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 Store

Audiobus is the app that makes the rest of your setup better.

Skram - Electronic Music Maker, new iOS app by Liine

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Comments

  • liinegarethliinegareth

    @gburks said:
    It would be great if this could avoid the "walled garden" approach of Korg Gadget. Give it an IAA and AU widget, let it sequence other apps on the iPad. When you add midi make sure you can specify which ports and channels rather Gadget's omni mode which gets in the way of any other midi communications you need at the same time.

    Thanks a lot for your ideas on where you think this app should go. We'll have exciting Liine meetings in the coming weeks discussing all of this stuff! :wink:

  • liinegarethliinegareth

    @Carnbot said:
    Bought and had about 5 minutes with it....Yes I like a lot about this, being able to control 4 instruments on screen at once is great fun...can see it's growing potential.....Jamming with different patterns and changing stuff on the fly, nice!

    The widgets are really good. Can you have more than 2 stored patterns on widgets? Plus preset saving on the instruments would be useful.

    But it's a bit too self contained at the moment for me. Link and midi out for the widgets (using some of your Lemur magic) other than AB IAA support would add to it's depth so you can play with other apps and hardware. Also can you save a session?

    Also multiple audio outs so you can record each track individually would be great for the future. I'm not so into self contained apps these days, more tools to combine in a studio set up.

    As a sketchpad it's fun but there's no way currently to build on your results.

    Thanks for these thoughts.
    Glad you like the Widgets. There's a bunch of really interesting ones on the way. In fact (nerd trivia), we prototype some of them in Lemur and Max for Live!
    There's no way to save a session yet, but will come soon. That will become even more necessary as we allow people to use different Widgets and Devices!
    Comment on the audio outs noted.

  • liinegarethliinegareth

    @anickt said:
    I could only spend a few minutes with it. I really like the sound and the overall concept. More later. Stupid work...

    Hide iPad under desk until no-one's looking?

  • Paul16Paul16

    @gburks said:
    It would be great if this could avoid the "walled garden" approach of Korg Gadget. Give it an IAA and AU widget, let it sequence other apps on the iPad. When you add midi make sure you can specify which ports and channels rather Gadget's omni mode which gets in the way of any other midi communications you need at the same time.

    ^^^ this, itunes avoidance & implementation of iaa/audiobus/au/link/midi etc could make this app a real winner. After a brief run, the 'modules' all seem to be nice & tidy, nice fx & the app sounds are good, it's just currently limited in its application.
    Look forward to future versions, congrats to the devs :)

  • supadomsupadom

    @carol said:
    Looks good and price is fair but the self contained tabletop type thing makes me hesitate . Will wait for audiobus and IAA to be added before I buy :))

    The appoholic in me has the finger on the trigger but integration with other apps definitely is a showstopper for me at the mo. Link, AB, pasteboard etc.

  • anicktanickt

    @liinegareth said:

    @anickt said:
    Attention all devs! We DO NOT want to be tethered to iTunes File Sharing! :p

    Haha. Ok, we hear you loud and clear! Indeed, the sharing is something which will be fleshed out further. We wanted to make sure that the initial version had some way of getting your jamz out of the beast but there will be more coming here..

    Great - thanks!

    Dropbox integration is good and of course Audiobus/IAA. Somebody mentioned separate outputs per instrument. Yes to that!

  • gburksgburks

    @liinegareth said:

    @gburks said:
    It would be great if this could avoid the "walled garden" approach of Korg Gadget. Give it an IAA and AU widget, let it sequence other apps on the iPad. When you add midi make sure you can specify which ports and channels rather Gadget's omni mode which gets in the way of any other midi communications you need at the same time.

    Thanks a lot for your ideas on where you think this app should go. We'll have exciting Liine meetings in the coming weeks discussing all of this stuff! :wink:

    One more Gadget limitation I hope you can avoid... I call it "multi-player mode." Gadget only lets you point all of your USB midi controllers to one device at a time. So if I want to play some drum pads while my friend plays a keyboard part, there is no way to do it. Please let us map different ports and channels to different widgets, so we can have multi-player mode.

