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.
15 Apps for a Near Perfect World
Tell me please your list of 15 apps for as perfect an iOS studio as possible. My own list includes at least nine missteps, but here they are: Five by Jordan Rudess ( pretty much a waste, but my baby steps thinking Jordan was the entire virtual world) Korg Gadget (and you get a sequencer!) iM1 ( nostalgic but not my nostalgia) and the in app (thousands of still more nostalgic sounds!) iSymphonic (gotta have some strings!) and finally Xequence ( at last some light, but still no decent piano and no rhythm patterns!) so, my last five, still to come: 1. Aum 2. Ravenscroft piano 3. Luis Martinez' Slow Drummer 4 Martinez again, Mid East Drummer ( I am, after all, living in Istanbul) and finally Sensual Sax ( must have a decent horn!) or maybe ZmorsEQ....
so, tell me, can I find happiness with this nearly thoughtless aggregation? Will life be worth living again? Or are major renovations necessary (I am haunted by Cubasis!)
What are your magic fifteen? Please tell me! And if someone knows how to use the poll thing in the lower left, be my guest!
Best to you all!
Comments
When the answers start coming in, be careful about buying anything without further investigating.
If you ask people to list their personal favorite 15 apps, you must realize that most answers will be catering to each individual’s personal workflow and musical style. They might be worlds away from what you have in mind for your own personal workflow.
If you are just curious about what is considered the good stuff in a general sense, then these answers will fill you in. But if you are looking for suggestions for yourself, you could post about what kind of stuff you are aiming to accomplish. This may possibly help people suggest apps that you would find useful, and maybe even save you some time and money.
But I also recommend buying apps that may not fit your workflow, if they interest you at all. There are many, many amazing apps that I didn’t really understand at first, but now know how cool they are. They let me work in ways I never imagined before. A new world may open up to you. You never know.
I’m on the least amount of music making apps I’ve ever had on my iPad. No way I could get down to 15 apps only though.
Thanks, CP. you are totally right, of course. I just want to see what informed people are doing. As Shunryu Suzuki said: To the beginner the possibilities are many. To the expert they are few. From Zen Mind Beginners Mind.
As generic as I could:
Odesi
Klimper
Suggester
Xequence / modstep
Quantum
AUM
AudioBus
AudioShare
Cubasis
Rozeta
ChordMaps 2
Beatonal
ChordPolyPad
Bark Filter
Twisted Wave
That's already 15 and we have neither Sample based Apps nor Synths nor any effects (beside Bark Filter) or mastering tools.
But then, all of this is part of Cubasis and will do if we need to minimize the number of Apps.
So, to add Synths, we need to exchange Apps:
Option 1) Handling all generic areas
Odesi -> Ruismaker FM
Klimper -> Phasemaker
Suggester -> Troublemaker
Beatonal -> Ripplemaker
Option 2) Less generic
Odesi -> Redshrike
Klimper -> Laplace
Suggester -> Lorentz
Beatonal -> Mersenne
Option 3) Individual
Odesi -> Model D
Klimper -> Animoog
Suggester -> EGSY01
Beatonal -> Thor
Ahhhhhh. No Mitosynth? No Nave? No Zeeon? No sample based Synths? No Blocs Wave? No Launchpad? No Gadget?
It's just too hard a question and decision.
But then, a folder shows 16 apps, not 15.
And complete page shows 20 apps.
Maybe 20 is a better goal?
Some great advice from @CracklePot there. Mis-steps are all part of it. There’s no right way of doing things, so don’t sweat it, and don’t be afraid to let go if something doesn’t suit you (even if it seems to be popular on the internet). There’s so much to discover - more than anybody has time for.
If I was starting over with just 15 apps (it’s been an expensive year) I’d likely go for Auria Pro with some of the FabFilter plug-ins as my main base of operations. Let’s say Pro-Q 2, Pro-C 2, Pro-R, Saturn, Timeless and Pro-L 2 to begin. It’s an expensive 7 right off the bat (watch out for sales) but it’s a world-class studio and I think I’d be pretty much set.
