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.
How's the iphone 5s?
I need a new mobile and looking at the 5s not interested in the 6 unless the 5s is gonna be outdated in 6 weeks time! :P From what i've read the 5s is the better phone anyway unless you want the bigger screen which is not an issues for me.
As it's a couple of years old is it gonna be fine for another couple of years (the length of the contract)? It's just purely to run iOS stuff that i'm considering one for AB Remote and to have something a bit more portable than my iPad.
Cheers!
Comments
I was on a 5s up till quite recently (now on a 6s).
I'm not sure what criteria would suggest the 5s is a Better device (slower chip being a significant point against the idea of "better") than a 6s but the 5s is a very capable device and ran my music-and-otherwise apps wonderfully in general.
Two years of Heavy use and the 5s battery is still performing amazingly well too.
The upgrade to the regular 6's screen size was really great for music apps. It is harder to use one handed—like using your thumb to hit the top left corner when in portrait mode requires an awkward hold + stretch. That bit actually made me go back to Safari from Chrome on iOS (safari's back button being on the bottom = win).
That said, if the 5s is tempting because of the current price, go for it. My 4s kept up with music apps just fine and the 5s is like an order of magnitude faster.
Nothing to do with the topic but I found the double tap on the home button today (don't push the button just tap it twice quickly) which might help with that stretching issue.
I had a 4s until last week and it finally was just not working well enough to use as a phone, let alone use apps, so I got a 6s and it's a huge improvement, although it is a little uncomfortable in my front pocket. I was going to get a used 5s from Craigslist though and I'm sure it will have a few more years in it. My daughter's 4s was still working ok on iOS 8, but we all got 6s's last week (happy berfday to her!).
The short story? I'm sure it will be fine.
I dislike the shape of the 5S. The 4S was the perfect-sized phone and felt great to hold without a case.
On both my 4S and 5S , the battery has lasted for nearly two years of very heavy use (2 months away from a 6S upgrade, and it just started losing steam a couple weeks ago).
I'm still using a 5, and it runs apps fine. Did have an issue with dirt in the charging port but cleaned that out and hope to get a few more months out of it. Only downside is it's stuck on iOS 7x as I've heard it struggles on newer versions. I'll get the 6s when I upgrade.
use 5s over 2years now, and works for all my needs...the power is more then enough, dont use more then 3Apps @ same time (AB/Synth/FX), mostly one
think about 6s but its too BIG.
Hope there will come a 4" iPhone7.
Think i wait.
5s is Perfect size for me. Just keep it on 8.4.1 for best performance.
Also i would never get an older phone with a contract. You don't want to be locked in with that for two years even though it will work for two years. The model is old enough now that you can get a great deal on a used 5s.
(Disclaimer: I'm considering selling my 5s, but for reasons not at all related to music usage)
Have 6 plus and love it.
Only thing is I wish IPAD only apps would work on it because most would be doable.
It's the 6 not the 6s i was comparing.
I know the size is a factor and the slippy case of the 6 seems to be an issue for some. I think cost factors into it as well. I want a smaller phone anyway, prefer the compact size. It's either a 5s or Z5 i'll probably get and maybe i will grab a used one off ebay; cost of an 5s is expensive by comparison especially if it has limited lifespan.
Thanks. I want a one handed phone, i'd probaby drop the 6 riding my bike!
It's only tempting if the spec is good and it will be good for a couple of years at least, i'm not an upgrade monkey
, i tend to keep stuff until it fails or i have no choice but to upgrade. Handset prices are not too bad on the bay, i might just go that route as it will work out significantly less than the contract.
How long did you have the 4s? I understand it's good practise to skip a generation. Obviously the 6s is tempting but i don't use a mobile phone a lot so i'd be getting purely for the specs.
Why does 9 not run fine on the 5s? I upgrade to 9 on my Air one and not noticed any loss performance but i've read about issues with older hardware in the past.
Yep, two years is the issue so it would make sense to buy one outright. Got a couple of weeks to decide anyway.
I'm sure iOS 9 "runs fine" yes.
"runs better" is doubtful. I personally became totally jaded with iOS updates when I read one of those techy articles showing how when iOS 7 came out everyone subjectively felt like the experience made their devices faster and smoother. But an actual objective test of operation times showed that on every device the actual load times were faster on iOS 6 compared to devices that had been upgraded to iOS 7.
