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.
CDM: Apple’s relationship with pro music needs some mending
A really interesting article by Peter Kirn over on CDM discussing Apple's relationship with music/musicians.
cdm.link/2016/09/apples-relationship-pro-music-needs-mending/
Pretty much sums up my position on the matter. The next few years are crucial for Apple.
Do they make computers or fashion accessories?
Comments
Another good read. On the hardware side, I'd add removing the mic input on the macbooks a couple of years back to the trend indicator list.
Could just as easily add all the positive musical subsystem movement on iOS over the last few years, the acquisition and inclusion of Alchemy in their products, etc in the counterbalancing 'plus' column though.
That was when the retina's were released. I bought mine then, and went for the older, non-retina version with the two ports instead. And it was seven hundred quid cheaper...
I always thought it was a bit of a fad, and it'd be replaced in later models. Seems not.
This guy has gone off the deep end if he thinks that:
macOS is unstable (it's the best OS in the world)
windows can be used instead to make music, or even be used for anything at all (it can't; doesn't work. worst software ever made)
I've used Windows to make lots of stuff so you might be exaggerating a bit here. Or I could be dreaming all of this.
Although I haven't used Windows in a live situation, it is a perfectly viable platform for music creation. I'm not a fan of it, but that's more a matter of taste.
Peter Kirn makes a lot of sensible points in that article. And he doesn't even list the iOS conundrums we've been discussing here lately. I think it's fair to say that Apple has been steering away from the pro demographic for a couple of years now and focused on locking in the vast consumer market (not so much in what they say, as in what they do).
Although that makes sense from a 'numbers' perspective (and probably makes shareholders happy) you can argue that today's consumers are to a large extent interested in what a brand stands for. And in the recent history Apple was always known for being the choice of serious musicians, designers, video artists, photographers. I'm not too sure that throwing away such as an aspirational brand image is a healthy thing to do.
These days they're mostly paying lipservice to the pro-demographic. But quite frankly, naming your product "Pro" doesn't automatically make it pro.
Been using Windows for years. honestly. the Os doesn't matter. these arguments over which one is better are pointless. as long as it doesn't crash its fine. and Ableton has been rock solid for over 8+ years in Windows.
Not as fast as the Windows platform, as a designer/coder I don't see the latest Windows OS as a viable workspace. The hardware may be dumbing down, but OSX provides a more professional platform (IMHO), certainly for design work. I switched to Windows nearly twenty years back, as it was cheaper and started to offer the same tools. Now though hardware such as the big iMacs, and the sensible OS have persuaded me to completely ditch Windows when I next upgrade our office kit.
I don't like the way the hardware's sealed up and the lack of connectivity, but it's still better than the competition.
Don't get me wrong. It'll take a lot more mishaps on Apple's part to make me go back to Windows. I'll gladly pay whatever Apple asks for their hardware to be able to enjoy MacOS every day.
The Windows v Mac thing weirds me out, at least in the music realm...I make music on both. One piece of software, I use on both: MTS (on Windows XP for Creamware scope, Windows 10 on Surface Pro, iOS on iPad).
Ive only noted 2 differences between Windows and Mac, that get me where I live: the aggressive software update/hardware upgrade cycle in iOS music has moved a lot of cash from my account into Apples. (Smart them.) And in my experience there's no hardware/software combination from Apple that competes with music making with Bitwig on Surface Pro 3 (let alone 4). I continue making music on iPad...oddly enough, it's the Windows XP/Creamware setup, on desktop, has pulled me away from composing on iPad. But iPad still is central there as well: Modstep for sequencing and midi controller, cross platform MTS lets me record in XP and touch edit projects on iPad...
Mac vs Windows discussion again and one being better than other is completely utter nonsense when you use similar hardware. As a amongst others pro webdesigner I work with both platforms. Both have their their quirks. The only thing it nowadays comes down to is personal preference and that is mostly established by what you are used to. When you're educated on a Mac you probably will choose a mac, when Windows you'll go for Windows.