The remaining 8 might be:
AudioShare
AUM
Brusfri
Patterning
Model 15
SunVox
Samplr
Egoist
It wouldn’t be enough though. If you like synthesizers, you’re screwed
Alchemy Pro
Animoog
Audiobus
AUM/AudioShare
AC Sabre
Beathawk
Blocs Wave
Effectrix
Egoist
Elastic Drums
Impaktor
Loopy HD
Model D
Nave
PPG (all of them)
Gadget
Samplr
TC-11
Turnado
Zeeon
You could probably check out bs-16i and this would likely cover you for a number of sounds. Some good soundfont pianos mentioned and linked somewhere on the forum.
Have a search for sound fonts and bs-16i.
I've read one or two of your posts on the Xequence thread and being that you are an improviser try this one - Xynthesizr. Set up a pattern (up to 32 beats) and you can change keys, with one finger ... and go cat go! Doug from The soundestroom has a good video showing what it can do.
cubasis
BM3
Audioshare
gadget
zeeon
kauldron
patterning
ModelD
Egoist
Fac chorus
Fac maxima
Fac transient
Effectrix
Kamae (Kick Ass Multitrack Audio Editor) (working title)
The rest are all pretty much equal
I've read one or two of your posts on the Xequence thread and being that you are an improviser try this one - Xynthesizr. Set up a pattern (up to 32 beats) and you can change keys, with one finger ... and go cat go! Doug from the soundtestroom has a good video showing what it can do.
Mistakes are cheap in iOS. Have a blast!
I've read one or two of your posts on the Xequence thread and being that you are an improviser try this one - Xynthesizr. Set up a pattern (up to 32 beats) and you can change keys, with one finger ... and go cat go! Doug from the soundtestroom has a good video showing what it can do.
Mistakes are cheap in iOS. Have a blast!
BM3
Samplr
Quantiloop
Elastic FX
Audioeffx
Wavemapper
Beathawk (sample packs needed)
Tardigrain
Audioshare
AUM
Voicerack FX
Korvpressor
iWavestation
Mood
Swarplug
I use Gadget, iM1, AUM and Audiobus, Xequence, iSymphonic. Here are some other apps I've used (and liked) to look into, to see if they work for you...
For a DAW, check out Cubasis, Auria Pro, BeatMaker 3, and MultiTrackStudio
Synths: LayR, Moog Model 15, Model D, and Animoog, Korg iMono/Poly and ODYESSEi, iceGear Mersenne, Lorentz, and Laplace, Arturia iSEM, Waldorf Nave, PPG Phonem, Bram Bos TroubleMaker, Propellerhead Thor, Yonac synths, and others that will be mentioned here
Performance synth and MIDI controller: GeoShred (The Boss)
Performance surface/controller with good sounds: ThumbJam, the iFretless apps -- Bass, Brass, Guitar, and Sax (sampled instruments played on a string-sim interface)
Guitar strummin': GuitarCapo+, Guitarism, Yonac Steel Guitar
Drums / beats: DrumPerfect Pro, Patterning, DrumJam, Ruismaker
Soundscapes: SynthScaper, moodScaper
Sample Library / Music Studio / Groovebox type thing: BeatHawk, SampleTank
Sample library: Korg Module
Sample looping: Blocs Wave, Launchpad, Samplr
Sampled DX7: FM Player (so nice, so free)
MIDI sequencing: Rozeta, Quantum, StepPolyArp
One-finger chord playing: ChordPolyPad
Audio FX: FAC Maxima, Transient, and Chorus, Bram Bos Kosmonaut, Audio Damage bunch, AUFX:xxx, Crystalline, and many more
Look at AudioShare for file organization and conversions, and recording from AUM
If you can't afford trial and error, read available user manuals, watch YouTube videos, and read reviews before buying.
Groove Rider, iKaossilator, Animoog, Blocs Wave, Audiobus, Audioshare, Grand Finale. I don’t need much else personally
1 SunVox
and things to feed it
2.mods from VividTracker
3.xms from Pixitracker
3 and 4 all the sample packs pulled from BM3, iMPC Pro and Pro 2
5 Audioshare
6 Audiobus
Edit:
7-15 nine synths or grooveboxes for samples and loops - apps that do the things that aren’t already covered by what’s inside SunVox or available from the SunVox forum... Moog, PPG, Virsyn, IceGear stuff, Strokemachine, Caustic, iElectribe. And I spoze a DAW to send stems to for finishing. (AP, MTS, Cubasis, they each have their appeal)
Auria Pro - DAW, ProTools-y, 960,000 PPQN, Audio warping etc.
