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.
Essential Effects?
So I'm only in Stage 2 Appaholism: I've grabbed a bunch of apps to make sounds (synths, drums, etc) and apps to arrange them (Modstep, Auria, Cubasis). I'm ready for Stage 3: apps to tweak them.
Are there any absolutely essential effects apps? Effectrix looks amazing, but it seems to produce only Skrillex-style goofiness. The AUFX suite looks good, but it seems a waste that these are not AU. Does FluxFX overwhelm the original sound? I really just want to avoid gimmicks. I picked up one of the effects packs in Cubasis; it's pretty underwhelming. Should I just stay in the Auria effects chain?
Comments
@ExAsperis99 Well, this is opinion bait and you'll get plenty. Look for whatever consensus you can divine. Might be more useful for folks if you triage your own likely uses and/or style wherein they will more typically be employed.
For my own part, I like effects. I find my appaloosian (which is where an appaholic rides madly across the plains of his own blind reason) nature is more released by effects than anything else. Special sauce. Band-aids. Turns mystery meat into Kig ha Farz and Borscht into Beef Wellington.
I am, Sir, an unreliable witness, but, yes, definitely the Fabs.
I use FluxFX occasionally, there are some powerful choices and extreme sound warping is certainly possible, but it's all in how you set it up, obviously... the gimmicks are there if you want them, but you can always dial it down to taste, and there are so many options, I'm sure you could find plenty of things to love.
Other favorites in my arsenal are Crystalline and GliderVerb (reverbs).
Tone Stack serves me well for grit and distortion. I'm not much into the bit-crush scene, though I do have Caramel and it seems to do the job.
Swoopster, Echo Pad & Stereo Designer do me for aural/spatial tricks.
With so many apps these days providing their own on-board delays, reverbs & chorus, it's becoming much less frequent that I find need to augment with additional.
What JGY said with regard to opinions and thread value without a description of what you want from effects.
Personally (totally useless) AUFX and Holderness effects should just come with the iPad.
Good point. At the moment it's more what I don't want. Frevkens, for some, is essential. I hate it. I'd prefer an app that augments rather than takes over. Like Birdstepper seems pretty interesting, but I only discovered it by scrolling through the list of Audiob apps.
There is one app, not strictly an effects app, but which has a huge effect on how my work sounds. Final Touch mastering, which is highly tweakable, yet comes with more than enough presets. Honestly, whatever kind of music you make, this can help.
Any of Auria Pro's FabFilter and PSP effects. The FabFilters have sidechaining, and even the free, built-in channel strip EQs, limiters, compressors and expanders are better than most standalone apps, and they are also made by PSP.
Outside Auria/Auria Pro, I'd pick (as I have done) some good amp simulator apps from Agile, IK Multimedia, Positive Grid etc., for the FX themselves: despite being essential for guitar and bass, some of them have a huge palette of stomps and rack FX that literally cover all your bases for other instruments as well, such as vocals and even drums. Also, Hokusai for noise profile-type noise reduction.
Just opinions, but flux:fx, effectrix, altispace, and emo chorus have been standouts here. Nebulizer too. Use them to dress up synths and drum machines.
In my highly subjective personal opinion the Fabfilter and PSP effects in Auria are the most useful by far.
Personally dislike Flux FX because it's hard to make musical sounds with it, it's really more of a glitch machine.
Otherwise the AU:FX series is good, as well as anything by Holderness Media.
similiar impression: flux is sufficient for stage conditions, but clearly sub-studiograde.
Both Au:Fx and Holderness rule, top notch (all great).
The original BIAS amp sim is outstanding (not shure if BIAS FX has the same engine)
If run in JamUp, the BIAS amps have less load and latency
JamUp's stomp effects are great in the distortion domain and the 63Spring reverb, all the other stuff can be ignored -> Holderness, AU:FX
A significant extra load for sound colour, but those anp sims are great to spice up synths.
