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.
having the iOS files app and iCloud, is AudioShare still relevant?
I’m a fan of AudioShare and have been using it probably since it’s launch but recently i’m using it less and less and I was wondering if I really need it now, especially since I can access, save and move files around with the iOS Files App and iCloud. Is there a good reason to keep it that I haven’t thought of yet?
Just wondering what others thought?
Comments
Nothing wrong in using icloud/idrive, I love using Audioshare, perfect for what I do. Both get the job done perfectly fine in my opinion. Not directed at you but I feel people should focus more on making music than pushing for a perfect filing system. It must be a complete turn off for a Developer who wants to make creative music tools and then ends up using time on filing solutions.
Man, seem to put my foot in it what ever I say these days.
I'm just trying to get my head around a new workflow. Trying to rely less on the computer and use my idevices more in producing and making live electronic music. AudioShare has been invaluable to my work and I would highly recommend it based on the reasons mentioned by @mAxjUlien.
I do most of my sample prep using twistedwave, but the cloud is important to me and i've spent most of the afternoon trying to sync my samples between my iphone and my ipad. couldn't seem to get this to work (though i seem to remember it did once!). I have most of Jonathan's apps already and I do see there is a need for AudioShare. I should have worded my question differently.
Anyway, I probably should keep quiet in the future. Back to preparing for my next live show.
AudioShare, to me, is a perfect filing system. And it integrates well with iCloud and the Files app. I must admit, I’ve never really understood the argument (which is pretty vocal around these parts) for a bells and whistles, access all areas files app. I don’t see what advantages it would bring over and above what we already have. The problem as I see it is how far individual apps use what is available within the operating system.
@mAxjUlien no, your comment was very valid and highlighted some features which, while i don't use myself, will be very relevant to others. I am glad you mentioned those.
@Beathoven how did you get the files to sync over icloud?
i've logged off and on icloud on both my devices and I still can not get the files moved from one to another. This is a big thing for me.
At the moment, i can only get the files moved between devices using the itunes file system on the laptop. I would definitely keep AudioShare if i could just get the files moving around using icloud.
I've been on to the kymatica website and forum, just can't seem to find a way to make it work.
Would be great for me (and i guess others) if you could share how you got the i could sync working?
There are apps where creativity is compromised due to a lack of filing options- like Blocs Wave
Would like to know too. Audioshare iCloud sync never worked for me between devices.
hey man, I don't have blocs wave so I will trust your judgment on that one.
In general can file saving/loading be done more elegantly? probably if Apple iOS had better functionality but for me I have a ton of apps and I never had any issues with saving or loading files for my music. Audioshare/idrive work perfectly fine for me.
I’m pretty sure there’s no iCloud sync for AudioShare. The AudioShare folder that appears in the Files app is local-only. You could drag files from that into another iCloud folder to sync, but you’d have to move the files into the AudioShare folder on the other device.
Not sure if this would help you, but I think documents by readdle does icloud sync. If you can access this folder where you need to, it might get the job done...
That is actually a really good app you mention, I use it for transferring video direct from youtube to imovie.
I agree. It’s also time taken away from creating music when musicians have to figure out how to use different file access with different apps. I think the blame ultimately rests with Apple who hasn’t provided enough support for developers to makes files access an easier, more reliable, and standard process.
I move files from The AudioShare folder to the iCloud folder in the Files app. Alternatively, as @denx said, Readdle Documents syncs with iCloud, so you could move files between iPad and desktop that way. It’s more of a workaround than a solution, but I’m 100% iOS now, so as long as I can access my samples, loops, etc across my devices, that’s all I need.
Audioshare does have the built in server - I've not tried it, but seems like you could pop the server address into a browser on 1/both your devices and move files around that way.
interesting!
