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.
Off Topic: Affinity Photo
This is not about any music app, but I thought I'd share it here anyway. I figure at least a few of you are probably creative types outside of music as well, and you might be interested. Ok, end disclaimer...
This app is the most powerful photo editor I've used on iOS. It actually stomps the old Adobe Photoshop Touch (which had fallen far behind but still had one of the best extraction tools on iOS) and pretty much every other serious photo editing app I've had. It's quirky to me, but I suspect that's because I'm a PC guy and this feels like a near direct port from a Mac. To that end, there are some menus nested in menus I could probably live without. Still, regardless of the cost, which I don't think is very much really, this is a full blown desktop class photo editor on the iPad. I haven't really found anything with close to the toolset this app has. It's been out for a little while, so if you've already heard about it, excuse the late notice. If you haven't heard of it, you should check it out maybe.
Cheers
Affinity Photo by Serif Labs
https://appsto.re/us/y1MOcb.i
Comments
And has Mac counterpart.
Cheap and good solution compared to some other mainstream...
I have the app on my iPAD too! Just downloaded it last week and it's amazing. I deleted all the other photo editing apps I had because this basically does everything they did and more. UI is stunning. I have to go through a lot more tutorials to get familiar with where everything is and the different naming conventions but I have enjoyed it so far.
Big fan of Affinity here. The onboarding for the app was unreal too. Wish BM3 was a bit better with onboarding.
I actually used it in place of photoshop (desktop version mind you) the other day because it was just much quicker. Plus, then I'd have the original with edits wherever I went. I could totally see it replacing more of what I use photoshop for, and for an old school graphic designer (one of the voices in my crowded head, anyway) like me, that's saying a lot. Glad you guys love it too.
I had this in my wish list, at what I thought was a standard price of £19.99. But now it's gone up to £28.99. Not a lot compared to desktop, but more than I want to pay for an IOS work-in-progress.
Yes, that is a problem. Possibly something Apple could fix by adding functionality to their Pencil gizmo? The other night I was trying to get layers to line up in Procreate, and every time I did it the layer moved when it took my finger of screen.
Yep. No getting around that. I still remember back in 2010 when I was in Brazil and my friend broke out his android tablet and plugged in a usb dongle for a regular mouse. The arrow popped up on the screen, and he suddenly had a mouse. I was floored. But I calmed down and realized that it would only be a matter of time before Apple did the same. Seven. Years. Later...
Lightroom is also very good and basic features are free, so i have been happy with it.
Can this app do raw editing and has layers and adjustments brush(on multiple layers) on raws? If so, then this might be worth looking at.
I'm part of the betatesters, and, very satisfied with Affinity Photo!
The speed in develope is marvelous also, with many new functions in the near future (some in the latest beta also)...
And, sure, it's powerful!
I editing an panorama I've taken recently that was 150 megapixel onto my new iPad Pro 12.9" with no certain problems, although it can still crash in some areas if you have too old and powerless iPad as an tool...
I can also really recommend this if you are into both photograpy and art (the brushsystem is very very fast and powerful)!
I replaced Photoshop on the Mac and PC with Affinity Photo. As a designer, I've been using PS for about 25 years, so it was a big move, but the cost savings are impossible to ignore. I've also replaced Illustrator on the Mac and PC with Affinity Designer which is superb, and when they finally release Publisher that will replace my ageing DTP options.
Is Photo as good as Photoshop? No. Absolutely not. After using it for a year or so I'm still frustrated by the way it handles some really basic tasks, and there are a lot of missing features.
But as it was only 5% of the cost of Photoshop, and they're providing free updates (at the moment anyway), I can put up with its shortcomings. But it is the closest you'll get to PS for a comparatively small amount of cash.
I thought about getting the iOS version, but decided against it because I don't really use the iPad for graphics work, and there are a lot of reports of bugs, crashing and lost work.
But I'm very happy Affinity Photo and Designer exist, so more power to their elbows.
I'm a total noob when it comes to photo editing, but Affinity is amazing! So much depth to it, though - I had to watch a bunch of tutorials to get some of the concepts and their execution.
