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.
Comments
Wow! Thank you so much. I have to thank the gaffer and his number 2, for encouraging/dragging any noise from my mouth when I first joined this Club. Before that, the bands I was in didn't let me. You know the score, keep the dumb drummer at the back, behind the curtains, so that he can't scare the two punters from front of stage, back to their Tuesday night Dominoes sesh. Yeah, ok, but your girlfriends were behind the same curtains...... boys...and girls! Upstairs for thinking, downstairs for dancing.
Am working on something at the moment. Very exciting, because it's completely out of my comfort zone. Well, it was, but like I said yesterday, had to open my musical mind to fully appreciate all of the goodness inside it's soul. The source. It won't be too long now and will be interesting to hear your opinion, because it could be right up your street. If it wets your appetite, there will be times that your talents, skills and attitude would be welcome and appreciated. In the meantime, if there's anything in my meagre back catalogue, or any future stuff you'd like to improve, be my guest. It would be one of my musical highlights hearing what you come up with, after, of course, watching your bands live show with those bass runs that you're supposed to be busy practicing.
Thank you Monzo. And thanks to Richard, Johnny, all here, and to another very kind person, (much more about him later) who have all given me the confidence to give it a go. 
Can't stop cos the phone is red hot today. Already said no to Tom Jones, Lulu and Adele about teaching them how to deliver the word "Fuck" correctly. No class these singers have they!
Lots on here this month so I think I'm going to have to do the feed back in shifts.
@studs1966 great production, the addition of the vocal samples definitely adds to your sound. Got a bit repetitive by the end maybe you could have shortened it by a minute if so.
@aaronpc that's some weird shit man. Loved the effect on the vocals gave it a really unique sound. Liked this a lot, I think.
@trackedout sorry man, this one sounds like a bit of a throw away track to me.
@derekBuddemeyer nice 'House of Cards' vibe to this. Loved the piano especially at the beginning.
@Bluepunk brilliant again. You have really developed show own unique sound. Production wise and musically its great and the conversational vocal style you have used on the last couple of tracks really works and now with addition of backing vocals and harmonies. Great stuff.
@technemedia I liked this a lot. Great production with some accomplished playing. You managed to get a cool 60s vibe but using modern sounds.
Thanks, mang. Sometimes you've just gotta embrace the weird. I can't make out what Gibby's saying in many of my old Butthole Surfers albums either, and that's okay.
Sometimes you've just gotta embrace the weird.
I second that. Saying of the month.
Thanks for the feedback everyone...really thoughtful group with great ears.
You're a fan of the Butthole Surfers and Roy Orbison, no wonder I like your stuff. There was a time when the Buttholes were my favourite band in the whole universe.
Not something I ever heard my father say.
I'm guessing he was more of a Roy Orbison man...
Pete Seeger. And the Red Army Choir.
Just like Roy and Gibby, I'm a Texas product. You tend to listen to a lot of music when you live down there. It's an escape, until you manage escape for real.
Austin's nice.
@orchardman New guitar, loops, samples. Planning a fruitful year ahead. Good to hear. Writers block. Does one force these things or allow them ride out naturally. Different strokes I'd imagine. Do you write your songs together? Trod everyone of your footsteps last month because of the atmosphere you created. New Worlds trip, at first, didn't seem to paint the pictures as vividly (no vox maybe, don't know) but after repeated listens, the music, did hold my hand and guide. Loving your guitar work and particularly the heavier stuff.
Yep, a possibility to land at around the 5 min mark was rejected, and rightly so. You're the pilot. It is your flight plan and thanks for the experience. When are you two heading back to the bar? Hippy folk, spring in the air and Michael Fish time my friends.
@richardyot Couldn't wait to hear this because of all those things like pitch correct and double tracking, haven't been used. We get to hear YOU. Unless a future song needs it, (even then) that decision can only assist in working on what you have naturally. Strips us back to a naked form, and appreciate what we have without effects mastery. Clarity. Feelings. Emotions. IMO, I'd rather a vox was flat, sharp, out of tune, whatever as long as the emotion behind that story/word is heard/felt. Missus gets the full brunt of this. Out of sight, I sing, "I love you," in various ways/delivery. She tells me if any of the takes actually sound like I mean it. Nope! Work to do.