Fab Filter Pro L2 (Auria IAP, but counts as an app IMO) - best limiter on any platform
Fab Filter Pro Q2 (same) - best eq on any platform
Fab Filter Pro R (same) - one of the best reverbs on any platform
Fab Filter Saturn (same) - best saturator/exciter I know
Fab Filter Volcano (same) - top notch filter FX
Fab Filter Timeless (same) - best echo FX I know
PSP Microwarmer (same) - subtle tape saturation
Drum Perfect Pro - complex but ultra realistic drum machine
Hokusai 2 (for the noise reduction)
iPolysix - korg polisix emulation
iMS-20 - korg MS-20 emulation
Model 15 - best analog synth on iOS
AudioShare - must have for audio file management
DXi - they managed to create a FM synth that is easy to program!
Audioshare
Auria Pro
Pro C-2
Pro-L2
Pro-Q2
Pro-R
Timeless 2
Saturn
Volcano
Patterning
Zeeon
Model 15
FAC Chorus
For the last 2, I'm just trying to round out the bases for yoy. So I suppose I'd recommend a different type of synth. So choose one (Phasemaker/Ripplemaker). Finally you may prefer synth drums over samples, so Seekbeats.
Quite right, CP. The only thing I’d add is that peeps here are passionate about what they are doing, and often doing it every day. So recommendations are unlikely to include many ‘fan boy’ style inclusions.
In order of importance to RTM’s efforts -
1.Blocs Wave
2.Auria Pro
3. Fab Filters (use most of range)
4. Dropbox
5. AudioShare
6. AUM
7. Kosmonaut
8. FAC Maxima
9. AniMoog
10. Patterning
11. MovieToAudio
12. AudioBus (forum more than app)
13. FM Player
14. Twisted Wave
15. Rozetta Suite
Please note, with the exception of the top 6, apps listed are often interchangeable with a lot of others that are equally great, depending on what we’re doing.
There are also a few brilliant apps we tend to dabble with, or use on a track as a one-off, and hope to include more in actual output. These include -
Refraktions
Fugue Machine
ChordMaps2
....and a whole load more.
This is true.
Whatever style/genre you make, it will sound a lot better if you tweak and master it using Fab Filters. For that, on this platform, you also need Auria Pro.
In no particular order 15 lines of apps from an app-o-holic...
Cubasis+IAPs
BM3
Korg Apps (Gadget+IAPs, iM1, iWavestation, iMono/Poly, Odyssei & Module etc.)
Zeeon
Jim Audio Apps (Poison-202, GR-16)
KQ Dixie
Virsyn Apps
WolfgangPalm Apps
BramBos Apps
IceGear Apps
FAC Apps
AudioDamage Apps
Kymatica Apps
Moog Apps
Klvgr Apps
There are plenty more but the above gets mostly used by me at the moment...
Pretty much have it down to eight core apps (in no particular order) -
GarageBand
AudioShare
Model 15
Blocs Wave (+Launchpad for extra packs)
Groovebox
Voloco (have yet to actually use this but have intentions)
VoiceRack:FX
Grand Finale
As a previous poster mentioned, find what works for you, workflow wise
I’ve tried plenty of other apps and we just didn’t gel. And that’s cool - doesn’t mean they are bad.
I can get it down to one line:
iOS apps
I do use many other apps, but these are my main ones currently
EDIT: I should mention that I don't have a regular sequencer on the list because i use Circuit for that when needed. If I didn't have circuit then ModStep would be on that list somewhere.
I suspect my 15 app Planet Perfect might look something like this (I own some but not all of these) ...
Cubasis + IAPs................esp. Waves plugins (and I use Micrologue quite a lot)
Zeeon...............................versatile analogue poly synth duties
Viking...............................mono synth duties & when synth CPU lightness is needed
Rozeta..............................ARP and other pattern generation
Tonestack........................guitar+bass amp sim/FX... love this, fingers crossed for an AUv3 adaptation soon!
