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
And how! Now not that I’d use any of these on a final project but as a starting point these arps are incredibly useful!
@midiSequencer : I’m not so sure about that as you could make that statement in comparing a $30 usd app like Beatmaker 3 to a $1,000 plus Akai MPC “Live “ and indeed you can. Squarp Pyramid is in its second iteration now and at version 2.0 and beyond is a fully mature product . Quantum is just fresh out of the gate. Now you know better than any of us whether the gap between the two can ever be closed but I’d like to think as I stated before that Quantum will go through updates and enhancements that I couldn’t even imagine right now. We’d all love for there to be a Euclidean Groove powerhouse on iOS and from what I’ve seen this early in the game, I wouldn’t rule Quantum out just yet . I just have a feeling about this thing.
I have no reason to abandon it - just as midiSequencer evolved, Quantum has picked up the baton and needs to evolve.
At the moment my priority is bug fixing & improvements to workflow, but much more planned - new UI, custom chord scales, extending loop types & generative midi creation (like euclidean, more polyrhythm templates, math type functions - using x modulation parameter sequencing), harmonic functions, recording feedbacks (so using midi in to alter patterns that play out), polymeters (in one sequence), midi recording & export/import, clip launchpad & arrangements, more actions etc.
I have a long list of things on the wish list.. Just takes time....
Great work so far Tony. Quantum is Awsome!
intriguing possibilities
crosspost
"a friend dropped by after some help in using the beatstep to send sysex and i plugged the bsp into the mpc for a giggle and loaded a drum n bass loop i had programmed a while back.
it was really good, i was completely surprised as i expected problems.
it even powered from the mpc! i only programmed some simple variations and then used the probability and random functions to make jungle edits with the touch strip.
it worked brilliantly and i fully intend to buy a bsp. there are a load of other useful possibilities such as being able to stop start the bsp while mpc is running for those aphex twin type sequences and having banks of bsp variation patterns and then building mpc break banks with common mappings for endless break generation"
any of you guys have the beat step pro and does it power off of the ipad?
Some have done it. I was never able to but can't say I've tried all that hard. It's big enough that if i'm using it out of the house, it's not a big deal to also bring a USB brick. The non-pro does power off the ipad.
A used Yamaha RMX1 or RS7000 might make you smile for cheaper than a Squarp. I dunno about 10k arps but pretty sure they both have arps and groove templates.
Oh man, Quantum orta get groove templates!
That's a pretty dreamy setup. He's got a lock on the small format polyphonic digital synths. Anyone know what that keyboard is?
Another view of his setup, a little older.
good question, ?
I think it's the midi plus.. multiple sizes
Yep. Thanks @kobamoto
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01MFHGQOG/
They seem to have a lot of low cost midi gear with mixed reviews. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/s//ref=mw_dp_a_s?ie=UTF8&k=Midiplus
it sort of does - midi to midi - thats what poly mode is. It plays two midi sequences and stretches them to fit one timeframe.
Obviously groove templates are bit more - you need markers in the files & the ability to match audio too
@midiSequencer More thinking about slight timing offsets+velocity patterns that could be applied to any set of 16 steps leaving all other step values like notes alone. Nothing to do with audio.
as in quantising notes to a grid? That would work better when I give you the piano roll (I had a quantise function in there) - doesn't really relate to dynamic steps(i.e. they change as the sequence is playing) of Quantum currently though..
Also when I put in midi export - may be more useful then to 'groove' a midi file...
Unquantizing actually. "Groove" templates are usually 1 bar midi files with 16 notes. Sequencers can use the timing of the notes to adjust the position of notes on the timeline but Quantum could just interpret them as offsets for the 16 steps (though that would require negative swing values I guess). Same applies to velocity and sometimes gate/note length.
Surely some great mind can reverse engineer the shit out of this for IOS?
Since the 80’s the screen sizes got bigger and bigger and now we’re back to dreaming about a 3 line lcd displays over again. What’s going on with the world?
Screen may be smaller but everything about the physical controls and screen are purpose designed.
Many parts of this box are available right now on iOS but nothing does it all and nothing does it as elegantly.