Great idea with your EQing and there are many examples I hear in this where a gravel and sandpaper tone comes through. Character, that the effects were blurring I think. Could be a fabulous opportunity to extend some of those phrases out, as a trial. On "due" at 0.55, and on "hesitate" at 1.55. From the verse to the instrumental chorus (?). Sort of ghosting that word into that part, so it carries on a bit. Marrying it with both and following the chord change with your vocal. Going on again. Sorry.
The synth riff is a lovely sound and an instant whistler for all that do. You're flying forward and up high with your vocals and they are the star of this particular show. Nice one boss. Chuffed for you. Hard work paying you back.
@Bluepunk thanks for the kind review. Sorry that I didn't take you up on the protest song - not sure I have a protest song in me at the moment, gotta follow the muse wherever she leads me, and she keeps leading me to slow melancholic tunes!
In other news I've updated the SoundCloud:
https://m.soundcloud.com/song-of-the-month-club/sets/february-2017
No protest material? Even after the FA Cup draw? I saw Mister Sutton looking desperately for the United number before picking it out to play Chelsea........ thankfully.
@JohnnyGoodyear Writer, poet, songwriter and video maker, etc, etc. No end to the list of your creative talents. This video lark does look fun and with results like this, could be the next thing to have a stab at. Is this made with LumaFusion? Could ask a million questions about who's who in the vid. I do enjoy watching a woman blowing smoke rings. Should they be allowed to do that in public.
If I could pick this up and plonk it straight into a film soundtrack, this is where I can see it fitting in. The contrast and feel.
Funk jazz overtones with a drum pattern that forces you to tap along. I hear Eels, Orange Juice and Thompson Twins. I know, but that's what flows through me. Plenty of character in your vocals. The "reveals" are delivered with skill and feeling, making all seem different in their length and texture. Double drums and sax to boot. Excellent. With offers of different producers wanting to having a stab as well, it should be one of your keepers, without question. This is good music sir.
But how did he keep that white shirt so clean? True pro....
Catching up on my feedback from earlier in the month. Hoped to get to this earlier but life got in the way for a couple of weeks. I started this on Friday and just returning to it Monday….just in case it seems gobble-de-gook with the Friday references. But I digress.
@MonzoPro Lots of cool sounds going on and production is good. Reckon if you (or any of us) can push the same ideas/themes/sounds out in less time then that’s usually a good thing…a tad long for me (though Neil Young would say the opposite). Had a cool undertone of urgency going on around the 7 min mark.
@JDubbel Really enjoyed the synthy intro and the percussion kicking in. Production is really good and arrangement keeps things evolving. I saw it was your first soundcloud upload and was going to suggest it surely couldn’t be your first song…then the guitar solo kicked it and ‘wow’!. Really bloody good, nice job.
@theconnactic Cool video, Dimitri…really fitted/added to the mesmerising, chilled vibe of the tune. Loved watching you play, great to see such economy of movement in your playing. The shaker and the percussive taps tell their own story about the song production / arrangement. Really relaxing tune to listen to on a Friday arvo, well done!
@rickwaugh Thanks for sharing the production backstory. Loved the oboe and percussion, great to hear Miroslav II in a production too (rather than an IK promo). The violin sounded like it had a bit of a chorus effect going on…was that part of violin sample or was it an add-on effect? I reckon without the chrorus there’d perhaps be a little more slightly more space in the mix…not a criticism though as there’s lots of stylistic choices in the road to making a tune. Great job, as with Dimitri’s tune, I feel like I’ve got a lovely, relaxed latin vibe going on at the moment, thanks for sharing. Thanks for having a listen to my tune too and glad you liked it.
@Bluepunk thanks for sharing the TwinAtlantic vid…wow, cool song. I’m a bit chuffed you compared me to them. Thanks for the feedback on my tune also, much appreciated. Re the drums in my tune….cubasis all the way. Love how you can audition drum audio/midi at the right tempo so easily in cubasis via the audio stretching. Re the ‘polytonal’ thing from 2:08 to 2:13…not sure what polytonal is, but I bumped the bass line up an octave for that part (you basically go up two strings higher / 2 frets across, so it’s a great one for folks such as me with no theory)…doesn’t always work but in this instance opened up the bottom end space and gave the urgency a bit of a kick in the pants.