Not always. I started on a Mac, moved to PC, now I use both but will eventually move completely to Mac if Windows 10 is the best Microsoft has to offer once my Windows 7 use is no longer viable.
They both have their quirks, but if I'm going to be stuck looking at the thing for 9 hours a day I'd find the UI of Windows 10 offputting - hideous in fact, whereas OSX feels more solid and professional.
It's not always been the way - I started with Macs but XP blew them out of the water with cost and usability. Now it's the other way around.
I don't have any allegiance to either of the big, hideous corporations, I just try and work with the best software and hardware combo for the price - and for me the Mac currently has the edge. Could be completely different again in 5 years time though. Could have all changed before I buy my new machines next year even.
I agree with @MonzoPro
No allegiance here either, but Windows 10 turns me off. A windows machine would be ideal for bang for buck, but Windows 10 puts me off
^ this. A lot of it also depends on where Apple are going hardware-wise. If the Macbook's single-port shenanigans make it to their MBP/Air offerings it will just be a major nuisance. As much as life in the cloud is great, I do a lot of USB swapping all day and having no decent USB ports would kill productivity and workflow for me (not to mention killing the headphone jack. I have a great pair of top-brand bluetooth headphones, but MacOS refuses to play nice with them so I always have to wire them up when I want to listen to music on my main Mac).
At least you can run Mac OS on non Apple hardware and have all the ports and storage you want at an affordable price.
Dude, YOU went off the deep end with these comments?! ∆ does your head hurt?
Yeah me too. I'm not up to speed with the latest hardware as my MacBook Pro is four years old now. I did buy an iMac last year, but returned it as there were issues with the graphics card. Plenty of USB ports though if I remember rightly.
Relying on 'the cloud' is no go for me too - internet connections around here are rubbish, so it's cables and external drive city here.
+1
I doubt another platform VS platform discussion will lead to anything productive.
I have been a Windows user for a long time, but I'm not interested in converting anyone, and I have no judgment of anyone who doesn't use Windows. I will point out the difference in available software is substantial. There are far more options on the Windows platform. Anyone who says Windows isn't a legitimate and viable platform is just being silly.
It's interesting you mention that. Have you checked out http://surfaceproaudio.com ?
The bloke who runs it (Robin Vincent) is a professional writer (e.g, Sound on Sound) and has a long history in computer based music production. His tests have been showing that the Surface Pro 3 is better for music production than the Surface Pro 4. He's still trying to figure out why that is.
Interesting. Still you talk about personal preferences why you you're now changing to Mac. You find Win 10 hideous, personal tast. I totally have no problems with the out-of-the-box UI. btw with Windows you have endless free theme's if you don't like the standard UI. Both are in my experience rock solid. Software, especially audio stuff is of course a thing, for Mac there's software that is available under Windows and the other way around. If you're a diehard Logic user I understand your point on the otherhand there's an amazing load of free and specialized VST plugins available that you can't find for Mac.
btw I'm not a fan of both corporations either
I do follow the surfaceproaudio series, (and benefitted especially in terms of setting up the device for production)
-but I didn't know that Surface Pro 3 comes out on top, guess I lucked out!
Right now the i7 Surface Pro 3 (the good one it seems...) with 8G ram and 256G is a bargain...500-600$
Another good article: http://tapeop.com/columns/end-rant/115/
I'm not going to ditch macOS, I love it and never had any serious problems with Apple's hardware or software, but I agree with the author that the one year release cycle is ridiculous and I'm a bit worried that they(Apple) concentrate on Siri, messages, stickers, iCloud, iwatch integration and other stupid things I don't give a damn about
Both Cakewalk (Sonar) and Image Line (FL Studio) have Mac OS versions in development. Logic and Pro Tools could use some competition, no?
Here's another blog post to stoke the fires.
Why Apple is anything but the future of music
http://www.ericgarland.co/2016/09/08/apple-future-music
Just personal preference yeah, but not based on what I started with as I can hop between the two.
