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.

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

Modstep 1.1

A wonderful good day everyone :)

We have just released the update to Modstep 1.1 - the beta phase took longer than expected, but in the end we think it was worth it.
Be warned: modstep has changed a bit since the last version. Many new additions made it into the app, and other features were revamped or completely replaced to make navigating the UI a tad easier. We will continue this process as we think we're not quite done yet - but this is first step towards our goal :)
Please let us know what you think about it!

We've got an updated manual: http://www.modstep.net/manual
and will have the first in a series of new tutorial videos beginning of next week.
Until then, if anything is unclear: please ask!

To celebrate the release, modstep will be on sale for $14,99 until monday.

New Features:

-Audio Unit support: use AU instruments and effects in modstep
-new Plugin-Browser: Drag and drop internal Instruments, AUs or IAAs to any of the Tracks.
-new Plugin-Chain per Track:: combine Internal Instruments, Audio Units and IAAs and add unlimited Insert FX per Track
-new MIDI - IO-Section per Track allows quick & easy setup of MIDI Port & Channel routings for each track.
-added Master FX Chain
-new Settings-Popups for Clips, Scenes & Tracks - available via Long-Tap.
-Global Scale: use one Scale throughout all Tracks in your Session (optional per track)
-Clips now show a preview of the notes inside their current Pattern.
-Patterns now show a preview of their notes.
-when deleting a Clip you will now have to confirm the deletion by tapping twice.
-added optional ‘Enter Clip Shortcut’ - if activated, all clips will show a button that allows to quickly open the clip in its related sequencer page.
-added variable grid-size in Piano Roll (1/48 - 1bar)
-studiomux is now able to send audio data to modstep (e.G. to mix or process through FX)
-modstep can now receive audio via Audiobus (to mix / process)

-Added Arrangement options:
-Scene follow: Automatically starts the next scene after the current one finishes.
-Scene Loops: set the Scene to loop X times (or unlimited) before the next one starts
-Clip Loops: set the Clip to loop X times (or unlimited)
-Scale per Scene: Change the Global Scale per Scene
-Tempo per Scene: Change the tempo for each Scene

-MIDI file import & export
-new MIDI file browser in the main file-menu.
-added MIDI indicators
-AudioShare import for the Sampler
-new global Keyboard with Pads and velocity to easily play all of your tracks onscreen.
-Audiobus destination support
-over 20 new MIDI Templates
-added metronome
-you may now decide which of the tracks should record audio.

Changes:
-Notes entered in Drum and Melody mode are not shared anymore (when switching modes, the other modes notes will not play or be shown anymore)
-Drum / Melody mode do not change the Piano Rolls touch-behaviour anymore.
-added Draw-mode toggle to change the Piano Rolls touch-behaviour in either mode.

Bugfixes & improvements:
-fixed occasional note drop-outs
-improved timing of internal Sampler & Synth to be sample accurate
-improved audio-recordings to be seamless loops
-Export and Import of CCs, Chords and Pads works now
-fixed panning bug in the Sampler.
-Velocity in Piano Roll and Step Sequencer was fixed
-CCs were blocked by selected CCs
-several smaller bug- and crash-fixes as well as small usability enhancements.

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Comments

  • This should win an award for best update or something. The Audioshare import alone is huge and will totally alter how I use Modstep.

  • Ooh...was finally getting round to rearranging my hardware gear but this will drag me away from the nightmare tangle of cables ;)

  • :o
    :)
    Quite a list, so.....I should get this app, huh? I don't even know what it does. lol...... I love seeing that AU support word. I'm sold!

  • Managed to (amazingly) avoid the first round and have the rest of my life (tonight) set aside for Infinite Looper, but if one is too stupid to get into xxxxxX should one still dive in here?

  • Amazing app!

  • Insta buy!!!!

  • Any kind soul out there want to do a video? :)

  • Damn if I'd only not accidentally stopped the testing process :(

  • @Fruitbat1919 said:
    Any kind soul out there want to do a video? :)

    Looks like the guys have it covered

    We've got an updated manual: http://www.modstep.net/manual
    and will have the first in a series of new tutorial videos beginning of next week.

    This really is a massive step on from the previous version, which was pretty good in itself, so much so it should have deserved a v2.0 not just v1.1
    Great work @cblomert and the team :)

  • @AndyPlankton said:

    @Fruitbat1919 said:
    Any kind soul out there want to do a video? :)

    Looks like the guys have it covered

    We've got an updated manual: http://www.modstep.net/manual
    and will have the first in a series of new tutorial videos beginning of next week.

