We recently received this testimonial from Grammy Award-winning engineer Butch Jones (Madonna, Talking Heads), who is currently the Chief Studio engineer at 825 Records:

Auria to the rescue!

While working on the Beta team for this app, I knew that it was going to be one of the best and easiest tools for engineers/producers to use with their artists.  I’ve been working with Curtis King Jr, one of the background singers for Bruce Springsteen, and the tour schedule was wreaking havoc on our recording schedule.  I needed an easy and efficient way for Curtis to record and send me additional vocals while mixing the record in his absence. On the first tour break, Curtis came by the studio and we installed Auria onto his iPad, followed by a tutorial on project downloads and recording. Since I can prep a project for each song, all he needs to do is load the project from DropBox, record to the vocal tracks I’ve already set up, and then save the project back to the “Auria” DropBox folder that we share. Doesn’t get much easier than this, and I know that everything I get back will be in sync and project matched. Since most USB interfaces are compatible with the iPad, we were able to connect our device and make use of the microphones we are already familiar with.
Enjoy!

Butch was kind enough to also include part of the recording that he mentions—give it a listen below. Thanks for sharing, Butch!

Do you have an Auria in Action story that you would like to share? We would love to hear it! Please send them to support[at]auriaapp[dot]com.

• Fabfilter Pro-C, Volcano and Timeless plugins updated to fix loading issue
• MP3 Import not working correctly
• Audiobus not working when inserting apps in certain order
• Time Stretch causes clicks on certain regions
• Join function sometimes adds extra silence at the start
• Opening Process Menu clears solo
• Muted regions are now more transparent
• Auto Crossfade (in Settings menu) works on all regions now
• Fixed issue with accidentally entering highlight or locator set mode when double tapping in two different places
• When recording with loop mode enabled, nothing is recorded for the first second
• Fixed issue with no audio when using loop mode and rewinding
• Fixed crashing issue when undo-ing freezing/unfreezing track
• Fixed issue with plugin settings not restoring after undo-ing Delete Plugin

Added in 1.09

• Auria Forum link added to Main Menu
• Recent Project List added to Main Menu

• Recording on stereo tracks with USB devices may only record one side
• Extended the Trim Handle usable visual range by making the Fade Handles disappear when the track height is small
• Zoom slider in Edit window now correctly zooms around the cursor
• Newly recorded regions are named after the track name instead of Audio 01…
• Info Box displays both the amount of shift when moving regions as well as time stretch percentage
• Automation and track names are visible now when the Edit Window Gain Slider is set to OFF
• Cleanup wasn’t removing some unused files properly
• Double-tap on the Stop button rewinds to the Start Locator – Second double-tap rewinds to the start
• Crash with long recordings when using Audiobus

New Features in 1.08

• Additional FabFilter plug-ins updated with side chain (Pro-C, Timeless2, Volcano2), adding to Pro-DS, Pro-G, and Saturn
• Split All function added
• Join Regions function
• Mute Region function
• Lock Locators and Lock Markers options added to Transport Options
• Dedicated loop handle added to each region, allowing automatic duplicates while preserving length and offset
• Condense Regions, when specific regions are selected, only condenses those regions (instead of the entire project)
• FXpansion DCAM EnvShaper plug-in

The Auria User Guide has been updated again for version 1.08, so for more information on these changes please refer to that document.

• Count-in not always working properly with Audiobus
• Count-in sometimes out of sync with previously recorded tracks
• Delay compensation and metronome not working properly together
• Sample rate message can cause issues with other projects
• Cleanup function should also look at Snapshot folders before deleting unused files
• Delete Snapshots not working correctly
• Select Highlighted Regions not working in left-to-right orientation
• Locked regions can move if Multi-Select or Select All is used
• Issue with not being able to select regions in rare cases
• Duplicate region not working properly with some snapping options
• Undo Move Marker not working
• Automation drawn in one parameter can affect the display of other parameters
• Issue with automation which prevented the first control point from being moved
• Deleting a frozen track that is also the last track in the project could cause the Subgroup plugins to be inaccessible and cause mixdown issues
• Vertical zoom in the editor isn’t zooming properly for high numbered tracks
• Auria displays First Launch tutorial in some low memory situations
• Subgroup Aux Sends are always PRE, regardless of the PRE/POST setting.
• SpringVerb becomes PianoVerb in some cases
• Convolution Reverb not showing .wav files in folders
• PSP Master Meter isn’t displaying levels during record monitoring
• When navigating menus by dragging a finger, menu items lag behind the finger position
• m4a not supported when importing audio from Dropbox
• Some AIF files fail to load
• In certain types of AAF projects fades are not importing
• When mixing down a file using Locator Range the wrong song length is sometimes used
• When mixing down using Locator Range and Import as New Track, the resulting mix is placed at the beginning instead of the IN locator position
• Non-US characters in file names in mixdown to Dropbox not working
• WIST mode can cause issues when working with a large project
• The record latency offset box is not properly accepting negative numbers in the Settings window
• Audiobus won’t allow Auria to be used as both an input and an output simultaneously
• Audiobus recording into mono tracks not working
• Record Level setting not affecting Audiobus recordings

