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
Sorry, I haven't tried to leave it running for longer... but I did see that it picks up the tempo from Xequence, so of course I assumed that it actually syncs its transport to the clock pulses and doesn't do some one-time hack. That's unfortunate.
Loopy HD of course doesn't really have a proper linear tracks view, so I'm not sure I can "officially" recommend it for audio tracks...
It's really quite stunning that something as basic as a Multitrack Audio "thing" that can properly slave to MIDI doesn't exist at all after 10 years or so
I'd love to be able to 'pitch' the drum-sounds without having to use an external controller!
The drums do respond to 'pitch-bend' so it is doable but not without using an external controller.
Also being able to load user-samples to the drum-pads would be an awesome addition.
One thing that does bug me is that the drum kits include more sounds that what can be triggered using the 12 onscreen pads. These can be accessed when editing the the midi-data...
WWDC'19 is soon and I'm pretty sure that we'll see an update to GarageBand at the latest when iOS13 drops.
I didn't even know that! That would be cool.
I discovered tonight I can use Enso to get my tracks out of GB fast and easy. It's almost like being able to stem export.
Garage band is a chore to get around in.
It wants you to focus on one track at a time,... If that's how you work you maybe ok..
I'm a.d.d. and bounce around from instrument to instrument, effect to effect etc... And can't just stay in one place... Garage band isn't set up for that.
Is deff not garbage band but it's not really fun, I've only given it a couple hours time and the only reason I return is to record audio from alchemy
That's right, well, it's already something
Yep, and what's even more surprising is that most of the required mechanics are already present in every DAW or audio looper that supports Ableton LINK.
Very true. It's really annoying even to setup and record multiple microphones.
Thanks for this tip! I just used it to grab a section of a GB track, and send it to Egoist for slicing.
I will now keep an Enso track at the bottom of each GB project just for this.
It's not as basic as it might seem. unless some utilities have been added for it, it is gnarly to code it well. Even stable clocks and time code have some jitter and you can't just drop samples to keep things in sync.
Nice tip. You have to save the file out of Enso and import into Egoist, right?
@lukesleepwalker Exactly. And you can do it all without leaving GarageBand if Egoist is loaded as an AU.
That first track is lovely. Will try the rest...
Clock smoothing over a short period of clock pulses and two levels of time stretching, just like in Loopy HD are one possible answer.
Sure. I understand that it can be done. I was responding to @SevenSystems being surprised that it hadn't been tackled yet. It isn't all that surprising to me.
I wish it could pipe Garageband’s audio output via IAA .. I’d use it all the time just for the sounds if it was more convenient. I just never gelled with the interface, too much in the way of how I like to work.
Talking about making music, and making music, are two different things. Places where people talk about apps tend to draw people who like to talk about apps. GarageBand is a free app designed to be more attractive and accessible to a typical iOS user who possibly has never made music before. As such it's fantastic, with some coolness not found in other comparative iOS apps, but doesn't have all the features more experienced users might care about. GB is also designed after the desktop version, and its files load right into it and Logic Pro.
There are skilled producers/musicians out there who make great music with GarageBand, at least as skilled as some who choose not to use it. I think one should evaluate it for themselves regardless of how much it gets talked about. It really depends on the kind of music you make, and how GB can fit into your workflow.
Garageband is a Logic spinoff - it first appeared after Apple bought Emagic (original makers of Logic) to eventually have an audio app in their portfolio.
GB has been a free download on desktop Macs for ages, it's intentionally crippled to open an upgrade path to the full version aka Logic Pro
Compared to other pro DAWs, Apple practically gives Logic away. They could easily charge much more for it. I believe Logic comes with most advanced features disabled, because Apple believes most users want something simpler and more accessible geared for the beginner. The evidence suggests that GB is made simple for beginners and musicians who are not technically adept or needing more complex features. GB is entry level. If a GB user goes beyond that, Apple offers a pro DAW that will feel familiar, but with loads more for an amazing price. Apple gives away or sells apps at low cost to sell hardware.
@lovadamusic : you are right on. Apple doesn't see GB (Mac or iOS) as some gateway to upselling but as something that makes the platform attractive to that huge number of people that get some pleasure making music -- kids, students, amateurs of all ages.
It is so good that even some serious musicians like sketching things out with it--like a portastudio on steroids. But that isn't who it's aimed at.
I find it rather convenient and it also bypasses the master limiter which IMO sucks.
Egoist is a cool app and I wish I'd purchased it sooner.
I a> @BroCoast said:
That limiter does get under my skin
That’s one of my favorite features, really handy when making demos.
Why though? The same thing could be done with Loop Markers if GB had them.
It's super easy to move/duplicate sections to rearrange the song.
But this isn’t true for IOS. I’d be delighted if Apple offered a paid enhanced pro audio tool on IOS but I’m never going to buy a Mac.
Is it possible to get GB to sync with Link apps? Maybe hosted in Audiobus or MIDI link sync? I’d check, but it isn’t installed and I’m out on slow WIFI.
If you have Audiobus, you can do it like this:
Audiobus to the rescue once again! Works great!
[edit] Wiki page added: https://wiki.audiob.us/sync_garageband_with_link_apps
Cheers Wim, keen to get home and try this out.
I’d use Gb way more if I still had a MacBook with logic on it (eventually)
I’d use the hell out of it standalone if I could just fine tune the stock instruments
Why is there no path on iOS to something more? I can't know what Apple execs are thinking, but it seems the answer must be that they don't perceive an iOS market to justify the development of more than what they're offering. The platform (hardware/operating system) doesn't seem robust enough yet to support a full Logic Pro. There's probably no urgency now to just port some semblance of the pro app to iOS. I'd guess, though, that future conditions will be such that Apple provides on their tablets the same power offered on desktop. The music industry and tech will evolve, and it's just a matter of time.
To be honest, I don’t use it cause I have this preconceived idea that it’s limited and amateurish... maybe it’s not, nowadays, but since I’ve grown with protools and cubase, etc, it seems a bit childish