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.
any Beatstep Pro users around here?
I'm looking into buying a BSP to get some x0x style drum sequencing going. Any gottchas with the latest firmware 2.0? Does it work reliably over USB?
Comments
I just got one and have been sequencing stuff over MID and works great. But last night, I plugged it into my iPad and it was a disaster - I have no idea what's going on (I've posted on the Arturia forum), but it's behaving very badly. Basically, none of my apps will start up or operate when the BSP is plugged in. I've done hard resets of the iPad, started the BSP in low power mode (powered by USB hub and the ground-loop Y cable). I think I got it to work a couple of times if I sequenced starting things up in a particular way, but haven't been able to reproduce it. If the BSP is on when I start up apps, they get hung up and either crash or get stuck on the startup screen (so far, this has happened with Moog Minimoog, AUM, FM Player, Gadget, Module, and Noise). If anyone has any suggestions, I'd love some help - I really don't want to have to return it, but if I can't resolve, it, it's going back . . . :-(
i read your post over there. hence my iOS centric question over here. did you already try to use a usb to midi converter cable?
if memory serves me well there were some issues with the way Arturia hardware communicates with different midi ports...
Not sure what you mean - USB to MIDI converter between what - the iPad and the BSP? I have not tried that.
I've connected the BSP directly to the iPAD using a powered CCK (also using the y-cable power cable into the BSP) and through a Novation Audiohub (also powered throug h the Y-cable).
I use one and haven't run into that terrible sounding scenario. I do mostly use it with external hardware but when I hook it up to iOS it's been very reliable (knock wood). 2.0's Polymetric mode on the drums is a blast.
My biggest iOS-related beef with it is that there is no config app for iOS; you have to load it up on the desktop.
One thing to note that was a bummer for me: there is only one drum map for the entire device, not a drum map per project. If you were hoping to have the drum notes on one project mapped to X and another mapped to Y, no can. Enough iOS apps use MIDI learn that it's not too big a deal.
something like this: https://www.thomann.de/gb/maudio_midisport_uno.htm
do you use the USB connection? yes a dedicated iOS control center would be a blast!
Yes but I think I've always run it with the Y thingy + USB power.
Oh - I see. No I haven't, although I have one of those and will try it tonight. So far, I have only tried USB to the iPad, both direct and through the Novation Audiohub (in both cases, using the Y-thingy). I have used the MIDI out to trigger a sampler (1010 BitBox) and it worked fine for that. I'll have a little more time to play around with it tonight and will report back on the configurations I try.
The funny thing is that I have a Keystep and it works flawlessy with the iPad . . .
Sorry some are having troubles. Just ran Nave, M15, and a few others. BSP did it’s job with no complaints. Running Y split/usb power.
@syrupcore +1 iOS midi control center
did you do a factory reset already? i asume you changed some settings via control center?
I haven't fully explored the problem yet - I tried it for the first time last night and it took most of my time just to figure out what was going on and try some of the solutions that have been published. Apparently, the biggest issue for most people is the power problem, so I was focused on that. I think something else may be going on with my setup, though, because even when I ran through all the power solutions and it appeared to be accepted by the iPAD, the apps had all sorts of problems (I got AUM to start up a few times a the BSP would randomly appear and then disappear from the MIDI routing table). I will spend some more time on it tonight and start from a simple setup - just iPAD and BSP and see what I can sort out. I'll report back with my results.
Sorry to go a bit off-topic here, but have you had a look at iSpark?
I'm asking because I started with an original BeatStep 1, then Spark LE controller+software, then iSpark on iPad controlled by Spark LE, now I actually prefer using iSpark without the hardware. Features like better control of pad velocity on the touch screen when writing patterns left the hardware controller in the dust, although the setup worked well and stable.
I really wanted to get a BeatStep Pro too, but I need to enter arbitrary chords too often and there are better ways to do that.
It's certainly great if you want to go wild and experimental with monophonic tracks, but so is Oscilab
Hi everyone... I have found the BSP works well in my experience with both iOS and other gear. The roller/looper is particularly fun and the unit itself is well built. Never has any issues myself except for some issues initially with BM3 but I think they are fixed now.
My BSP works well with iOS. Connected via iRig and CCK.
Reads like the connection is loose or something, that connector is definitely fragile, make sure you’ve got the power side plugged out to a power source that’s not just a 500ma etc. you may have the MMC configured wrong, or the Global Channel, or the Sync options. The BSP FB forum isn’t bad. Once you sort it out it works - I’ve been wanting to get in configured with Quantum, there’s some good posts her on the Quantum thread about configuring. Gonna be great with the Circuit 1.7 update too.
Finally had some time to monkey with it this evening. I started from scratch - made sure the BSP and MIDI Control Center software was up to date, did a factory reset of the BSP and then started with just the BSP into the iPad (powered CCK, y-cable thingy). Everything worked fine in both low power mode and normal. Then I ran everything exactly the same way, but through the Novation Audiohub - everything went to hell again, in either low power and normal mode. I'm guessing having a USB hub in between is the problem. That sucks, since the Audiohub is a great interface . . . . I'll try it with DIN MIDI - I assume that will resolve the issue.
It's working perfectly for me with a CCk3.
Are you connecting directly or going through a USB hub?
I have been borrowing one from my housemate for a while, written some great jams with it with hardware (0-Coast, Softpop.). Especially great for the CV ports and clocking it all with the iPad.
It works well enough with iOS and with everything really.
i have a simple problem with it, namely its just too big for my live set up. When trying to get my live set up figured It became clear that it was the biggest unit which not at all ideal considering that with my recent stripped down, light weight setup, I have a ridiculous 10 items to carry around, + a bunch of power bricks. Ive found that using a iConnectMIDI2+ with Rozeta with my 2 korg nano studio controller cover way more sequencing possibility anyway and having Bluetooth MIDI control of everything suits my performance style.
Maybe Ill use it at a later date for a more purely hardware set up but for now, its not my controller of chooce, not my current setup or as my main controller for iOS.
Arturia doesn't care to fix a confirmed bug with SparkLE and iSpark is a pita and does not get any love from Arturia either! I was fortunate enough to get a refund for iSpark. ymmv
How are you connecting your BSP? Via USB hub or directly?
@dermichl powered usb hub
i was hoping for that answer!
I've tried the BSP to iPad through the Audiohub and a USB hub (with plenty of power). Same issues on both.
I have been using the Y-cable, though. I just tried it without the Y-cable and it works fine through the Audiohub and USB hub. Hmmm . . . I guess the y-cable confuses something in the path into thinking the BSP needs power from the iPad. So that's great news, but . . . I use the BSP to send a clock signal to my modular synth and operating without the y-cable introduces a ridiculous amount of noise.
Sigh. I guess this gives me an excuse to buy a MIDI-to-CV clock module for my system.
@Kiki_90291 sounds like you’ve checked everything. Only thing I can think of is to check the Y-cable......one side is power and the other is data. Tripped me up the first time I used it, my eyes are crap and it was really hard to see the embossed bit. Good luck, hope you get it sorted.
It is the Y-cable - but not for the obvious reason (totally agree - it's easy to get it reversed with my old eyes :-) ) - I think having the y-cable and a USB hub is confusing the iPad into thinking it needs to supply power to the BSP.
If you are having issues, try another USB cable, not all cables are created equal and not all will pass midi over the CCK connection.