@JRSIV it was interesting to read your discussion with @Bluepunk regarding micing your Fender Champ. I’ve got a couple of amps that I’ve been toying with the idea of recording (I’ve only used amp sims for recording so far). I have this stupid notion that my guitars will sound 4.3% better if I go that route…of course I have no experience recording guitar cabs, and amp sims give you so much flexibility (not always a good thing). Would be an interesting experiment to do a SOTMC tune and do two versions, one with recorded amps and one with DI guitars. The synth guys could do the same thing with their hardware synths. How about ‘SOTMC Analogue’?
@hellquist. Loving the bassline groove, fitting in with my Friday arvo vibe nicely. That bass line has rock star levels of coolness oozing from it. Some really lovely melodies going on just after the 2 min mark. Indeed, some great sounds going on throughout. Reckon it would be even better if you could cram all that in with the tune coming in at 4.5 to 5 minutes, but perhaps more reflective of my attention span.
@orchardman really enjoying the lead guitar line. Yeah it’s long but there’s nothing like a bit of indulgence to channel one’s inner guitar hero. It’s not self-indulgence though as there’s some really cool guitar sounds going on…love it when it kicks up around the 3 minute mark. Cool honky bass notes around the 5 minute mark too and loved the contrast of the mellow guitar interlude that follows.
@richardyot Cool vocal, beautiful song. The guitar and synth melodies sound great. The reverb sounds pretty epic in this without taking up space in the mix. Overall, great tune…as good as the verses and melody are, I reckon I’d like it even more with big vocal chorus. Thanks for your feedback on my tune too. Agree with all your points about my vocal. I’ve had a real crack vocally for my March effort, so hopefully it’s an improvement. Even if not, I’ve really enjoyed taking a different approach.
@JohhnyGoodyear : Loved the video, as with @theconnactic ‘s effort it adds a dimension to the song. I was getting a slightly talking heads vibe from the tube…had that sort of eclectic urgency to it. Really enjoyed the production overall…catchy, funky and engaging. My only potential knock is that the vocals were a bit low in the mix for me and I had a bit of trouble understanding em (did a listen through before hitting the spoiler). Possibly hearing damage at my end. Just read the spoiler and you’ve got some great lines in there…my fav being “if the time of our living is the size of our Hell” (a man who believes his wife is a horse running a close second).
@crony : thanks for having a listen. The ‘cheap synth’ was sampletank (‘heavy tines’ setting if memory serves)….stand by for robust input from IK on the ‘cheapness’ of it! “It was actually sampled by a super computer in Area 51 using technology not yet invented”. Agree re the RHCP and rage against the machine references…they’re definitely there but weren’t my intention…I’m not good enough that my songs end up with an intended sound….most times I just record the riff & scroll through my amp sim presets til something grabs me in the mix.
Thank you to everyone who listened and commented. I appreciate the criticism, advice and encouragement. I endeavor to do better next time!
@marliess Thank your for the compliment and advice. I loved your funky song.
@studs1966 Thank you for your kind words and encouragement. I liked your song Eternity.
@richardyot Thank you for your honest criticism and advice. I fully agree with your take on it. I will make it my mission to put in more variation in the next one. I liked your song.
@aaronpc Thank you for your kind words and encouragement. I loved your song Not a River. Thanks for your explanation also of the apps you have used to produce it. Great job, sir!
@theconnactic Thank you for your welcoming words and comments. I admired your musical skills. Well done with your song and the video. You are very talented.
@JRSIV Thank you for your criticism and words of encouragement. I agree with you, it is great that these apps allow non-musically trained persons to make music that sometimes sound even half decent. I love it!
@rickwaugh Thank you for your criticism and encouragement. I loved your Latin sounding song. Beautiful guitar and I could not believe the oboe came from Miroslav. Well done, sir.
@MonzoPro Your song makes me want to get Moebius Lab.
@Bluepunk Thank you. It was a great feeling. I was a bit anxious to put it out there for an audience, but I came off without any "scratches".
I liked your song. The lyrics had me in stitches!
@crony Thank you. I agree. It could have been much shorter. Thank you for listening to the end!
@JohnnyGoodyear Loved the video and the song. Always great.
@trackedout Nice one!
@DerekBuddemeyer One day when I grow up, I would like to make music like you did with this song!
@technemedia I liked it. I am trying to figure out what it reminds me of. Cat Stevens mixed with something else?
