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.

Is IOS capable of professional producer projects yet? What's the State of iOS Music Production?

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Comments

  • @Aoseifuku said:
    I do have too many options on PC, that's why I want to go to IOS actually, I was just curious how limited it is here. I like my setup, but I get bored sometimes, but I'm not sure IOS is for me either (yet) it sure does look like the coolest device I've seen here.

    @gusgranite It cost me 900$ to build, including monitor etc 3 years ago

    Cubase 500$, Kontakt 500$, VST's probably somewhere around 900$ (omnisphere etc) Plugins waves value packs, reverbs delays spent probably 400$ total.

    @AudioGus

    Actually, the new "underpowered processor" that is used in current Surface Pro's, just got updated to 4 cores / 8 hyperthreading (the same as HQ processors), and is being released in 14" tablets, It has 20% less CPU performance than my current setup, but a much lower clock speed, so it may bottleneck or throttle, I'm waiting for reviews, but ios seems much funner then a tablet laptop lol

    sorry I only read the first page so far, didn't expect so many replys.

    Lol. Welcome back. You unknowingly opened the biggest can of worms. Next time you should ask if DJs are real musicians, and then grab some popcorn.

  • edited October 2017

    @Aoseifuku said:
    About the 50 project count, and 100 project count.

    Horns
    >

    Strings
    >
    1. 1st Violins
    2. 2nd Violins
    3. Viola
    4. Cello
    5. Synth strings Lo
    6. Synth Strings Hi
    7.String Bus (all strings routed here)
    8. Reverb (string bus routed here)
    9. Delay (string bus routed here)

    that's about 10 tracks already, it's not each instrument playing their own thing, you EQ and combine the synth strings with the other strings to create your own pad sound

    Same with Bass
    1. Bass
    2. Bass lo
    3. Bass HI
    4. Bass bus
    4 tracks to create bass, unless you just use a preset (which nothing is wrong with) but I usually combine patches, or synthesizers, with FX, to create my own sounds in the song.

    I truly believe though that tablet device is the next thing though. Desktop sales have been down forever, Laptops are okayish, but windows is full of tablet/laptops now. Ios is still the best experince compared to windows from what I've seen, apple has doubled the CPU power or something with the last A11 update, I have no idea how they compare to intel, but being that intels new i8 underpowered processor, which will be in the next surface pro is just about as powerful as my desktop processor, I thought IOS would be pretty close as well here.

    The thing is it's very hard to compare ARM and x86 cpus but very generally speaking, ARM are designed to be efficient while x86 are designed to be fast. There are also lots of other factors when comparing, not least of which is ram where mobile devices are severely lacking compared to desktops

    As has been said numerous times in this thread, ios offers a lot music wise but for a desktop workflow it can't compete with a dedicated desktop pc. This is unlikely to change anytime soon. Unless they develop a radically different way of designing cpus, which could rival x86 in power while not generating the massive amount of heat such a cpu does

  • The first thing you'll have to do, though, is to let go of the focus on CPU performance and processor cores. Let the developers worry about the CPU cycles. Focus on the conceptual part of your music instead and find the tools that let you craft the desired outcome. You'll never be able to replicate your current workflow on a mobile device (and you shouldn't want to. Different paradigms, etc.).

  • A motorcycle, helicopter, car, train, boat, bus, and feet all transport a person somewhere, they just do it in different ways and at different speeds. What makes a pro has very little to do with the equipment used and more to do with getting off of the couch and actually going somewhere with said transportation. Handling issues that arise in a way that gets the job done, having backup plans, showing up on time, functioning as part of a team understanding your role - a few of the things that make a pro.

    I had an opportunity on Sunday to play bass at an arena show (the first time I've done something like that) and truly saw pros at work (and very thankfully seemed to give the impression that I functioned in that manner as well). It was definitely eye opening for me and I learned a lot.

  • @AndyPlankton said:
    Was the wiggle merely suggestive back then ? I think this is really down to general de-sensitisation....the same 'degeneration' in morals can be seen almost everywhere...

    >

    Yes, I believe - from umpteen documentaries - that Elvis first did the wiggle in response to how music made him feel. Then continued ‘cause girls liked it. :) I have yet to meet anyone who thought Jackson incessantly fiddling with his bits was in any way attractive.

