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
@MarkySo It is very tricky with those pros/cons list. Many things which are neutral for one user, are crucial for other user. One would not mention them, other puts them on first places in + / - list
All those apps are very complex and contains tons of features (ok, except of sighCubasissign here i agree with @AudioGus - but look there is @Paa89 who is perfectly ok with using Cubasis for making beats - so, it's very very subjective topic).
If you are not on budget, you should probably try all of them and found your own way :-) At the end all iOS DAWs (at least their basic installation without IAPs) are cheap as f*ck. You can for basic price of single desktop DAW buy almost all available iOS DAWs
)) 
) that there are many many different ways how to do same thing and none of them is superior to others - everybody prefers different workflow.
I learned for years in iOS music making (i'm full iOS only since 2011
If you ARE on budget, then you should probably ask yourself why you don't want stick with BM2 (which you mentioned you used). Ask yourself "What i am missing in BM2 ?"- not "Which other daw i should use?".
Then do search for optimal solution to fill your gaps, to keep you workflow smooth and inspirative - because i think this is what is important in first place - if the way how you use apps for making music is not smooth and intuitive, you will be never creative, you will just mess around here and there, make some loops, patterns - but you NEVER actually finish whole track. It's not always only about checked list of features, it's how about you FEEL during making music - regarding features there are always workarounds and different approaches.
Very interesting posting!
Full quote on purpose.
Skram is the ultimate ios daw.
I think a lot of this is about goals too which is just as highly individual and subjective. Not everyone simply just needs to FEEL good making ‘whole tracks’.
If a person is commited and has a solid goal then maybe they could and should be prepared to endure some hoops / discomforts to achieving them. For example, Lord knows my day job in graphics would FEEL a hell of a lot better if I could just do it on the couch painting in Procreate but alas I need to also incorporate / Frankenstein a process using a half dozen programs to get the job done properly with the best results in the end. It may be the same for peoples music needs and how they intend to ipad up their process.
Also, in this age of audio libraries, licensing and ‘placements’ (particularly with hip hop / beatmaking) peoples goals may specificly be to just do a few loops/patterns/bars with the best audio production/engineering possible for the purposes of licensing them out or handing them off, as being one of many contributing to a larger production. One persons bag of eight bar loops is another persons job well done.
@AudioGus ok, valid arguments, cannot disagree.
Yes, got the point. For me it is different - if i get "connected" with app UI, if i feel comfortable, if it resonates with my workflow - it inspires me, it works like fuel for my creativity - then i can forgive lack of some features or need of some workarounds using other tools/apps - that feeling like "i'm home here, that UI is super well tuned to my brain" is most important for me. Features are still added, updates are coming one after one - but usually overall App workflow, how it's UI reacts, basic principles of app UI - that is something which does not change. It stays same no matter of how much new features is added (until next app major version, which might make things better or also worse)
Interesting, I'll keep this sort of work flow in mind if I get Cubasis 2. Thanks a lot for sharing this info man, for real!
I appreciate it!
Thanks a lot for your info as well man and no you're not rambling, what you said I really appreciate. However what do you mean when you say the con of cubasis is that it's too simple? Isn't that a good thing lol, especially when it comes to creating.
You're right man, ultimately it's all subjective. Thanks a lot for your input.
Thinking about it the thing I'm missing from BM2 is synthesis and also the newer features a lot of the current DAW in ios have. For instance, BM3 even has a better time stretch then BM2 for instance. BM2 is just simply not as powerful as I would like though it gets the job done and is still a very good app.
I am some what on a budget and dont want to pay for apps I wont use as I did in the past, especially since that money can go towards new gear so I guess it's best I do what you said and look at the different features to see what I want and don't want as well as what work flow would keep me inspired but also get the job done effectively.
Well for me the ‘too simple’ is some of the basic little things like not being able to rearrange AUfx... At least I think that is still not a thing. Another is being limited to timestretch and pitchshifting when it should also have basic linear interpolation (ie just speed change), vital for beats. Maybe Audiolayer helps out in some ways but not even being able to raise the volume of an audio clip beyond its maximum volume, oh heck I will just post this for the sixth time...
Wow that makes a lot of sense and thanks for the video break down but I'm kinda new to all this so I'm not familiar with the term linear interpolation. What do you mean by linear interpretation? What would Linear interpolation look line in cubasis?. Just the ability to change speed by options like x2, x3 and etc? Can you give me a basic ideal Gus.
Linear interpolation is like when you adjust ‘tune’ in beatmaker 3 without ‘live stretch on’. It would be nice if Cubasis would let you adjust the length of a clip like this.
