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.
Best inspirational iPad Apps
What are the best apps for just playing with to make cool sounds, unique to iOS? iOS strength being pretty interfaces that draw you in.
I’m thinking Samplr is the obvious one, but there are apps like:
Nodebeat
Thicket
Musyc
Or maybe Fugue Machine
No specific criteria except that it plays to iOS strengths visually and the audio is actually worthwhile. Like, is Lily or KRFT or Scape actually worthwhile?
Comments
Borderlands draws me in every time I use it.
Very good use of the touch interface IMO.
So easy just to layer sounds semi-randomly and get interesting stuff happening.
The incomparable Jakob Haq did some vids a long long ago showcasing the melodic potential, worth hunting down.
Audulus 3 because there are brilliant people interpreting and implementing the work of other brilliant people.
https://rudigermeyer.com/notes/2018-04-23-23-12-14
Also, Beatmaker 3. Why is BM3 inspiring? Because I spent a lot of time working on my MacBook Pro and I have software that I can use to create samples. Recently I spent time using Reaktor's Form to personalize a set of kick drums, that are my own and immediately available for making tracks on iOS.
Zeeon inspires me. I had waited too long to download but this, but I finally jumped in and I am very satisfied with this synth app. I really like to spend time doing sound design and then later use what I make in productions. Very cool that people have been making huge banks!
https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/25555/ab-forums-april-sound-fest-zeeon
I also like to watch Talking Rackheads and play around in the free VCV Rack software because the things I learn there apply to all synth sound theory. It is a great show. It is also good to remember that Ableton Link allows all of us to sync up our iPads with our computers, so that even if you are dedicated to your ipad as a production workhorse, it doesn't mean you couldn't also have your computer running during a live performance, allowing for more complex cpu heavy arrangements to be available at the same time, while providing a go to option incase of an iOS crash.
K Machine uses patches to sequence music to visual animations in real time. It has a sequencer you can use to automate both visual and audio parameters.
Wizibel is good for making music videos which respond to your music using several styles to which you add your own pictures, audio, and text.
The following use the touch screen to effectively control audio:
AC Sabre on an iPhone is a great MIDI controller and even has MPE support. It can use all of the phone’s sensors for MIDI CC control.
TC-11 is a synth and TC-Data is a MIDI controller they both have modular components you can incorporate into a patch or you can make your own.
Draw on the screen to control the triggering of your samples in fluXpad.
KRFT is good, you can use internal synths and/or send out MIDI. You can automate MIDI CC# with it.
An app like GeoShred can be very useful as it allows you play using MIDI MPE as well as having nice modeling of various resonate bodies, strings, bridges, and a wide array of FX and scales.
If you’re interested in exploring non-western scales, Wilsonic is good as it has scales setup in a way that’s appropriate for each scale. The developer is working on support for a synth which can utilize Wilsonic scales. Replicating such scales on analog instruments, hardware, or hardware controllers would be quite a task. The touch screen is ideal.
MIDI Controller Editor Apps
Lemur, TB MIDI Stuff, MIDI Designer Pro, and TouchOSC all allow you to use or create controllers. They’re capable with custom patches to control software and/or hardware which couldn’t be achieved with traditional hardware MIDI controllers. Multiple apps and/or hardware can be controlled from one of these patches.
Modular Touch Screen Environments
There are also some apps which might seem old school yet use the screen space very effectively. SunVox is a modular synth where you can slide different parts of the GUI around so you can focus on a particular aspect. Many people are put off by its tracker note input even though you can control the modules via MIDI or use PixiTracker to import your sequences.
Audulus 3 is a visual programming environment for music where you can use patches (programs) created by others, make your own, or combine existing modules together. It uses an endless canvas concept so you can have ever deeper levels for nesting your subpatches, zoom in on any part of your patch (like a CAD or vector drawing app), and create a GUI for MIDI and/or touch playable instrument or effect. The members on the Audulus forum will help you out with your patches. There is no other non-text based music programming environment on iOS.
