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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Work in progress.....
My absolute favourite part of this layout was managing to reverse engineer the patch dump sysex to locate the patch name, then use Streambyter code to direct that into 16 sliders in Midi Designer that used a hex to Letters text list to name the ticks.
MidiFire behind the scenes to translate midi array values to the NRPN controls.
Layout is 90% done. Just having a few headaches with some of the controls using packed-parameter NRPNs.
Once finished, this should also work for K/KS and Xio Synths too.
I have the X-stations little brother the XioSynth (or whatever they changed its name to later).
Also has a nice synth and works as an audio and midi interface but is much smaller as it lacks the x station control surface stuff.
I used mine for gigging — a MacBook and my Xio did audio/backing duties and also functioned as my bass guitar amp via the MacBook.
It is a bit battered and missing a knob or two but still works flawlessly. It also works really well with my iPad.
As it’s a bit battered looking I was thinking of getting a replacement and was quite surprised when I saw that notation no longer do anything similar.
A keyboard with built in midi and audio interface is the perfect device for me. If you are listening Novation, please think of making another X Station or XioSynth type keyboard. Maybe a BassStatipn 3 with added interfaces? That’d be perfect :-)
Cool. Do the x station and xio have the same synth engine?
Edit. Yup. Looked it up. The Xiosynth adds a grit filter and xgator gate function. I really need to get back to these sounds and check them out, I've not used the built in synth sounds for donkeys years.
Yeah, I mainly use the X-Station as a midi controller for which it does an amazing job.
Had a play with the Synth last weekend and there was plenty of menu diving so I figured I’d have a go at a template for it.
It makes tweaking a synth so much quicker and inviting. For the parameters not accessible by knobs n’ sliders at least.
Seeing it laid out like that really explains the inner workings better.
Been a while since I used the internal synth.
Yeah definitely, for me too. The routings were a bit of a mystery before I started, but the fog cleared as I was assembling all the pieces together. 😃👍
Same and same. Great work @SpookyZoo! Especially the nerdy bits.
I didn't realize that. So the XIO is to the X-Station as the Alesis Micron is to the Ion. Though the Micron added a few more features not available in the Ion.
Could someone with an FaceBook account check this out for me? I really want to try @SpookyZoo ‘s templates but the Novation XStation Editor will not run on my Mac for some reason and I don’t do FaceBook. Thanks if anyone can help!
https://www.facebook.com/novationmusic/posts/blown-away-with-this-application-i-made-an-editor-for-my-new-novation-x-station-/4609158071918/
Hi @scadet yeah, that link isn’t working for me either. Is that for the editor?
Which of my templates are you after?
I can also use the iPad app Sysex Base (£9.99) to load in my templates to the x-station or a free app on the Mac. I’ll go check it’s name now...
EDIT: I think this is it... snoize Sysex Librarian. For the Mac
https://www.snoize.com/SysExLibrarian/
Ok, this link worked on my Mac but not the ipad.
Looks like it's a CTRLR layout somebody made for the X-Station 5 years ago.
It won't have anything to do with my layouts but here's the Google Drive link attached to that post.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B1u0k_Rr2c0CSE9TTVROa0Fidk0?fbclid=IwAR01FmlSD9R-AEYzc-y7N6OMhw2obc5gu3qfJ0vv2FJqVI6alPa9ZtJjzPI
@SpookyZoo
Wow, ask and you shall receive!! Thanks for all that info. I will try the Sysex app you mentioned which avoids the step of having to download the template to my Mac and then somehow get it to load the templates to the ipad. Thanks again for your help, so kind!
Got Sysex Base and was able to load and play around with your IMono / Poly template on the X Station. Thanks again!!
Awesome!
Enjoy!
Let me know if you find anything that needs fixing or improving.
I bought an X-Station 49 a couple of weeks ago for £130. It was on Ebay, but I found the same one on Friday-ads and rang the seller to get in early. It was 10 minutes down the road from me so I was able to collect it. Very happy with it.
holy. mother. of. god. That's a cry for help! Someone in the UK start offering him money please.
(not judging: I have the 25, 49 and 61
)
PS. @AmpifyxNovation Pleeeeaaaaase see above. Those who've found these things love them.