Audioshare also lets you unzip files and such. I use it for more than just audio files
When I traveled a lot for work, I remember renting cars in the winter and not being able to find out how to turn on the defroster in an unfamiliar car before I headed out from the airport rental car place. After enough experience, I had a list in my head, but that’s a ridiculous concept. Why couldn’t cars standardize the location of the controls? The auto manfacturers could help a lot by agreeing and making sure they put them where people expected to find them.
In general, i’m not an apologist for Apple, but the Files app (and the “on my iPad” folders) were a step in the right direction to help with moving files around, if only devs would make use of the concept, and many DO. I disagree with the idea that moving files between apps is irrelevant to the experience of making music. It has been frustrating having to keep track of how those that DON’T use the Files app do their own thing, and some of those really suck at it. Just before writing this, I wanted to import some Midi into Korg Gadget. Two ways: iTunes (are you KIDDING??) or Dropbox. So, out to copy the file from my Xequence on-my-iPad folder to Dropbox, then back to Gadget to import it, then back to Dropbox to delete that temporary copy (if you don’t get rid of it, three years from now you’ll be cleaning up Dropbox asking yourself what the hell this Midi File is doing here). If Gadget used the Files app, a copy from Xequence to Gadget would have made the file available in Gadget.
The idea that devs should be excused from considering how their files fit into a bigger picture, and how to make them easily available to other apps because that takes time away from adding another oscillator, is short-sighted. One of the first things I look for when I’m considering an app purchase is can I use it with what I already have.
And in the same vein, a company as large as Korg, with plenty of development resources, should have no excuse for not doing it. This is not meant to bash Korg. I love their stuff. But I WILL say that I would use it more if it took file management into better consideration.
My two cents may only be worth 1.5 cents, so take my rant as what it is, just an opinion.
In UI terms, it's called positional integrity. For instance, the New, Open, Save, etc buttons should be at the same location whether or not they are enabled/disabled so the user doesn't have to struggle to locate them blindly. It is better than hiding/showing buttons that contracts/expands the button bar confusing the user even more.
Manufacturers/vendors should steer away from introducing their own idiosyncrasies into products/apps in order to differentiate themselves from competition but stick to visual standards and generally accepted layouts. It would make users' lives so much easy.
Flashy/cheap/fluorescent/bright colors, over-sized/undersized controls/fonts, etc are not ok. They cannot go wrong with dark theme. IMDb, AudioShare and a few DAW apps are good examples of this.
An app should offer the shortest Click/Tap-path (fewest clicks/taps) to accomplish a task without the user having to wade through several hoops. iOS is a great example of this.
Also, display as much info as possible/available. For instance, in the file list, they could display file size, format, bit rate, duration/length, etc.
Always hope for v2 of AudioShare, including full audio editing(with batch support), tagging and advanced search by tags and audio file properties .
Still I prefer AudioShare than a soulless file explorer.
Hi, AudioShare also records, connects to stuff, and hosts Inter app effects.
Audioshare = Priceless
The biggest reason for me to use Audioshare is for the recorder, works all all iOS mics (and the built in one) and is more reliable than some 3rd party ones for me,.
I have pretty much replaced AudioShare with Readdle Documents since it integrates cloud storage services which lets me store audio files that are synced across devices whether I’m on the iPad or the phone.
Another thing I like about Readdle Documents is its audio player. You can treat any list of audio files like Apple’s Music app treats playlists: You can loop all, loop one, or shuffle. It also works better with Bluetooth earbuds/headphones since it responds to play/stop controls whereas AudioShare doesn’t.
There’s still one key area that Readdle lets me down for which I still come back to Audioshare which is proper playback of audio loops. If I ever bounce out a 8 bar loop for example and I want to loop it, there’s a pause when Readdle loops it. Audioshare, on the other hand, understands the concept of tempo so loops just fine.
Other areas that Audioshare still comes in handy are of course the ability to record things through fix apps and its built-in integration with AUM. And certain key apps that I use, such as Gadget, exports directly to Audioshare.