Monopoly, Sunrizer, Poison and Yonac synths all have some patch randomiser. Yonac synths like Magellan probably win out for the most random yet interesting and unpredictable sounding results.
Wavestation has a randomisation function as well. I find for best results you need to tweak the way the wave sequences loop to make it interesting. Haven't gone deep with the morphing yet but the potential is clearly there.
I like the samplers in Gadget as well, the slicer, Abu Dhabi, and Vancouver. These two are great because you can scroll through samples with the preset settings unchanged so you can get a different result from the same patch, also down pitching sounds, reversing them and drenching them in reverb and delay and messing around with the harmonics is really inspiring, especially for genres like deep house and dub techno.
I would say Figure and iKaossilator would go with your examples. I am still without Grooverider, but it seems like the state of the art inspiration machine. I am going to get that one one of these days...
For those 3 apps you asked about
1. Lily - nah, but it is cheap enough
2. KRFT - yes, but maybe an abandoned app?
3. Scape - seems a bit expensive to me, so not really interested personally
Figure I can pick up at any time, even with zero inspiration, and come up with something musical pretty quick. The results are limited but it gets the creative juices flowing and gives a base to build on with other apps.
Patterning and DM1 - sometimes Ill just load an interesting kit and make some drum loops for later.
Agree on Fugue Machine, been using it a lot lately to lay down the basic meat of a song. Works well when you want to experiment with overlaying a few different synth apps in tune quickly.
TC-Performer I just dug out again for my last track, its the little brother to the TC apps mentioned above. Cool visual feedback from the touchscreen controls.
Caustic. Everything I need is there.. Samplers, Modular synth, drumsampler.. Plus it's got very deep wav editting... The restriction of 14 instruments also keeps me creative..
Thank you all for these fantastic responses. Great community!!
I know Neo Soul Keys Studio is King but Klevgrands Tines is truly inspiring to me.
As of late Moog Model D has sparked much inspiration in me. I created a bank of close to 80 presets. I find it fun and challenging to think of an instrument I’d like to try to emulate and see how close I can get
An “inspirational” app? Look no further than this. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bible/id282935706?mt=8
But seriously, I was extremely into Beathawk last year due to how quick and accessible the sounds were. Oddly enough, I wanted to like Gadget but never could get into it. Then Korg added Vancouver to Gadget, and then FINALLY Gadget and I clicked. After 3-4 months of experimenting, I learned how to layer sounds in it. Then I posted that “Gadget LE” challenge last month, which forced me to start programming notes the same way I used to during my FL Studio days.
https://www.facebook.com/jwmmakerofmusic/videos/1707266682649780/
All that to say that Gadget is my main inspirational app. You can literally do almost ANYTHING in it, even ametrical atonal pieces. (Okay, so no BPM automation means no BPM slowdowns like in Brooklyn Bounce’s “Get Ready to Bounce”. You also can’t do live generative installments in Gadget like you could with PureData, Max, Wotja, or something like that. However, using Abu Dhabi, Vancouver, Zurich, Bilbao, etc, you sure as hell can do musique concrete, electroacoustic, ambient, etc etc etc.)
Not sure how you do any experimental genres like that with Gadget, I find the grid sequencer always steers me into short dance music loops and is really unsuited to longer or evolving sounds. Maybe Im missing a necessary technique.
Try to remove quantization and record your performances with long bars. Or just use it as a sound module, sequencing with other apps!
Then again, the first piece in Music For Airports started with just a simple piano loop.
Anyways, when I make dance music, I set the BPM to somewhere around 100-136 (depending on the feel I’m going for). When I make ambient, let’s just say I can set the BPM all the way down to 20, have each scene at 16 bars of length, and set the time signature for a scene to 8|4 (effectively doubling the amount of bars to 32). Quantizing off, of course, in order to keep things ametrical/arhythmic.
Or yes, sequencing Gadget with other apps! Good one mate!
(Why the hell didn’t I think of that one? 
