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.
FLUX FX play, the one that works on iPhone
This was buried in another thread so I posted it here:
The bitly link was created by Noiise themselves.
Going to go and play.
Comments
I haven't found much use for the original Flux:FX app, so I would definitely need a video to be convinced here.
This is a cut down version of the full Flux:FX so it probably won't add anything to your toolbox unless you need those effects on an iPhone. This one is presets only and I don't think you can record your own sequences.
I'm not sure I will get that much use out of it either. The combinations of effects are a bit over the top for normal usage but I found that I could get something more manageable by only enabling one or two effects at a time.
It's nice for having spot effects on instruments in isolated parts of a track I guess.
The trouble I have with Flux is that I find it really hard to get musical results from it - music goes in, noise comes out.
Same for me, bit of an uphill struggle this one.
I hate to say this, but (as it currently is) it's more 'style over substance' for me (the full version), however I look forward to updates, as it offers some pretty unique configurations.
I think I have to agree. It's a bit all or nothing. Will see if I can get on with it. At least this one is only £3.99 so am not too bothered if it only gets occasional use.
As a noise music producer, I find it immensely useful for my soundscapes
OK, I've got to ask, what's a 'noise music producer'? Music that is noisier than usual, or noise that sounds like music?
@igneous1, @monzo, @richardyot, @Jocphone - thanks for your feedback. I have a couple of suggestions that may increase the usefulness of the app for you:
There is a master wet/dry control, and this can be great to make the app effects more 'subtle'. We are always tempted to run it at 100% wet [and it defaults to that], but if you play with this control then you can get something much softer.
we have 294 performance presets built in, with everything from soft chorus modulations, clean verbs and subtle overdriven multi-delays through to the crazy noiise, distortions and waveshaping stuff. In addition you can port over any custom performance presets that you make in the FLUX:FX ipad app.
some audio examples are here:
Hope this helps. Happy to hear any other feedback too.
Thanks @NOIISE, will have another play tonight and see if I can connect with it better.
Hello NOIISE !
I love this app so much, I think it is the most inspiring guitar (or anything) fx ever, is there any plan to adapt it as a plug in or AU for desktop ( I really miss it in my DAWs )
Also is there a plan to add Midi sync/ or link to the sequencer of the ipad version
thanks
pierre
This is a great app. I am calling in sick today!
Noise music is an entire genre. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noise_music Anyway, I've always seen it as a type of abrasive meditation to test your audible limits to the extremes. Some notable groups: Merzbow, Masonna, Fuck Buttons, Non, and myself
http://i-am-not.bandcamp.com/ check out my noise there. Theres also groups that incorporate noise into other genres like Sonic Youth and Melt Banana who've popularized Noise Rock. A Place to Bury Strangers who combine shoegaze with noise and other genres. Breakcore with groups like The End, Venetian Snares, Enduser, etc. It's a genre that combines breaks, DnB, noise, industrial, carefully arranged off notes, weird time signatures, and often times hardcore techno/gabber. Then there's power/rhythmatic noise with groups like Orphx, This Morn Omina, NoiseX, Terrorfakt; and record labels like Ant-Zen, this genre tends to combine industrial, techno, and noise into arranged, more contemporary sounding music. To clarify, I produce a wide palette of genres including industrial, techno, noise, and experimental. I'm currently working on an LP exploring that side of my work. Check out my other stuff here: https://soundcloud.com/todkon
Thanks t0dk0n. Lots of material to catch up on there. Am familiar with some of the artists mentioned on the wikipedia page but didn't realise someone had put it under this umbrella phrase. A good read though.
@pierre said:
Hi @pierre - MIDI sync already works, the MIDI spec is pretty complete at the moment inside FLUX:FX play. There is one little quirk which means that you need to have the slider that you want to control with MIDI currently needs to be 'active' in the interface, so either input, output, FX blend or smoothing can be controlled, but everything else is fine.
Regarding AU compatibility, this is something we are looking into as well. Its not an easy port, but it could be nice.
Thanks for the love!
@t0dk0n - maybe you have guessed, but some of us at NOIISE are fans of uh... noise
nice list, and some great textures in your own i-am-not tracks too.
