Audiobus: Use your music apps together.
What is Audiobus? — Audiobus is an award-winning music app for iPhone and iPad which lets you use your other music apps together. Chain effects on your favourite synth, run the output of apps or Audio Units into an app like GarageBand or Loopy, or select a different audio interface output for each app. Route MIDI between apps — drive a synth from a MIDI sequencer, or add an arpeggiator to your MIDI keyboard — or sync with your external MIDI gear. And control your entire setup from a MIDI controller.
Download on the App StoreAudiobus is the app that makes the rest of your setup better.
Arturia Beatstep
If anyone is enquiring....The Arturia Beatstep is awesome! I have like every sequencer app but love using this controller. It's so easy to use, changing notes and transpose with the knobs and it comes mapped with the most useful midi cc's. Highly recommended and well worth the $100
Comments
My next hardware buy I think.
Oh yay. Bought it. Love it!
Im missing an App for MIDI configuration. You need PC or Mac for that
I was thinking of it also.
I have a Launchkey mini now, but I like the scales feature of beatstep.
I concur, I have the Beatstep as well and the sequencer mode is delightful for both iOS and Mac.
I love to play with it at night watching the blue lights running...
gotta get one of these!
Anyone have any luck syncing this with iOS sequencers? How about using the cv outs? Does that appear as a separate midi port in iOS? I want to be able to sequence my SH-101.
And yeah, needs a iPad config app!
I have yet to try it with my ipad
Arturia just sent an email about a firmware upgrade for the Beatstep.
@miguelmarcos said:
http://downloads.arturia.com/downloads/BeatStep/beatstep_firmware_1.1.0.0_release_notes.pdf
BeatStep firmware 1.1.0.0 Release
New Features
Provide additional settings locally. There is now a way to set up some parameters
directly on the unit while in SEQ mode. Shift + Knob 1: set gate time (50%..99%)
Shift + Knob 2: set swing (50%..75%) Shift + Knob 3: set legato mode (off/on/on
reset)
Transpose pads with Controller in CNTRL mode It's now possible to transpose pads
in CNTRL mode, using Shift + big knob, on a +/-24 half steps range.
Extend sequencer big knob transposition range Transposition range (big knob) has
been extended from +/-12 to +/-24 half steps
Bug Fixes
Default start up memory should be 1 At power up, sequence from memory #1 is
recalled (previously, a default sequence was loaded)
MIDI channel pad highlight in Controller mode. Pad back-lighting is now restored
after channel setting and similar operations
Stuck note in CV while switching CV channel while playing Changing CV channel
while playing a sequence no longer produces stuck CV note
RPN/NRPN fine mode not working RPN/NRPN fine mode now works as expected
when activated with MIDI Control Center
Big knob value update between CNTRL mode and SEQ mode Setting rate/transpose
in SEQ mode no longer affects the volume setting internal position in CNTRL mode
Bad handling of SPP (Song Position Pointer) message Fixed Song Position Pointer
message handling (when EXT SYNC is active), leading to better compatibility with
Maschine®
Inverted MIDI Values for pads/encoders It's now possible to program a pad or knob
with min value > max value (useful for pads in switched control mode)
The swing, gate and legato features being addressable from the unit itself is very nice. That was one of the biggest complaints in the comments on CDM: http://createdigitalmusic.com/2014/04/100-beatstep-sequencer-controller-everything-want-know/
@syrupcore said:
Just watched the sonic state review and noticed that you can set the CV out to a specific MIDI channel. Very cool.
One more question for those that own it. In the video he uses the scales mode with the sequence in order to fix the tuning of each step. That's cool but I'm more interested in the scale modes in order to play the pads ala Thumbjam. Can you quickly set all pads to a particular scale while in control mode or do you have to set each note manually/save a preset?
There are preset scale modes you can access and I think you can store custom modes via the config software.
Right, thanks but can you access them in controller mode as well? Or only sequence mode?
Doesn't look like it, just Step Sequencer mode. There's no visual feedback, just a bit of tactile feedback, so one is kind of groping in the dark with this.
That's a shame. Thanks a lot of checking!
I just bought one today...but I'm not sold. DM1 gets really glitchy with it - the pitch ribbon on the Pad page goes nuts when it's connected. Sometimes a note gets stuck and plays whenever I press any other note, too. Probably just DM1...the tempo sync is a lost cause there, too.
It worked well with BM2, as well as with Sunrizer (worked fine running both simultaneously). It's nice to sequence apps like Sunrizer, but transposing is really a pain. I ran into some weird problems while adjusting the tempo onboard the BStep. Sometimes the sequencers pitches would jump all over the place, even switching scales sometimes.
The latest firmware is great...swing, gate, and legato controls from the BStep hardware is a great update. I haven't tried the Control layer transpose, but that's a great addition too. I wonder if I could get that to work like Push or Launchpad, if I were to set the pads to CC. I just am not convinced I shouldn't return it yet...
I really like mine. It's really fun and hands on. Would much rather use it than sticking knobs onto the iPad screen LOL
http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2014-07/09/tuna-knobs
I have one. I made Mike get one. Christopher Rice has one... we're all fans. This little sequencer is just so well built and fun. Also... it now made me get a microbrute as well...
It is really fun. I basically use it as a sketch pad creating fun little patterns with iPad apps and later record the MIDI into my DAW to use with my hardware.
It's great that you can now transpose the pads. I've set up a few templates each with two octaves of the same scale. I'm no keyboard player so this makes it really easy to come up with stuff that sounds good (melody's, arps, chords etc.)
Anyone using the iMPC template by retronyms?
Nice video of Beatstep controlling different apps, all running at the same time.
http://musicapps.com.br/2014/12/arturia-beatstep-controlando-varios-apps-musicais-ao-mesmo-tempo/
Just announced a pro version at NAMM, which looks enticing...
http://www.sonicstate.com/news/2015/01/23/namm-2015-arturia-beatstep-pro/
Announced for $299 in the video.
Hi there. Please, can anybody who use original Beatstep confirm that pads can be mapped in different scales to do some easy melodic stuff by live? Most reviews on internet says that scales only affect SEQ mode, and it do nothing in control mode, so pads remain in chromatic scale. But quoted comment (and also one mention on createdigitalmusic) says that remapping pads can be done. I choose between beatstep and qunexus for mobile ipad setup. I like Beatstep and maybe prefer it, but pad scale feature is major for me since it will be only MIDI controller in this setup, and doing melodic parts on 16 pads with chromatic scale is a headache. Please, is any owners here?
EDIT: Oh, i think i just get it. sdesign probably customized pads scale via PC editor, not by Beatstep front panel. Well, it might be good solution too...
You can just assign any pad to any note you want, in control mode. Just create different memories for different scales.
You can assign any note you want on the pads, but you have to plug your beatstep to a computer with the arturia software on it, you can save 16 different programs and then use them, the problem is that for each scale you ll have only 16 notes available (2 octaves or so) so if you plan to go from C1 to C6 you ll have to use 3 program per scale ( make sense ?)
Also while the beatstep is great to trigger drums or scenes, i personnally find it a little stiff to play melodic stuff, i never tried the qunexus but from the you tube vidéos i saw, it seems to be a better choice, somebody confirm ?