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.
Comments
I had tried a few host and apps already. I'm not always sure if an apps' midi out will work in a manner that I expect. None of the apps I was testing with were accomplishing pitch bend (with pitch bend wheel), that's why I wanted to test with the QuNexus. Had to pull out the laptop and reset first ( ios is making me a little lazy hehehe ).
QuNexus = no on standard built-in pitch bend via pitch bend wheel. Utilising the midi cc of note shift (+/- 48) is smooth though, like one would expect if using a pitch bend wheel. I never use pitch bend wheel myself, but I can see it being useful for smooth pitch bending while playing live. While with sequencing I would want the pitch wheel bending to be quantised.
The "pitch bend' is not assigned to another parameter.
I'll ask ERik if he'll consider implementing standard midi pitch bend. I've found that he's open to ideas if they are easy to implement.
I would love that as well. I've not requested, but I will. I've not pressed to find out which type of interpolation he's utilised with the auv3 beta i'm using, but I will be more forward....
hehehe
I will. Still, I think your direct input might be more inspiring for this developer.
Sincerely, thank you for all that you do for this community Samu.
adapt is the thing to do with most apps
My opinion only;
I've been using the forthcoming auv3 beta for a bit. I'll make an effort to separate the new features from the currently available version.
loop sample - even single cycle waveforms - uncommon on ios
loop reverse - seems more like what would be called ping pong.
one shot
the beta has added a new interpolation mode that is useful when utilising single cycle waveforms (a nice addition for any type of sample).
User can manually control start and end of loop - in the auv3 beta: the addition of midi cc of start and end loop (uncommon on ios)
The included bit rate and sample rate crusher seems different. The developer seems to be aware of early digital sound. three different modes of crush: floor, ceiling, and round.
I like the reverb implementation, but i'm a fan almost any reverb.
the 'sample dividers' feature is unusual, and very interesting.
the 'sample mode' feature. again, unusual and cool.
the arpeggiator; not unusual I suppose, but lot's of fun.
the 'anti-click function has been added as a midi cc in the beta. current version is manual. this function does some interesting things to some samples. unpredictable. i find that it sounds like waveshaping on some samples.
I also enjoy ERik's sense of aesthetics. His apps seem a labour of love. I suspect he uses these tools for his own exploration.
Underpriced for what they are capable of.
@frond - thanks for that detailed description.
There is a lot going on in there...
Please! Give it to us! You will make a looot of AUM users happy!
Can you sample into elsa au from a synth in AUM or do you import samples?
Oh haha I totally missed your comment..
Looks like we are both asking the same thing 😄
I love tardigrain and find strng really fun, Elsa looks interesting but I am curious about sampling!
So it looks like the auv3 is now available on the app store... Correct ?
Elsa has been AUv3 for a while
Rad!
Btw, you can record into elsa when loaded as fx. (Hit the mic icon on sample display to monitor input). But the only way to play it is with built in keyboard (elsa FX has no midi in), or you can after recording save the preset, load elsa as instrument and load the preset.
Perfect!
Im not the developer. Looking at his TestFlight beta info, I would say he’s very busy with updating his apps to AUv3.
Both, if I’m understanding your question eyeohess.
Sample repeat ( single note, phrase, drumloop, loop, whatever your terminology ) is determined by envelope setting ( in elsa ), trigger method ( elsa’s Keyboard, elsa’s Arpeggiator, AUM’s keyboard, external sequencer, etc. ), and elsa’s loop mode ( one shot, loop, ping pong - the developer refers to these modes as one shot, loop restart, and loop reverse ). This is applicable to a single cycle waveform, a 1 bar loop, anything you record or import.
I’ll give a few simple examples. Intentionally kept simple so that all users can easily understand.
import a prerecorded loop; 1 bar, kick drum playing 1/4 notes at 120 bpm.
Set your loop start and end to play the full bar.
Set elsa bpm to 120. This matches the bpm of your imported loop. After you know what to expect, with regard to how your imported loop functions within elsa, play around with different bpm’s.
The user can control the start point, end point, or start and end point of their imported 1 bar loop. This can be done with a sequencer sending midi cc values, an external hardware controller, or on the screen with your finger.
The above is applicable to anything you record or import;
single cycle waveforms, notes ( 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, etc. ), drum loops, long loops, short loops, drones, etc.
Reminder: 0-127 midi values are controlling your loop start, or loop end. They are not quantized to beat values ( 1/32, 1/16, etc. ).
For quantised beat values you will need to utilise elsa’s built in arpeggiator, or a sequencer that allows you to set the appropriate values.
When utilising a single sample ( eg. kick drum, piano note, synth note, single cycle waveform, etc ) it’s much easier to understand what’s happening.
It seems that it would be easier to make a video than to type ;-) I’ll make an honest effort to do so over the next week. ( time permitting )
Let’s use 1/4 notes again. Our 1/4 note sample import was recorded at 120 bpm. Set elsa’s bpm at 120.
Divider are labeled 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8
1 = full 1/4 note
2 = 1/4 note divided by 2
3 = 1/4 note dived by 3
Etc.
Note:
You can choose any combination of
the dividers you’d like ( one, two, all, etc ). Randomly or linearly. The Speed of the dividers is determined by the BPM and/or the arpeggio divider ( whole, half, quarter, eighths, sixteenths, 32, 64 ).
Can also be triggered via elsa’s built in keyboard, AUM’s keyboard, external midi keyboard, etc. Elsa’s keyboard has a hold mode for arpeggiation, drone, whatever. AUM’s does as well.
Note:
Your imported sample/loop/drumloop/phrase doesn’t need to conform to a quantised value (1, 1/2, 1/4, etc ), if you don’t want it to.
Also, the user can just play the sample/s with a keyboard.
There are 3 sample modes, one of which allows the user to manually chop a loop/sample and map each chop to a single key. Another mode allows a loop/sample to be manually chopped, then mapped to an octave ( each chop to it’s own octave ). The last mode is the common sample mode; the sample/loop is mapped across the keyboard range, speeding up as the user plays higher notes, slowing down as the user plays lower notes.
Elsa is an AUv3, so a user can utilise different modes by loading multiple instances.
Hope that helps