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 Store

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

The Piano poll

I would like to buy a "definitive" piano for my iPad Pro 1st gen 128gb. Actually I own Module (without Ivory expansion), but it sounds flat. I tried IK Grand Piano, but it seems toysh. I like salamander for Lyra (on Auria Pro), but it cannot be customized. I'm on the verge of buying a good piano. I would buy Ivory for Module, but the missing AU is discouraging me. I also think that many gigabytes for Colossus are too much (I would like to buy the Baby Grand IAP which is 6gb). I'm very curious about Ravenscroft: 800gb only and AU, good reviews but it is really quite expensive. I also think that Korg is ensuring the future, while a one-man-software house may update the anymore in a few months or years.
So, what do you suggest?

Actually what's the best piano for iOS
  1. Actually what's the best piano for iOS59 votes
    1. Ravenscroft 275
      45.76%
    2. Colossus
        5.08%
    3. Ivory for Korg Module
      11.86%
    4. IK Grand Piano
      16.95%
    5. Other (please specify on reply)
      20.34%
«1345

Comments

  • for what you're describing, you probably want Ravenscroft (sounds great + audio unit + customizable)

  • @nick said:
    for what you're describing, you probably want Ravenscroft (sounds great + audio unit + customizable)

    The only problem is that it is very expensive...

  • There is no best piano. @JohnnyGoodyear often rolls out a food saying about this point..

    If the perfect piano is important for what you need and Colossus does it for you then suck up the GBs, that storage does nothing for you staying empty.

  • I'm a man that's not a very good pianoplayer, and, have difficulties to NOT buy every piano out there...
    I have them all, besides the giant Colossus...

    And, to my ears I think the IAP piano into Beathawk is something special!
    10 dollars is a good prize, but you have to buy Beathawk 2 also (that is really awesome)...
    Beathawk is both standalone and a AUv3 plugin that you can use into many hosts...

  • @ecstaticax said:

    @nick said:
    for what you're describing, you probably want Ravenscroft (sounds great + audio unit + customizable)

    The only problem is that it is very expensive...

    CMP would be another option, super fast loading auv3 and very decent sound

  • I also love the Beathawk grand piano IAP. The "soft 1" preset is gorgeous. I don't know how they crammed such beautiful sound into a relatively modest file size (<1 GB) for the piano.

    Scarlet Jerry

  • I'm loving Ravenscroft 275 (and that was my vote), but I think I'm going to need to upgrade my iPad before I can use multiple AUv3 instances without running into problems (Air 2, 128GB)

  • At the end I bought Ravenscroft. I thank you all for your replies.
    On iPad Pro 1st gen, it works like a charm.

  • I would say Ravenscroft as well.

  • I only clicked 'other' because I wanted to see the Poll results.

  • If you like the Salamander Grand sound you can download for free from my site an iOS compatible version (with various brightness levels) loadable to the cheap bs-16i app.
    I have nearly all the iOS pianos including Ravenscroft, Korg Ivory, Colossus Japanese Grand and iGrand and keep going back the magic sound of the Salamander.
    https://sites.google.com/site/soundfonts4u/

  • @Reuben said:
    If you like the Salamander Grand sound you can download for free from my site an iOS compatible version (with various brightness levels) loadable to the cheap bs-16i app.
    I have nearly all the iOS pianos including Ravenscroft, Korg Ivory, Colossus Japanese Grand and iGrand and keep going back the magic sound of the Salamander.
    https://sites.google.com/site/soundfonts4u/

    Thanks, I know very well your page, and obviously already bought bs-16i.

  • I use the Salamander in Auria often, it's also my favourite.

  • @Reuben said:
    If you like the Salamander Grand sound you can download for free from my site an iOS compatible version (with various brightness levels) loadable to the cheap bs-16i app.
    I have nearly all the iOS pianos including Ravenscroft, Korg Ivory, Colossus Japanese Grand and iGrand and keep going back the magic sound of the Salamander.
    https://sites.google.com/site/soundfonts4u/

    Hey @Reuben Nice looking site! Downloading a file now, thanks. :)

  • How are you guys controlling sustain in Ravenscroft? I can't see any specific midi settings for this.

    Cheers.

  • Using a midi keyboard with a sustain pedal. The Ravenscroft is not for screen playing.

