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.
Synth Rhapsody/ The Acoustic Journey Continues
Inspired by the latest acoustic thread, I improvised this piano piece tonight using the Kawai EX. Added BeatHawk Brass and Choirs, then iSymphonic Sordino Strings and Solo trumpet. But my favorite add on was SynthMaster Player Waterfall ARP. Think I will get the Cubasis arpeggiator now! BeatHawk was very stable, but even with my new Pro2, iSymphonic crashed like crazy. I can recreate tracks much better now so I take it in stride, but what gives with iSymph?
Recorded flawlessly in Cubasis as expected. With the speed of the Pro2, the keys of the Kawai MP11se and the Steinberg UR22mk2 it is a far cry from when I started last April. Gratitude to the iOS gods! And this helpful forum. Comments and critiques always invited.
Comments
Hey. There's a mob over on that other thread still marching like a migrant caravan towards the perfect acoustic workflow.
Any AUv3 that uses more RAM than the spec allows gets terminated with extreme prejudice by the DAW. That's 340MB for any specific app. How many iSymphonic tracks did you have running at the same time? If it's just 1 then they have a really flakey product but with 2 you probably need to load 1 and record the MIDI and then render unto audio (that which is Caesar's) and then load another iSymphonic track.
If individual iSymphonic tracks crash then are you loading multiple AUv3 instruments at the same time and creating instability that way?
Come on... fess up. The mob is still marching towards a perfect workflow and you started the whole parade.
I confess @McDtracy, two instances. OMG! Two! BeatHawk, btw performed beautifully with TWO instances. Two, this is nuts, members load fifty instances of Zeenon, or whatever.
I'm not defending iSymphonic's behavior but you asked. Just run one instance at a time or stop asking. It's a RAM hog and the DAW has it's instructions when the amount requested goes over the line... stop the AUv3. It's technically not a crash. More of a feature. Those sampled instruments are awesome tho' right?
50 Zeeon's don't come close.
I think the 50 Zeeon line is BS too. I'll bet you don't even own it 'cause you're an acoustician.
Ok, Ok, @McDtracy, I admit it, I wasn't even sure how to spell Zeenon. SynthMasterPlayer is now AU and my synth of choice ( cause all I have to do is pick a preset. The patches are terrific). I'll go cry over on that thread, thank you.
How many SMP AU's can you run at once? 50?
Never mind... 50 improvised anythings would sound like "what"?
POLL
Karlheinz Stockhausen?
London Philharmonic warming up while wearing noise cancelling headphones?
A newbie just pushing the limits of a DAW?
Krzysztof Penderecki?
The Mildred Martin Deaf V-Accordion Choir?
HINT: Look for Deaf in the answer. Mildred (the conductor) is blind.
OK. I listened to it.
Damn. You command of harmony is so cool.
I really loved it when the piano seemed to be talking to the vibes (around 2:30 and 4:15 and near the end).
I think a piece where you make some statements and leave some silence for an overdubbed statement and response would go over big with the late night crowd (before they get too drunk and start shacking up and talking louder than you can play). Good times playing bars huh?
Everytime I play you on SoundCloud it follows everything with @Kuhl's "Gods Away". Everytime. So, jarring in contrast. But it's growing on me with repetition. His guitar playing was really good. Too bad about the hands. Probably explains why he prefers to use notation to compose now.
God's Back. We are so fucked. We have been bad.
Was there not a mention that this limit is gone with at least the devices with 4GB RAM?
So it‘s still there?
So i listened to it 2 times and i really like it from a composition side. The piano is for sure the dominant part and the driving part here. My only critic is that the other elements doesn´t fit well for me. It´s again about the spacing for me.
F.e. the choir comes in panned hard to the right without any sense of space.
I think with a better mixing this could be much better and would fit very well then.
Maybe there is a stereo panner available on iOS? You also could try to remove all (if you´ve not done that already) the default reverb and use one AUv3 with the same algorithm for all instruments. Or you could experiment with something like VirtualRoomPro which i find very useful.
So it´s great from a musical and compositional look here for me but the more instruments comes in, the more the magic goes away and it´s a bit muddy and lifeless in the mix.
In this case i wished it was a piano solo. I hope it doesn´t sound to harsh. I just think constructive critic is the best form we can get. Not that i´m an expert but that is just what i think. And like i said i really like the piano performance and the general layout of this track.
Hi @Cib, thanks for taking the time to write. Firstly, yes, I am using a pro2 with 4gb RAM. Much improved speed over the iPad 4 I was using and yes, can only rum two instances of iS and even that is problematic. There is something in the app that causes the problem IMO.
I respect your opinion greatly as you have a splendid combination of musical feeling and technical know how. I have been improvising for fifty years and iosing for seven months, so it makes sense there is a disparity. I will first add reverb globally to the tracks and adjust the panning. Then we shall see.
Does a sense of "space" come from factors other than pan placement? Can you make a sound come further forward or back? Even up or down?