AD480 Reverb is a must-have for a dense reverb, particular great in small ambiences.
Apesoft's Apefilter is essential, perfect automation, ranges from classic EQ to the most strange sound alteration.
Sparkle is a very unique effect that modulates one source's spectrum by another one.
It can do vocoder like things without midi, but doesn't stop there... from strange to never heard before.
As it's the same team: all apps by Amazing Noises are also recommended, Moebius the most complex one.
Their reverbs are more on the transparant, 'glassy' side.
Imho it's essential to choose a definite reverb character, not just any...
Those are the ones that come to my mind as first choices, alltogether about $150...
Go figure what a similiar set would cost in VST land ...
Personal faves:
Turnado
AUFX dub and reverb
Frekvens
Moebius
Timeless 2
Stereo Designer
These get the most use, but it depends in the job. If I'm inputting live guitar then Tonestack is the best tool for that, or Daedelus if I'm mucking about with soundscapes. I've also been dipping into FLUX again recently.
I disagree with Telefunky regarding FLUX:FX. For use on an actual physical instrument (I use it on extended technique bass playing) I find it to be one of the only 'real' sounding effects suites on iOS.
Very nice distortions, some of the only usable octaves on iOS, a good set of all the 'normal' filters and modulations, delays and reverbs (which you'll find more hi-fi and/or in depth versions of in dedicated effects apps but still do the job well) and then you get into the crazy stuff (which exist for every category above and more).. there are a LOT of out there effects to play with!
It takes some learning to use properly but I'd use it hands down over anything else on there, studio or live. It's also one of the best effects suites for programmed 'automatic' modulation and patch changes through Modstep or whatnot, due to it's well designed control method.
Aside from FLUX:FX (which I'm recommending primarily for guitar-esque instruments), I'd recommend the Blamsoft FX series and RP-1 Delay. RP-1 has got a few crash bugs that are being ironed out gradually but it's definitely my favorite dedicated iOS delay. Blamsoft effects are great. I love the sound of Zero Reverb and although it's a bit digital sounding, DC-9 Overdrive is a decent distortion. I like Resampler too. Holderness stuff is also good but I only use Crystalline with any regularity. Stereo Designer is cool though!
AUFX Stuff is also great quality.
Aufx suite...
Some good AUX effects here
http://klevgrand.se/products/
Moebius
Turnado
Effectrix
Wow2
Is there a list of AUX effects and synth somewhere ???
@OscarSouth why do you first disagree and then confirm my description in the next paragraph ? (that sentence about dedicated apps...)
I wrote: it's ok for live use - but filters, reverb and delay are NOT up to the standards set by Holderness, Kymatica, Apesoft/Amazing Noises... which easily compete with top of the range pedals by Strymon and Eventide.
That's not a matter of taste, but a lack in sound that you can actually hear.
I bought Flux:FX and used it - but it just didn't cut (which also applies to Turnado for exactly the same reasons)
Such stuff is fun to tweak... no problem
But sound output is rather flat and undefined, which is not what you want on a recorded track. On stage noone will notice the difference anyway...
Imho it's important to mention flaws, if there are any - apps don't cost you an arm and a leg, but it's annoying to eventually find out that the processor spoilt the track.
According to my humble hearing both Flux and Turnado are NOT oversampled internally, while the others mentioned seem to be... their increased system load is significant.
So it's of course a valid option to use Flux if your IOS device runs out of juice otherwise.
Which may be the case with BIAS, 2 Holderness effects and an AD480 at the end of the chain faster than expected... even on relatively powerful devices.
@Telefunky
Please don't change my words to suit your own point of view.
This isn't an argument, we're sharing personal opinions.. just to clarify
As I clearly said, I consider FLUX:FX to be studio quality for it's intended purposes. It is a multi effects suite. If you want more fully featured 'dedicated' reverbs/delays etc., they also exist.