    This really is a massive step on from the previous version, which was pretty good in itself, so much so it should have deserved a v2.0 not just v1.1
    Great work @cblomert and the team :)

    I demand you video yourself Modstepping right now @AndyPlankton :p

  • This sounds like a massive and awesome update! Thanks! :smiley:

  • What's that saying?

    Dive in sinker and something....

    Well, I dove in head first!!! Was waiting on the fence. This update did it for me.

    @JohnnyGoodyear said:

    Managed to (amazingly) avoid the first round and have the rest of my life (tonight) set aside for Infinite Looper, but if one is too stupid to get into xxxxxX should one still dive in here?

  • @cblomert thanks for your continuing efforts

    I am one of those struggling to understand Modstep interface.
    For me the biggest issue has been trying to understand :
    HOW (the piano roll relates to the step mode) x HOW (melody mode relates to drums)
    It has been a fourway matrix of confusion to me , which the new manual still does not answer . I hope the tutorial videos will cover this .

    indeed generally I must say the manual describes WHAT , but doesnt explain HOW or WHY.

    there is still also the Touch UI issue of scroll/drag n drop gesture confusion / frustration in lists ...All too often I want to scroll but find myself selecting & drag/drop , its like trying to work with jelly on the screen . Maybe a longer hold for select & drag would solve this.

    I was also hoping for the non 4/4 meter & tuplets improvements previously promised , I hope they are still planned as they are important to my musicmaking .

    Hope this is useful critique , not trying to complain . Thanks again for your efforts so far .

  • Hi @Wally , the new manual is still in draft and will be updated over the weekend including a FAQ to tackle the most frequent questions. The non-4/4 feature is actually in the Piano Roll: tap "Controls" and the button to the left of the D-Pad to change the quantization of the Pattern.

  • @Wally said:
    @cblomert thanks for your continuing efforts

    I am one of those struggling to understand Modstep interface.
    For me the biggest issue has been trying to understand :
    HOW (the piano roll relates to the step mode) x HOW (melody mode relates to drums)
    It has been a fourway matrix of confusion to me , which the new manual still does not answer . I hope the tutorial videos will cover this .

    indeed generally I must say the manual describes WHAT , but doesnt explain HOW or WHY.

    there is still also the Touch UI issue of scroll/drag n drop gesture confusion / frustration in lists ...All too often I want to scroll but find myself selecting & drag/drop , its like trying to work with jelly on the screen . Maybe a longer hold for select & drag would solve this.

    I was also hoping for the non 4/4 meter & tuplets improvements previously promised , I hope they are still planned as they are important to my musicmaking .

    Hope this is useful critique , not trying to complain . Thanks again for your efforts so far .

    You scare me Wally, because I know you are capable and committed so if you are in the jelly those of us on the shore begin to quiver...

  • @Nerk_ said:
    Hi @Wally , the new manual is still in draft and will be updated over the weekend including a FAQ to tackle the most frequent questions. The non-4/4 feature is actually in the Piano Roll: tap "Controls" and the button to the left of the D-Pad to change the quantization of the Pattern.

    Pleased to hear about the update of the manual. I have bought Modstep just now, because of the enthusiasm of many folks who-know-stuff here, but I will wait to even open it until the new bible is available :)

  • edited April 2016

    Hey Wally,

    We have fixed some things around the step sequencer / piano roll relation in this update, so maybe it will feel a bit better already. We have a complete rewrite of the piano roll scheduled for the next feature update, and we will try to clear up the confusion once and for all. Until then we will make sure to include a good explanation in the tutorial series. We will also publish some 'recipes' in form of a FAQ within the next days.

    Edit: to clear up the HOW question: The step sequencer and the piano roll show exactly the same. Each step correlates to 1/16th of the pattern in either view. All notes that are within that step will be muted/unmuted by de/toggling the step. or skipped if the step is deactivated.
    If you transpose the steps in the step sequencer, all notes in the step will be transposed relative to each other. And if a scale is activated, they will be moved to the next possible pitch within that scale.

    The second HOW: the drum & melody mode are completely separated now. This is needed to be able to change the drum pads configuration after programming a sequence (so you could e.G. play it on a volca, and then switch to another AU or IAA app that needs different midi bindings)
    But the main issue - ghost sequences - is gone now, modstep will always play what you see.

