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.

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Audiobus is the app that makes the rest of your setup better.

Support for MPE (Multidimensional Polyphonic Expression)?

Hm... One of these things which should be fairly easy to search but isn’t, because of its name.

It’s also one which many people know about but wasn’t on my radar until now.

So, it sounds like the main iOS apps supporting MPE are GeoShred and Animoog for iPhone (and not the iPad version of Animoog). It also sounds like the main idea is to have per-note expressiveness. To my ear, it sounds a bit like polyphonic aftertouch in GarageBand for iPhone, especially in the way Rudess developed it in GeoShred.

So, are there other apps which support MPE?
Is it easy to route the per-note expressiveness to MIDI-enabled apps?

Comments

  • @Enkerli said:
    Hm... One of these things which should be fairly easy to search but isn’t, because of its name.

    It’s also one which many people know about but wasn’t on my radar until now.

    So, it sounds like the main iOS apps supporting MPE are GeoShred and Animoog for iPhone (and not the iPad version of Animoog). It also sounds like the main idea is to have per-note expressiveness. To my ear, it sounds a bit like polyphonic aftertouch in GarageBand for iPhone, especially in the way Rudess developed it in GeoShred.

    So, are there other apps which support MPE?
    Is it easy to route the per-note expressiveness to MIDI-enabled apps?

    I only recently bought Geoshred, but have yet to figure out how exactly to set up it's MPE. Have you successfully done with with Animoog? If so, care to walk me through the basics? ;)

  • Wait what? The IPad version of Animoog doesn't have it? That seems odd. I have the iPhone version and my experience is that i can't get anything to properly control Animoogs polyphonic legato and glide which is the big one for me. So I don't control Animoog from anything else. It just doesn't sound the same. I wish MPE would hurry up and become standard and common place. It's objectively better sounding in just about every way.

  • If you have AUM, then you can build your own "MPE like" instrument. To do that, load 5 identical AU instruments (for ex. 5 Viking with same preset). Then route those instrument on channel 2 to 6, with AUM destination as the source. On GeoShred, use the MPE midi output...and enjoy

  • edited March 2017

    Model 15 support this too.
    The best example is still the Seaboard 5D app (especially on iPhones with 3D touch).
    The legato string/choir patch sounding awesome with polyphonic expression and pitch bends.
    I use MPE since 1 1/2 year now and think that it is awesome. Of course it's also sometimes just over the top and not needed. I use different forms of inputs for different tools.
    But you also can use these controllers or midi apps to play up to 15 different instruments, tools, apps from one keyboard. It's a great sound design and composing tool for me.
    I think there was even a scene in LaLaLand with a Seaboard :)

  • @Cib said:
    Model 15 support this too.

    Not surprising, but good to know.

    The best example is still the Seaboard 5D app (especially on iPhones with 3D touch).

    Oh! Thanks for the hint! Agreed, it does sound great!
    Hadn’t used Seaboard. So far, my only 3D Touch apps were ThumbJam and GarageBand. But after a couple of minutes with “breath flute” in Seaboard, with the Y axis controlling breath, got to admit that it’s really very neat. Worth exploring further.

    Did notice some ROLI names in the spec doc for MPE 1.25 (along with Linn and Apple). Hadn’t made the connection with Seaboard.

    Haven’t seen LaLaLand but noticed a post somewhere about a futuristic device actually existing. Might have been the Seaboard.

  • @cuscolima said:
    If you have AUM, then you can build your own "MPE like" instrument.

    Don’t have AUM, yet. Might get there after all the app updates hit. Was more interested in apps which currently support the standard (in part out of an interest for standards).

  • @db909 said:
    Wait what? The IPad version of Animoog doesn't have it?

    Might be wrong about this but:
    a) MPE is only listed in the description for the iPhone version
    b) there’s no mention of MPE in MIDI setup.

  • its there, as a midi channel omni,1-16.. MPE.

  • @crifytosp said:
    its there, as a midi channel omni,1-16.. MPE.

    Nice! Thanks!

  • And it’s nice to see that @sonosaurus ThumbJam does have MPE support. Been among my favourite iOS musicking apps from the start and it’s remarkable how well it supports standards.
    Sounds like Seaboard 5D doesn’t support MIDI out? Wouldn’t be surprising given their business model, but sad for those of us who’d like this kind of control in other apps.
    Also not clear if AC Sabre supports it. Sounds like it doesn’t, though it’d probably be a nice fit.

