Iphone as test tone generator

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An vintage AMS or TC delay or reverb unit modeled as a standalone iphone app , be tasty as wouldnt it .....
 
I found out the best way to record audio on the iphone without a third party app is via the camera , voice recorder app is of no use .

There's GarageBand for iPhone.
It's a dedicated software like a simple DAW, where you can play virtual instruments or record audio.

Its possible to find either an SD card or USB A female to Apple adapter so data can easily be transferred from a PC without the use of itunes and USB device sync which is an extra mess .Again a simple step that prevents a lot of needless hassle in the long game ,

I don't see the hassle to be honest.
Plug the iPhone to the PC, inside iTunes copy the files you want to the iPhone.
Quick and simple.
I don't see the problem here, but off course you should do whatever you want

Then again if the phone could function as a stand alone reverb or effects generator how cool would that be on your pedal board or tube mixer .

Mate that's been done for many years now, maybe for more than 13 years.
There's many apps, but check out "Amplitube" , there's a paid version but there's also a free version called "Amplitube CS", go to the app store and download it

Amplitube has a lot of Effects emulations, plus Guitar Amplifier emulations and also has a Recorder inside which might be useful to you.
There's also other like Bias FX and JamUp, all of them have free and paid versions.


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Iphone based stomp box , its all very possible , imagination is the only limit to creativity .
The hardware to do it is piling up all around us in boxes and drawers .

All stompboxes emulations are already there...

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... but I dont fancy putting Itunes on my PC or getting caught up in Apple's DRM carry on .
I think I'll simplify things down a notch and just create a series of Wav file test tones which the media player spits out ,
no fancy graphics , just level and frequency from a drop down list , I can easily arrange the test tone so it forms a +/- balanced output ,
...
The DRM in the phone is looking for DRM data in the audio files. If you are playing .wav files or any audio files without DRM code in them you have no problems with that.
 
Theres some nice third party hardware add-ons that come with their own apps ,
The Rode XY mic looks like a great option , Ive found one secondhand locally at a good price.
It comes with its own recording yapp , the paid version includes DSP processing , editing ,format conversion and direct web upload .
Records upto 24/96 . The app also appears to be able to source an input from internal mic , headset or Aux input cable .

Thomann appears to have IK iRig 2 on blowout at 29.99 , the software is free to use .
 
Ive been looking around for wav file test tones to download , there are a few available from audio manufacturers and other online sources for test purposes , they typically are quite limited .
Is there a simple way to create accurate tones myself ?
Choice of sample frequency , bit depth , fundamental frequency , level and duration or number of cycles , so I can quickly create bit perfect wav files and not simply sample rate convert or dither pre existing tones ,which might lead to inacuracies .

lets take an example , suppose I want a nominal 440hz tone ,44.1khz, 24 bit ,am I better off in terms of accuracy to go with 441hz as it neatly divides into the sample rate ?

The Rode I-XY seems like the perfect add-on to turn the iphone into a portable stereo recorder , the Iphone itself cost nothing , its an older model but still has more than enough processing power for the job and gives it a reason not to get dumped or sit in a drawer unused .
The Apogee Duet 2 looks like a good option for an external audio interface , 2 mic/line/inst inputs and 4 outs , it seems like the device is still supported by Apogee in iOS .
 
Ive been looking around for wav file test tones to download , there are a few available from audio manufacturers and other online sources for test purposes , they typically are quite limited .
Is there a simple way to create accurate tones myself ?
Choice of sample frequency , bit depth , fundamental frequency , level and duration or number of cycles , so I can quickly create bit perfect wav files and not simply sample rate convert or dither pre existing tones ,which might lead to inacuracies

Yes, for sure. It's pretty easy. You can use any DAW to create whatever test tones you want.
Protools, Logic, Cubase/Nuendo, Reaper... In any of them you can create the files you want

If you don't use a DAW let me know what you need and I can create the files for you in ProTools

lets take an example , suppose I want a nominal 440hz tone ,44.1khz, 24 bit ,am I better off in terms of accuracy to go with 441hz as it neatly divides into the sample rate ?

