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.
MIDI utilities
Just curious what your favorites might be.
Also, I was looking at this app and wondering if anyone has it, and if so, how do you like it...
MIDILog by Supertintin Co., Ltd
https://appsto.re/us/0ga24.i
Comments
Very interested to hear responses/thoughts on this. I bought (and have bought) a trunk full of Midi utilities/apps/thingies, expecting each to be the magic bullet, but have always been flummoxed enough early enough that none of them have found a real home/become essential.
Yeah..every one I own seems to miss the mark, so I'd love to hear what people are happy with. I realize this could be a broad stroke, since there are monitoring utilities, players, translators, etc., but I'd like to see what folks consider best of breed, or if there's an all-in-one that stands out.
There's so much talk about midi sync here, so I'd love to hear how people are measuring latency and synchronization as well.
I recently mentioned how well Midi Breakout Box worked to store SoundCanvas presets, but it seems to be a one-trick pony at this point. I'm willing to spend some money if there's anything available that covers that, monitoring, sync, etc. and does it well.
I only have a couple of MIDI utilities and hardly use them. Doesn't it depend on how well various apps have implemented MIDI in order for the bridge utility apps to work? Maybe when synths, sequencers, drum and groove generators, DAWs, etc. all start catching up with good MIDI implementation, that the MIDI bridge utilities will serve their purpose?
for me there are enough well behaved synths and efx for the bridges to be useful. Especially since MidiFlow added the ability to create additional Virtual MIDI ports for taming things like iMini.
I'd like to know what your MIDI workflow is and why current MIDI tools don't suit them.
dwarman mentioned Midiflow. I'm the developer of that app and finished a documentation yesterday. You might want to take a look: http://midiflow.com/documentation
I'm no expert in all things midi quite yet, but have been doing more and more with different set ups over the last 6 months. But Midiflow is the best midi app I've tried so far and really comprehensive. I looked at Midi break out box which looks useful, I'm pretty sure you can achieve similar things in Midiflow too, but am sure Johannes can qualify if this is true. Looking forward to v 2
@JohannesD One thing I'd really like to see is Audiobus support with state saving. Then I can could save midi setups and routing options with my Audiobus app arrangements. Would this be possible so you can add Midiflow to to an Audiobus input slot?
In a set up where there is midi keyboard that can only send on channel 1 and four synth apps that are receiving on say, channels 1, 2, 3, 4, can you use one of these midi utilities to allow you to switch between playing any of these synths with a touch of a button? Midiflow or MidiBridge?
@Cambot Thanks. Yes, I think you can achieve everything, what BreakoutBox does, with Midiflow. However, Midiflow cannot send Program Changes when you select a program, I still have to add that.
Regarding AB support... I'd like to do that, but since Midiflow does not produce any audio, it is not allowed to be in the AB system.
@markk
Yes. You could create 4 different settings in Midiflow (one for each synth) and easily switch between them using the preset list: http://midiflow.com/documentation/#presets
Add a click track/ metronome?
@JohannesD I see, how about if you added a simple audio metronome, which would also be useful, then it could qualify for Audiobus?
Pro Midi is audiobus compatible and only has a metronome (although at the moment it appears not to work properly in audiobus output slot)
Another feature in pro midi which would also be great for Midiflow workflow would be the ability to launch apps by pressing the app icons in a preset. Pro midi automatically launches the apps via IAA when you load a project.which I've not seen done in any other app yet. Would this be possible in Midiflow? It could be optional.
Thanks
The next version will support launching apps!
http://midiflow.com/documentation/#working-with-apps
AB: I talked with Michael about that several times. He said, adding a metronome would not be accepted, either. I asked why other MIDI-only apps are allowed to be in the AB system but mine isn't. He said, in hindsight, they shouldn't have been accepted. So, bad luck for us...
@JoahnnesD - the features I'm looking for have been covered by others - PC send, AB (sorry to hear the bad luck on that), and app launching (good news it's in the pipeline with PC send.)
I'd also like to send midi/clock over bt/wifi to more than one iOS device and record the midi streams. Are either of those possible in MidiFlow?
JohannesD wrote:
http://midiflow.com/documentation/#working-with-apps
The next version will support launching apps!
That's great
Seems a strange decision by Michael, surely as midi apps help sell Audiobus and help the production workflow...
Another feature in pro midi which would also be great for Midiflow workflow would be the ability to launch apps by pressing the app icons in a preset. Pro midi automatically launches the apps via IAA when you load a project.which I've not seen done in any other app yet. Would this be possible in Midiflow? It could be optional. Thanks
??
GuL
I like your enthusiasm @JohannesD (and the link to a manual). I will revisit come the long cold nights (might be a while here in Texas, but still).
My two cents:
Make it generate a mutable sine wave or something. Not too complicated and allow us to mute it...where we can select that to be muted by default. Them it might be allowed in AB?
ttp://midiflow.com/documentation
working-with-apps
@johannes, one way to get around that is to make a dummy audio.
Thanks for your comments!
Well, technically, there should be no problem with generating fake audio in order to be compatible with Audiobus. Actually, MIDI-only apps already have to do that in order to work in the background. However, Michael takes a look at each submission an decides, what comes in and what doesn't.