PPS. Though totally respectable, no one really cares about the synth part—it's all the rest (though, if you wanna see circuit patches explode[cough cough]. The SLMKIII has some lovely features. X-station knob layout and IO + that MKIII sequencer...? yummmmm
PPPS. The "IO" on the X, for me, is a super critical bit and I'd like to think could be a big selling point for existing novation users: want a stereo compressor and MIDI controller for exploring the guts of your Circuit? BOOM.
@SpookyZoo
Did you finish your MDP2 X-Station editor? Would you be willing to make it available? You mentioned it needs MidiFire/StreamByter support, how is it all configured?
Cheers,
Paul.
haha, I have another two 61s that I gave to my young Niece and Nephews to learn on.
I still get eBay alerts on X-Stations and it's hard to pass up a bargain when I spot one. Think I'm good now though.
Hey Paul. I got 97% of the way there. The last stumbling block was the 'packed parameters' midi spec of the lfo Options, like Common, One Shot etc. They all share the same CCs and it was screwing up the part of the layout that fetches current state of X-Station patch.
It fully works as a controller, but the 'returning synth state' part on the lfo's can be incorrect.
It's still super useful though.
I'll dust it off this weekend and check the layouts and code are still working.
It requires MidiDesigner Pro and MidiFire (although thinking about it, if you have the StreamByter AUv3, that might do the job of MidiFire).
I'll post back here with a link once that's done.
I also owe @1nsomniak a Poly6 template.
Sounds great. Looking forward to it.
Just picked up a Xio 25 on Ebay for £54. I’m going to have to clean the encoders, but I’m looking forward to sharing patches between it and the X-Station and being able to play the two together.
@SpookyZoo do you have a post up somewhere with all of your various x-station template wonders?
So the template is still not 100%, the LFO's xtra buttons are still an issue. Don't trust their state, but everything else seems to be working fine.
THere's still some space and some tweaks needed to add/improve bits, but I'll post another link here if and when that happens.
I'll post a link to this current version. It contains a Dropbox shared folder with 2 files. One for MididFire and the other for Midi Designer. You'll need to connect your X-station manually in MF. Note also, that X-Station should not be connected via MD as this connection will be made in MF.
The MF streambyter rules could probably be copied and pasted into a Streambyter Auv3 instance instead, but I've not tested this.
Let me know if you spot anything strange besides the LFO stuff.
http://bit.ly/xstationmd
If you go to the Global menu on your X-station, then > Dump current sound > Write, the layout should be updated with the current state of the patch (ignore LFO buttons).
EDIT: Also, just realised that I created this with the current Beta of Midi Designer. Should still be fine and work for you, but you will also need to replace the MD module in MF with your own MD instance.
Not yet. I'd really like to collate all my X-Station & Midi Designer layouts together and make available at some point this year.
Everything seems to get to 97% done though.
The more layouts/templates I create, the more I realise how earlier stuff can be improved, so none of them are ever in a 'completed' state.
haha
Thanks @SpookyZoo.
When I plug my x-station into my novation usb audio hub, or if in plug it in any way via usb into my iPad, the iPad recognizes it as the audio device.
How do I disable this, and either route the x station audio, only through usb, or midi only through usb?
I also used the X-Station with Audiohub and had this issue.
It's because the iPad will only allow connection to one audio interface.
I thought my solution was to plug in the Audiohub last, after the connection to X-Station had already been made. But I actually might have used a 4 slot Anker USB hub into the iPad, and then connect both the Novation's into that separately. Audiohub last.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Anker-4-Port-Ultra-Drives-Devices/dp/B00Y25XFGK/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Anker-4-Port-Ultra-Drives-Devices&qid=1556134551&s=gateway&sr=8-1
What iPad are you using?
I am on iPad Pro 12.9 gen 1
I will try another hub. I have tried a couple, so it must either be the sequence I am plugging, or in fact the anker brand makes the difference. I have so many hubs, I don’t wanna buy another.
The audio through the xstation isn’t as clean is through the audiohub.
My workaround in the meantime is to use quicco Bluetooth midi on the xstation. But I would like to free those up for another device.
Yeah, I definitely had to make sure I connected Audiohub after X-Station.