There's definitely pros and cons with both, but for me the Mac appears to have the edge at the mo. Part of that edge is the Affinity photo and vector software, currently Mac only, which at £60 for the two is a heck of a lot cheaper than Photoshop and Illustrator - I pretty much get a computer thrown in for free by switching to those
Music wise I've had a real faff over the years with latency and sound cards on the PC, lack of knowledge on my part probably, so plugging a lead into the mic port on my Mac and recording latency free into (the amazingly good value) Logic is another tick for picking an Apple.
Gotta hand it to em; convincing people that music can't be made on PC is good marketing
Of course plenty of us know otherwise. I'm not gonna lie though; there've been times I've been tempted to switch. Maybe once or twice a year I'll have some utter calamity visit me, where I can't work or do anything and I start Googling second hand Macs.
But then I talk to Mac users who tell me not to do it, because some .x update rendered a crucial piece of software unusable (for instance). From Win 7 right up to 10 I've never had a program refuse to run. The long and short of it is that computers can be shitty sometimes. Whether or not PC's are more prone to it...I dunno. Whenever my PC has messed up, it feels like something I did.
If their approach to MacOS is anything like iOS (as in, they change stuff as and when they please and everyone has to play catchup) then I'd probably steer well clear.
BUT...if money allows, I'll be honest, I'd at least like to try it.
As for iOS music, ah I dunno. I'm still on the fence about that. I feel kind of unsecure on it as a platform for music making (a point I've heard others make). It feels like they could make my Air 2 redundant any time they please and whatever I've invested in apps and hardware (and that's a lot) would just be wasted money. With PC, for all its flaws, I've never really had that feeling. The fact that people are still chugging along on Win7 or earlier, making perfectly decent music is really testament to that.
The great thing is you don't have to switch. You can run Windows on your Mac with Boot Camp. I don't have this setup, but I'm thinking it would work well for me.
Oh, PCs are more prone to it, without a doubt. Consider the variety and number of devices Windows runs on. Now look at Mac and consider the fact that Apple exclusively makes the hardware AND the operating system -- much easier to integrate that way, but you end up in a walled garden. That's not to say that Apple/Mac OS isn't a perfect choice for some.
Most people who know me know I've never touched a Windows PC and have used Macs to earn a living for decades but I went Linux at the turn of the century and then a few years later when Apple got interesting again I got back in with an iBook and then more Macs and hackintoshes and have been running Macs and Linux ever since.
However, two interesting viewpoints. One: for ages I'd tell people that Microsoft are evil etc, and they'd agree but think they have to keep using it. Then I noticed about five years ago that my students at college simply didn't see this viewpoint at all and wondered what I had against Microsoft, it's actually very good, so they'd claim. Fast forward to now, almost everyone I know suddenly sees Microsoft Windows as evil etc. Again. Just when I was about to give in and think it might be alright after all (in theory).
The other viewpoint, two: If you've got relatives, parents, etc with computers, and have given them or set them up with a computer. Those that have Windows, you became 24 hour free tech support, and quite a lot of it too. Those that have a Mac, never a peep, hardly a query. Those that have Linux, never a peep, hardly a query, until about six months later when nothing at all works and you basically have to go over and rebuild.
In the weeks since the September 7th event I've come to realise that I'm open to a move away from Apple's ecosystem. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any real alternatives..?
I like Linux, but it lacks the applications I need for my profession. I dislike Windows and to be honest I'd rather shit in my hands and clap than have to use it everyday...
I'm really hoping that Google announce Andromeda next week and that it will finally give us another alternative.
I gotta borrow that!
+1
I "administer" seven laptops in my household and Windows 10 has been a mixed bag for me. Consider a hackintosh or a new/refurbished Mac and dual boot it.
I've recently moved my less tech-savvy family members from Windows to ChromeOS to cut down on my 'technical support' duties. So far, so good.