Added in 1.07

• Added Time Stretching functions using DIRAC time stretching algorithm
• Time Stretch in the Edit Window by dragging a region’s handle using two fingers
• In Import Audio dialog, added option for automatic time stretching of both Acid .wav and Apple Loops to match project tempo
• Automatic Region Duplication added, drag a region’s right handle beyond its end-point to add duplicates
• When recording with Audiobus, Auria now automatically creates, names, and routes new tracks to correspond with what is inserted in the Audiobus Input slot
• Audiobus Live Monitoring mode, this listens to Audiobus before it reaches Auria’s mixer, enabling lower latency monitoring during recording. Any record-enabled Audiobus tracks must be muted, however, to prevent hearing doubling of Audiobus parts during recording
• Tempo Sync added for compatible plugins (like various FabFilter effects), allowing matching effect parameters to project tempo
• Auto-Snapshot system. Will automatically generate a Snapshot every 10 minutes in a round-robin array of 10 snapshots
• A backup Snapshot of the current project is automatically generated when loading another Snapshot
• Made Auto Cleanup function a toggle-able option in the Settings Menu (now off by default)
• Adjustable Disk Buffer size in Settings Menu. Use “Large” setting if you get disk overload messages when using high channel count USB interfaces
• Real-time scrubbing: swipe 2 fingers across timeline ruler to scrub
• Side-Chain input added for compatible plug-ins

The Auria User Guide has been updated for version 1.07, so consult the guide for more in-depth information on the new features.

The full series goes fairly in-depth and includes topics like automation, crossfades, Audiobus, and importing video. The full list of tutorials is available on the lynda.com site.

lynda.com’s Course Description:

Auria is the first major digital audio workstation designed specifically for the Apple iPad, and in this course, author and professional musician Garrick Chow demonstrates how to use its recording, editing, and mixing tools to create great-sounding music. First, Garrick reviews the hardware you’ll need to start capturing audio, from microphones to cables and input devices. He then demonstrates how to record anything from a single audio track to a complete multitrack capture of a live band performance. Once the recordings are done, he shows you how to edit them by adding splits and trims, as well as how to apply effects and use automation in creating a final mix. Lastly, Garrick reviews the options for exporting your project from Auria in several formats to share it with the world.

And check out the free tutorial videos:

Recording a track:

Simultaneous multi-track recording:

Editing with Cut, Copy, and Paste:

Working with the PSP ChannelStrip:

If you’re interested in checking out the full series, you can read more on the lynda.com site

• When freezing a track containing a plugin that used a preset, the name of the preset was not displayed upon unfreezing.
• Timeline and snapping functionality not working correctly for time signatures with 8 or 16 as a denominator.
• Some setting aren’t stored in the project (CPU meter, background audio mode) that should be project specific.
• Adjusting trim handles on a region can cause it to pop to the front.
• Undoing a region move doesn’t always restore the region order for overlapping regions.
• Record options isn’t working from the Edit window when holding down the record buttons.
• In 64-bit mode, sometimes only last plugin inserted is heard on subgroups and master.
• In the Output Matrix, setting the aux mode to mono results in hard right panning on entire mix.
• Can’t close record level box while recording.
• Paste isn’t always pasting to the correct location on the timeline.
• Snap to cursor isn’t working with highlighting.
• After deleting tracks, mutes and solos are not always being set correctly.
• Fixed initial snap functionality when dragging a region to a different track.
• Selecting the locators sometimes selected the cursor and vice-versa.
• Improved the editor double-tap to highlight functionality.
• Select Highlighted Regions was selecting regions on all tracks within the range instead of only the highlighted tracks.
• When bounce recording only the right side of a track, the meter doesn’t indicate anything.
• Can’t unselect “Show Subgroup Tracks” in editor menu.
• Solo indicator moved so it doesn’t overlap values in edit page.
• ClassicVerbPro issue with 48k and 96k projects.
• Automatic Cleanup function now correctly removes unused regions in projects.
• Occasional crashing issue when updating from previous versions of Auria.

New Features in 1.06

• Added setting for Pre/post aux sends
• Count-in mode
• Snapshot system
• New stem export mode for mixdown, creates a folder containing all tracks mixed down individually with any effects and automation.
• Support for m4a files (import and mixdown export)
• Folder support for Convolution Reverb.
• True multiroute support. Now the headphones plugged into the iPad can be routed independently of the other outputs.
• Audiobus support (iPad 3 or greater suggested)
• New plugin available as in-app purchase: PSP SpringVerb

We have also released a new version of the Auria User Guide, updated for version 1.06. The guide includes information on all the new recent features, including Audiobus, and all of the available 3rd party plugins.