Good, thoughtful posts in this thread imo.
@MarkySo Count yourself as lucky as these comparison threads often devolve into an absolutely useless mess!
While I generally agree with @dendy's point about all of these DAWs being relative cheap so just get them all and see what works for you, I actually disagree that this is what you should do right now. Not because of the cost but because of option paralysis.
Since you're kinda new to all of this, I'd suggest that you completely ignore sorting out stuff like linear interpolation and nerdy bits like it! That will all come in time. Instead: use Garageband (free!) and just bang out some beats using the features it offers. Though not the app I'd chose as my desert island beat making app by any stretch it is an absolutely capable app. Once you've made a few beats with it you will have a much better idea of what you're missing/wanting from a beat making app. At that point, consider your expansion options as very well illustrated in this thread.
In terrible-analogy terms.. A lot of the features/shortcomings discussed in this thread are subjects for "Flying 401". Pilots discussing very real cockpit features/shortcomings that make a meaningful difference to commercial airline pilots while you're asking about the best way to get up in the air and land safely! Even if commercial piloting is your goal, until you feel comfortable taking off, soaring and landing, opinions about various altimeter features are kind of pointless — or at least considerably less useful to you until you have an idea of what you're looking for in your perfect altimeter. For now, just enjoy the magic of flight.
Yah I do agree if someone is just exploring to get an idea of what they even want to be making then a good walled garden ala GB or even Gadget (but eh, not cheap really) is a good start but the subject does specificly say ‘Sample Based’. If this were desktop I would say get Reaper for free, a bunch of free vsts and just start chopping, slicing and stretching/pitching etc.
I completely understand your point @AudioGus and, I would also love some new pro features in Cubasis.but, let’s not forget that we are just on version 2.7
Most of the features you showed in the video were definitely added to the DAw after sometime.
Intua had to redesign their app from scratch in other to add some new features.so did the creators of Auria Pro, if I’m not mistaken.
While Steinberg in my opinion wants to maintain the current app and gradually find ways to improve and implement features.
I believe @LFS and Steinberg have plans to make the app great
Let’s just give it time to grow😊
It’s coming soon
.
It has been over five years with Cubasis now and I think it is pretty clearly an upsell strategy / marketing tool to get people into the higher priced desktop version. In no way do I expect any of this to ever show up in Cubasis and was referring more specificly to a focused ‘multitrack audio editor’ on iOS. If one of the existing apps gets there I would honestly be super surprised as I think it requires a pretty specific narrow focus that would exclude a lot of important marketing bullet points. Also, most of the features I pointed out were in Samplitude (and other daws) twenty years ago and seem pretty basic to me. Given what you can get away with for the number of samples/pads/parameters in something like BM3 this basic stuff I mentioned seems like it should be very achievable.
I saw what you wrote there and i actually thing it was pretty good challenging idea
Well I havent done yoga in years plus it didnt sound very hygenic.
Ok, and here we are ... ^^
Hahaha..
Yeah... It would me cool if the people who promote their favourite app here could make a demo video showing the cool stuff when making sampelbased beats... I have some real handy stuff to show you with Caustic.. and I'm very interested in other people showing me all the cool stuff with other apps.
But I deleted that post because I tend to push Caustic a little too much on this site
@SlowwFloww Thats ok, everybody is pushing his favourite app, nothing wrong about that until it is expression of true honest ethusiasm :-) i'm for examole NS2 addict
that's for sure, there aren't enough caustic videos Imo!!
I'm pushing the Frankentstein App Monster that lives in my imagination.
Oh, most definitely.
Indeed, Im thankful we are having a real analytical discussion and breaking down the pros and cons in a way that is productive as well as all the input that you guys are sharing with me.
However, I'm not new in terms of creating but as far as mixing, engineering and certain terminologies is where I have a lot to learn and am doing more and more research. Not that I plan on being an audio engineer or working with audio in such a technical level but now new knowledge can't hurt though I totally see you perspective too.
Great, good to hear! I played around with the app this evening and its not bad but I could see how some would not like the UI or have to get used to it. If it gets more sampling features like chopping then it could be headed in the right direction for sure but its cool so far though.
I will also need to check out the quality of it's effects but I will keep it for now since it's free and mess around with it a bit more lol.
Nice, I would like to see that if you and others wanted to share. That would be dope!
@AudioGus quick thread tangent... how are you moving sounds from iOS to desktop, out of interest?
Dropbox for frequent smaller stuff and lightning cable / ifunbox for big stuff.
👍
Henny weighs in...