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
Progress. 4 usb channels through to Auria from the MixPre-6. Ive got Circuit synth 1 on track 3 and Circuit synth 2 on track 4. And Microwarmer to warm up the ER-1.
So I made a track...
Just me jamming with some 1 and 2 bar patterns in the ER1 and the two Circuit synths (actually the synths don't come in until the second half).
Recorded into Auria, sliced and shortened a bit... and with some reverb, Saturn, Volcano and Microwarmer used lightly.
To me this guy is the best circuit propaganda machine. It’s amazing what sounds he comes up with the sound engine. I have no choice but to purchase his sound pack from isotonic as I have absolutely no time to delve into patch creation from scratch. £8.99 is the least I can do to appreciate this guy’s talent. Prolly becoming a £2 a month patreon is even better deal as you get all of his patches. Sorry, thinking out loud.
Yep, a cool guy, I believe he also started the Apple forum thread about his dodgy iPad Pro and the latency bug.
Make sure to try out different velocities with his patches....Playing the circuit from an external keyboard that has a good velocity implementation is the easiest way to do this, He has used the Arturia Keystep in vids. It really does open up possibilities with the synth engine.
He's an eccentric (or at least plays one on television). I like that in a man.
Talking of which, how are you getting on with the Circuit? I didn't really know what one was until I looked at this thread this morning, then wandered off watching silly videos on 'the television', and see that it's a bit of a synthesizer.
Any good for controlling the iPad, or is that just a side-effect?
Looks like we're going to ignore the leaking roof and dodgy tiles, and wait for the storms to blow it off for the insurance, so I might squeeze in a new controller for xmas.
I did some experimenting with slaving all to circuit and I have to say that midi sync works very well. In fact apps like Samplr respond much better to sync from circuit than from loopy. When synced to loopy Samplr always has a second or two of drag before reaching the right bpm. Same story with Turnado. When synced to circuit everything is much more immediate.
If I could only convince @Michael to allow uploading own samples to Loopy’s metronome that would be it for me for a year or two.
I like it, but I am not a reliable witness as I am doing far, far less with it terms of depth/connectivity. I think it's a very clever box and I'm impressed with the fact that they're obviously still working with/on it. It's fun, BUT I would suggest soliciting reaction from a relatively recent n00b like that reprobate @supadom (and I believe he's quite used to being solicited if rumours on the streets of Oxford are to be believed etc etc).
Cheers boss. Reading his thing above yours, sounds like it's an able controller for iPad stuff too. Be interested to see how easy it is to map the knobs etc.
My xmas present from Mrs Monzo will hopefully be a controller of some sort, since Studio Monzo is seriously lacking in that department.
The new NI Kontrol mk2 looks lovely, but very pricey, and not sure how it works with iPads. Launchkey's are well priced, and have a decent array of knows and sliders, and Launchcontrol looks interesting, but no keys. The Circuit looks like fun though, and at £250 with a built in synth and drum thing, might be a contender. But no keys again.
Hmmm hah...hmmmm hah...
The Circuit is really good value for what you get. Two synth engines, a sample player - and you can use it as a controller/sequencer of external stuff. I got mine for £220 (can’t remember if that was new or nearly new). The pads kind of act as keys (in a scale of your choosing).
If you want a multi-track sequencer, for a good price, you might also look at the BeatStep Pro - which you can get for under £200. The random feature appeals to me. But it’s just a 3 track sequencer and doesn’t make any of its own sound. And no ‘keys’ as such.
Depends what you are going to use it for.
A nanostudio keys might be an option (especially if you want to use Gadget).
Thanks Matt. I don’t have any external gear, except the old MS20 and that’s not MIDI. I’m mostly using Maschine/Komplete on the desktop and my iPad stuff.
The Arturia Keylab ‘Essential’ has caught my eye, and the Novation Launchkey. Slightly depressing though as they look very similar to the (abandoned) Edirol I have. I like the idea of having a built in synth as with the circuit, but would still need a proper keyboard.
Will probably have to go down the sensible route, but I’d love to have the cash for the new N.I. controllers...
I personally had a lil break from making semi-electronic music. While keeping my old muscle-memorised set up made sense from that point of view I was getting tired with some sounds and the fact that clock sync still (2017) ain’t up to the job.