Just like the previous posts, we’ll go over some basic principles of equalization before jumping into the tutorial.

EQ

An equalizer is essentially a collection of one or more filters that can be used to augment or diminish certain frequencies across the audio spectrum. Each filter has a set of parameters that determine what range of frequencies are affected and how drastic the effect is. The two most common types of filters are shelving (first order) filters and band-pass (second order) filters.

Shelving filters look like this:

and band-pass filters look like this:

Shelving filters will often be referred to with terms like “high-pass” or “low-cut,” because of the effect that they have. A high pass filter will substantially diminish the frequencies below it, letting the higher frequencies pass through unaffected. A high-pass filter might be used on vocals to eliminate unwanted “B” or “P” sounds, while a low-pass filter might be used to diminish hiss on a noisy guitar track.

Band-pass filters are a more targeted type of filter—they are generally used to affect a particular frequency or range of frequencies, while leaving the rest of the spectrum untouched. Band-pass filters might be used to augment the strumming sounds on a guitar track or remove overly resonant overtones in a snare drum.

With any EQ, its filters will have a set of parameters that determine their behavior. The three most common are Frequency, Gain, and Q-value. Frequency and gain are pretty self-explanatory: frequency is the value at which the filter is centered, and gain is the number of decibels by which the filter is either boosting or reducing the affected area. Q-value can be thought of as the “slope” of the filter. It dictates whether the range of frequencies the filter is acting on is narrow or more widespread. A band-pass filter with a high Q-value would affect a small range of frequencies, useful for making precise, detailed adjustments. A low Q-value would make a broader adjustment to the area surrounding the frequency value.

Let’s look at a situation in which a high Q-value would be used. In a live performance, there are often specific frequencies that trigger feedback (due to a number of factors like the size of the room, the position of the stage, and the type of loudspeakers). If you’ve ever heard feedback like this, you know that it is a screeching, single frequency. In this situation, the live engineer would locate such a frequency and reduce it using a high Q-value. Since such a small range of frequencies is targeted (often less than 10Hz), the overall sound will not be affected much, but sounds with activity in or near this area of the spectrum will be much less likely to cause feedback than before.

Pro Tip: When trying to eliminate specifically problematic frequencies like in the example above, it is often much easier to locate them by first boosting the frequency instead. Using a high Q-value, turn the gain up substantially. Then, sweep the filter in the area where the problem frequency should be. You should hear it jump out when the filter sweeps over it, due to the combination of high-Q value and excessive gain. Once the center frequency is set, turn the gain down so that these frequencies are being attenuated.

A low Q-value should be used when a less targeted adjustment is desired. For example, vocals are often mixed with a augmentation of the “presence” range. This span of frequencies, often stated as being between 4 kHz and 6kHz, makes vocals or instruments sound closer and more distinct (thus the term “presence”). Since a broader emphasis of this range is desired, a lower Q-value would be used to boost the general area.

On some equalizers there are more parameters than Frequency, Gain, and Q-value, but an understanding of these three should get you started. Let’s take a look at the controls on the EQualizer:

The EQualizer

High Pass Filter – Sets the cut off frequency of the high pass filter. Use the IN button to engage this filter.

Low Pass Filter - Sets the cut off frequency of the low pass filter. Use the IN button to engage this filter.

Low Middle Filter – Use the frequency knob to adjust the middle frequency of the bell type low mid filter. Use the gain knob to set the amount of gain for this filter. The gain knob is not scaled in precise dB as the actual gain value varies depending on the Q setting. Use the switch to control the Q factor of the filter. Use the IN button to engage this filter.

High Middle Filter – Use the frequency knob to adjust the middle frequency of the bell type high mid filter. Use the gain knob to set the amount of gain for this filter. The gain knob is not scaled in precise dB as the actual gain value varies depending on the Q setting. Use the switch to control the Q factor of the filter. Use the IN button to engage this filter.

Low Shelf Filter- Use the knob to set the corner or middle frequency of the low filter. Use the gain knob to set the amount of gain for this filter. The gain knob is not scaled in precise dB as the actual gain value varies depending on the steepness/type setting. Use the switch to control the steepness of the shelf filter or to switch to a bell mode. Use the IN button to engage this filter.

High Shelf Filter – Use the knob to set the corner or middle frequency of the high filter. Use the gain knob to set the amount of gain for this filter. The gain knob is not scaled in precise dB as the actual gain value varies depending on the steepness/type setting. Use the switch to control the steepness of the shelf filter or to switch to a bell mode. Use the IN button to engage this filter.

