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
I think there are already one or two presets in Mozaic that do this ("probability gate" iirc) - which can probably be easily extended to do more fancy probability stuff.
as the guys already laid out, it meant to me the same as it meant to @wim for instance.
I really don’t want to use many apps and other plugins for that. So I as wondering if ATOM will come up with Trig Condition and Propability in future update. I dont really understand most of the requests but THIS would make it to me standing out and standing tall. Would love to hear what you think and say about that, man!
I am sequencing a pattern in atom and some of the notes can be defined by trig conditions, so they will only play every fourth time, the atom runs through.
And playing a note by probability- I can say there will be a 45% chance this note will be played... or not to be played
I think he pretty clearly stated his position above?
Yeah probably. Didn’t got that.
Whatever.
I suppose there are significant nuances to consider with @david_2017's request, and they centre on whether Atom is viewed by the artists that use it as either a piano roll based step sequencer, or whether it's simply a piano roll app without further DAW functionality, that can be used with modular hosts such as AUM (a limited use case for me personally). My own wish is that it develops to be an iOS version of Ableton Live, FL Studio or Bitwigs ability to modulate MIDI clips within a piano roll context. But for this to happen, Atom will need to either offer some utility features such as per step/note randomisation natively or become a host for AU MIDI FX utilities that offer per step/note randomisation.
Whist from the outside it would seem reasonable for utility features such as per step/note randomisation to be something that can be enacted on a stream of midi data (coming from Atom) using tools such as Mozaic or Cality in a perfectly adequate fashion (and they can indeed be used in this way). The power of event based modulation within tools such as Bitwig, FL Studio and Ableton, is that you can drive modulation using things like Max4Live devices with the visual feedback mechanism of either a strict per step interaction (Session view Midi Clips in Ableton) or within the wider context of the piano roll (MIDI clips within Arranger view in Ableton (FL Studio & Bitwig have their own equivalents for both Session and Arranger views)).
My personal experience with Ableton/FL Studio and Bitwig is that modulation and Midi FX performance is far more interactive and inspirational when it can be accessed and altered through a graphical per step interface or within the wider context of a piano roll.
Within iOS, StepBud has developed in a very short space of time to be a powerful step sequencer that offers excellent per step modulation capabilities (and with a great interactive feedback loop). I'd love to see Atom offer similar per time step modulation features. Much as with MIDI Clips in Ableton, there are times when modulation step interactions are best within a strictly time step based context, and other occasions within the wider context of a piano roll.
The question of feature creep is a significant consideration but I don't believe it to be a worry here. Whether Atom grows to offer better per step/note modulation natively or whether it becomes a host for MIDI FX AU's; I'd love to see Atom grow to feature the same modulation options as StepBud. Either approach would make Atom a considerably more useful sequencer for my own personal use cases.
I believe there's a huge difference between offering improved event based modulation capabilities natively and becoming a mini-DAW for modular hosts such as AUM.
This app is a great, clean piano roll. I am happy to have it simply do piano roll things really well.
What @jonmoore said, would love Atom to be ModStep AU. 😁
Me too 😊
I think that's a great example. ModStep as an AU would offer a huge amount for most things that I require from a great modulatable sequencing tool even if it only acted on a single stream of midi data per instantiation. In a world where ApeMatrix and AUM already exist, it might actually be my preference (if the StudioMux audio streaming functionality could be modularized too).
Of course it would be even better if it could host audio too, but that's where we digress from Atom.
I'm not against simple tools that do one thing extremely well but I don't want a modularized iOS world where they become the majority solution. I think there's a place for ambitious innovation too.
I am naive. For me it would be, switching into this prob/cond. mode and tapping on the notes will popup a small menu in which you can select the values (maybe some sort of dial?!) and that’s it. I have not a clue how much work that would be to implement. Sounds like not that much 🙈🙈🙈
Agreed.
I vote for Atom's focus to be on standard piano roll functions. Randomness is near the bottom of priorities for me, and in a modular setting with other apps receiving Atom's output, there is much capability already. CC automation, more meter/rhythm, MIDI select/transform options, and editing features are the main functionality of a piano roll.
+1
Step sequencing makes so much sense. Why all Daws and sequencers don’t adopt it defies logic in my opinion. Bought Atom specifically for that.
