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.
What app has MOST FAR EXCEEDED what you expected?
And WHY!
:-)
Kind of funny, for me this evolves. I find myself re evaluating apps as I purchase others compare and contrast.
I don't think until recently I truly understood how really good Magellan was until I had it for a year or so. From the ARP and step potential to the ease of parameter control.
Hopefully some of those disappointing apps will surprise me after all some day! (wink)
Comments
Ha. Good thread.
Recently some 'less spoken about apps' like Poly, Phase Rings and SpringSound. Wasn't expecting much. But they are great apps.
Gotta give it to Gadget overall though.
Awesome thread idea! This is only what instantly springs to mind so I'm definitely missing some:
Soundscraper
Mitosynth
Without a doubt Audiobus, why because it makes several apps then exceed their own expectations.
What kind of music are you doing with Gadget?
Do you contain projects to all "in house" Gadget or in coordination with others?
Just checked out Mitosynth--- very cool
Seems like a user friendly and warm version of a Nave type sound.
Figure, DROM, Impaktor, Werkbench...
Caustic - I've tried all the others and Caustic's workflow and layout just fell under my fingers. It's not as good looking as some apps and doesn't always sound as good but if my goal is to create and complete a composition, then I work with Caustic. I use my other apps to make loops and samples to use in Caustic. The next Caustic update will make the sampler stereo. That is its one real limitation for me right now.
For more exotic things - SoundScaper definitely. I think it's absolutely brilliant.
Guitarism. started out as a $.99 purchase that seemed like a little fun joke. and that was worth it.
But the more you tinker, you realize the playability on that app is really impressive. Then when you add in the MIDI out IAP and the extra guitars and effects... so much fun and surprisingly realistic results for guitar strumming or arpeggios.
FIGURE! F_#K yeah!
Impactor - I got it because of who made it. Is there a way to use it with out having to bang on something?
So my dogs don't keep barking thinking some one is at the door knocking as I sit there banging on the table like some nut case.
For example, MIDI pads , etc.?
THANKS
Flux: FX - thought it'd be like a prettier Turnado but it's incredibly lush (and well-designed)
Nils - the dinosaur-delay/thing is stupid fresh
Thor - surfing on sine waves
Photophore - I think this is very underrated - the flock thing leads to some great detuned sounds
Caustic has just been thiiiiisss close to me buying it. But, always grab something else.
I used to love Alchemy for base piece construction A-Z. Needless, to say, I am looking for a substitute. Something that I can do without getting into Cubasis is time is available like that.
I appreciate the recom.
I use the mic on my TMA-1 cable with Impaktor - just scraping and tapping on it. That's another one that's recently opened up to me.
Wait for it.....
Yeah, it would be Different Drummer for me.
Figure's a good one. I thought it'd be a toy but it's got depth and sounds great.
There were a good clutch of apps in the ios4/5 era that exceeded expectations but that had more to do with expectations than the apps. "I can do this... on my phone??!?" was more palpable for me anyway. Plus, there were a lot more crap musical toy apps. Or not more but they represented a greater percentage of the 'music' apps available at the time. I mean, you download or buy a few of those and then you download Thumbjam or Nanostudio and you're like "holy wtf!" I've been spoiled since then. Thanks/sorry devs.
On that note, I'll add Nanostudio and Thumbjam.
Beyond the initial delight, they both are deep and have legs to this day. I find a new feature in Thumbjam every other time I open it! That'd I'd still be turning to both of them regularly years after purchase definitely exceeds expectations.
That's more like it! Happy to contribute. Some may remember me moaning about the quality of sound (maybe not). Now i definitely had a rethink. No, I didn't completely change my mind on the sound as the synths don't sound nearly as rich as Animoog or Isem but despite this the overall sound of the mix is great. It isn't warm by any means but can get quite positively intense and expressive. The sequencer is a joy to use and the recent addition of both samplers made it so much more flexible with audio paste etc. Also export options are easy peasy. I've been knocking together sweet electro tunes in snack breaks like there's no tomorrow. Absolutely top marks to Korg.