  • There are a few apps like Aftertouch where you even can set a custom curve for pressure, aftertouch etc.

  • @cuscolima said:
    If you have AUM, then you can build your own "MPE like" instrument. To do that, load 5 identical AU instruments (for ex. 5 Viking with same preset). Then route those instrument on channel 2 to 6, with AUM destination as the source. On GeoShred, use the MPE midi output...and enjoy

    • @Cib
    • Thanks! I've got AUM and want to try this, but how do you set this same behavious up in Model 15 or Thumbjam?
  • Model 15 has no midi out for midi MPE i think.
    But of course the Animoog keys inside Model 15 are already a 4 voice MPE style input.
    Model 15 also has 3D touch which i miss in Animoog.
    I'm sure ThumbJam can control nearly everything in any way. But the set-up is not always so easy.

  • Just had Geoshred driving 4 different AU synths in AUM via MPE. Cool! Got a little freeze up and crashing, but it worked.

    Likely a bit too much to ask of an iPhone 5. ;)

  • @skiphunt said:
    Just had Geoshred driving 4 different AU synths in AUM via MPE. Cool! Got a little freeze up and crashing, but it worked.

    Likely a bit too much to ask of an iPhone 5. ;)

    I have been able to load 9 AU instances of Phonem on my old ipad4. This synth (and I guess all PPG apps) is very optimized for this format

  • @cuscolima said:

    @skiphunt said:
    Just had Geoshred driving 4 different AU synths in AUM via MPE. Cool! Got a little freeze up and crashing, but it worked.

    Likely a bit too much to ask of an iPhone 5. ;)

    I have been able to load 9 AU instances of Phonem on my old ipad4. This synth (and I guess all PPG apps) is very optimized for this format

    In my case, one of the AUs I was using in this setup was Sensual Sax. I think that's the one that was taxing my iPhone 5 to freeze & crash out. Works fine on iPad Air 2 though.

    I was surprised it worked at all to be honest. I was only attempting it after reading this thread. Was bored, laying in a hammock, and too lazy to get out of it to get the iPad. ;)

  • @skiphunt said:
    Was bored, laying in a hammock, and too lazy to get out of it to get the iPad. ;)

    La Dolce Vita.

  • edited March 2017

    @Enkerli said:

    @skiphunt said:
    Was bored, laying in a hammock, and too lazy to get out of it to get the iPad. ;)

    La Dolce Vita.

    Yes, I should likely be more productive, find a way to get some money, or attempt to do something that might impress someone else... But, I can't really be bothered with any of that at the moment. Would rather be self indulgent in a hammock while letting my mind drift away in the clouds and birdsong, with occasional interruptions of mindless meandering within sonic playthings. YOLO :)

  • @skiphunt said:

    @Enkerli said:

    @skiphunt said:
    Was bored, laying in a hammock, and too lazy to get out of it to get the iPad. ;)

    La Dolce Vita.

    Yes, I should likely be more productive, find a way to get some money, or attempt to do something that might impress someone else... But, I can't really be bothered with any of that at the moment. Would rather be self indulgent in a hammock while letting my mind drift away in the clouds and birdsong, with occasional interruptions of mindless meandering within sonic playthings. YOLO :)

    Honestly, you inspire me.

  • @Enkerli said:

    @skiphunt said:

    @Enkerli said:

    @skiphunt said:
    Was bored, laying in a hammock, and too lazy to get out of it to get the iPad. ;)

    La Dolce Vita.

    Yes, I should likely be more productive, find a way to get some money, or attempt to do something that might impress someone else... But, I can't really be bothered with any of that at the moment. Would rather be self indulgent in a hammock while letting my mind drift away in the clouds and birdsong, with occasional interruptions of mindless meandering within sonic playthings. YOLO :)

    Honestly, you inspire me.

    I'm very happy that my laziness is inspirational! ;) lol

  • I didn’t know that the Sensel Morph Touch had MPE could be an alternate to the Roli Seaboard Block at that price. Touching rubber both ways ! A good way to expand. I wonder how tactile they really are.

  • Now that is interesting!

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