I guess I wasn’t Fleksi-ble enough to realise that I shouldn’t have stopped searching for the solution beyond loopy as the master of masters. Also not being a native keyboard player circuit fits the bill awesomely too.
I think what Matt’s saying about it being bang for the buck is spot on. To me the diminutive yet completely useable footprint is also a massive consideration. It fits perfectly on my custom table.
I am not a massive fan of the 2 finger actions dance but I guess that isn’t a massive drawback once relationship with the machine is fully developed.
I’ve paid £195 for a close to new unit so can’t really complain. One problem is that I’m out of inputs on my AKAI EIE!
£195 is a very good price. I’ve had a search on YouTube but can’t find many vids showing iPad integration - I’d still need something to work with the iPad. It does look like a load of fun though...
What questions do you have about iPad integration?
For composing with Circuit I would just sync it to BM3 with midi link sync and sample the begonias out of it.
My ES-1 showed up today.
Waiting for the wife to go to bed so I can unbox it without her looking over my shoulder and asking a bunch of well meaning but annoying questions.
I've seen vids where it's synced, but more interested in how it can work as a MIDI controller - how easily the knobs can be mapped to iOS synths, and if the pads trigger drum apps etc.
Macro Knobs send out (B0/50-57/00-7F)
Master Filter sends out BF 4A 00-7F with BF 4A 40 being Center position.
The Synths' Pads send out note data (90 00 60/80 00 00 (Lowest Note On/Off) - 90 7F 60/80 7F 00 (Highest Note On/Off))
**For Synth 2 just Change the 90 to 91
PC is sent out with Session Change (CF 00 - CF 1F, for Sessions 1-32, by example)
Drums (Only When Playhead is running), But hit Shift + Note and the pads there will send out MIDI same as below)
Drum 1 Send 99 3C 60/89 3C 00
Drum 2 Send 99 3E 60/89 3E 00
Drum 3 Send 99 40 60/89 40 00
Drum 4 Send 99 41 60/89 41 00
FX Page the Macro Knobs:
Pink Knobs (1,3,5,6,7,8): BF 6F 00-7F for Macro Knob 1, then BF (70/71/72/73/74) 00-7F for the subsequent Macro
Knobs
White Knobs Same as Above but with Macro Knob Range BF - 58/59/5A/6A/6D/6E - 00-7F
Mixer Volume Knobs Synth 1 (BF 0C 00 - BF 0C 7F) Synth 2 (BF 0E with rest same) Drums 1 (B9 0C 00-7F) Drum 2 (B9 17 00-7F) Drum 3 (B9 2D 00-7F) Drum 4 (B9 35 00-7F)
There's a few more
You can't remap anything on Circuit, so you can only utilize MIDI out as is
Begonias, not petunias?
Ah ok, thank you for the details - sounds like it's well connected.
The more video’s I watch the more I want one of these. All the shift keying and lack of a display makes me nervous, but that synth sounds lovely.
The shift keying is very lizard brain friendly. The lack of a display can be quite liberating.
I agree with this. I will add (with a nod to the Modstep/BM3 convo) that my lizard brain learnt most of the doings in a few weeks after Chrimble, but I put it down for a month and now will have to wake the lizard up and teach it all over again. Usual thing.
Agreed, it encourages you to explore with your sounds. Very liberating.
I’m like that with the Mikro controller, buggered if I can remember the shift key sequences to access the hidden things, so I usually cheat and use the mouse.
I doubt il get a Circuit as I need a proper controller as well, but I’m enjoying thinking about it and watching the videos
So I’ve tinkled a little more with circuit + IOS set up and I have to say I like it. Turnado and Samplr love its sync ping. At first I found latency issues between circuit and iOS, it turned out that running circuit into EIE is not an option as it adds latency which means I’ll need a small mixer to the mix.
One thing is...circuit synth engine. I’m not too keen on it. It isn’t bleepy enough for me. Maybe I need to mess around with that sound editor or download some sound packs to see if I can taylor it closer to my liking as at present I’m finding it weak and unimpressive. I never really got on with wavetable technology.
I love this guy. I have no choice but to patreonise him to get those patches!
I get along best with the Circuit sound as a sound design tool when i just record a bunch of stuff on the fly and then sift through it later for parts. When I go into it with a strong intention it kind of leaves me flat. I find trying to dial something in while working on a track is not the way to go with it for me.
Definitely worth getting an editor, the Novation synth engine is VERY deep and powerful.