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.
Ok, I’ve saved up a thousand dollars.New laptop vs upcoming iPhone X plus w 6.5’ screen w 3gig RAM?
Disclaimer: I don’t even know how to use windows or Mac OS yet, anyway..I currently have a first generation 12.9 IPad Pro w 4 gig RAM and 128 gig storage as well as an iPhone 6s Plus.
I figured it was time to take the plunge.. Tiring a bit of the old “idea of “iOS cobbling together apps” bit ..
Was seriously considering a laptop and Waveform 9 , since it’s so full featured and currently on sale.. Advanced chord tracking plus recording plug ins galore and incredible synths. And great support ...Mixcraft looks great too..But then... Stagelight for iOS announcement... then Audio Evolution for iPhone which I’m learning now...And that new 8gig Surface GO is pretty cute..
Then this: The new upcoming 6.5’ iPhone w 3 gig RAM.... Wow.. Just thinking as I put my finger up to the wind.. More and more, the phone is “The new computer”.. Sure a laptop w a DAW is tempting as an all in one but the time lost that I spend futzing w app assembly I could easily use at the bus stop on my iPhone putting it together..
I’m leaning towards putting that $1,000 cash into the new iPhone and just sticking it out.. That phone is gonna change up the game for quite a few of us, I think...
Man that Audio Evolution thing really did it for me...
Comments
Put it into your retirement fund. It’ll be here before you know it!
Surface Go is massively underpowered.
Waveform is on sale but doesnt have the stability or feature set of Reaper, which is never on sale and still very affordable.
What exactly can't you do on the iPad pro ?
Save that money, or better yet buy gold or silver. Your current hardware is just fine.
I think a touch screen Windows laptop with at least 8 GB RAM and an SSD drive, plus Reaper DAW and VCV-Rack installed, would be a very high value complement to iOS. You might just squeeze that under your budget. Personally, I would go HP or Lenovo etc. rather than MS Surface but that’s just me.
@gusgranite : Yes but the surface pros are on sale.. Best value really is the 13.8 Hauawei Matebook Pro and speaking of Lenovo they’re coming out with a killer 17.3 laptop in a few weeks for under $1,500 usd.
@e121 : You speak the truth Kemo Sabe .. You’re probably right.. My iPad Pro is going on three years old and STILL fantastic.. At any rate, even if I save my money for now, eventually I’d like to be doing the majority of my music on an iPhone with a big ass 6.5 screen.. I can always pay it off at Apple via their upgrade program over 18 months
Secondhand MacBook and a copy of Reason would do the job for me.
Buy a non retina macbook pro late 2012 or wait for the new mac minis.
If your are looking at Mac or Lenovo, keep in mind part of that budget will be going to software. iOS apps are unbelievably inexpensive comapared to personal computer software.
Whether it’s Logic or Reaper or entry level versions of Ableton or Studio One, that is a c note off the bat. Off setting that is storage is dirt cheap - just saw an ad for a four terabyte drive for 85 dollars.
Wandering into the controversial zone, the wares available on personal computers are more mature having 20+ years more experience in their devolopment, but come with an expectation of an investment of time to master that iOS apps may not.
Reaper isn't known for being easy to learn how to use (though it doesn't have all the features of Waveform, either, but it has the critical ones and then some) - but I've always read it can be very rewarding if you have the patience to do so.
Also, don't buy an iPhone for music without understanding that only half (ok that's made up but probably not far off) of the good music apps are available for it vs. an iPad. I, personally, wouldn't get a Mac though I have/use one for work sometimes, but I know Windows really well. Either way, getting something second-hand is a far more practical way to go - especially for Macs.
I don't think reaper is any harder to learn than any other piece of software.
In any event, the way that works best for me is knowing what I want or need to do with any tool first, then figuring out how to do it, whether that is software, hardware, or non music. The job will define what is needed, rather than stockpiling the tools and then trying to figure out why you'd need them.
go on vacation!
Retirement fund or a Mac.
6s (with headphone jack) is cool and doesn't deserve replacement. I have 6s and plan to use it for another 4+ years after battery replacement by the end of this year and later an Apple battery case when it gets older. You cannot do a lot on a phone with available apps.
https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/apple-iphone-8-plus-vs-iphone-6s-2017-12-1027483733#the-iphone-8-plus-is-still-just-too-big-for-me-1
Years ago, I had high hopes for music production on iOS but honestly, comparing what's available today on iOS versus Mac or Win, iOS still has a long way to go to be remotely comparable. Even if you're only using freeware on the desktop/laptop, like Tracktion 7 and the many free and great synths and fx.
As an addon to a Mac or Win, making music on iOS is a great and fun complement as long as you're able to stay with a solid combination of apps, whatever your choice will be.
But an iPhone instead of a laptop?
I'd rather go with the laptop, there's too many procedures and limitations that are a chore on iOS while they just work on Mac or Win.
Why not continue using your 6 Plus?
It's still a great device, more than capable of running e.g. AEM or Gadget, depending on the way you prefer to work.
The new Plus is certainly nice but remember, it's the apps that you'll make music with, not the iPhone model.
Can I borrow a fiver?
Laptop over iPhone for sure, but I'm in the camp that says save your money. My original iPad Pro can still handle almost anything I've thrown at it.
Without knowing your workflow or what and how you write this is a nearly impossible question to answer
A phone or tablet vs a desktop are apples and oranges. If what you’re using on iOS is working then stick with it. If you feel you need the flexibility a desktop daw offers and iOS isn’t cutting it then give that a whirl. At the end of the day how the picture gets painted doesn’t really matter.
Just get three Apple Watches, that should cover every eventuality.
Either get a new or older used mac and LogicX,or wait for the new iPad pros to come out since you are already on the platform.
iPhone for music making will run short eventually and the "massive" 6.5 inch screen,doesn't really sound that massive.
There’s a budget new Mac coming out this year . Also @Dawdles is right . It’s the software that could break me although there are great cheap DAWS like logic , Mixcraft and Tracktion
@Turntablist : Not much really, lol..Jist the act of cobbling the apps together but I’m learning g AUM and Audiobus 3 now . So that was a great question, never mind the upcoming Stagelight coming out . That’ll be fun
Thanks all. Really smart people on here .
Of course an iPhone can’t compete w a Mac but I have the iPad Pro too. And of course I could keep my 6s plus but a 6.5 inch screen w 3 gig RAM? And Audio Evolution now on iPhone? C’mon now!
Reaper has every feature that Waveform has and had them a long time before too, that is unless you count a Vector UI, Reaper is image based.
I would be interested to know what feature you think isn't available in Reaper ?
No, Waveform 9 has an entire assortment of instruments and loops and seems committed to expanding them in the future
Reaper could be overkill for someone just jumping into it from iOS apps, so I could totally see the attraction to something like Waveform. Traktion would be another one I'd be looking at.
Those arent features, they are plugins and samples which you can buy, the native effects/instruments plugins in the basic version of Waveform number about 30 maximum, native effects/instruments plugins in a basic Reaper install about 200.
Anyway, i really should move on from this conversation, not sure why you tagged my name ?
Used mac and logic will give you everything you need. Or used windows/mac and reaper plus a million free vsts and samples available on the net. Either of these options will do. If you can affort a mac and logic that would be the easist route to getting up and started quickly with plenty of tutorials on youtube.