What about Photoshop filters, especially third party stuff? Can AP desktop version handle those?
Does AP have blend, clone and heal brushes?
I never use them so I can't really say. I use AP for mock-ups, photo resizing for web, general graphics etc. It might handle third party filters, but I doubt it'd retain any filters you used in a Photoshop document.
It's actually good at that stuff.
I get frustrated by some of the basic workflow, but some things it does just as well, maybe even better. Good range of vids here:
https://vimeo.com/channels/875980
Didn't realise it was nearly fifty quid now, lucky I got in at thirty as I've got all four of their desktop products!
Okay, thanks for info. Will check it out. Yes, the price seems to be creeping up,
That's why I nabbed BM3 - once the bugs are squished and the 5 star reviews start turning up I could see that one going up to at least 30 quid.
Agreed. My mistake with the Affinity. Should have just jumped, wish now that I had. And BM3 will be just fine. Not even bothering with it today, but it will get it's use (bit like Modstep actually....)
Never got on with Modstep. BM3 just seems to fit nicely though, a bit like AUM does. These two will be my go-to recording apps from now on, the bonus being they can both host the stacks of other apps I have, and any other audio I care to throw at them.
It's an amazing app
I'm a designer as well and i've ditched Adobe CC for Affinity on my mac. To have it on ipad is just beautiful. Here is hoping they port Designer though Graphic from Autodesk is really good as well
As Mr Monzo said, it do it all...
And, as I said earlier, many new functions is in the pipeline in near future...
Give it six month, and we will see a very very powerful image editing app onto ours iPads!
Sure, it's already awesome, but there are a couple of features I miss, especially "Match Color" between layers...
The future is bright, in both music and graphical department in iOS!
This is similar to what I thought concerning an iPad with 4gb RAM and 515gb storage. Both a reality today. So, I would not be that surprised to see the IOS Wireless Mouse. Priced at around a hundred quid, of course.
Right-oh, will keep an eye on this one.
Anyone know offhand if the Mac version of Affinity now supports all of the Nik Collection filters (Silver Efex 2, Viveza, Color Efex Pro etc)?
I bought Affinity Photo when it first came out, but it had limited support for the Nik filters, which are an integral part of my PP regime. (I'm still using CS5 as I intensely hate Adobe's subscription model.)
Cheers,
Simon
Don't think it supports all, but some anyway:
https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/19182-google-nik-collection-is-now-free-for-everyone/
Not only does it have these functions, and as mentioned, they function incredibly well, it has some other pretty advanced distortions it can do along 3d grids for perspective that are right up there with photoshop. I was really surprised to see those on an iPad. Further, it's funny how I've overlooked the fact that none of the other photo editors I've had really had any good lighting effects. I'd almost completely forgotten how indispensible those are. Good to have them back. Also, I mentioned it before, but the extraction tools are simply awesome. Once you figure out how the developers plan for you to use the app, which admittedly took me a little while, you realize that this isn't your average iPad app.
Glad others are enjoying it too.
Since people are talking about desktop photo apps. One really nice for editing raws is intensify. Not sure if its mac only tho. It doesent cost much and from what i have used it(edited maybe like 5 raws with it about 2 years ago), its at least as good as photoshop for raws, but somehow easier and faster to get good results out of. I still use photoshop since im more used to it(and can get desired results with it), and since i have it, i havent felt the need to buy intensify for myself, but i can highly recommend it.
Affinity Photo is now on sale, $19.99 instead of $29.99. Just thought you should know. I bit.
Just picked it up, thanks for the head's up on the pricing.
Now, the learning begins... D/L'd the 644-page manual and I'm starting on the video tutorials. Man, I really wish I could somehow port the Nik filters over to iOS! I'll have to see what can be done to create presets for common develop tasks.
Yes, I just spotted that. It went back up to £28.99 in the UK App Store, but has now dropped back down.
What puts me off is the latest detailed review by a punter who sounds like he knows his onions. Not all bad, just not really good enough at this point. At least, for him.