  • kobamotokobamoto
    1. what is the lowest bpm the sequencer runs at?
    2. is everything quantized or can you trigger notes without quantization?
  • kobamotokobamoto
    1. what are your plans for the sampling widgets, are you implementing a drum sampler with full sample slicing, triggering, and sequencing?..... what exactly are your plans in this regards?
    2. are there any fx that focus on time shifting, offsetting, glitching, organic mangling, etc... if so can you tell us about them, if not can you tell us about your plans in this regard?
  • mschenkel.itmschenkel.it

    @kobamoto said:
    1. what is the lowest bpm the sequencer runs at?
    2. is everything quantized or can you trigger notes without quantization?

    1. 80-160(a BPM 40-200 range would be great)
    2. Everything is arp triggered/step sequenced
  • kobamotokobamoto

    ah, thanks... wish the bpm could go down to 25 at least...

  • JohnnyGoodyearJohnnyGoodyear
    edited March 2016

    A ) I'm in New Zealand finally. Now what?

    B ) Must, must, must have outs...

  • TGiGTGiG

    @liinegareth said:

    @anickt said:
    Attention all devs! We DO NOT want to be tethered to iTunes File Sharing! :p

    Haha. Ok, we hear you loud and clear! Indeed, the sharing is something which will be fleshed out further. We wanted to make sure that the initial version had some way of getting your jamz out of the beast but there will be more coming here..

    Good answer.

  • TGiGTGiG

    I have to say, the UI looks beautiful. Just hate that it's cutoff from the rest of my iOS world

  • JudochopjamesJudochopjames

    Ok so I just bought it and here are my thoughts:

    The app is fun to play with but in it's current state it's not really robust enough to make serious music with. The biggest problem imo right now is not the lack of ability to connect to other apps (although that is a big problem) it's the lack of available sounds. You have three modules that produce sound that all sound decent and you can get a decent range from the drums but it's not going to be very long before everything sounds a bit samey. They are promising more modules in the future which will help rectify this but this thing needs a lot more sound variety before it's more than a toy. In particular a module to create some nice pads would go a long way.

    Midi out capability would be excellent because then you would not be limited to the internal sound engine. I'd also like to see the pattern selector for each module expanded to at least 4 per module.

    Having said that, I'm able to get better results faster compared to something like Figure, and I think Skram beats Figure as a fun way to get out quick dynamic ideas, it's just lacking in the sound department.

    I'm not sure what the deal is with exporting, I tried the export button which I assume is for the email export option but nothing happened. I was able to get the track through iTunes file sharing easy enough though.

    Just for references this is my result from within about 10 minutes of purchasing the app and just quickly playing around with it:

    https://soundcloud.com/judochopjames/skram

  • AphexAphex

    Please upload more videos of the app.

  • parallaxobjectparallaxobject

    The way the touch function works when adjusting the knobs -- the mechanics and visual -- is my favorite implementation of this feature of any app I've used. If Skram does nothing else for us, at least there's that.

  • High5deniedHigh5denied

    One of the things I really like about this app is when you adjust a Knob turn thingy, it has a unique way of showing you what level the setting is at. By the number and the fill line thing. Cool....

    And, it feels much smoother when adjusting knobs than almost any other app I have used. Good stuff.

  • JohnnyGoodyearJohnnyGoodyear

    @parallaxobject @High5denied Yes. Nice knobs (Vicar). Almost exactly the same as Thor. Probably went to the same prep school.

    Interesting early-stage thingie (despite all the apparent work). Look forward to seeing where/how far they take it.

  • TGiGTGiG

    @Judochopjames said:
    Ok so I just bought it and here are my thoughts:

    The app is fun to play with but in it's current state it's not really robust enough to make serious music with. The biggest problem imo right now is not the lack of ability to connect to other apps (although that is a big problem) it's the lack of available sounds. You have three modules that produce sound that all sound decent and you can get a decent range from the drums but it's not going to be very long before everything sounds a bit samey. They are promising more modules in the future which will help rectify this but this thing needs a lot more sound variety before it's more than a toy. In particular a module to create some nice pads would go a long way.

    Midi out capability would be excellent because then you would not be limited to the internal sound engine. I'd also like to see the pattern selector for each module expanded to at least 4 per module.