@JDubbel Beautiful song. Well done. I loved the synth sounds you used.
@orchardman Well done, sir! You get good use from the new guitar!
I am sorry if I left anyone out!
Thanks for the feedback - yeah it is a bit long. The plan was to fill a CD's worth of noise in a week so I'm probably guilty of stretching them out a bit!
Go for it - it's a great thing! It's creating sounds that I can't get from my other FX, even trying different combinations. Not sure how it does it, but it can add some surprises to the mix.
Strong track, like the use of the delay - might have to get this one myself, one of the few FX I don't seem to have!
Thanks for all the feedback guys/gals. Really appreciated!
Nor me, (lasted 27 seconds into the introduction on YT.... Mind numbing) but have tried an improvised version for next month. Thanks for the information. Have some areas where that "up an octave" tip could work using ifretless bass. Cheers.
Sorry, I'm a little bit late with rest of my feedback. Here we go;
@Hennie welcome to the club. Some nice synth sounds, eventually became a bit one paced.
@marliess I liked this a lot, great job on the production with a nice funky groove. Loving the bass riff and the heavier guitar from about the 2: 20 mark. Great stuff.
@MonzoPro sorry mate this is too far from my idea of music for me to be able to comment. I got to about the 3:25 mark before I gave up so my only constructive criticism is that it's a bit long.
@theconnactic some great playing as always. I'm not sure the whole thing works as a piece, sounds more like a series of jams. Nice acoustic playing at the start it would be good to hear some more of that in the future.
@JDubbel great little tune. I would liked to hear more of that guitar playing. On the production side you might want to try panning some of your instruments further from the centre to give them some room in the mix.
@rickwaugh a real quirky little piece. The mix is a bit muddy which is a shame because there's some great playing in there somewhere but it's difficult to make out some of the instruments especially that bongo drum.
@hellquist nice overall sound, with a great bass riff and some sweet synth sounds. Not sure there was enough variation in there to warrant the full 7 minutes.
@richardyot I got as far as your song when SoundCloud broke. I'm not sure if that means anything. I'll do my feedback on your song if it they ever manage to fix it.
@JohnnyGoodyear you got a nice 60s groove going and the video is great. Difficult to make out the words right at the start but the vocals settle in after that.
Thanks all for great feedback! I feel humbled and really appreciate your views.
Sorry for being late with my feedback, I still will make it within February depending on your timezone though.
@studs1966 - Nice beat, good grove. Good use of the LoopMasters loops! Only critique would be to have a tad clearer bass drum and bass, they go in to each other a bit.
@aaronpc - Nice vibe. As previously stated, it feels avant-garde. Singing (lyrics) is difficult to make out, but it works well as an instrument in itself.
@trackedout - vocals are scary close (could be my headphones I guess). Not (too) loud, but (too) close. I can’t decide if it is punk or rock, but it definitely has attitude.
@derekbuddemeyer - excellent piece. Right up my street that. Good work.
@bluepunk - hehehe, funny. Well done too, and I was completely thrown as I had time to start reading your intro text before it actually started (“struggle writing love songs” etc). Makes me think of Primus. Sort of Primus-Meets-The-Young-Ones. Great work with the vocals going in/out/overlapping etc.
@technemedia - nice sounds, well played. Good use of panning. Interesting mix (flavour) of the sounds, ranging from acoustic guitars and trippy synths and quite a few things in between. They all come through in the mix too! Well done!
@hennie - nice slow moody layered build-up. I am missing a rhythm of some sort, possibly not full-on drums, but still something to keep the rhythm, if nothing else for drama, and which can also be used to great effect when doing that middle break etc, as you can start/re-start a complimentary rhythm.
@marliess - great stuff this! I like the breathing spaces and the funky vibe you get going. Clear and good sounds too. As everything is good I can get down to nitt-picking: in the clean funky guitar I would like to hear some more attack/energy. That is really minor though, and down to personal preference I guess, but I would have liked the intensity to be felt from the guitar even though there isn’t distortion etc going. A bit like Red Hot Chili Peppers can do when they funk it out. Great work overall throughout!
@monzopro - Loving when the beat/rhythm starts appearing on the 1 minute mark (I had been a bit worried before that). Some of those sounds appearing later on 4-5 minutes really had me seeing a collection of little aliens running around laughing and playing pranks. Yet a couple of other sounds made me think of Future Sounds Of London, more than once. It was a bit long though.