    Ah yes! We improved the drag and drop - timing, exactly the way you propose: the long tap delay is a tad longer now. Forgot to include it in the list :)

    and last but not least, we included quantizations for tuplets in the piano roll - as a first step towards more flexibility. non 4/4 will follow with the piano roll rewrite in the next update.

  • got it too, couldn't resist any longer, thx a lot

  • @Nerk_ thanks , I was posting initial impressions , will delve deeper into Controls whilst awaiting tutorials .

    @JohnnyGoodyear "the jelly feeling " was describing the specific touch graphic issue of a scrolling list item unwantedly becoming dragged across the screen.
    But yes generally there is a learning curve to Modstep , & as I pointed out in another Modstep vs Cream differences thread , for me the minimalist , icon & gesture based GUI of Modstep is more difficult to understand than a screenful of skeumorphic labelled buttons & knobs . I'm not a fan of IOS minimal aesthetics , staring at emptiness wondering what hidden gesture is needed to make something work , I'd much rather stare at a visually complex but LABELLED screen .

  • @Wally said:
    @Nerk_ thanks , I was posting initial impressions , will delve deeper into Controls whilst awaiting tutorials .

    @JohnnyGoodyear "the jelly feeling " was describing the specific touch graphic issue of a scrolling list item unwantedly becoming dragged across the screen.
    But yes generally there is a learning curve to Modstep , & as I pointed out in another Modstep vs Cream differences thread , for me the minimalist , icon & gesture based GUI of Modstep is more difficult to understand than a screenful of skeumorphic labelled buttons & knobs . I'm not a fan of IOS minimal aesthetics , staring at emptiness wondering what hidden gesture is needed to make something work , I'd much rather stare at a visually complex but LABELLED screen .

    I tend to agree, however I am willing to learn if there are resources to help me. A clear updated manual for sure, a collected and cogent FAQ, and -for me- more than anything a 'from the basics on up' video(s).

  • Some real improvements here. And gone is the sloppy timing I mentioned on the other thread. Still having some huge problems with IAA sync using Seekbeats & Modrum (which also don't show up as MIDI destinations for some reason). And Sector just stutters about using IAA sync, yet works okay when merely receiving clock.

    I'll have to test it with my hardware gear and hope the hung/missing notes issue of the previous version has been fixed.

  • @cblomert thanks for your response

    i will study piano/step melody/ drum further , & glad non 4/4 is coming .

    However ,the scroll/ drag issue I mentioned was from testing todays release , so I suggest it needs even longer hold to stop this happening .

    Thanks.

  • Does Modstep support BT MIDI ?

  • The King of sequencers....I've been using this release for sometime on the beta and love it's new features especially the midi note previews on the clips..and scene/clip looping. Great it's got AU support now. Although I'm mainly using Modstep with everything hosted in AUM (including audio from external hardware) as my preferred workflow.

    I think missing from the update list is midi program change on each clip.

    It does take time to get into this app (like most deep software really). But it's worth it.

    The new midi IO is much better for workflow than before.
    One thing I'd quite like to see at some point is track presets for favourite setups. :)

  • Hi @Carnbot, thanks for the praise! You can already save your Tracks using the export Track feature. Just long-tap on a Track header to bring up the Track Settings and tap "export". Your Track will be saved with all the Clips and the loaded apps and MIDI settings. To import a Track into another Session, tap "import" in the Tracks Settings. MIDI Program change per Clip is also in: long-tap a Clip, activate Program Change and enter the PC message you want to send by triggering this Clip. Hope that helps!

  • Scene and clip pop up settings are much improved....

  • A great idea for newbies like me, would be an optional, able to enable/disable in menu, a feature for labels to come up when you hover over an icon. This would help so much with learning and work flow. Of course, those experts could just turn off this feature in the menu. Just my two cents for a possible future update.

  • @Nerk_ said:
    Hi @Carnbot, thanks for the praise! You can already save your Tracks using the export Track feature. Just long-tap on a Track header to bring up the Track Settings and tap "export". Your Track will be saved with all the Clips and the loaded apps and MIDI settings. To import a Track into another Session, tap "import" in the Tracks Settings. MIDI Program change per Clip is also in: long-tap a Clip, activate Program Change and enter the PC message you want to send by triggering this Clip. Hope that helps!

    Oh great, haven't tried that yet, thanks :)

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