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.
Step Poly Arp
If I bought Step Poly Arp and programmed an arpeggiated pattern in there which was using.. say... Sunrizer, would that record into Loopy via Audiobus if I was playing it from Sunrizer?
Comments
Yes it definitely works. Did the same last night. Had SoundprismPro, Nlog and Sunrizer in the input slot. What you need to make sure though is that the Midi config only adresses one App! or you'll blow your iPad's CPU. My Ipad 3 went down when it was trying to play 2 synths simultaneously
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Hey cool, step poly Arp almost does what I've wanted for some time. Getting closer. Thanks for the info.
Just to check, can you change the starting note from the synth you're using it with?
So, using the Sunrizer example, can I program an arpeggiated pattern in Step Poly Arp, play it using a Sunrizer preset and then hit different keys in Sunrizer to change the starting note? If so, is that on by default or is there an option I need to pick in Step Poly Arp?
(And if the live transposition is only possible from StepPolyArp, then will what's coming out still record to Loopy as long as the sound is coming from Sunrizer?)
You can do that with SoundPrism. And you could mute its sound engine and make it send notes to Sunrizer, which could be connected to Audiobus.
That way the initial note triggering Step Poly Arp would not be played...
If you want, I can make a video for that.
I have been using step poly with SoundPrism in AB. And it is good. I used one of your other tutorial videos to crack the code on how to set that up. Thanks for that, btw.
I would love a video, Sebastian - that would be really helpful. I bought SoundPrism Pro a few days ago and haven't had a chance to play around with it properly yet.
Well you can always load up SoundprimsPro, mute its sound engine, midi it up to StepPolyArp, Midi out StepPolyarp to your App and voilà thats what you asked for. Note triggering from Soundprism but Arpeggiating from StepPolyArp. Works a treat outside Audiobus so I guess it'll just do fine within
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Just tried to go all basic and control a Step Poly Arp sequence with 1 of 2 synth apps: Sunrizer and NLog.
Couldn't get Sunrizer itself to trigger the sequence at all (SPA was playing a Sunrizer preset). I managed to get it happening with NLog but sometimes the keys stayed down and kinda locked, and I had to go back to Step Poly Arp and turn the Arp off.
Haven't brought SoundPrism into the mix yet. Sebastian, I'm looking forward to that video!
All I want to do is to be in a synth app that supports Audiobus (ie. NLog), set up a sequence in SPA which uses a preset from the synth app, and then play keys on the synth app to both trigger the sequence and be able to control the starting note. If I have this kind of control, then I will be able to record any kind of mad pattern I like straight into Loopy or MDAW. Without the synth locking notes, please!
Is anyone able to give me a step by step idiot's guide for this?
Hi Michael,
Does this get you there?
It helped me a while back and I use this in AB now on ipad 2 without problems.
Good luck.
Here's the same link without the mobile stuff:
Yeah, that video was made by Gabriel (one of my co-founders at Audanika) and I could't actually make a better one that's more detailed.
Thanks all. I've got everything working sweetly with NLog, and with Sunrizer when I play it through SoundPrism Pro.
So, the only thing left is: is it possible to change the arp starting note by triggering it live just from Sunrizer (ie. if I rather evilly ignore Sebastian's ace app!)? That's the option I can't work out. SPA plays the sequence, but playing notes on Sunrizer doesn't affect it. There may be a MIDI configuration I'm missing, so if anyone could give it a shot and let me know, that would be great.
I can do that with Arctic Keys (just set both AK and SPA to listen to the SPA Virtual MIDI In & Out) but not with Sunrizer. I may be wrong but I think that Sunrizer doesn't send any MIDI Notes messages, it just can receive messages. There no settings for MIDI output.
I'm learning all this MIDI stuff as I go (and I think this is something the Audiobus devs need to bear in mind for noobs, when it comes to connecting apps together), but that makes sense. I did notice the lack of MIDI options in Sunrizer compared to NLog.