    But I agree with you that de-sensitisation is everywhere, and entirely by design. Ignorant and willfully stupid people are easier to control.

    On a parallel path, have you noticed how adverts shifted from enticement to outright orders? Instead of -

    Product A - in good stores everywhere.

    We have -

    Product A - Buy it now!

  • edited October 2017

    "The same degeneration of morals can be seen almost everywhere..."
    That's the story of my life.

  • @Zen210507 said:

    @AndyPlankton said:
    Was the wiggle merely suggestive back then ? I think this is really down to general de-sensitisation....the same 'degeneration' in morals can be seen almost everywhere...

    >

    Yes, I believe - from umpteen documentaries - that Elvis first did the wiggle in response to how music made him feel. Then continued ‘cause girls liked it. :) I have yet to meet anyone who thought Jackson incessantly fiddling with his bits was in any way attractive.

    But I agree with you that de-sensitisation is everywhere, and entirely by design. Ignorant and willfully stupid people are easier to control.

    On a parallel path, have you noticed how adverts shifted from enticement to outright orders? Instead of -

    Product A - in good stores everywhere.

    We have -

    Product A - Buy it now!

    It does feel like a de-sensitization / inflation of some sort. Horniness, sex, animal lust, physical reproduction, shag carpets etc I can tolerate. To me the source of where that stuff comes from is a beautiful thing, even if the imagery does get squeezed out into the culture in warped and gross ways at times, but I think it is best that we get un-repressed and let everyday sexual expression be more open than it is. Yah, the current warped exaggerated expression seems to be a direct result of the equally warped repression of the past and a lot of it in our culture is base and shallow but I feel it is an inevitable path to eventually getting over these hangups.

    Really I am mostly appalled by how violence is becoming increasingly sexy.

    To me that is the crude, ugly part of humanity. A friend of mine was raving about this movie John Wick... this guy I know is all about social responsibility and an otherwise enlightened fellow but for him to not see the real ills in a movie like this, which to me is simply gun porn... I don't know, I got half way and had to turn it off. Made me feel ill.
    Maybe I am the gun violence prude and can't get a simple 'Revenge Fantasy' as he puts it. In the end I can take dollar bills bouncing off a beautiful ass or someone stroking a mic stand like it is a dong way more than bullets busting open craniums because someones dog was killed and car stolen.

    Anyway, in the end if it were a world of Audiogus's it would mostly be ads featuring Corgis and kittens playing while children run in the sun blowing bubbles with Bob Denver or Dean Martin playing.

  • Auria Pro has 48 tracks, 30 more than I need . Nobody needs that many tracks or more firepower than a fully loaded iPad Pro can provide IMO. You got Sampletank, you got Cabasis, maybe even Gadget .. and BM3 you’re good. You need more than that then...............

  • edited October 2017

    @Telstar5 said:
    Auria Pro has 48 tracks, 30 more than I need . Nobody needs that many tracks or more firepower than a fully loaded iPad Pro can provide IMO.

    I did composing/sound design on a trailer a little while ago. Used well over 50 tracks for my part, then another sound engineer, specialising in surround, did a pass at it and who knows how many more they added. Having the room to spread it out allowed it to happen quickly and keep it logical and flexible for others to work on after. Sure it could have been optimized and bounced together into a different framework utilising more shared busses etc but the schedule and cost would have paid the price. It is no different than in Photoshop. Many layers can be a nightmare or a blessing on a project depending how they are organized. Did we need what probably amounted to close to a hundred tracks, no. Did we benefit from it? Damn right.

  • @Aoseifuku thanks for sharing the costs. It is interesting you have kept investment down to similar all-in iOS costs. The difference will be in the number of plugins vs number of apps no doubt.

  • @AudioGus said:
    .. but I think it is best that we get un-repressed and let everyday sexual expression be more open than it is.

    >

    No problem with that, but it’s not what has happened. Instead of healthy sexuality between consenting adults, we get people promoting rape in all but name, killing people as if it were nothing, and a drugged up lifestyle as not only normal but desireable.