Not really, if you want a 440hz tone you should do a 440hz tone. It will be a perfect 440hz tone regarding whatever sample rate it's used
 
Ive been looking around for wav file test tones to download , there are a few available from audio manufacturers and other online sources for test purposes , they typically are quite limited .
Is there a simple way to create accurate tones myself ?
Choice of sample frequency , bit depth , fundamental frequency , level and duration or number of cycles , so I can quickly create bit perfect wav files and not simply sample rate convert or dither pre existing tones ,which might lead to inacuracies .

lets take an example , suppose I want a nominal 440hz tone ,44.1khz, 24 bit ,am I better off in terms of accuracy to go with 441hz as it neatly divides into the sample rate ?

The Rode I-XY seems like the perfect add-on to turn the iphone into a portable stereo recorder , the Iphone itself cost nothing , its an older model but still has more than enough processing power for the job and gives it a reason not to get dumped or sit in a drawer unused .
The Apogee Duet 2 looks like a good option for an external audio interface , 2 mic/line/inst inputs and 4 outs , it seems like the device is still supported by Apogee in iOS .
Like buying a sig gen app? I like Audio Tools Studio Six Digital but several free apps show up in a web search
 
Im happy enough to use wav files in this case , Reaper is my usual DAW software but I havent used it to generate test tones before
I have a bench Arb-gen ,but the form factor of the iphone suits my needs better in this instance .

The guy who's selling the Rode also has a Duet 2 for sale , its the earlier Mac only version ,which isnt compatible with iOS or Windows as far as I can see , I nearly jumped in head first without checking .
 
The Rode i-XY mic arrived ,
Just like every other Rode the standard of the engineering is first class ,
It comes with 3 different rubberised mounts that corresponds with the various model of iphone thickness .
When its plugged into the phone you get a pop up asking to connect to the internet to download the Rode app from the store .

Its hard to see the precise details of the capsule as theres what looks like silk mesh behind the wire screen ,
It does appear to have a gold plated membrane ,

The mounting style of the phone and mic is orientated towards camera work the device horizontal on the hot shoe mount.
Id prefer to separate the phone and mic by a few feet via an extension cable ,
Theres a spiral metal screened cable available in the bargain store , all the usual types of connection are covered ,USB C ,lightening etc They might have better screening than the usual foil with drain wire or unscreened .

The other issue is phone battery drain due to the mic compromising the recording time ,
If the phone detects external power it will attempt to charge off it ,and engage those circuits , creating extra noise
in the case of an external device it will attempt to power it ,
Im thinking a dedicated battery supply for the mic might be the best thing .


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It looks like for the cost of the mic and a cast off phone I have a fairly decent 2 track recorder , equivalent to hardware units from Zoom/Tascam costing a few hundred,
You also get the Apple touchscreen interface which is fairly slick ,
 
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I was able create my own test tones in Reaper , theres a few JS plugin oscillators/noise generators included , you just activate it in the FX section on the track and stripe your tones just like with a tape machine in the old days . then export the files to wav .

I caved in and got the itunes app which works to transfer files but you really need to lock the itunes/iphone settings down before allowing sync ,

By default this thing pinches a lot of your data , not only that but the ability to even play music/wav files on the phone remains blocked until the iOS gets a chance to connect back to Apple ,
even though I have the wav the test tones I made on the device via itunes ,

This raises a few questions as to Apples 'fairplay' element ,
According to the EU for ecological reasons mainly , theres a fair use policy for older telecoms equipment , the maker cant block the basic functionality of the device via software to the extent it becomes essentially useless (s)crap ,

The other thing is Apple is using the opportunity to take over your DRM and monetise your data .
I resent that assertion flatly , its no different to Microsoft trying to insert its media player and other crap on your machine ,yesterday after taking out itunes , MS tried to foist on me after the reboot .

Im not really sure how far I can take this idea without Apple id's /online signups/credit card details , I will be having a very close look at Apples obligations with regard the sustainability or second life usage of their devices under EU legislation .

I have a few friends who work for the Apple Ass.
One buddy was in their Holly Hill Audio department for a few years before that re-located somewhere else on the planet , I think he ended up in the call centre afterwards .
He might at least be able to direct me to the right department with any enquiries I have about it rather than bother having to playing snakes and ladders with customer service .