Some of my personal favourite 'noise' - Emptyset, Pansonic, Speedy J [a shocking hobby era], Fennesz... happy to also say some of these guys are using FLUX:FX too
I had another play with it last night, but it's not my cup of tea. Went through all the presets and didn't really like any of them, then I tried adding effects individually and I just wasn't really taken by what was on offer. The Chorus effect on its own for example, just sounds pretty poor. Once you chain effects together it becomes increasingly difficult to get musical results.
I can definitely see where the app might be useful for doing soundscapes and the like, but for actual music it seems pretty limited. It seems that most of the focus is on distortions and glitching rather than quality modulations. It's a shame because I would love to have some new ways to create innovative musical effects, but this app isn't it, for me anyway.
@richardyot - appreciate the feedback. The app certainly isnt for everybody, and we weren't trying to directly replicate traditional effects. There are a lot of people who love using it for 'actual music', but i guess thats all subjective anyway!
Haha, I definitely guessed ya'll were fans of noise ;D. Glad to hear I was correct and I'm honored for your compliments. I'll have to check out your recommendations. Anyway, my Bandcamp EP was composed entirely on my iPhone 6 running SP Electro Mini into a ton of Holderness Media effects and recorded live in Audioshare (there's one part where you can tell I fucked up but it adds character). Flux:FX/Play will definitely be playing a part on a few songs on my LP for sure!
Looking forward to hearing it!
Thanks for listening - I'm open minded so if you ever update the app I'll give it another try.
I think I was a tad unfair referring to the app (full version) as 'style over substance'.
It is a very unique app, which may not fit with guitarists who want a more 'standard' multi-fx guitar app. It's esotericism is probably its primary appeal (I would imagine), for people who really like it. .
Have to agree I'm afraid, I've tried creating cleaner presets with modulation and echoes but rarely come up with anything I can use. I like the interface, but the app does seem to lean towards the noise side of things.
I love flux because it doesn't try to replicate traditionnal fx, I love the digital/synth sound of it
It's the link between my guitar and electronic music
I could make very dreamy sounds using the reverbs/delays
I just wish I could sync the sequencer to a midi clock( it's hard to play guitar and touch the screen at the same time )
Well exactly, I'm not looking for the sounds I'm getting with FLUX at the moment, it's nothing personal, I'm just not feeling the love. I've had the full version pretty much since it came out so it's not like I haven't tried, I just find it a bit too harsh and noisy, but I guess that what its fans like about it.
I always listen to your demos, and so was interested to hear what you did with it, but it's probably the first one that didn't blow me away. Nothing to do with the playing which was excellent as always, just the effect.
Personal taste I'm sure, but if future updates expand on the softer, warmer side of things then I'm back in.
I remembered that I'd made some 'ambient' type multi-fx patches in Flux. The phaser is particularly nice (yes, the chorus has some issues) and the delays are cool too. So yep, more 'traditional' multi-fx are quite possible in Flux.
Here's a brief demo:
If it's good enough for Adrian... (just sayin)
Of course, he does have another guy doing the live manipulations here - but I've been working out some interactions between Flux, my Softstep, and my QuNeo for live control. If I get it all working as I hope, I'll post a clip.
I have plenty of standard effects. I go to Flux when I want something non-standard. As @pierre stated earlier, it gives the guitar more of a synth-like tone.
@Igneous1 - nice clip.
For me Flux is all about the 5 glitch-looper effects and using them to derange vocals and vocal samples (plus some use of the different distortions to dirty it up). The reverser effect gives me great results, better than what i usually get in Turnado, the performance pad is set up much more effectively for focusing on one or two effects.
I focus on Flux like it is its own instrument, not just something u flip on and then play through another app. The performance pad is the key to all of that, and the different ways you can adjust the modulation. People that have trouble getting into it might want to try looping something in Audioshare/etc and focusing solely on Flux & the performance pad.
Lovely!
To be honest, what you have described is how we envisioned the app would be used much of the time, and in fact that is exactly how Adrian uses it in the studio. On stage is a different story, but it can be effective in both scenarios.