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.
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The X-STATION has 40 template slots. You can configure all the midi of the X-station controls, knobs, buttons, faders, etc to control your favourite Apps or Soft synths. Either by matching the spec of a synths midi chart or via Midi learn if the app has that feature.
This can be done on board the X-station itself or via a desktop editor.
http://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/irigkeysio/ is a controller with audio I/O. Just much less on the controller side.
+1. Mainly for apps and devices that don't have MIDI Learn. Or for doing stuff like setting some controls to go out one channel and other controls to go out another channel (or port).
@syrupcore thanks, I didn’t know about that one, seems like a nice alternative and at 200€ it’s not that bad (I seem to recall my x-station 25 was like the equivalent of 500€ at the time)
Wow. Yep, it was 500€. I was certain you were mad but https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/novation-x-station-25 proves your sanity.
Maybe that's why Novation isn't making another. I want an updated V2, badly, but do I want to pay $620 for a 25 key version? TBH, not really. Maybe for the 61 key version if it had all of the upgrades I want. Maybe.
It had the synth part, but yeah,
But somehow music gear has gone down in price, there’s no way they could sell it at that pricetag nowadays. That said I too would love a v2 from novation...
at the time broke me had to break the piggy bank
Ok now i get it thanks. I thought that info would belong on the app side not the keyboard but I guess you can remap either side.
That right. As syrupcore wisely pointed out, the flexibility of mapping the X-Station is especially useful when the app or softsynth has 'fixed' midi CC values.
The ability of mapping controls to individual midi channels also means you can control multiple apps with just one template at the same time.
Yep. For apps, you have the right idea. I have a single template in slot 1 with a bunch of generic CCs that I use for basically all apps that have MIDI learn.
But I also use it to control hardware units which all have fixed CCs, or sysex or whatever. The extra templates come in there for the most part.
I used to have one of these several years ago but the top controls somehow stopped affecting the internal synth engine and I got rid of it, cause at the time I wanted a synth. Now I’m kinda interested again.
Question. Can the internal synth engine still be sequenced from external sequencer (ch 16?) while using it in template mode to control another synth?
I guess this kinda answers my question, but I think Template switching is unavailable is KS Synth Mode. Apparently you can program the CCs for the Synth Mode template but there’s only one.
Opened up one of X-Station 61s that I bought with a broken fader.
Huge time-saving tip if you ever need to open an x-station...
one of the screws hides in the battery compartment, D'oh!
If you use Korg’s iMono/Poly I just posted a complete X-Station template for it.
More details and link in this other thread.. https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/25337/x-station-template-imono-poly#latest
Yeah I remember that one in the battery apartment.
I pulled mine apart years ago to replace the joystick .
It has never been the same since. The main data/value knob is dodgy as, which makes it difficult to change any values. I'm not sure if it is a coincidence or a slight misalignment of the casing, but I am loathe to pull it apart again.
I just tend to use it in template mode but that is getting more difficult to choose a template number.plus I think another pot or two are on their way out.
I think that’s quite a common issue. I’ve heard that using something like DEOXIT will usually sort out the pots.
This particular X-Station was a mess when I opened it up. Absolutely full of wood shavings and crap, but funnily enough no issues with anything but the broken slider.
Until I fucked up the soldering that is!
Cheers!
Hey @Jes THought I'd quote you and respond on this thread as not to go to OTT on the Bluetooth thread.
Thanks for your info on the batteries. I guess it could well be my rechargeable Duracells. They get fully charged but when I use them in the X-Station you can literally see the charge dropping from 7.9 to 5.6 by 0.1 every second. They're the correct Nimh type too, so I guess I'll try with ordinary non-rechargeable.
By the way, if anybody owns both the X-Station and Circuit, I've completed an X-Station template that covers EVERY parameter of the Circuit Synth. It was like a game of Tetris to include them all. There are 12 LFO parameters so those are spread across the template but everything else is kind of in it's right place.
I'm gonna work on some documentation for it over the weekend but if you're interested, let me know and I'll share them via dropbox or email.
@SpookyZoo Yes, please for the Circuit template!
I want to buy a 49 key so bad, but have had an awful time finding one. If anyone's got one to offload, lemme know!
These 2 templates are for Circuit's Synths 1 and 2.
I'll probably add Templates for the Drums, Mixer, FX over the week.
The buttons above the Envelopes are blank. I'll probably use these for drum notes and mutes, but I left them blank for now.
Apologies for the garish guide. I struggled to find the best way to show the layout.
Al the controls are named on the unit and ON/OFF display is used for toggled parameters where possible. Some use values like 4-7 and it's not possible to name the 'ticks' but the Circuit Programmers guide has these all listed.
Please let me know if there's any issue with the shared DropBox folder and if you find any weird stuff or ideas to improve the layout I'll be happy to make adjustments.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/gj613dhrviz2e4n/AAA2Az_c_HYN3nR9Ox4nIIg3a?dl=0
circuit programmers guide...
https://d2xhy469pqj8rc.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/novation/downloads/12118/circuit-programmers-reference-guide-v1-0.pdf
BTW, with the LFO's, the Rate Sync button (0-35) will need to be at zero for the Free Rate knob to be active. (Same with the Delay Rate Sync.
Rate Sync really should be on a knob but I though it was important to have it on the LFO section. It's a lot of button presses for that parameter but it's not as bad as it seems in practice. Getting the LFO buttons in good areas was a real struggle.
That looks fantastic @SpookyZoo. Thanks very much!
Looks like Novation is pulling support for the X-Station, I just googled the Template Editor and Google has the pages indexed but they arent on the site anymore.
edit: found it elsewhere on the site
I’m unlikely to be selling mine, but where are you based? I have notifications set up on UK’s EBay when X-Stations are listed and I’ll send you a note if one pops up.
No worries. Hope you have some fun with it.
Little experiment with the X-Station synth. No luck using NRPNs in MidiDesigners StreamByter module though.
I’ll keep trying.
US.... Thanks for offering though! I check reverb.com every few days, so I'd imagine it's a matter of time. 61s and 25s everywhere, but have yet to see a 49.
Where in the US? I don't really wanna deal with shipping (etc) but, having the 25 and the 61, I could part with my 49 if you're in the pacific northwest.
For what it's worth, I found all three of mine on Craigslist. The 25 even came with a fancy pants Novation back pack. You can set up email alerts on CL too. https://www.craigslist.org/about/saved_searches_and_alerts
Thx! PMd.
I always wanted one of those backpacks for the 25, had an alert set for ages but no deals came up and they seemed kind of over priced new. For a while I was carrying it around to a jam space but not anymore.