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.
John Walden and his Music App Blog - musicappblog.com
It looks like there won't be much new content on the Music App Blog going forward, but congrats to John on 'getting some music made.' 
This is the newsletter he sent today with the title, "Taking my own advice."
First up, a quick apology for the lack of a newsletter email last week. As I mentioned on the site, I was away for a few days in the UK visiting family and friends and, as I also managed to get laid low with a nasty bug, the newsletter was one of the casualties.
Bugs aside, my trip had one work-related highlight in that I managed to catch up with one of the music publishers for whom I’ve being doing some projects over the last few months. That work has been going well. Indeed, well enough that there is now a lot more of the same to come over at least the next 6 to 9 months. This does, however, mean I’m finally going to have to address an on-going dilemma that this extra music production work brings; which other work do I stop doing to spend more time on music production?
I suspect many of you can already see where this conversation might be leading…. For the last few years, my working life has consisted of a combination of music production work (production/library music work is not glamorous but it provides musical variety, deadline flexibility and, eventually, an income) and music technology journalism (a combination of work for Sound On Sound magazine and the blog). I enjoy both aspects of this work and each appeals to different parts of the musical geek in me. However, given the choice between actually writing music or writing about the technology used for writing music, like most musicians I guess, I’ll favour the former over the latter as a way of earning a crust.
So, while it is with a somewhat heavy heart, I’m finally having to admit to myself - and to the site’s readership – that in order to fully capitalise on these new music production opportunities, I’m going to have very little by way of time to spend on the blog.
I could just close the site…. but, frankly, it costs little to keep it up and I know that lots of readers dip into the older material (particularly the app reviews) so I guess it will continue to be a useful resource for a while yet even without regular updates. Equally, iOS is totally integrated into my own music production workflow so I’ll be keeping on top of what’s going on and I’m not ruling out the occasional post when something particular grabs my interest. I might also see if I can persuade one of the editorial team at SOS to commission a series on iOS music production for the magazine at some stage….
For those on the newsletter email list, feel free to stay subscribed if you wish. I’ll not be closing it down and I’m still more than happy to get the occasional email from folks that’s iOS related. Again, I might also send out the occasional message if there is something that I think is worth sharing…. but I’ll back off from the regular weekly emails while the blog itself remains in its ‘hibernation’ mode.
I’ve been running the Music App Blog for around six years and it has been a big part of my daily routine. I’m sure I’ll miss that…. just as I’ll miss the regular interaction I’ve had with both the developer and user community through the site (although some have now become firm friends outside the confines of iOS itself). However, iOS remains a wonderful environment for the creation of music and a particularly brilliant platform to be introduced to music technology. When I can, I’ll be more than happy to continue to spread that word.
Anyway, be happy this week and beyond… and wish me luck as I’m now off to follow the usual advice I offer as a newsletter sign-off…. and going to get some music made"
Best wishes,
Comments
I wish John all the best with his music. I always loved reading his blog and the reviews. I’ll miss that!
And he was the fastest reviewer on the planet. Mere hours after sending him a promocode for a new app he would have a flawless fully in-depth review full of screenshots ready and published. Amazing!
Best of luck on your new adventures, JW. We'll miss you!
A true pioneer. Follow your heart
Holy crap, no! Say it ain’t so! SO glad he didn’t close it down. I checked in every day as I do here . Thank you John and thanks for keeping the site going . Wow .. bummer .. oh non oh no oh no
probably the most thoughtful ios blog. love receiving his emails.
The Music App Blog is absolutely top shelf. I will most certainly miss the features and reviews, but am greatful for Sir Walden's generosity, insight, and direction. Rather than grieve, I will do my best to get some music made.
All the best John on all your musical adventures, top site, top man
You will be sorely missed by me, I loved your lightening fast, in depth app reviews and fab blog. Bon Voyage and many happy inspired musical adventures. Take good care JW!
Best of luck, you will indeed be missed.
Good work, fellah, and good luck!
The day I discover MusicAppBlog was a joyous moment. What stellar quality and thoughtful and current reviews and articles. At least the archive will remain.
Thanks so much John!
We will be relying on Jokob and Doug all the more (And Audio dabbler too).
John has posted the info in the OP on his blog now, but I'm giving this one more bump for the Sunday drivers.
Wish John the best in his new musical endeavours. As others have said it was a great blog with detailed reviews - up to date news on apps and of course will be missed.
Thanks for all your wise words and candid opinions John, all the best!
MusicAppBlog is on my daily bookmark list of websites. Thanks John for your excellent work and good luck in all your future ventures. Thank you also for leaving the site available as I find your app reviews to be some of the best around.
That site was the best and one of a kind!
Great idea to leave it open, a huge help, especially to those starting out there ios endeavor.
Alternatives?
Sober, thorough, and timely reviews.
John, you will be missed.
And I still never got to win a giveaway!
I love to read stuff from john,
Sad to read it but yeah
'getting some music made.'
I'll will miss this blog, it was unique to the whole iOS music scene easpecially the indepth reviews....
Very sad for IOS music indeed. Although I wish John all the best, of course.
There are other sites with the occational review alongside the steady stream of press releases, but MAB has been in a league of it’s own.
The first site I daily check on the net, second is the forum here, before I check the news to see if the world is still standing...
Thanks John
Faster reviewer, for sure........
A lot of his , in fact, most of his blog posts I converted into a PDF onto a few different ios apps. They are a lot of times more informative, and user friendly than the actual manuals/instructions that come with the app.
Aww, congrats and best of luck!!
I’m glad that he’s getting his music out there but I’ll bet that his blog is a much a part of him as it is of us. He’s gonna miss it and do t be so surprised if he reprised it again. You heard it here first . That was art what he did with those reveiws.
I agree, and I hope you're right. But John has been writing for Sound on Sound since at least 2002, and likely wrote for others prior. That's why he's so good. Check out his contribution to this article about tempo changes. He was covering Logic the year Apple bought it from Emagic... 5 years before the iPhone.
https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/using-tempo-changes
@telecharge : Seriously? Did not know that..
Now there are no older reviews there even. The site seems to have shut down completely.
I think he gave up/lost the domain musicappblog.com. You can still find old stuff via archive.org.
https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://musicappblog.com