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.
MusicMessages! — my collaborative step sequencer for iMessage.
Hi folks! I'm working on an expressly non-professional music gadget for the new iMessage App Store in iOS 10. It's called MusicMessages!, and it's a sort of collaborative step sequencer. The intent is that you write down a short bit of music (perhaps a percussion track or a few backing chords) and post it in an iMessage thread. From there, the other participants can make their own changes and send it back to you, forming a collective song over time. The sequencer itself is intentionally simple, featuring five layers of instruments (including percussion), automatic looping, and a couple of sliders for minor adjustments. I wanted people to be able to jump in right away without having to learn a complicated UI!
Current ETA is a few weeks. Here's a brief demo I recorded a few days ago.
And... it's out! Free to download, $1 IAP for some expanded functionality (and future features).
Here's a 30 second trailer:
And here's the iTunes link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/musicmessages!/id1157850075
I know it's a bit of an oddball idea, but I'd love to hear your feedback! 
Comments
Nice!
This looks great!
Neato. Where do the sounds come from?
It's a plain old SF2. (Haven't settled on a final one yet.) All MIDI under the hood, just not exposed to the outer world!
Well I gotta say..... it sure beats the balloons.!!!!!!!
Finally a way to make you think and process an idea (music collaboration) other than just boringly reply. I get it. I'm in but I only got $1.99?....
Awesome idea!
Current plan is for the base app to be free along with a one-time $1 in-app purchase that unlocks everything now and in the future. (Where "everything" might include instrument selection, the ability to choose your own color, and a few other things along with whatever future weird things I decide to put in.) Also: if a paid user sends a free user a message, the free user will be able to do everything that the paid user can. The IAP barrier only comes into play when a free user wants to send someone a new message.
I briefly considered ads, but... I really hate ads.
No ads is good. Very cool idea!
Didn't know you could do this type of thing. interesting.
Looks like fun. Devs please take note. Even in a fun app like this @archagon has allowed for an adjustable grid meaning you're not locked into a multiple of 4.
Cool... Sequences with Friends
Great idea!
Really good idea, all my music making mates use android dammit
Hopefully you have midi export for when a piece is finished so it can be moved to a daw?
It wouldn't be very hard to add (actually I can just borrow the code wholesale from my previous app, Composer's Sketchpad) but right now I need to focus on getting v1 released. So maybe v2 or v3?
By the way, has Android fixed the latency issue for pro audio apps? I remember a few years ago people were complaining about huge (like 300ms) delays.
Very very cool. I'm all in favour of tools to help those with less formal schooling to express themselves musically!
I like.
Also, pretty colours.
MusicMessages is out! Free to download, $1 IAP for some expanded functionality (and future features). Here's a 30 second trailer:
And here's the iTunes link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/musicmessages!/id1157850075
(The homepage is here, but it's still under construction.)
I know it's a bit of an oddball idea, but I'd love to hear your feedback!