    Having said that, I'm able to get better results faster compared to something like Figure, and I think Skram beats Figure as a fun way to get out quick dynamic ideas, it's just lacking in the sound department.

    I'm not sure what the deal is with exporting, I tried the export button which I assume is for the email export option but nothing happened. I was able to get the track through iTunes file sharing easy enough though.

    Just for references this is my result from within about 10 minutes of purchasing the app and just quickly playing around with it:

    https://soundcloud.com/judochopjames/skram

    Nice, I love your track and totally agree with what you say in this post. +1
    I copied you and recorded my first 5 mins with it:

    Some great sounds in there. I think this app has a lot of potential!

  • Telstar5Telstar5

    Looks like a Korg Gadget killer! (potentially)

  • BiancaNeveBiancaNeve

    @Telstar5 said:
    Looks like a Korg Gadget killer! (potentially)

    Nah, more like a figure killer.

  • paradiddleparadiddle

    I really like the immediacy of it which is the selling point for me. We'll have to wait for more devices to see where it's going sonically.

  • anicktanickt

    @Nathan said:

    @richiehoop said:
    Thanks for the quick reply. However, I suggest that you move them to the top of your "feature backlog" as they're pretty essential.

    Yes. It never ceases to baffle me why any developer of an IOS music app today would not include IAA and AudioBus at launch. It's almost like selling a car that can't be used on a public highway. Doesn't matter how great it is, you can't go anywhere with it.

    +1 infinity

  • carolcarol

    @Nathan said:

    @richiehoop said:
    Thanks for the quick reply. However, I suggest that you move them to the top of your "feature backlog" as they're pretty essential.

    Yes. It never ceases to baffle me why any developer of an IOS music app today would not include IAA and AudioBus at launch. It's almost like selling a car that can't be used on a public highway. Doesn't matter how great it is, you can't go anywhere with it.

    Or a car that can only be used on highways belonging to the car manufacturer ;))

  • liinegarethliinegareth

    Bumper reply coming up!

    @Paul16 said:
    Look forward to future versions, congrats to the devs :)

    Thanks @Paul16!

    @gburks said:
    One more Gadget limitation I hope you can avoid... I call it "multi-player mode." Gadget only lets you point all of your USB midi controllers to one device at a time. So if I want to play some drum pads while my friend plays a keyboard part, there is no way to do it. Please let us map different ports and channels to different widgets, so we can have multi-player mode.

    Noted. I would definitely love to see the app have that kind of collaborative potential in the future once we’ve nailed some of the other key things

    @mschenkel.it said:

    @kobamoto said:
    1. what is the lowest bpm the sequencer runs at?
    2. is everything quantized or can you trigger notes without quantization?

    1. 80-160(a BPM 40-200 range would be great)
    2. Everything is arp triggered/step sequenced

    Anyone else keen to see a larger bpm range?

    Right now everything is rhythmically triggered, but we have some Widgets in development which allow you to play in real time.

    @kobamoto said:
    3. what are your plans for the sampling widgets, are you implementing a drum sampler with full sample slicing, triggering, and sequencing?..... what exactly are your plans in this regards?
    4. are there any fx that focus on time shifting, offsetting, glitching, organic mangling, etc... if so can you tell us about them, if not can you tell us about your plans in this regard?

    One of the most exciting things about Skram for us is that it’s a bit like developing a music app which contains different music apps. There’s actually very little constraint as to what we COULD include in a device - the main limitations are CPU, screen space and time. We have a billion ideas of what we could do, and we’ll do as many of them we we can, but it’s a case of prioritising as there’s only so much a small team like us can fit in the day!
    So I don’t have an answer for you on that yet, HOWEVER, we do plan (once the initial release is out of the way) to keep people up to date with some of the future ideas we’re working on and which might make it into the app on skramapp.com

    @JohnnyGoodyear said:
    A ) I'm in New Zealand finally. Now what?

    B ) Must, must, must have outs...

    A) Damn - did you miss your flight?

