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.
Different Drummer on sale $8.99
Anybody use this? Where does it fit in your workflow?
Comments
I use it a lot. Very mixed reactions on it, but it is my favorite app. It has a steep curve, but it does damn near everything. I use it as a multi-channel midi sequencer most often, but you can also import samples and do everything internal to DD and get good results. Most of what I have on Soundcloud was done with it...
https://soundcloud.com/funjunkie27
I use it as well. I love it. As @funjunkie27 said it has a pretty steep learning curve but once you get the hang of it you realise how much it can do
I tend to like happy accidents that sometimes don't come out of direct control or usual practices so I love DD. AND it gives me just enough control to not be pure cacophony AND plays well with others.
Yes it's a bit complicated and really does take a while to make the rhythms you want but it's an amazing application. When I bought it there were a number of errors which for me made learning even more difficult but Im pretty sure it all functions as expected now. Happy accidents, great circular design and the IAP are quite extraordinary. My advice is read the manual (and/or watch the YT videos), it's well written and really helps to start thinking in DD. I use it as midi sequencer, as a 'midi lfo' and to experiment with new percussions.
This dude is doing some great DD work after only a week of learning:
https://soundcloud.com/david-coffin
Nice! I invited him to the forum as well.
As some have noticed, I've paused my breakneck development to work on other things for awhile but I also want users to catch up to what I already did which was a lot! I have so many great plans for DD as the year progresses so my mind is still on the case and I've been keeping notes.
It's probably good to clear the mind Peter. Looking forward to whatever you have in store.
I have to say, I really love my die hard users who hung in there for the learning curve. I do see DD as more of an instrument to be mastered than an instant music tool so many are looking for (which is legit). As a guitarist myself, I can say time spent learning and practicing your instrument is time well spent.
Totally agree! You can pick up enough to do some interesting things shortly out of the gate, similar to learning your first three chords on a guitar, but as with a guitar, the more you learn, the wider the door opens.
Hoping for an iPad Pro-optimized version at some point (currently it fills only part of the screen on the big Pro).
Fair enough Flo...I definitely can't compare apps to my PRS. But the level of training and discipline is what I'm talking about so maybe I mean to say approach with an instrumental mindset to get the most out of it. But as Funjunkie says, you can get fun results right away too. I feel like you do this very well with apps, BTW.
Very few apps though. I agree that it would never be the same as a traditional instrument, in regards to what Flo mentioned, but a handful of apps give me a similar feeling of accomplishment...that is, I've worked to learn it and the idiosyncrasies and nuances, and it's paid off with something I can enjoy.
Still...there are apps, like geoshred, that come close in other physical/psychological regards. I don't see DD accomplishing that unless there's more focus on live performance, which the Ops panel is a start. DD excels in exploration. It's a bit difficult to tie it all together in a coherent song, at least for a hobbyist like me, but the progressions panel, with the mixer and tempo control, per progression step, and unlimited measures is really starting to open that up!
And I'd love to have a PRS! My uncle has one and I got to give it a romp....wonderful guitar!
DD is fun even though I haven’t been able to figure it out very well so far. I get musically useful results occasionally. Most of what I get from DD is just downright weird, which is of course my fault.
I’ve made DD sound like someone shaking a box of rocks.
I’ve made DD sound like a scary hailstorm.
Usually I make DD sound sort of like a construction site on a Friday afternoon after the crew ingested psilocybin during their lunch break.
Many people get the same thing @Janie. If you want something that is easier to tame in DD, use the grid mode (toggle the small box with the cross in the upper section of the parameters panel at the bottom of the screen.) Non-grid mode is better for exploration but harder for me to control. You can get straight four on the floor, and beyond, in grid mode.
Brings back memories!
Funny @Janie...I've heard a few of those myself. However most of the time DD, when I use drums sounds, sounds like a cool Afro-Brazilian percussionist (maybe on acid, OK). Sounds to me like you need to chill it down on some slower beat values and use the dynamics better. Also, Leave Cycles per Measure on 1 for starters as this creates odd interference patterns when higher. When using automation, don't turn every parameter up to max or it will get weird. On non drum sounds, go as wild as you want and play with the range controls and the scales.
@Funjunkie DD has it's roots in live performance software I wrote called HyperChord so I will be adding in many Live tools....starting with the new "Jamlets" which are custom buttons you can give meaning such as "Emin BPM 90" These will get saved with the Preset.
Sounds great Peter. I've heard, and enjoyed, some of your Hyperchord bits on SoundCloud.
The Ops panel is a lot of fun, but I would like to see an expanded keyboard within that, if possible....maybe even if you used the lower two thirds of the screen.
Great stuff Flo! Some cool rhythms there.
And my latest, using DD and Auria...
The title came from thoughts on what becomes of our digital legacy when we pass, although the song inspiration wasn't really affected by that. Still, it might be an interesting topic to discuss here. I haven't looked into the legal side of it, but if anyone has some insight, I'd be interested to hear it.
Appreciate the feedback Flo!
I just bought it and I guess it will take some time before I am comfortable with it, I won't have much to say about it until then, but it looks promising (I know read the manual and watch the videos and all will be well!).
I have a few videos up, if interested. Here's the most in depth of the lot...
Down to $8.99 USD.
http://audiob.us/get/452/Different-Drummer
That's quite some reduction from its original price - I think I'm going to wait until they pay me to get it!
Wow, this is pretty damn deep.
And is the name kind of a misnomer? It's a sequencer too, yes? I feel like I have too many apps to learn at the moment!
Yes...the name is a misnomer. My most used app. You can import your own samples, drive eight different midi sources, have ten discrete audio outputs sent to hosts, create drones with the 980bpm tempo, and more. At this price, just do it. I bought it at $50 and have no regrets. The issue most people have is the learning curve, but the manual is great and there are several videos on line.
So the next question: why is it so cheap?
Because you cheapskates only buy stuff when it's on sale!
Don't poke the bear, man.
I love it, the dev's Holistic Tonality theory, and the timbre-based approach to synthesis, harnessing computational power to extend our sonic concepts outside of normal scales, or frequencies, appeals to my production interests. It has a similitude, I think, to Google's WaveNet, their parametric (sample rate) audio sampler, which's bests by 50% current TTS systems. I also think the app is beautiful, you can get so subtle with a sound, or wild. I like the learning curve, it's educative, rather than arbitrarily complex. I read the app was originally 250 or something, it's worth that to me, in relation to desktop of course, which I wish was forced to compete with iOS.
WaveNet: https://deepmind.com/blog/wavenet-generative-model-raw-audio/
Holistic Tonality: http://www.holistictonality.org/theory.html
Lol!