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.

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Audiobus is the app that makes the rest of your setup better.

Thesys by Sugar Bytes GmbH Updated with auv3 support

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Comments

  • @cuscolima said:
    This was my favorite sequencer in the pre-AU era. Now that it is AU, I will for sure use it again.
    But can anyone tell me how I can synchronize the tempo in AUM ? It doesn’t seem to work...

    Trigger mode - external, under sequencer settings did it for me.

  • @MonzoPro said:

    @cuscolima said:
    This was my favorite sequencer in the pre-AU era. Now that it is AU, I will for sure use it again.
    But can anyone tell me how I can synchronize the tempo in AUM ? It doesn’t seem to work...

    Trigger mode - external, under sequencer settings did it for me.

    Perfect, thanks !!

  • It’s the best featured step sequencer in iOS, it does step record with midi (live or step based entry) and it transposes the sequence in the key you choose. Velocity and modulation lanes can have a separate length from the notes, and gate time per step- probably my favorite feature for adding interest and musicality to step sequencing.

    All of this capability with a UI that was designed for a mouse, and suffers terribly on a touch screen. The zoom is awful, it doesn’t isolate an area you want to to use, (like, the sequencer?) and you activate it on accident. It’s zoom in, adjust a control, zoom out, zoom in to another control, zoom out... and the alt, cmd, shift buttons tacked on at the bottom? Ridiculous.

    What could fix the interface is pages, like a separate page for the synth, so the 32 step sequencer can stretch edge to edge on the screen, and a zoom that stretches one lane of the sequencer to fill the screen vertically, so you can adjust
    the notes right. There is so much wasted space around these tiny tiny buttons, you could make all of those bigger in the empty space around them.

    Til then it is one of the greatest misses on iOS. When I do use it, I get cool sounding music, but dread the experience. StepPolyArp is what I’d recommend to new users instead, because it covers a lot of the same territory, with a nice touch screen interface. With Thesys, the capabilities are oh so tempting, but heed the warnings about the usability.

  • edited March 2019

    Thanks SugerBytes :)

  • Yeah an updated interface would be nice. They did tell me by email once they might get around to it eventually. I think it's simply down to cost, all their guis are direct ports from the desktop and margins for iOS for them to make an ipad only gui expensive compared to the returns I expect. I'm glad to have it this way than not at all. It's actually an ok experience on a 12.9 once you get used to it.

    Step poly arp is great for sure, but this has a fair amount step poly can't do. But there is some cross over in functionality.

  • I would like to add that Thesys has its own synthesizer and with multi AU instances, it means a LOT of fun

  • @BiancaNeve said:
    Works well on the 12.9 inch pros with a pen ....

    And a magnifying glass and tweezers...

  • edited March 2019

    @Carnbot said:
    Yeah an updated interface would be nice. They did tell me by email once they might get around to it eventually. I think it's simply down to cost, all their guis are direct ports from the desktop and margins for iOS for them to make an ipad only gui expensive compared to the returns I expect. I'm glad to have it this way than not at all. It's actually an ok experience on a 12.9 once you get used to it.

    Step poly arp is great for sure, but this has a fair amount step poly can't do. But there is some cross over in functionality.

    I think the economics of iOS comes down to more than the fact that you have to charge less, and that means there's less profit to be made.

    I mentioned Virsyn in my last post ref the inappropriateness of translating Thesis for iOS without giving it a touch-centric UI; and I think they're a good example to talk about, ref the economics too. Virsyn have all but stopped developing their desktop plugins (they maintain them, but there's been nothing significant added since 2010-ish, save for 64bit translations). The reason being, they're making more money from iOS than they ever did on the desktop. And Virsyn were once kings of the desktop. Many of the apps on iOS like Cube, Terra and some of their FX plugins were launched at the turn of the century! And they're still fundamentally the same on iOS (the onboard FX on the iOS apps are vastly better). Even Poseidon was originally launched on the desktop in 2008 (or thereabouts). But what Virsyn are doing doesn't feel like their rinsing every last dollar from their IP's. Their approach to additive synthesis is just as innovative today as it always was, so that was always going to get attention, but their iOS innovations have not only been about improving the FX; they've created completely new ways of interacting with synths and particularly additive synths. And in the case of Tera, they've built a usable (as long as you don't mind a bit of horizontal scrolling) fully modular synth, with multiple synth engine capabilities, and it's an app that runs smoothly on donkeys old iOS devices despite sounding as good as the best of the competition.