  • Ive been using BeatHawk as an au and then using the Acoustic Grand expansion pack. Its sounds pretty good, and made by he same developer as Ravenscroft. Its not as customizable, but it is an audio unit. I already have Korg Modules Ivory expansion as well as IGrand and all the expansion packs, so I'm not in the market for a piano at the moment, but the Ravenscroft might be somewhere down the line for me.

  • @Reuben said:
    Using a midi keyboard with a sustain pedal. The Ravenscroft is not for screen playing.

    Hi Reuben. Thanks.

    Yeah I should have stated I was using a Midi controller.

    I was trying to get my X-Station to send out cc#64 via a footswitch but with no luck.

    Ending up linking the FCB1010 to the X-station and got Sustain working that way. Bit convoluted but can streamline that somehow in time.

    BS16i didn't like the setup though. Even though both keys and sustain were being sent out on midi Ch 1, the keys were targetting the top keyboard and the Sustain wouldn't work unless targeting the bottom keyboard.

    Strange stuff.

    Anyway, the Ravenscroft is nice.

    Bit of audio stutter even at 256 buffer but hopefully that will improve with updates.

  • @SpookyZoo said:
    Bit of audio stutter even at 256 buffer but hopefully that will improve with updates.

    On my iPad Pro 12.9 1st gen doesn’t seem to strutter.. what’s your device?

  • Are any of these multisampled for velocity among other things? In other words, not just a sample of a real piano note hit, but sampled at different hit hardnesses?

  • @u0421793 said:
    Are any of these multisampled for velocity among other things? In other words, not just a sample of a real piano note hit, but sampled at different hit hardnesses?

    I presume you are referring to layers. Usually the best sampled piano apps feature different layers.

  • @ecstaticax said:

    @SpookyZoo said:
    Bit of audio stutter even at 256 buffer but hopefully that will improve with updates.

    On my iPad Pro 12.9 1st gen doesn’t seem to strutter.. what’s your device?

    12.9" Pro (2017)

    Doesn't appear to be related to the current 'Latency bug' in the new Pro's though. That usually takes up to 10 minutes to be noticeable.

    Ravenscroft stutters a bit from the off even when Its the only app open too. For me at least.

  • edited August 2017

    @u0421793 said:
    Are any of these multisampled for velocity among other things? In other words, not just a sample of a real piano note hit, but sampled at different hit hardnesses?

    Definitely..... some more than others. I can distinctly hear 3 velocity layers with iGrand. Korg Module seems to have more - maybe 5. Other apps seem to use modelling synthesis (like velocity filtering) and I suspect (but I don't know) this is the case with the Ravencroft as there are absolutely no noticeable jumps in the timbre over the velocity range. The Ravenscroft has some detailed sympathetic resonances happening as well.
    My free version of the Salamander Grand has 15 velocity layers.

    @SpookyZoo said:

    @ecstaticax said:

    @SpookyZoo said:
    Bit of audio stutter even at 256 buffer but hopefully that will improve with updates.

    On my iPad Pro 12.9 1st gen doesn’t seem to strutter.. what’s your device?

    12.9" Pro (2017)

    Doesn't appear to be related to the current 'Latency bug' in the new Pro's though. That usually takes up to 10 minutes to be noticeable.

    Ravenscroft stutters a bit from the off even when Its the only app open too. For me at least.

    There are known glitch issues with the Ravenscroft. Mine (and I have heard elsewhere others also) makes a crackle noise every 30 to 60 seconds on iPad Air 2 and it sounds to me like sample reload problems.

  • tjatja
    edited September 2017

    P1 to P8, which is best to you?

    That's 5 Apps, not 8 - some have multiple entries with different patches or even instruments ;-)
    All are normalized for a better comparison.

    All of them some "Grand"

  • @Reuben said:
    There are known glitch issues with the Ravenscroft. Mine (and I have heard elsewhere others also) makes a crackle noise every 30 to 60 seconds on iPad Air 2 and it sounds to me like sample reload problems.

    The Ravencroft is contained above, I cannot heard crackles.

    Your Salamander / 15 is also contained....

  • tjatja
    edited September 2017

    P2 and P4, maybe P6 have more of an concert hall reverb on them, which is less pronounced on the others.

Sign In or Register to comment.