Though, for sure, parts of it are done more elegantly or thoroughly by dedicated iOS apps. Quantum is an order of magnitude more powerful for step sequence, SPA for arpeggiating... but again, those are stand alone competitors to specific parts of the squarp's whole.
@syropcore > Exactly.
The Squarp means> turn it on, dial up stuff - play with buttons and dials : make music.
To do the same in IOS is a very slower process involving multiple apps, and for me - that means it's not instant enough.
My background is playing musical instruments, and so when I want to play my electronic gear, I don't want to stuff around with multiple apps, multiple workflows and all of their user quirks.
I'm sure in the future something more instant will come along, and Quantum is definitely moving in a great direction.
But yeah - I'm getting a Squarp in the next few weeks
EDIT - and I intend to going to get it working with Quantam and and a few other killer apps.
@syrupcore yeah, I get it. Dedicated box, tangible controls, the cool factor.
My almost rethoric question was an almost philosophical one. Questioning more perceptions than anything else. Just wondering why we go around in circles between soft and hard places.
I guess what's on a computer screen seems so volatile, even more so on Ios with set of syncing problems, updates and modular character. Maybe ios is still too young to produce an all in one Ableton or Pyramid like situation with a dedicated controller
I'm also wondering this as a new Circuit user. I've had a host of grooveboxes in the past yet still don't really miss any of them (it's a lie but as soon as I've used them for a bit they go back to the closet). I still get frustrated with the need to plug it into a computer to get sound etc. I'm digressing.
Maybe it is physical spirit level or compass Vs one you have on your phone. Dunno. Crazy anyway.
sometimes it's just a simple fact like nobody wants to do it.... It's easy to look at any medium and tell what would be the best workflow for that medium for instance if it's a box then putting knobs, buttons, and pads on it is going to simply work out to a certain degree, if it's a screen like an iPad then the workflow that is going to work out in a no brainer fashion is .... swiping... . I tried to get the wonderful dev of the wonderful app tc-11 to make a sampling groove box that utilized 'swiping' all over the place which would have been obviously easy for him and would have made boatloads of casholaaa but alas no, he wasn't interested in manipulating samples with that genius workflow that he's mastered.... and of course I've assembled the monks of the world to pray for sample import in mass for the playground app.... my point is that nobody wants to do it or it would already be done... (playground update in this regard is on the way however sometime n the future).....
but I'm not really talking about sampling I'm just talking about music apps in general... not enough of them utilize the work flow of ikaossilator or tc-11 which really should be the most prominent workflow for the medium that iOS is... no matter whether it's a synth, sampler, groove box , or sequencer , fx... if the default workflow was swipe your fingers across the screen this way and that way to control whatever you are doing then the experience would be much more seamless.. and Playground is the best example of all, imagine if there were fx apps, and sequencers of all kinds, and synths and etc... with this kind of interface. Under the hood there could always be all kinds of development going on, but on top it would be a superduper fun fest of workflow that no one ever complained about wrestling with. Even the elites who always hate for anyone to ask for midi because_ 'sheesh Koba it's an instrument don't'cha know'_ would be satisfied because apps like tc-11 and playground are an instrument and the more you play them the more you develop skill with them.
all to say that hardware groove boxes , circuits, mpcs, squarps, etc... don't fight their nature but on the iPad we're still fighting the iPads natural workflow nature so not using it to it's fullest potential. To a much lesser extent I believe that this is really what's behind the lemur, ethos but they are still doing the one foot in one foot out two step while playground and tc ll are leading, but when you're in the lead and no one is behind you you tend to go very v.e.r.y. slow.
FWIW, for the cost of the Squarp Pyramid (which i entertained getting but opted for the OctaTrackMKII) I’d get the Elektron Digitakt. You get an 8 channel midi sequencer+8 channels of audio sampling goodness.
Anyhoo...just more cool gear to think about. 🤪
This is something I’m always thinking. So, wouldn’t it be cool if Quantum “hosted” an iOS synth. Pick synth, sequence, arse around, fire up new Tony Photon app, record, all in one session. Instant gratification and no “hosts” in your way. Just a thought ...
yeah the digitakt is addictive, can never just hop on and off , you look up and the time is gone
what tony photon app?