  • @Zen210507 said:

    @AudioGus said:
    .. but I think it is best that we get un-repressed and let everyday sexual expression be more open than it is.

    >

    No problem with that, but it’s not what has happened. Instead of healthy sexuality between consenting adults, we get people promoting rape in all but name, killing people as if it were nothing, and a drugged up lifestyle as not only normal but desireable.

    One out of three isn't bad ;)

  • @Telstar5 said:
    Auria Pro has 48 tracks, 30 more than I need . Nobody needs that many tracks or more firepower than a fully loaded iPad Pro can provide IMO. You got Sampletank, you got Cabasis, maybe even Gadget .. and BM3 you’re good. You need more than that then...............

    In fact, currently Auria Pro can have as many tracks as your iPad can handle. With a late gen iPad you can have more than 48 tracks. I just finished a 100-track project using my iPad Pro.

  • @Mayo said:
    The 2 worlds collide in amazing ways.
    It's not one vs the other for production, so embrace IOS, keep your DAW, make them sing together, and your productions will only be better for it!

    I agree. There's no war here.

  • iOS is perfect for a working man like me.. always adding an idea or two on the go with iPhone and then finishing on iPad... my setup is simple .. iOS + isotope ozone

  • @theconnactic said:
    In fact, currently Auria Pro can have as many tracks as your iPad can handle. With a late gen iPad you can have more than 48 tracks. I just finished a 100-track project using my iPad Pro.

    >

    Seriously? You have a 100 track project. I like to think our work shows imagination, but I cannot conceive of ever needing that many tracks on a single song. If you decide to make this work public, I’d love to hear it.

  • edited October 2017

    it is possible to produce whole track only at ipad.. i have some official releases produced ipad-only ..

    you need change workflow compared to desktop daw significantly (for me this was positive and main motivation to move production from desktop to ipad) but it is possible

    however, 50+ tracks (with orchestral multi sample libraries) is still out of reach.. but this doesn’t mean ipad us not suitable for priffesional production

    i’t just not suitable for your production ;)

  • edited December 2017
    The user and all related content has been deleted.
  • @Zen210507 said:

    @theconnactic said:
    In fact, currently Auria Pro can have as many tracks as your iPad can handle. With a late gen iPad you can have more than 48 tracks. I just finished a 100-track project using my iPad Pro.

    >

    Seriously? You have a 100 track project. I like to think our work shows imagination, but I cannot conceive of ever needing that many tracks on a single song. If you decide to make this work public, I’d love to hear it.

    If you consider that sometimes a song can require a lot of "multing" for giving dynamic movement between each of its sections, you will easily see the need. But in this case, it was just a lot of instruments and voices in the song, and the arrangement was very complex. Pop songs seldom go beyond 30, as well as my own instrumentals.

  • @theconnactic said:
    If you consider that sometimes a song can require a lot of "multing" for giving dynamic movement between each of its sections, you will easily see the need. But in this case, it was just a lot of instruments and voices in the song, and the arrangement was very complex. Pop songs seldom go beyond 30, as well as my own instrumentals.

    >

    Always fascinating to read how others work.

    Our workflow, with Repulse the Monkey songs, tends to see much of what is in there already mixed into parts prior to reaching a DAW.

  • To be fair iOS can easily handle 100 audio tracks. 100 MIDI tracks is what is not possible at this point in time.

    And it's pretty easy to end up with a lot of tracks in Auria: just have each drum instrument on their own tracks, double-track the guitars, add 5 synths, some AUX sends and busses and you'll be there in no time. Personally I do a lot of vocal comping so I can easily end up with 8 to 12 tracks just for vocal takes.

  • so you're writing 50+ progressions in all yer tunes? wow, serious compositional stuff
    reading between the lines. the guy's just got GAS.

  • I’ve been watching so many incredible YouTube channels dealing with iOS music production in the last few months, trying to get an idea of the state of the art , to gauge whether or not I wanted to invest in desktop or iOS ecosystem , and after seeing amazing work from the guys at soundtestroom, Studio A, henny tha bizness, and others, I was sold. After spending my first $100 bucks on apps, I was/am completely addicted. Now I’ve spent many times that, with no end in sight, and have absolutely no regrets.