    Virsyn is one lone developer, and he only sticks to the things that make him money (I suspect that's why Cube seems to be on the shelf, plus that would be a challenge to turn into an AUv3).

    I think it's perfectly possible to take your desktop products and re-imagine them for iOS and end with your iOS products being more profitable than your desktop products. If Sugar Bytes complain of small profits getting in the way of doing their job properly, e.g. creating an iOS product that's fit for touch interaction. They need to consider that greater profits might have been achievable if they did the job properly in the first place.

    I'm not saying Virsyn are perfect (I've kept an eye on the AudioLayer thread!), but they have done a great job of re-inventing their products for iOS, and of creating whole new products based on their additive synthesis engine (Addictive and Addictive Pro).

    As I mentioned before, I love Thesys on the desktop. But the iOS app was difficult to interact with as a full-screen IAA. Launching an AUv3 without taking the opportunity to rethink the UI looks opportunistic at best. If independents like of Virsyn and Audio Damage can make the move to iOS with profitable touch-friendly versions of their desktop products, I'm sure Sugar Bytes could too - if the cared to make the effort.

    Rant over and out... ;)

  • Been waiting for this for years - and it’s cooler than jxxxs

  • @jonmoore said:

    Yeah I hear what you're saying. Historically lone developers are more active on iOS economically for a good reason, larger teams come and go and are able to update much less. Waldorf for example are now inactive with iOS as far as I know. Cakewalk is gone etc. I think SB team is 8 or so not sure. It's just good to have them here at all... I think also that going forward they are designing the UIs more with iOs in mind. Aparillo for example works well on both platforms whereas Thesys has been around for many years. But yeah hopefully they will get around to a gui refresh too.

  • In the performance section can anyone tell me how to get rid of a setting and make it blank again? The manual says to right click so I am a little confused.😣

  • edited March 2019

    I never really looked into Thesys before now. so... does this instantly become the AUv3 MIDI looper that we have been looking for? I want to play something on my MIDI keyboard and have Thesys capture and loop the midi notes back seamless in real-time? no big deal for me, just curious.

  • Forgive my ignorance.. but, what is the ‘AU Midi FX’ instance for?

  • edited March 2019

    Press the x at the right side of the lane you are editing.

  • @RJB said:
    In the performance section can anyone tell me how to get rid of a setting and make it blank again? The manual says to right click so I am a little confused.😣

    seems like they forgot to add that to the AU extension, it's working like that in the standalone

  • @NTKK said:

    Press the x at the right side of the lane you are editing.

    That works to clear the entire lane, what if you want to just get rid of one square?

  • Let us continue to encourage them in all their cookery that over time they may bring our favorite dishes to the table also.

  • Great to see the effort porting. Hoping they work on making it easier to use the interface on a touch device.

  • @Hmtx said:
    I never really looked into Thesys before now. so... does this instantly become the AUv3 MIDI looper that we have been looking for? I want to play something on my MIDI keyboard and have Thesys capture and loop the midi notes back seamless in real-time? no big deal for me, just curious.

    Not really... It's mostly for little fast abstract phrases that you can vary or modulate, and transpose them.

    It does have the live record mode, which replaces the currently playing step with the midi note you play, but there is no way to add rests live, other than clearing the phrase. It's also only 32 steps, so 2 measures at 1/16th notes.

    If your timing is good, you can do a cool trick, of leaving the live record on, while it plays, and be replacing notes in the sequence each time it goes around, for an evolving, performed sequence.

  • @JohnnyGoodyear said:
    Let us continue to encourage them in all their cookery that over time they may bring our favorite dishes to the table also.