Thanks, @McDtracy. Very glad you like it. I may post just the piano track as well for comparison. I like to think ( and my ears are telling me) that the instrument additions are making it more complete bad dynamic musically, even if my mastering skills are lacking. I have heard so much straight piano of myself that this is always a welcome change.
Not sure what you are suggesting about statements and response? Can you clarify?
@LinearLineman:
Panning alone is not the best but i know it might be harder in iOS. Some DAWs like Logic can do at least stereo panning f.e.
Then even better are these staging tools i talked about in the other thread. VirtualRoomPro could come in handy (maybe). Like others mentioned it might be also possible with the right reverb, good IRs, EQing etc. but the thing is if you just pan something you loose the room information and reflections. Some tools just place your sounds, including the reverb, delays inside a certain space. It´s hard to describe and it´s not always needed and maybe some mixing and mastering genius can do it with simpler tools. I failed here.
An example (i hope it´s O.K. to post it here, otherwise i will remove it again) i also posted just in another forum.
A dry violin and cello first without effect.
Then the same with the added tool for staging followed by a reverb. Just different angles so one is more right and one more left panned (and each with it´s own insert reverb but the same).
But it´s not just like volume panning and even more than stereo panning. The tool calculates how it should sound in reality (if that is even possible...so at least in theory) if you move a sound within a space.
Now you even can add another reverb f.e. (which you hear in the third part of the example) for both which might be not the most realistic example here but while they then together even in a bigger space you still can hear that they both have their own place in the space (i recommend good headphones here to hear what i mean).
I saw that to but don't have the 4GB device. Still, don't take @LinearLineman off the hook here and let him complain. He always pushes the envelope and looses work (I suspect). It would be best if he did one track at a time but I think the delay to
render to audio ruins the creative process for him. But, we can't really do much since AUv3 is like a power strip and you can pull too much current and blow the circuit. When you do it's on you and the vendor. iSymphonic is frustrating but nothing sounds as good on IOS across such a spectrum of instruments. I'm glad he hasn't bought Colossus Concert Grand because you just can't record that wonder beast. It's an audio Unicorn that once you hit record goes "Poof". And it only costs $56 for the privilege.
Using it as a Piano Sound Module to a desktop DAW is key.
Uh, $56 is a bit steep. For a bit more i get a huge piano plug-in which has a lot more editing as well.
Anyway useless if i had to record it into a desktop DAW.
I also played again more with iSymphonic but it‘s so damn limited in terms of editing. It‘s mainly choose a preset and love it or leave it.
I also wished i could turn of the terrible stretched high end (and low end) which makes no sense for me either. The samples are indeed not that bad but also not cheap compared to what i get.
I think i might try myself an iSymphonic only piece and see how it goes.
Well, that sounds great @cib. The improvement from one to two is dramatic and from two to three deeper yet. However, this are VSTs are they not? It's hard not to hear the better sound compared to iOS. There just is a lot more authenticity. I understand the theory, however. I will post a new and "improved" (maybe) version a bit later.
I'd like to hear what your approach con create using iSymphonic.
If you do it please document the instruments you use since iSymphonic is such a maze of optional IAP's and picking the right ones can save a bundle over just buying on a whim. I used the buy on a whim and feel burned by their packaging model. the strings are spread over 10 different purchases rather than bundling by instrument type.
I just have the default yet but i will maybe choose a few to add on. Maybe the pro package?
Not sure. I think Doug has videos for all....
It would be great to see what you can conjure up with only the default sounds. Everyone keeps showing us what we might do by spending freely across multiple platforms but just IOS and basic iSymphonic would prove it's up to the composer to master the tools and not let the tools become an excuse for why we don't create (yet).
I think you have the right mix of IOS, composing and orchestration skills to make the case. Sometimes accepting a boundry focuses the creative mind.
Yes. Was just a little example. This was a quite good library (for my taste) but iSmphonic and even Sample Tank offers some sounds which are as good as some medium priced plug-ins. I just think we could push them also much further. Reminds me that i dold SampleTank 3 but still own the iOS SampleTank 2 with nearly all IAP. But i hated the latest major update in terms of workflow. Before i often use the 4 violin patch which i find really good.
I even wonder after seeing the in app demos how different they are. While a few packs add specific instruments i hear a lot which seems just kind of variations of other patches with different attack/release times etc.
So yep, i guess the default should be good (or bad) as the rest to try it out.
I might record it into Logic (via my Seaboard Rise) since i use an iPhone and make 2 versions. One with iOS only tools and maybe one with my prefered FX but with iSymphonic as sound source.
Could also be interesting to just use a midi mock-up with iSymphonic (but i doubt it would be great).
@Cib @McDtracy Here it is. I think it is better, but is 2+2 4? Or is it 5? Hard to know these days.
E=mc2
This is much better for me indeed.
Thanks @cib. I took your advice. Once clued in it was pretty easy to see where it fell apart.
You're on a roll now with daily production and improved mixes.
Your soundcloud shows steady improvements in IOS production skill.