, PSS-470 | Roland: Fantom 7, JV-1000

Kurzweil: PC3-76, PC4 (88) | Hammond: SK Pro 73 | Korg: Triton LE 76, N1R, X5DR | Emu: Proteus/1 | Casio: CT-370 | Novation: Launchkey 37 MK3 | Technics: WSA1R

Former: Emu Proformance Plus & Mo'Phatt, Korg Krome 61, Roland Fantom XR & JV-1010, Yamaha MX61, Behringer CAT

Assorted electric & acoustic guitars and electric basses | Roland TD-17 KVX | Alesis SamplePad Pro | Assorted organs, accordions, other instruments

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Stoken6 - check out this thread from Dave Bryce today - Sounds like it may do what you want ....

 

https://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/3035160/gonew/1/real-time-remote-collaboration-with-high-quality-audio#UNREAD

Kurzweil Forte,Roland Fantom 6,Hydrasynth,Numa C2X, SpaceStation V.3, other stuffs

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This is definitely the wave of the immediate future. Here's one my band just did. I'm not sure how everyone recorded their tracks, though I'm guessing the majority just used their phone's built-in mic. I did mine in GarageBand (my upright is MIDI'd). I believe the guy who put the video together said he used iMovie, though I'm not certain.

 

[video:youtube]

 

You might also look into this app if you're on iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/acapella-from-picplaypost/id924635678

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I'm in the middle of doing one at the moment. It's just 2 x guitar and vox.

 

We'll do it like this:

 

1. Rhythm Guitarist plays and videos himself on his phone. Will record playing into DAW via his amp sim.

2. Vox will video himself singing along to the guitar audio track. Will record vox directly into his DAW and amalgamate the two tracks.

3. Lead Guitarist will record a solo over the amalgamated track in similar fashion to the rhythm guitarist. He'll send me his track and I'll mix and master the three audio tracks together.

4. All will send me their videos and I'll edit in Shotcut

 

Gives me a bit of flexibility in relation to the audio track and how I sync to video.

 

Same could be done without DAW's simply by listening to the "backing tracks" via headphones and recording audio via iPhone. Time could also be saved by preventing multiple hand-offs by everyone playing along to one backing track as the "single source of truth".

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Thanks for the advice people. As a starter project I think we'll omit the video for now.

if no one has a DAW etc. Have them use something like Garageband if they have it
Great idea. I think GarageBand is a standard install on iOS these days?

 

Stoken6 - check out this thread from Dave Bryce today - Sounds like it may do what you want
Audiomovers Listento is a DAW plug-in, from what I understand. Too complex for some of the n00bs in the band.

 

I did mine in GarageBand (my upright is MIDI'd). I believe the guy who put the video together said he used iMovie, though I'm not certain.You might also look into this app if you're on iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/acapella-from-picplaypost/id924635678
Thanks Josh. How did you capture your video?

 

Same could be done without DAW's simply by listening to the "backing tracks" via headphones and recording audio via iPhone. Time could also be saved by preventing multiple hand-offs by everyone playing along to one backing track as the "single source of truth".
That's exactly the plan. I'm just looking for advice on what tools would be best.

 

Craig Anderton, over on his forum, also suggested the BandLab app, which I will look into.

 

Cheers, Mike.

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I did mine in GarageBand (my upright is MIDI'd). I believe the guy who put the video together said he used iMovie, though I'm not certain.You might also look into this app if you're on iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/acapella-from-picplaypost/id924635678

Thanks Josh. How did you capture your video?

 

IPhone on a magnetic phone mount attached to a lamp. Yeah, we're that high-tech over here!

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IPhone on a magnetic phone mount attached to a lamp. Yeah, we're that high-tech over here!

So does GarageBand record video simultaneously with audio?

 

I failed with GarageBand at the first hurdle: importing the master guide track. (Everyone says go to the Loops page and choose "Files" - I don't have a Files button on that page!)

 

Cheers, Mike.

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Garageband on iOS isn't free. You have to cough up a LOT of money for it. A whole $4.99, I think.

 

Over on the Online Collaboration forum we're starting to consider doing this stuff. There are platforms out there, BandLab being one of them, that provide an online platform for this kind of thing (usually without video, though). This is a great time to be diving deep into this technology!

Dr. Mike Metlay (PhD in nuclear physics, golly gosh) :D

Musician, Author, Editor, Educator, Impresario, Online Radio Guy, Cut-Rate Polymath, and Kindly Pedant

Editor-in-Chief, Bjooks ~ Author of SYNTH GEMS 1

 

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IPhone on a magnetic phone mount attached to a lamp. Yeah, we're that high-tech over here!

So does GarageBand record video simultaneously with audio?

 

No, sorry, I wasn't very clear. I captured the video with the phone while playing into GarageBand on my laptop. So the video had the ambient room sound (the backing track plus the keys). I then exported the GarageBand audio separately, and sent both the video file and the audio file to the guy who put it all together in iMovie.

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Garageband on iOS isn't free. You have to cough up a LOT of money for it. A whole $4.99, I think.

 

Over on the Online Collaboration forum we're starting to consider doing this stuff. There are platforms out there, BandLab being one of them, that provide an online platform for this kind of thing (usually without video, though). This is a great time to be diving deep into this technology!

 

I thought it"s been free since 2017 on iOS. At least it was for me last year.