Been doin it the hard way for the better part of 6 months.)
Caustic used to be my all time favourite and in many ways it's still a superior app. It's crippled on IOS unfortunately in these important areas:
1: Audiobus. Technically it works but it's a little broken
2: more importantly file management is a big fail. On Android it was great but on iOS folders can't be moved about, folders can't be deleted if they have files in them and files have to be deleted individually to delete the folder. Files can't be copied into folders if another file of the same name exists inside. To overwrite a file you have to save a new preset which will save to the root folder, then go into the directory and delete the first file, then copy paste... you get the idea.
I remember trying to copy presets from my android to the iOS app. For whatever reason ITunes wouldn't work and so I had to do it over FTP and it didn't save into the proper directory etc so my IOS experience of Caustic has been irrevocably traumatised.
I completely forgot to mention the chord apps, ChordPolyPad, ChordMaps, ChordBot, and GarageBand"s smart instruments. The new GB beat sequencer is also really inspiring for drum loops.
Now... that 8/4 trick is a good one! didn't think of that
Glad we were able to exchange a couple of handy ideas and tips.
Cheers.
Phonopaper which is free, virtual ans and nature oscillator, by the sunvox dev, phonopaper and nature oscillator use the camera to make sound, both run on the virtual ans engine, can get some very unique noises out of them, most of the time it sounds underwater, dial-up modemy, then something ear catching pops up.
Idensity, seekbeats and sliver are all good for experimentation and mangling, sliver hasn't been updated for a while though. Soundfruuze looks similar, but I haven't tried it yet, rotor looks good too, I had reactable and got some interesting things from it. Sector is very much worth checking if you haven't got it yet, excellent for beats and rhythmic things, csgrain might be worth a look for sound mangling.
Most my experimental apps are really old, was some great stuff that didn't make the 64bit purge, I keep them around just incase they get updated. Samplr, boarderlands and nodebeat put me in a hypnotic state, which makes me wonder what kind of alchemy is this.
That Gadget "Ambient" Tip is GOLDEN. I need to see how many seconds 20 BPM, 16 BARS of 8/4 is... that amount of time becomes a realtime recording limit for multitrack looping.
MATH suggests it will be a "live" recording limit of:
16 x 8/20 = 6.4 minutes = 384 seconds
Wow. This also makes me think of recording really slowly then cranking the tempo up to typical speeds and sounding like the best version of me I've ever heard. My ideas with the "chops" of Oscar Peterson, Buddy Rich, EVH, SRV, etc.
For that latter vocal trick, you’ll be wanting Cubasis to record and warp, and Brusfri for the cleanup in aisle 6.
Cheers.
I do this all the time when using the soft keyboard in Cubasis (while not using the JD-Xi). We get better results using a hardware instrument but while using soft keyboard, recording at slow tempo is the way to go. Playhead scrubbing of an audio track will render its harmonics at low tempo.
Good point... I need to start a thread for DAW's or multi-tasking.
Which one and why? AUM has helped me see why everyone wants AUv3 so I'm sure DAW's really drive that even harder.
Good ideas guys, indeed I have not used Gadget in those ways before.
So can I play multiple gadgets at once over different midi channels? That would be great for fugue machine.
I just finished an ambient track that I started nice and low at 62bpm...but then I added a simple bass and then some drums and it became a 124bpm track before I noticed haha. Ended up doing 2 different mixes, one with drums one without plus some other changes.
Gestrument is a big one for me for inspiration. I crank that app up without any plan in mind, and something always tumbles out.
BeatMaker 3, TC-11, iVCS3, Model 15, Ripplemaker, QuatroMod.
ThumbJam, Borderlands Granular, Animoog, Mitosynth....some more for sure.
Senode
ApeMatrix
StepPolyArp
GR-16
Lots of others but these make me want to get out of bed in the morning.
edit wanted to add Kronecker by IceWorks. Fab!
Rozeta and apeMatrix, great combo with AU’s.
Absolutely. I should have included that in my ApeMatrix entry.