It was just one of those hey wait, we're all drinking the coolaid moments. (why do we all feel like new is faster, even if it is just... different, and actually slower??) So I'm trying to stop myself. Then the whole iOS 8 debacle with music apps just confirmed my hesitations.
So If I hear about some essential features of iOS 9 that work great on my 5s, then I'll consider upgrading.
You don't find it too big for a mobile phone? Did you upgrade from a 5?
Yeah i'll have to see which apps i need to replace that i'd want to run on the smartphone. I was thinking of it as more of a controller to use with the iPad.
Fair enough. I can't say it runs better but smaller footprint = more apps.
And the battery life seems better. I actually like the new iOS anyway. It's definitely not broken things like 8 did so that's a plus but i would definitely proceed with caution with an iphone where it's phone functions could be broken...
+1 for 5S reliability - I've had mine for two years, used daily, nice battery life and should remain supported by new Apple iOSs for at least another year, if not longer.
It needs to support the apps and whatever iOS is current for at least two more years, unless i replace the handset in a year or two. Just anted to be sure it's not close to being obselete with the rate that Apple produces new hardware and OS updates.
Typically, I'd say you're safe until the 7S and 7S+, since they tend to run about a 2 version backwards compatibility cycle - Like the 4S is still supported and they're on the 6S now ...
It's just kind of a "can't be sure," thing. That fact coupled with rumors they intend to extend backwards compatibility would lead me to bet you'd be good for two years. If it was my money and my move. But you can never be totally sure when the EOL train will come calling ...
As iPhones are getting bigger by the year, i wouldn't be surprised if the iPhone 7, or 7s will be not smaller than the iPad Mini. Lol. Trouble is that clothes will soon have to be made to fit the phones, now that they are becoming a Phablet. So next year a women will say, " Does my Bum look big with this phone?"......
Cool, sounds like i'll be ok. I suppose the other consideration is spec; is the 5s powerful enough to be used with audiobus and 2 or 3 apps? I know i hit a limit with the Air, not that i'll be doing anything as demanding with the iphone but they look to be about the same on paper anyway.
You'll have to have two to have matching butt cheeks, you can then rock the Kardashian look haha!
Is someone still using the iPhone 5s for music production? I can buy a very cheap one and I was wondering if it still can function for some light music production in AUM.
I already have a iPad Pro, so it's just meant for portable use.
If it’s very cheap a spare device for AB remote is great. Can certainly be used for making snippets to feed the pro.
I have aa iPhone 5S Velcro'ed to my guitar. I run AUM with 6 FX apps and play iReal Pro for backing tracks and practice for hours using a 5V battery pack, a CKA, an iRig HD and some headphones.
I also play on velcro'ing it to a battery powered MIDI keyboard for a mobile studio set up.
The screen is a pain but I usually create an AUM config on the iPad and load it on the iPhone to avoid going crazy with small knobs. I can also run MIDI Guitar on it. It's a great sound and FX module for me. I think it has 1GB of RAM so you can run a lot on it before it crackles.
@BiancaNeve and @McD Thanks!
How about that new iPod Touch? Same screen, much faster cpu and probably more storage?
Quite curious about this. Can you tell me what FX apps you're using and a bit more detail how you use six different FX apps in AUM? Guessing you also have the iRig velcroed to the guitar?
I have an FX strip of my favorite FX'es and in AUM I typically slide them on and off but AUM supports Bluetooth MIDI and MIDI Learn to turn things on and off so a bluetooth pedal could be used. Bluetooth pedals can also start/stop looping apps like Loopy HD and QuantiLoop, etc.
My current selection of FX'es in my config's include:
(2) DC-9's (use them both for that SRV scratchy guitar attack and high volume amp sustain... Santana uses this trick too).
NYCompressor (the best volume knob I own)
Korvpressor
FAC Chorus
Stark Amp Sim
Filterstation 2 (it can help fake a straight ahead jazz clean Gibson Archtop sound by rolling off all the highs)
AudioReverb or ADverb2
Brusfri (Noise reduction and gate)
I just bought Numerical Audio's SF-1 Stereo Performance Filter and it might be useful too. Maybe replacing filter station 2
do tone shaping.
AUM also let's you change the FX order but this is my default order lately.
There's another recent thread that uploaded an AUM config for playing Ambient Guitar swells that is worth loading in AUM too for this portable guitar rig iPhone.
Was going through my mind too, but the price is a bit too high for me. I can get a 32GB iPhone 5s for around €50,-, and it's just for some (mobile) fun. I just bought a OP-Z and the IOS app works fine on a 5s.