Brusfri..............................clean up guitar/bass noise
FAC Transient..................add punch to drums (happy using Allen Morgan signature drums Cubasis)
Filterstation.....................like a FF Volcano lite
Bark Filter........................unfussy spectrum analyser as much as anything
Audiobus.........................the one and only... always seems to be a need for it
Final Touch......................for my mastering attempts (used in standalone)
The above are regular use, for occasional use I'd add;
Discord4.........................interesting effects, use liberally or full on
Turnado..........................so many things you can do with this - would love it to be AUv3
Fieldscaper.....................a lab of silky sonic turbulence
vBot.................................nice, straightforward vocoder from Humbletune - again, would love it to be AUv3
The type of music you make obviously is going to steer you toward/away from certain app categories - in my case the context for the above set of apps is synth-drenched guitar rock with spacey leanings!
apologies for the triple post. What the.
Well, I find this all pretty amazing... Kind of like no two snowflakes are the same. So interesting to me that any two accomplished iOS users may have totally different setups. I guess genre is part of it but I get the feeling that most respondents are into similar styles... No contemporary "serious" music, jazz, pop(?), reggae, world beat, ethnic, for examples. Please correct me if I am wrong. Perhaps I should have asked for genre in my query as ZeroG described.
It will take me days to sift through this treasure trove of goodies, but better than weeks of wandering aimlessly in the musical desert seeking the oases that you all mention..
Commonalities seem to be Audiobus and Aum and Audioshare, though not all mention them... I wonder why. DAWs seem to be Cubasis, Auri pro and BM. And surprising to see a minimalist like db909 in a sea of appivors. It is like being a kid in a candy shop! No one really seems to be into acoustic sounds, though maybe Grand Finale, Sun Vox and some others might be acoustic stuff, I have to check them out. No one mentions a dedicated piano. And it seems most of you generate your own beats. No Luis Martinez, though I did see one DrumJam. Have to check out Ruismaker.
And, naturally, some of you may be audio ining guitars, etc.
So I guess I will spend some time in the App Store starting from the top! Thanks so much for your willingness to take the time. I wonder if any of these choices were surprising or interesting when you read them... Or do you already know each other's modi operandi?
Cheers!
In reference to your inquiry about genres... I don't make anything techno/edm... my music is more funky jazz/ethnic dub-heavy hiphop kinda folkish at times... Its amazing what you can produce with apps. Here are my 15...
AUM
BM3
FAC Maxima
ThumbJam
DrumJam
Launchpad (with LaunchpadPro controller)
BlocsWave
FunkDrummer (Sometimes SoftDrummer)
BeatHawk
Tonestack
Kosmonaut
Model 15
Loopy HD (or Quantiloop could go 50/50)
Impaktor (for use on a seperate iDevice)
Geoshred
Not really music apps but MIDI LinkSync and Link to MIDI are must have utilities in this setup for me for use with Ableton Live on my macbook, Push 2, Launchpad Pro, effects and loop pedals. Have fun man! I know you will....
Wrong
.. although not for a long while (some Ska recently)...had the list been longer then Galileo (brilliant organ)...Heavy Brass...brilliant..well...Brass 
would have been on there too....Bass and guitars I play real ones recorded into Cubasis (Madrid in Gadget is a respectable substitute for this) . Between Cubasis, Rock Drum Machine and Groovebox I have enough acoustic drums to have me covered....Gladstone in Gadget is great for this too.
Rock Drum Machine
These are like swiss army knives -- just for management, routing, cleaning things up, etc etc these apps are total workhorses!
Grand Finale is a Klevgraand mastering app I dove into pretty recently, I like the sound I'm getting out of it on the few things I've run through it.
Started experimenting with live guitar recording recently even though I've had the hardware for awhile, now that I'm out of my "ALL GUITARS MUST BE SUPER DISTORTED C TUNED" mindset it's actually starting to sound good to me
for that (I didn't list these) I like either Jamup Pro or Amplitube. I'm no virtuoso though people who can actually play probably have their favorite and a good reason why, but to me they sound pretty good