I cant even get a sound out of my Rode mic because of the software hooks/loops and spoilers :mad:
It seems ultimately Apple is forced to issue a jailbreak patch for its own hardware , paying a fine in lieu of that to the EU is racketeering and should not be allowed to happen ,

Heres a link to the EU directive about phone chargers /E-waste,
Its the same basic principle involved
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news...-to-become-eu-s-common-charger-by-end-of-2024
 
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I caved in and got the itunes app which works to transfer files but you really need to lock the itunes/iphone settings down before allowing sync ,

It's not very intuitive at times. My major beef with iTunes was that it ate my files on occasion.

AFAICT, there are no significant measures in place to restrict your files in any way. There is no DRM, fi. It might look that way, but that's only if you use Apple's iCloud. And even then, no DRM on your files.

By default this thing pinches a lot of your data , not only that but the ability to even play music/wav files on the phone remains blocked until the iOS gets a chance to connect back to Apple ,
even though I have the wav the test tones I made on the device via itunes ,

That's true. Apple needs to generate some unique keys that will identify your iphone and your files in icloud. No way around.

This raises a few questions as to Apples 'fairplay' element ,
According to the EU for ecological reasons mainly , theres a fair use policy for older telecoms equipment , the maker cant block the basic functionality of the device via software to the extent it becomes essentially useless (s)crap ,

None of that goin' on. Even a phone as old as an iPhone IIIgs still functions and can use the software of it's era. It might even include AirPlay I.

The other thing is Apple is using the opportunity to take over your DRM and monetise your data .
I resent that assertion flatly , its no different to Microsoft trying to insert its media player and other crap on your machine ,yesterday after taking out itunes , MS tried to foist on me after the reboot .

The only thing that separates Apple from the rest, is that they are smart enough not to sell your data to anyone. Not even results from studying your data will leave Apple. And those who NEED access will have to sign an NDA.

You're still the guinea pig, but at least with a dream of privacy.

Im not really sure how far I can take this idea without Apple id's /online signups/credit card details , I will be having a very close look at Apples obligations with regard the sustainability or second life usage of their devices under EU legislation .

You don't need any of those. Just an Apple ID.

Biggest loss last year for Goldman Sachs was... drum roll... Apple card.

I needed one, some years ago. Don't even remember why. It started out that my iphone was too old. So I upgraded. Then my bank stopped supporting Apple cards. So I got another bank account. Then the macos on my Mac was too old.

That's when I had enough.

About six months later, an update to macos enabled the card. I was amazed!

That's when I discovered our supermarkets in general don't support the card. Not even when some of those had an Apple card sticker on the till.

But it is very opaque at moments. For instance, in the latest Macos, a Dolby Atmos decoder is present. But it will only be enabled if you sign up to Apple Music. Probably the trick is to get an offer of a free one month subscription, cancel and see if the Atmos decoder remains enabled.

I cant even get a sound out of my Rode mic because of the software hooks/loops and spoilers :mad:

What iOS version is your phone running?

In the latest, you have to allow apps to use the microphone in Settings...
 
I was offered the phone update via itunes ,
the history is there, it eats more processing power and memory and kills the battery life ,
update crashed when I tried it after downloading the 5GB package , it also planted itself in a hidden location in a temporary directory I cant locate and still takes up the space .

There exsists the possibility to snapshot the OS for backup purposes or transferring settings to a new device , you compile the apps you need , snapshot the OS at that point , if anything goes wrong you can reset the phone and restore from the backup ,

 
I allowed it connect to the internet via wifi and a few extra functions appeared ,
I can now play music and wav files on the device ,
I wasnt able to get the Rode REC LE app , even though its free apple ID was required ,
The paid version Rode software doesnt seem to be available any more ,
The Mic remains undetected in the OS.
I'll allow the device to update and see if the pop up I got with the Rode 1st time you plug it in reappears ,
 
Thanks Ike,

I have an AP Portable One. That’s what I use for the most part. I’m missing a good FFT. I wanted the Studio Six setup for acoustic measurements and line level work.