@supadom ^Presume you are talking about Gadget
About which my only complaint is that it seems I should be able to make and do almost anything (especially with the addition of Bilbao) and when I don't quite come across it forces me to realize the limitation in the app of my own head.
OK, I would like a longer sample time than 5 secs, it's true. Any idea why they might have set that as the limit?
Thumbjam superb on so many levels.
Sunvox- Did not anticipate the depth of the app.
StepPolyArp- Same thing.
Off the top of my head probably Figure, Thumbjam, and Xynthesizr. There are most likely others that I will probably slap myself for forgetting to mention but those three came to mind right away.
Figure just makes it so easy to put something together quickly that I can build around or even if I just want to make an entire tune.
Thumbjam is a great playing surface and has loads of other useful and interesting features. But perhaps the best, and most surprising thing about it, is how great it is as a sound bank. With all the extra free instruments to download you really get a good selection of high quality sounds that can be used with just about anything else. And that MIDI functionality is great so triggering those sounds from other apps is simple. Without Thumbjam I probably would’ve purchased Sampletank and other such apps by now but it has prevented me from doing so. It has everything I need in that regard.
XynthesizrIs is just a nice little step sequencer with good MIDI capabilities. It works great with other apps and makes it simple to put together my own arpeggios and so forth very quickly. There may be other better step sequencers out there but this one solves the problem for me and has prevented me from spending more money in this particular area.
And I should mention that all three of the apps above work on the iPhone as well. Combined with Loopy, which also works on the iPhone as well, I have a lot of musical potential in my pocket at all times.
I have had Bitwiz for a few years but never used it because I don't know the programming language. But the other day I opened it up and have been fixated on it since, it gave me the thrill of thinking i was picking up the sounds of ghosts somehow until I noticed that I added an 'i' to the code.
Samplr is the app for me as it took quite awhile to figure out how to make it click for me. After hearing so many people express how much they liked it, I made several attempts to grok it.
Thumbjam, Auria, Notion, iMS-20, Z3TA+, iSEM - a good number actually - more than that short list. :-)
I have to agree with Photophore as well here. The reason is Gadget just does not fit because I knew it was gonna be great when I got it so it did not exceed as the thread title asks IMO. Photophore did and does whenever I give it a go ,it just sounds better every time than I had imagined it could. I would seriously like it to get more presets though but the ones that are there sound overwhelmingly nice!
I don't recall the first big name synth that came out any years ago, but I bought it instantly (was on big introductory sale, like 80% IIRC) and was totally blow away by the sound, I was expecting a toy synth with meh sounds, I was totally rocked by the overall quality and sound. I am think it was a Moog or Korg; Animoog maybe? That started me collecting every synth I saw go on sale even though I had no time for music at the time. Just sat on my iPad until I was disabled and got back into music.. At last count I have 64 keyboard based synths.
Can't not mention ThumbJam, not only did it blow me away the day I got it, but as @syrupcore mentioned above you find something surprising you didn't know every other time you use it.
I expect good things from modern apps and usually get them, the devs have really raised the bar in the last year or two.
Better question might be what app have you bought that has been the most disappointing?
Yep, iSem is another one for me. I figured I'd like it but I didn't think it would instantly scratch most every 80s synth inch I ever had. Easily my favorite synth on iOS. Definitely a "if you could only use 5 apps" app for me.
I've been thinking about getting another hardware virtual analog synth to relieve stress on my ipad. The new sledge for instance is looking really good if it lands at under $1k. But then I think: used iPad 4, iSem, a charging dock and a dedicated controller would land for a lot less and probably make me just as happy if not happier. Plus, I can run Sunrizer and pals as well.
On that note, I'd say iOS itself has probably most exceeded my expectations for music making.
Yes mr. Goodyear, it is gadget. How many meaningful words can you squeeze in 5 secs?
Samplr is clearly another one.
No people, we can't have this. There is too much positivity in one thread. This thread needs to be closed. It will unnecessarily flatter developers and then they will become lazy!
+1 Exactly.
Pulse code Modular- I didn't expect it to have a clone of the Serge New Timbral Oscillator or a delay module with CV time modulation-
Caustic
Audiobus
Guitar capo+
To name just a few