+1
Agree, that randomness is not a priority use case for Atom. We have StepBud and Rozeta LFO etc for that. ModStep/Taipei/Clip Launcher features with midi cc / modulation curves makes more sense.
Maybe I am
misunderstanding the thing here but to me this is not randomness madness... this is ordered semi-randomness. I can create a sequence and fill it here and there with different notes that will play with a defined probability. This has nothing to do with rozeta triggering randomly any notes up and down in the major pentatonic
this is way more intentional. Now, beat me...
Noticed some posters are saying that they will like to keep things simple etc.. But, you don’t have to use this feature if you don’t want to..
Now, who would not like this instead of a plan static step sequencer... But first midi import/ export.. please..
Doesn't Octachron already do this random thing? Why does every app have to have every feature?
The “you don’t have to use this feature” argument doesn’t take into account the developer (who admitted being hesitant) and the extra problems that will creep up and complicate the basic function of the app. When we say we’d like to keep this piano roll a piano roll (as it was intended) it’s less about adding a feature we won’t use and more about bloat. The requests for randomness or structured chance is outside of the scope of a traditional piano roll. We are voicing to the dev that we are OK with this being an amazing piano roll, and nothing more.
Of course y’all are allowed to request whatever you like. Not trying to say otherwise.
I am having an issue with the pinch zoom function. If I have the roll set to 64ths, and try to pinch zoom in to a level that is easy to work in on my ipad pro 12.9. It won't go beyond a certain point. Then I have to insert a note, and use the plus magnifier in the top right corner. It's not a big deal, but curious if it is like this on all devices, or just certain ones, or if it is a bug or designed.
You don’t have to use it in Octachron if you don’t want to.. Variation is why it is so unique..Variation that is child’s play for a computer to produce.. but hell for the average human..
Actually, if you check the beginning of this thread, the developer was willing for such a feature..
It’s all good.. no biggie.. there are other apps that will bring this feature.. it’s just a great tool..
I guess I was referring to his current stance which was “I would prefer to delegate this functionality to specialised apps, and just embrace modularity here. But I'm open to having my mind changed.”
Where I'm coming from, I don't really care if the dev adds randomness, probability or conditional capabilities, as long as it doesn't slow down or interfere with the meat & potatoes functionality of a traditional piano roll, which for many composers is to create and edit reliably invariable sequences. It's a lot of time and work for the dev, so he'll prioritize. It's just my opinion, but an AUv3 plug-in that covers what we're used to in a piano roll is an important addition to iOS. Once that's established, randomness capabilities could be pursued if it makes sense to the developer.
This is a pretty dense thread, so perhaps I missed it in reviewing the posts...
ApeMatrix setup:
AM keyboard input to Atom, Atom to instrument [in this example, Ravenscroft]
Atom loop record on, but the AU is not visible
Input notes to Atom...no playback...
...until I make the AU visible, at which point the playback commences.
[same outcome in AUM]
Feature or bug?
@blueveek just want to say how much i love ATOM in AUM. I was wondering if Midi Import was going to be on the roadmap. I’d love to drop in a few chord progressions into ATOM without having to jump thru the many hoops i currently have to get those notes into ATOM.
Anyhoo...just wanted to say thanks again for this great tool. 👊🏼™️
@blueveek Big thanks from me too, Atom is great and has really sorted out my iOS workflow being able to stay in AUM for sequencing.
Also thanks @echoopera for sharing those AUM sessions, gave me some good ideas on how to use Atom with Fugue, StepPolyArp, Cality etc. I saw that you also use an OP-Z, and I'm finding that a great way to quickly enter chord progressions over bluetooth, with Atom in step input mode. Midi import would be great!
@blueveek when will come the next Atom update? Pitch bend recording HUGELY misses or iFretless bass, that’s a big issue for me.
BTW BeatHawk AUV3 midi output don't work anymore, Gadget Taipei isn’t able to send pitch bend via midi thru (iFretless/Tapei/AU), and Xequence is not stable with Audiobus...
A quick Atom update with basic features added like pitch bend recording waiting for a bigger one should be very appreciated!!!
I'm not aware of any current stability issues with Xequence in Audiobus. It would be great if you could take the time to send an email with more details so the issues can be investigated and fixed.
FWIW, I have found Xequence and AB3 to be a stable combo. My only complaint is that Xequence doesn't update its transport state correctly in the palette sometimes.