Hi I just wanted to bump this because chaining soundprism to STA is not working. soundprism does not appear to send midi to sta as in the video. I'm attempting to send the midi of both to Magellan, with Magellan sending audio to loopy within audiobus. If you could please make a video demonstrating this scenario working properly it would be much appreciated. If this works I will most definitely be utilizing my ipad much more for music.
Thinking about getting this. Price is a little steep, but am tempted on the basis that it will SORT OUT MY GENERAL CONFUSION and turn me into a Midi Jedi. While that bit's not true, anyone out there reckon it's worth the money?
Of course all I had to do was look:
Sold.
If you like this one, give Arpeggionome Pro a look:
https://itunes.apple.com/app/id582627943?mt=8
It should be called an inspiration generator! Polyphonic sequencer/arpeggiator that's rock solid and is in all of my Audiobus presets.Its one of those rare 5star apps and the Dev is very responsive and always returns my emails.I can't wait to see where this app goes next.OK enough raving ....get it and you won't be disappointed !
I love step poly but arpeggionome pro is a nightmare to program when compared to step poly at least for me. The stalk patterns for arpeggionome are decent however.
StepPolyArp, along with its counterpart ChordPolyPad, are simply the two most important tools I own for music creation. I can create collections of notes (chords scales whatever you like) in CPP, send those to SPA, change the collection on the fly from CPP, specify specific notes vs. previous/next relationships in SPA, send each row of SPA to a different MIDI channel thereby creating melodies and chords that always fit together, change CPP pads or SPA patterns with CC, you name it. I have just told you my most guarded secret and the magic key to all music making, please use it wisely...
Thanks @Telecharge. I did buy Arpeggionome Pro and it was the beast that threw me sufficiently hard that I have been scared about getting back on etc. To be fair, it seems to be one those (many) apps that a small group love and many don't, probably mirroring the numbers who 'get it' and those -like me- who don't. In this case 'getting it' being able to make it work successfully. I still harbor hopes of graduating towards it one day.
@Jomazz I did buy it. Your enthusiasm was effective
I am hopeful. I ran up SP Pro in it in 5 seconds and spent an hour engaged. It is immediately something I can imagine/hear writing melodies in. And much more perhaps. Hope so.
@Tritonman2 I hear you. And 'Step' does seem a breeze to program....
@Zetagy Your secret is safe with me. Partly because I was lost by the second sentence, but I do have CPP somewhere in my bag of tricks so will get it out again and have a fiddle about. Thanks for your suggestions. Should credit ever be required, you will most certainly get yours
Did you know you can remove a note by simply flicking it with your finger? Also you can drag the pop up windows anywhere on the screen.Very Cool.
I think Arpegionome sounds amazing, but I haven't figured out how to change neatly from one sequence or sequence while keeping time. Also, it tends to crap out the MIDI connection from time to time, but that could just be my ipad2 being overwhelmed. I got it on sale and I like the app, but wish I could use it more easily.
May have to try steppolyarp - ChordPolyPad is terrific.
I haven't been able to figure out ChordPolyPad into StepPolyArp yet, but the idea of it is VeryBloodyGood. I think youtube needs a video on this subject (or I do anyways).
I love chordpolypad, but it crashes a lot when I try to assign midi out instruments.
@JohnnyGoodyear said:
I had not even thought to try that. I'm going to have to give it a go perhaps.
And thus, from a humble suggestion, was a distinguished career in the cinema born!
In all seriousness, please do have a go. I would value your understanding of this process, as would many others. If you do it, I would owe you at least a lobster or, if I'm back in Austin by then, some BBQ brisket
The developer should tip you as well as it would surely mean more sales for them.....
Set up a track in Beatmaker to send pad changes to CPP.
Set up a track in Beatmaker to send pattern changes to SPA.
Set up CPP to send notes to SPA.
Set up SPA rows to send to different MIDI channels.
Set up tracks in Beatmaker to receive those channels.