    Agreed. Sugar Bytes has been systematically updating their apps for AU3 for awhile now...and for free each time.

    As I recall, they also launched Aparillo as a free-to-try. Anyone slagging off Sigar Bytes as being “opportunistic” seems to be missing the bigger picture here.

  • Had a fiddle and on the 12.9 with a pencil I find it intriguing and doable. What’s the best way to export loops/sequences from this beast? Anything akin to the Egoist options?

  • @RJB said:
    @NTKK said:

    Press the x at the right side of the lane you are editing.

    That works to clear the entire lane, what if you want to just get rid of one square?

    A simple long press will remove a square in the performance sequencer. We’ll I feel pretty silly now🤪

  • @JohnnyGoodyear said:
    Had a fiddle and on the 12.9 with a pencil I find it intriguing and doable. What’s the best way to export loops/sequences from this beast? Anything akin to the Egoist options?

    Click the round button with the floppy disc icon on the far left center. You'll get a popup to save the midi. To retrieve it, go to the Files app > On My iPad and locate the Thesys folder. The midi will be in the Midi Export folder there.

  • @aaronpc said:

    @JohnnyGoodyear said:
    Had a fiddle and on the 12.9 with a pencil I find it intriguing and doable. What’s the best way to export loops/sequences from this beast? Anything akin to the Egoist options?

    Click the round button with the floppy disc icon on the far left center. You'll get a popup to save the midi. To retrieve it, go to the Files app > On My iPad and locate the Thesys folder. The midi will be in the Midi Export folder there.

    A thousand thank-yous and when my beloved asks me this weekend where I've been I will tell her happily at your house in a manner of speaking... :)

  • I got used to Cyclop on an iPad Mini, but Thesys is a bit easier to use.

    Timing seems perfect thus far as an AU in BM3. Modulating sampler parameters via Midi CCs works well. Live and Step recording in Thesys works using BM3's keyboard. Haven't tried modulating it from BM3 yet. Low CPU hit with multiple instances.

    Audio Veek Midi Tools works well in BM3 for recording and manipulating the Midi generated by Thesys.

    It's great for making complex melodies that are easier (or only possible to make) using a traditional step sequencer like Thesys. De-coupling the other sequencer lanes from the Pitch lane for spicing up static arps and sequences (the Velocity, Gate, Performance, and Mod lanes can each have a different number of steps). The Performance lane is neat - ratcheting, random, etc., but would be even better with Elektron trig conditions, probability, etc. But it's easy enough to record the Midi (with Audio Veek Midi Route) and later edit it for more control instead of leaving everything to chance.

    I haven't tried StepPolyArp Unit yet, but are Thesys, Rozeta, and Beathawk the only other AU Midi FX plugins that can record incoming Midi?

  • Anyone prefer this over Step Poly Arp due to probability in the lanes?

  • Despite having read and posted in this thread previously; I read the title and was surprised/excited. Too many apps!

  • I dunno - the interface was an enormous turn-off. I couldn't see anything (too small for my old eyes!) and I found the buttons fiddly (probably due to the small size).

    I've consistently rediscovered StepPolyArp over and over again as I dig into the deeper functions. Much simpler for me to get my head around than Thesys.

  • @Daveypoo said:
    I dunno - the interface was an enormous turn-off. I couldn't see anything (too small for my old eyes!) and I found the buttons fiddly (probably due to the small size).

    I've consistently rediscovered StepPolyArp over and over again as I dig into the deeper functions. Much simpler for me to get my head around than Thesys.

    This. If it were redesigned, then may be. StepPolyArp can do probability per note.

  • edited January 2020

    @Tones4Christ said:
    Anyone prefer this over Step Poly Arp due to probability in the lanes?

    Prefer? No. It is it’s own beast. What I do like is control of all the parameters affecting the main lane. Ratchets, semitones step displacement, slides, trills, wave oscillators that do “stuff” per step. I also enjoy the beat loop repeat section in the lower right.

    It is fiddly UI wise, but I have more issues trying to figure out what’s modifying what and how to tame it.

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