Yamaha: Motif XF8, MODX7, YS200, CVP-305, CLP-130, YPG-235, PSR-295, PSS-470 | Roland: Fantom 7, JV-1000

Kurzweil: PC3-76, PC4 (88) | Hammond: SK Pro 73 | Korg: Triton LE 76, N1R, X5DR | Emu: Proteus/1 | Casio: CT-370 | Novation: Launchkey 37 MK3 | Technics: WSA1R

Former: Emu Proformance Plus & Mo'Phatt, Korg Krome 61, Roland Fantom XR & JV-1010, Yamaha MX61, Behringer CAT

Assorted electric & acoustic guitars and electric basses | Roland TD-17 KVX | Alesis SamplePad Pro | Assorted organs, accordions, other instruments

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IPhone on a magnetic phone mount attached to a lamp. Yeah, we're that high-tech over here!

So does GarageBand record video simultaneously with audio?

 

I failed with GarageBand at the first hurdle: importing the master guide track. (Everyone says go to the Loops page and choose "Files" - I don't have a Files button on that page!)

 

Cheers, Mike.

 

Here"s how I do it.

 

1. Make a new project, and add an 'Audio Recorder' track. For best results, set that track"s preset to 'Clean', it will play it as it is supposed to sound pretty much.

2. Press the track view icon - this takes you to a main screen with all tracks shown etc, like a daw.

3. Press the '+' icon and set Section A to 'Automatic'. Super important, otherwise the project is only eight measures long and will cut off.

4. Press the 'Loops' icon in the upper right corner of the track screen

5. Choose 'Files'

6. You can either search through all your folders ('Browse items from the Files app') for the audio file to import, or, before importing, copy your audio/master track to the GarageBand File Transfer Folder. Then it will display in the menu of songs when you select the 'Files' tab.

7. Press the file you want to import, hold and drag it to the first measure of your song.

8. Add a new Audio Recorder track, or guitar/bass amp track, and go from there.

 

 

TIP: If your master track is made so that it can be dropped in on beat one and stay synced, go and change the project tempo to whatever your song is, and the time signature as well (3/4, 4/4, and 6/8 only). Then you can enable the click track while you record for an added timing help if you want!

Yamaha: Motif XF8, MODX7, YS200, CVP-305, CLP-130, YPG-235, PSR-295, PSS-470 | Roland: Fantom 7, JV-1000

Kurzweil: PC3-76, PC4 (88) | Hammond: SK Pro 73 | Korg: Triton LE 76, N1R, X5DR | Emu: Proteus/1 | Casio: CT-370 | Novation: Launchkey 37 MK3 | Technics: WSA1R

Former: Emu Proformance Plus & Mo'Phatt, Korg Krome 61, Roland Fantom XR & JV-1010, Yamaha MX61, Behringer CAT

Assorted electric & acoustic guitars and electric basses | Roland TD-17 KVX | Alesis SamplePad Pro | Assorted organs, accordions, other instruments

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Max, you're a top banana and I thank you sincerely for your efforts in trying to help me.

 

However, Step 5 is where it all goes wrong. Your advice is consistent with the advice of the entire Internet, but I don't have Files on my Loops page:

49707739132_0a2fa4b5c7.jpg

 

I wonder if I'm simply running an older version. I've got GarageBand 2.2.1 on my iPhone, but no option to update it in the App Store.

 

Cheers, Mike.

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Okay, that"s strange. If you don"t have data already from Garageband, like previous projects, I would say uninstall and download it again. I"m running 2.3.7 on an iPad. I"ll look into other options.

 

Edit: what version of iOS are you running?

Yamaha: Motif XF8, MODX7, YS200, CVP-305, CLP-130, YPG-235, PSR-295, PSS-470 | Roland: Fantom 7, JV-1000

Kurzweil: PC3-76, PC4 (88) | Hammond: SK Pro 73 | Korg: Triton LE 76, N1R, X5DR | Emu: Proteus/1 | Casio: CT-370 | Novation: Launchkey 37 MK3 | Technics: WSA1R

Former: Emu Proformance Plus & Mo'Phatt, Korg Krome 61, Roland Fantom XR & JV-1010, Yamaha MX61, Behringer CAT

Assorted electric & acoustic guitars and electric basses | Roland TD-17 KVX | Alesis SamplePad Pro | Assorted organs, accordions, other instruments

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Hi Max, sorry for the delay in responding. I finally upgraded to 13.4. but haven't checked GB again since. Craig Anderton's recommendation of BandLab has proved (broadly) successful - a few teething issues, but it's much more linear/track-based and much less "loopy" than GB, so probably a better fit for us. Plus its built-in cloud/collab features means no need to export individual tracks and send them around.

 

Cheers, Mike.

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Hi Max, sorry for the delay in responding. I finally upgraded to 13.4. but haven't checked GB again since. Craig Anderton's recommendation of BandLab has proved (broadly) successful - a few teething issues, but it's much more linear/track-based and much less "loopy" than GB, so probably a better fit for us. Plus its built-in cloud/collab features means no need to export individual tracks and send them around.

 

Cheers, Mike.

 

I didn't realize BandLab had an IOS app, that's neat. Cloud collab too...might look into that! For what it's worth I'm not a loop person and I only use Garageband as a linear-track audio recorder, like any DAW. It works fine for that. I guess I've never noticed any issues in that regard.

Yamaha: Motif XF8, MODX7, YS200, CVP-305, CLP-130, YPG-235, PSR-295, PSS-470 | Roland: Fantom 7, JV-1000

Kurzweil: PC3-76, PC4 (88) | Hammond: SK Pro 73 | Korg: Triton LE 76, N1R, X5DR | Emu: Proteus/1 | Casio: CT-370 | Novation: Launchkey 37 MK3 | Technics: WSA1R

Former: Emu Proformance Plus & Mo'Phatt, Korg Krome 61, Roland Fantom XR & JV-1010, Yamaha MX61, Behringer CAT

Assorted electric & acoustic guitars and electric basses | Roland TD-17 KVX | Alesis SamplePad Pro | Assorted organs, accordions, other instruments

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