    I’ve been a PC user for decades and will always love my macs/windows boxes ; but when it comes to general creativity, nothing has been quite as inspiring as my ipads. Some of the most creative artists/devs in the industry are doing completely new things that were never possible before w/ mouse/kB paradigm. The ecosystem is just the “happening” place , where it seems the most innovative and prolific creators are focusing their energy, giving us all new ways to find our muse and express ourselves. And that’s what it’s all about...it’s just a deeply inspirational tool for many..and as others have stated, it can possibly be the only toolbox you need.

    My creative muse comes in waves, often unexpectedly — so when I’m out and about, I can have my professional tools with me anywhere I go, to immediately flesh out new ideas when I’m in the zone, or ignite that flame when I’m in a rut via the many apps designed just to give you that extra little creative nudge when you need it..
    Plus, the platform almost feels like a purpose-built hardware solution for the task at hand, — it mostly just works, extremely efficient with very little of the bloat associated with conventional PC environments. The latest pro models are right on par with the lower to mid-range x86 in speed; 4gb ram is plenty in my opinion, especially with such low overhead OS. I really do believe it’s going to be a viable platform for many years to come, probably a decade or two. In the mean time, it’s thrilling to be along for the ride.

  • @ZenEagle said:
    After spending my first $100 bucks on apps, I was/am completely addicted. Now I’ve spent many times that, with no end in sight, and have absolutely no regrets.

    From one Zen to another, welcome along. This is a great place to pick up info on the latest apps, learn stuff, and sometimes be able to assist others.

  • edited October 2017

    “From one Zen to another, welcome along”

    Thanks mate; looks like a great, active community ..I’m excited to study some of the backlog and get up to speed; with so much to catch up on.

    I dabbled in iOS music back in the 2nd gen iPod Touch era and a bit on iPad 2, animoog and korg ims-20 for a year or two but drifted onto other things for a few years, so I’m just now coming back this year to discover so many advances and so much to learn. I have most of the major apps on my Pro 2, , incl. Auria Pro /cubasis/BM3, top sequencers, sample-systems, synths - but I’ve barely broken the surface w/ them.. lot of studying to do ; just looking for the best resources I can find outside of YouTube & manuals, & looks like I stumbled into one of the best here. :smile: ).

    -cheers

  • @AudioGus said:

    Anyway, in the end if it were a world of Audiogus's it would mostly be ads featuring Corgis and kittens playing while children run in the sun blowing bubbles with Bob Denver or Dean Martin playing.

    I wouldn't trust Gilligan to take care of those kids. You know he's high.

  • @Wrlds2ndBstGeoshredr said:

    @AudioGus said:

    Anyway, in the end if it were a world of Audiogus's it would mostly be ads featuring Corgis and kittens playing while children run in the sun blowing bubbles with Bob Denver or Dean Martin playing.

    I wouldn't trust Gilligan to take care of those kids. You know he's high.

    Hehe :wink:

  • I don’t think I’ve ever used more than ten tracks in a project, probably a result of years working on a cassette 4 track and getting into the habit of keeping things simple.

  • @Zen210507 said:

    @theconnactic said:
    In fact, currently Auria Pro can have as many tracks as your iPad can handle. With a late gen iPad you can have more than 48 tracks. I just finished a 100-track project using my iPad Pro.

    >

    Seriously? You have a 100 track project. I like to think our work shows imagination, but I cannot conceive of ever needing that many tracks on a single song. If you decide to make this work public, I’d love to hear it.

    100 tracks in a single project is extremely common place, some people will have 30 just for recording and mixing a drum kit with sends, 100 tracks is not uncommon at all.

  • edited October 2017

    @Samplemunch said:
    100 tracks in a single project is extremely common place, some people will have 30 just for recording and mixing a drum kit with sends, 100 tracks is not uncommon at all.

    >

    Different strokes for different folks, eh. :)

    I keep coming back to how great music produced by George Martin, Norman Whitfield and Phil Spector was, and indeed remains, using so much less. While what we do is obviously never going to equal or come close to extraordinary people such as them, RTM enjoys and prefers working in that minimalist way.

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