    B) Another vote noted

    @TGiG said:
    I have to say, the UI looks beautiful. Just hate that it's cutoff from the rest of my iOS world

    Thanks. We’re proud of the work our talented designer has done on this :)

    @Judochopjames said:
    … I'm able to get better results faster compared to something like Figure, and I think Skram beats Figure as a fun way to get out quick dynamic ideas, it's just lacking in the sound department.

    I'm not sure what the deal is with exporting, I tried the export button which I assume is for the email export option but nothing happened. I was able to get the track through iTunes file sharing easy enough though.

    Just for references this is my result from within about 10 minutes of purchasing the app and just quickly playing around with it:

    https://soundcloud.com/judochopjames/skram

    Thanks for the comments.

    Really happy you’re finding it fun and the workflow quick - that’s something we put a lot of effort into. Keep an eye out for our future Devices, I think you’re going to appreciate the variety we’re putting together :)

    Re the email export issue: that’s strange. Do you mind telling me what device and what iOS version you’re on? Also, did you have internet connectivity at the time you tried the feature?

    Your tune is RUDE - post it on https://www.facebook.com/skramapp or tweet @skramapp and we’ll retweet ;)

    @Aphex said:
    Please upload more videos of the app.

    Yessir! Coming soon :)

    @parallaxobject said:
    The way the touch function works when adjusting the knobs -- the mechanics and visual -- is my favorite implementation of this feature of any app I've used. If Skram does nothing else for us, at least there's that.

    @High5denied said:
    One of the things I really like about this app is when you adjust a Knob turn thingy, it has a unique way of showing you what level the setting is at. By the number and the fill line thing. Cool....

    And, it feels much smoother when adjusting knobs than almost any other app I have used. Good stuff.

    Thanks! This was actually quite a challenge. In the past we were always of the impression that they are a big no-no, but we’ve mellowed a bit on that lately… Glad you find they work well.

    @parallaxobject
    Interesting early-stage thingie (despite all the apparent work). Look forward to seeing where/how far they take it.

    Thanks! :)

    @BiancaNeve said:

    @Telstar5 said:
    Looks like a Korg Gadget killer! (potentially)

    Nah, more like a figure killer.

    The amount of time I’ve been spending in front of my computer the past months is a figure-killer! ;)

    @paradiddle said:
    I really like the immediacy of it which is the selling point for me. We'll have to wait for more devices to see where it's going sonically.

    I look forward to hearing your future thoughts! :)

    @Nathan said:
    Yes. It never ceases to baffle me why any developer of an IOS music app today would not include IAA and AudioBus at launch. It's almost like selling a car that can't be used on a public highway. Doesn't matter how great it is, you can't go anywhere with it.

    I think I’m qualified to explain this one! ;)

    Creating an app is a lot of work. Many teams, like us, are small, self-funded outfits working day and night because they are passionate about making something cool. There’s always a big list of things you want to implement and there are always unanticipated challenges and delays - things take longer than you’d wished. At one point you have to release - if you waited until every single thing you initially thought you wanted in the app was finished, you would never get it out. So sometimes you have to make some tough choices about which features to cut out and which to add in later, knowing that some people will be fine with the choice and others will really wish that thing was in there. We took this particular decision because, while we think it’s important, it’s not quite as important as having the thing work and make sound :)
    We really believe that this is a good start but respect the fact that for some, IAA and Audiobus is critical.

  • HighEscapeHighEscape

    How can i save and load a project and i do not mean export Audio ? Liking the App very much so far.

  • BiancaNeveBiancaNeve

    @HighEscape said:
    How can i save and load a project and i do not mean export Audio ? Liking the App very much so far.

    Ditto

  • BiancaNeveBiancaNeve
    edited March 2016

    Hmmmmmm

    The Skram instrument keeps not working intermittently
    And it's not reliably saving the state it was in when I close and reopen it.

    Air2 latest ios

  • nicknick

    downloaded. played. liked.

    but yes, very limited, can't even save a session it seems.

    but there is something about the concept, and the look and feel that really works

    with a few essential things added to the base app, and reasonably priced new gadgets, this could be a lot of fun for developers and users alike. i hope this app develops a fan base because the potential is really there to add new and creative things

    I'm looking forward to seeing how this thing develops

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