If you don't like his decision, tell him and not me
I'm holding out for Auria Pro's MIDI implementation. Other than that I'm liking Modstep which I'll use for independent sequencing and such. On a side note devs of iOS MIDI programmers really gotta work on a pleasant GUI both in looks and ease of use/workflow.
Here's my request then...@Michael - can you allow MidiFlow into the AB ecosphere?
My thoughts on Midi - i.e. what's worked for me...
(It's heavily biased towards sending Midi into Gadget - since that's where I 'compose' everything. I don't do anything live.)
Gadget is limited - it only allows midi in to one of it's synths (gadgets) at a time. It's also promiscuous (listens on all channels). This is obviously a limitation - but it's also a big benefit to be honest - it forces you to keep set-ups very simple - and almost everything just works because any midi being generated gets heard by Gadget.
Don't go for set-ups that involve multiple channels, multiple apps feeding midi through, or anything else too complex... etc It will break, frustrate you, take ages to set up each session etc... It's basically not worth it. Do not, IMO, attempt to chain all the synths you want in your track together at the same time using Midi - one of them will not work and you'll end up throwing your iPad out of the window. Go one at a time and render to audio (or just give up and use Gadget or Nanostudio). People who play live with midi set-ups like this - I salute you and wonder how on earth you manage it.
Don't get hung up on Midi Clock Sync... It seems to always break (probably because it's continuously sending clock data - unlike when you send notes or ccs) - why not just set app A running (normally for me, Gadget looping a drum section), then flick over to your other app (say your sequencer or whatever) and hit start at the start of a bar. They'll then be in sync (as long as tempos are the same). I have very little problems with this.
Midi controllers are great. There's some wonderfully creative midi controllers (players / instruments) on the ipad. They can bring your music to life in ways that an on screen or physical keyboard can't in my opinion. My favourites include: TC-Data (unbelievably powerful, a work of genius, and allows me to create ways of playing that simply wouldn't be possible for me otherwise), Thumjam, StepPolyArp, Poly, Orphion, Yamaha Mobile Music Studio (great for sending interesting auto-generated drum fills, breaks and rolls to Gadget's drum machines), MidiDesigner Pro (for midi cc's particularly), ChordPolyPad, MidiMe (4 simple x-y pads that use some physics), FiddleWax pro.
MidiSequencers (piano rolls basically)... I need to use these to drive synths other than internal Gadget ones. I like Auxy (for simple things) and MidiPro (for more complex tasks that include midi cc automation etc...)
Consider 2 devices (iphone-to -pad or ipad-to-ipad or whatever)... I've found that midi over bluetooth using Apollo is very fast (minimal latency) and is often worth it (3-4 mins to set up) for the time it saves flipping between devices and the fact you can see much better what you're doing. I have since purchased an iPad Mini for this purpose (to drive my iPad Air)
Hope this is helpful - it's just my way of working, which I find works...
Great stuff Matt.
+1 vote from me to @michael and @sebastian for allowing MIDI only apps on the bus. I get that it's not audio, per se, but MIDI only apps can be very related and quick app switching is important in a multi-app musical set up (plus the glory that is state saving). The iOS default for app switching is crap and AudioBus' side panel sorta killed OMAC Fast Switching adoption in its tracks.
I guess the simple question I would have (which may well have an equally simple answer) is why not?
Something to do with the spectacular sync engine perhaps?
My guess is that there have been a butt load people who have bought these chord and mode tools thinking that they produce sound and then ask for refunds even though the app descriptions clearly state they do not make sounds, but control other synth apps.
I know this support problem myself, since people always contact me if an app doesn't work with Midiflow, although it is almost always a problem in the other app's MIDI implementation. However, I think the the AB system is well known enough and people know what it does and how it works.
Audiobus, MiMix and Midiflow would make the iPad to a great music workstation, like Apple MainStage for iOS. Wouldn't that be great?
Slightly off topic... anyone ever find an app that generates MIDI LFOs? I know we've discussed it and there may have an answer but I can't find it via searching.
Slightly on topic: I use MIDIFlow for pretty much everything now. Sometimes MIDIWrench or MIDIVision when I want a larger log.
@JohannesD
What about audio in the form of recordable/playable CV, Gate and Sync signals? I've always wanted to have an easy way to record and playback such signals onto an audio track in an iPad DAW for use with my analog synths via a multi channel audio interface. Yes you need to tune and calibrate the volume but it's not that difficult to do. Utilizing it in an app that can be a clock master and do midi to CV (maybe vice versa) would be pretty cool. Maybe base it off the voltage standards used in the SQ-1.
@KDub
Interesting idea. The thing is that @Michael and @Sebastian seemed not to want any MIDI stuff like that in an AB node app. Btw. in the first release of the AB SDK was noted that you should not store any MIDI configuration in the state of an app when implementing state saving. They dropped that later, but still. I think I'm not going to invest more time in this until I know for sure that this will get approved in the end.
@syrupcore
LFO: I friend of mine asked me to add a function generator because he uses my MIDI apps to control light equipment. For what would you use this?
MIDI LFOs would essentially add more modulation possibilities to any synth (app or hardware) that supports CCs for adjusting parameters. Imagine 6 LFOs in Sunrizer! Or even one extra on my Sequential Circuits SixTrak.
Or automatically modulating any parameter(s) in an AUFX app. Oh, sweet glory.