Do you use two devices, like an iPhone and an iPad? One as a Signal Generator and another and the Analyzer? My troubles always revolve around trying to use the interface as both Signal Generator and Analyzer. I can never seem to get the levels right and be confident they are where I think they are.

I used the Studio 6 for awhile and still do sometimes, but I went out and purchased an inexpensive SPL Meter and tripod and can quickly check / level-out a control room now when I first go in to start mixing.

Obviously that is just acoustic decibels, not THD or anything.

The Studio 6 stuff is cool, but they really seem to resist suggestions or innovations for some reason?

What I wish someone would come out with is something like the TC Clarity, but in an iPhone or iPad app.

You can sort of do this with the Avid Control App and it's meters page, but for some reason I find running Eucon takes too big a hit on my Mac Pro's CPU.

Just a surround meter ios App that shows up as 8 possible outputs on my Mac Pro and would show stereo and surround levels on my iPad would be such a useful app.

And with "Atmos" being the buzz-word of the year, I'm sure there would be allot of interest for a multichannel "line-level" iPad or iPhone meter?
 
I found a way to generate the balanced signal on L/R output in Reaper ,
JS Tone generator followed by Stereo Channel Vol/pan/polarity
Fx are applied to an input channel and it outputs to a pair of stereo tracks which when played back combine to make a perfectly symetric mono signal. I set the channel inputs to blank Rea-route channels to avoid any noise .
Each tone you set up as a new input with its own generator and polarity flip VST , then you stripe the channels with tone
Selecting the pairs of tracks and consolidate /export to wav and you end up with a folder with all your tones in it .
Its simple and very accurate . One final touch that might be worth doing is a short fade in at the start and end of the tones , so as theres no click when tone is started/ends .

Output levels on the iphone headphone socket are around +1.15dbv for 0dbfs at max volume , the dongle DAC gives a fraction less
The drop down list in the music player enables very fast selection of the test tones ,
The play/ pause / vol up/down on the remote and the sequential track play /repeat function all come in very handy when its used as a test tone source .

As I said earlier I made a break out cable from a set of Apple headphones with an XLR soldered on in place of the ear buds .

This seems to give the basic functions I need with minimal fuss ,
https://apps.apple.com/fr/app/signalspy-audio-oscilloscope-frequency-spectrum-analyzer/id888698146
 

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The paid version Rode software doesnt seem to be available any more...

It's all free now. I suppose the paid version didn't do to well. Add Apple's 30% take and I can understand why Rode abandoned the idea.

At least, it is still there.

I have a Moochi meter. Oddball 2 channel DMM with BlueTooth and logging. The iPhone app disappeared from the app store. The developer pulled it. No biggie, it was still on my iphone.

Alas, when I got another iphone, Apple decided every app needed to be downloaded again. Of course, the Moochi app wasn't there, so mine was gone too.

That's enough to turn me into grumpy mode, Apple!

Everything is free, but it's extremely volatile. Suppose this was crucial to your setup?
 
The idea of paying for an app , which then vanishes off the shelf sounds very infuriating ,
I made the assumption that the contents of the phone including the apps could be backed up ,
that seems to have been true with earlier iOS ,its no longer the case as far as I can see .

Id rather not jailbreak it , Im not even sure if its possible with the version I have ,
and there may be no way back if it doesnt work out .
 
I used the Studio 6 for awhile and still do sometimes, but I went out and purchased an inexpensive SPL Meter and tripod and can quickly check / level-out a control room now when I first go in to start mixing.

Obviously that is just acoustic decibels, not THD or anything.

The Studio 6 stuff is cool, but they really seem to resist suggestions or innovations for some reason?

What I wish someone would come out with is something like the TC Clarity, but in an iPhone or iPad app.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who made suggestions that were not appreciated. It’s strange because without altering what’s there by much he could have a whole new customer base.

I basically abandoned iOS for this because nothing seemed ready for prime time.

I ended up getting a microsoft surface which I am happy with. It ended up living in the studio as a oscilloscope replacement. I’m running nugen visualizer and am happy with it as a standalone meter package. But it’s not available for bench use now.

I could get another surface but I’d rather do it on a ipad.
 
Hi thank you for that suggestion. I am going to check out possibly doing it that way instead. Many thanks!
 
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