Next, we’ll use the High Middle Filter to boost the “smack.” Again, we’ll use the narrowest Q-setting and add 10db of gain. The three settings in this range we should consider are 3138Hz, 4104Hz, and 5367Hz. 5367Hz sounds a bit too high and unnatural, but the other two are both acceptable. Picking one is really up to your ear and what’s happening in the rest of the mix. For these purposes, we’ll go with the 3138Hz, and we’ll scale the gain back to +4db for a noticeable accentuation.

Augmenting the “click” doesn’t seem necessary on this tune, but if we wanted to, we could use the High Shelf Filter. The 7368Hz setting is really the only one that fits, and it could be brought up a few dB on the narrowest Q-setting if you so desire.

To lessen the “mud” we’ll use the Low Middle Filter. To get a sense of what we’ll be eliminating, start by adding 10dB again using the middle Q-setting. Check the 382Hz, 500Hz, 654Hz, and 1118Hz settings. Notice how they all sound pretty terrible, like kicking a cardboard box. The settings to the immediate outside of this range start to sound less bad, so one of these four is probably the right place. Since we’ll be using either the middle or lowest Q-setting, and therefore affecting a wider area, we probably want to use one of the middle two settings as to center the scoop appropriately. We’ll go with 654Hz and set the gain at around -5dB. We could choose to reduce this even further, as well as potentially use the widest Q-setting. Again, use your ears and determine what sounds best.

The last thing you may want to do is roll-off the extreme low-end using the High Pass Filter. Below 60Hz, things can get pretty muddy, and attenuating them on the kick-track wont affect it much. Set the High Pass Filter to 60Hz and we’re done!

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Comparison Chart

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Available Wednesday, January 9th, in the App Store.

Fixed in 1.05:

• In the “Load Project” dialog, Auria allowed moving the currently active project to another folder
• Automation does not get saved when freezing a track
• Frozen tracks do not properly compensate for latency once unfrozen (for example in plugins like Drumagog)
• When duplicating a region when the snap is set to Bar or Beats, the duplicated region doesn’t snap
• Changing a preset on a plugin, then undoing it, sometimes a crash occurs
• Importing AAFs can result in MasterStrips being put in place of ChannelStrips on certain channels
• Adding a track to a project sometimes would result in a corrupted region being added to the new track
• Rare issue with Auria crashing after recording
• Removing a plugin from an insert on a track, then undoing would sometimes cause the wrong plugin to get re-loaded
• When installing Auria onto a new iPad (from a backup), the Convolution Reverb IR files list is empty

New Features:

• Moving the Waveform Gain Slider to the left will disable waveform drawing, allowing much faster draw rates for slower iPads and larger projects
• New Edit feature: “Select Highlighted Regions” will select any regions currently highlighted (similar to using a “lasso” tool)
• New version of DropBox
• New version of JamUp which fixes several crashing bugs

Plus new Fabfilter plugins for sale in the Auria Store:

• Pro-C Compressor
• Pro-DS De-Esser
• Pro-G Gate
• Pro-L Limiter
• Saturn
• Timeless 2
• Volcano 2

Output Matrix

Auria 1.04′s new Output Matrix

First, a run down of the various elements in the panel:

• Listed on the left-side, from top to bottom, are Auria’s Subgroups, Aux Sends, and Master Stereo bus.
• The currently attached audio interface’s physical outputs are listed along the top from left to right, from Output 1 up to Output 24; in this example we had a 12-output device connected.
• The MONO button sums the selected subgroup/aux to mono (subgroups and auxes are normally stereo).
• The INT button routes the selected subgroup/aux to the internal Master Stereo bus in addition to any other output assignments made.
• Specific output routing can be saved as a Preset using the drop-down box in the upper-left corner.
• RESET erases the current settings and resets the matrix back to default.

Let’s examine the example screenshot above to see some of the output routing possibilities in Auria 1.04:

• The first two subgroups, “Kick/Sn” and “Drs/Perc” have no output assignment except for INT, which means they are simply routed to the Master bus.
• The “Guitars” subgroup (Subgroup 3) is currently being summed to mono and routed to output 7, and is not routed to the Master bus.
• The “Vocals” and “bkgd” subgroups are each assigned to their own stereo pair of outputs, and again are not being routed to the Master.
• Both Aux sends are assigned to their own stereo pair.
• The Master Stereo bus is assigned to outputs 1 and 2.

Input Matrix

We also updated Auria’s Input Matrix.

Updated Input Matrix

The two main changes here are:

• Elimination of the tabbed “groups” along the top (i.e. “1-8″, “9-16″, etc). Now all of the project’s tracks will appear in one view that can be simply scrolled up and down with the flick of a finger.
• Addition of the Preset drop-down, so users can save any often-used input routing for quick recall.