What you get out of these apps is very dependent on what you put in. If you're tweaking around with iOS synths/samplers and stuff, I would also not recommend FLUX:FX. It's definitely for 'live' use (in a performative sense) whether in a studio or concert environment. The quality you get out of it also depends heavily on your skill in programming and controlling. As with all multi effects, the presets are largely just gimmicks to impress you on first listen.
Depends on what you are are looking for, which may not be the same as me, but my boat is floated by the entire Amazing Noises and Apesoft catalogue. Much more fun on IOS than where they exist in Max4live.
Effectrix is great when mapped to a midi keyboard, you can easily use it in subtle ways and play in the effects to taste. Turnado is good fun too but can get extreme very quickly.
The holderness apps are essential, especially echo pad and crystalline. Filtatron (moog) and wow filter both get a lot of use here.
I really like cs spectral although it seems to be prone to audio glitches on my system (iPad mini 2)
AUFX:Dub and Turnado
I forgot about Filtatron! One of the most characterful and musical filters on iOS.
I loved the concept and interface behind WOW, but sadly I found it to be a bit too inclined to be crazy for my usage. Dubstep basses or full on broken audio and such. I've kept it installed though, because it occasionally scratches an itch.
I like crystalline a lot as well as the rest of the Holderness apps. I don't even bother hooking up my Strymon pedals for recording because of them.
Envelope Audio Unit Reverb by DDMF efter Christian Siedschlag
https://appsto.re/dk/O5v4cb.i
For me
Effectrix for craziness
AUFX suite are all great.
Amplitube is great to add to basses and leads!
I like all the blamsoft AU effects, mostly because they are AU!
Preslt, Squashlt, and Svep from Klevgrand are all AU and really good
Finally zmors eq, also AU and also very good
Now the ones I didn't like,
Moog filtatron, always gets bad glitches!
Caramel sounds cool but for some reason causes a ton of latency
Then the Horlderness media ones are kinda ok like crystalline but really there is better (AUFX) or more convenient (blamsoft) out there.
After spending much time with Turnado and FluxFx free iphone version, I am regretting that I bought Turnado instead of the full FluxFX app. Turnado has an awful interface for use with the ipad imo whereas FluxFX play is fun to use even if my version just has presets to play through. So I would at least try the free Flux app first.
note: FluxFX play is working great on drums.
Also been using a lot of Echo Pad and love it. I do like Tonestack but find I don't use it as often because of it's size(?)
I don't think you can go wrong with the AUFX reverb and delay apps as a starting point. Then you can add a bit of crazy/modulations with another app to those 2.
AUFX dub and space come to $10, and FluxFX play is free. Pretty good starting point for cheap I would say.
Woke up thinking about this question (sad bugger that I am) and realized that along withe Fab FIlters the single effect app I use the most is Stereo Designer. Also am using SILQ steadily also...
If you're looking for straight subtle effects, not the crazy wiggly warbly kind, I suggest MasterFX.
For me; the AUFX suite, apefilter, nils, wow2, and also the mixing audio tools in AUM
Wow, the Fabfilter effects are pretty impressive. And, if I'm understanding correctly, function as AU effects would: you could use the ProQ on multiple tracks, or the Saturn, for example.
And this tutorial for the Timeless 2. My God, that's amazing. And way, way beyond my paygrade.
And, uh, do they EVER go on sale?
Fabfilter does have the occasional sale. I picked up my copies in July, when they had a 25% off sale. I would suspect that the next sale wouldn't be until at least around the New Year. The Fabfilters are the most impressive and flexible iOS effects that I've used. If you are an Auria user, I would highly recommend them, especially Pro-Q 2 and Timeless 2.
The AUFX and Holderness bundles offer great value, and cover a lot of sonic ground, if you find the Fabfilters are a touch pricy. Emo Chorus is another that I find I use often. And finally, Matthew Caldwell has a trio of free apps that are not quite conventional, and perhaps not essential, but I've certainly enjoyed using them.
Good post.
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