@theconnactic - Nice intro, but I really liked it after the intro too. Several areas in there that make me think of Al Di Meola (which I might have said to you before too, but still true). Good effort and a nice song.
@jdubbel - I like this, a lot. Loved when the drums started (the full kit) as it felt like the natural rhythm, but still wasn’t the rhythm I had foreseen, love stuff like that (the “of course!” feeling). I miss some depth in the bass sound, which was otherwise well played in an interesting way. Very good.
@rickwaugh - Interesting. Completely away from my comfort zone in reviewing, but it made me feel like listening to a movie score. The mix could have separated the instruments a bit more, there are quite a few things going on in similar areas. I would never be able to write tango, and I doubt I would be able to make sense out of Notion either, so well done for you in putting it all together.
@orchardman - I like this. I like how each new element is introduced and it changes the focus completely, but still has a nice underlying texture. That lead tone is using all the fuzz, right? Around 4-minutes I am starting to long for a tone change, alternatively a break (but I can visually see something is coming up later). I don’t mind overly much that some of the guitars aren’t perfectly timed, it gives it a human feeling. I would probably have tightened up that bass though. It all leaves me with what you aimed for though: the feeling of a soundtrack of a space rock movie.
@richardyot - "Great sounds” was my first thought. I would probably have added some more mid emphasis on the bass to meet up the other stuff, it is very “bass only”. Singing is great! Apart from lifting the bass a bit I think the levels are great. Love the bridge (or is it the chorus?) playing too, really breaks it up but still takes it forward. Well done!
@johnnygoodyear - Good stuff. I would have liked the vocals a tad louder. It is short enough that it almost doesn’t warrant the need for a tonal change. Almost. I kind of missed it somewhere, then again, it does have a keep-on-going-vibe to it so I guess it makes sense from that perspective. I liked it.
I dont use it often but wouldnt trade it....its like that piece in your toolkit you only use 3 times a year & when you need it nothing else will do. It gives you so many options with timing too. Virsyn has some great apps, im quite tempted by the AU fx app they put out last year.
...and just under the wire with some straggling reviews.
@rickwaugh I'm not schooled in the intricacies of the tango, so unsure about how much of the composition is dependent on it's traditions, but I did enjoy it. I don't know how you recorded it, but it has a nice lo-fi fuzz to it and I would have been happy to sample it had I found it on vinyl. I enjoyed the off-time syncopation between the players, but I did long for the instruments to move apart and complicate their interplay at times, much like dancers moving apart, I guess. I would have also liked for more forceful passages at times, just to enhance the emotion a bit. But well done, I'd say.
@orchardman I like the sci fi thing you had going, and his probably comes as no help, but my favorite part was the lighter fare at 5:30. I kind of wish the situation were reversed and you had fleshed that part out and given it a greater part of the song so I could see where it would go. I was all ready it, but then it went back to the eery stuff all too soon.
@richardyot Another good one. I like the feel of the languid keys and the overall mood. Your voice sounds very good here, but I have to say it may have been better served by a slightly more conversational style— the rhyming of each line, each with the same pentameter, becomes too repetitive for my taste, sapping it of its emotional weight. Fran Healy has spoiled several fine Travis songs for me by too pointedly rhyming, so maybe that's why I notice such things.
@johnnygoodyear Almost lost me with the youtube thing, as I mostly do my reviewing from the SC site, but I'm glad you're doing the video stuff. A real bonus. Reminds me of some of the later, more free-wheeling 70s Gainsbourg romps (though I'd prefer a more conversational style here as well, I have to say). Sounds like fun was had.
No prob! Can concur on the fugue like state music theory gives me too! Not doubting its value but that ship has sailed for me (old dog, new trick).
Thanks @Bobbejaan, @MonzoPro, @orchardman & @hellquist for the feedback, much appreciated and always useful.
Thanks - that's exactly the kind of feedback I want from a crit, it's similar to what @MonzoPro said and the be honest I had a feeling when I was making the song that those verses were monotonous. Good to have that feeling confirmed by trusted ears, and that gives me the option of revisiting the track at a later date - there's quite a pile of those building up....
Thanks for the feedback. I've got FSOL, the Orb and a bunch of other weird stuff on constant play here at the moment so I guess it's having an influence!
ok, thanks anyway.