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.
Creativity through constraints - post your ideas here...
I'm a firm believer in the power of enforced constraints for helping break writer's block, and enabling musicians to unlock their potential.
This is precisely why I'd like to encourage all users here on the forum to post their ideas for a range of different constraints that budding producers can try as a way to get more music made (and in sometimes unexpected directions).
Let me start us off..
Five random plugins
Your challenge is to find a method to select 5 random AUv3 audio plugins (a mixture of instruments and effects) and then make a track using only those 5. You can use multiple instances of each if you like, but No other effects (or samples) are allowed in the track. However, if you are using a host that doesn't include its own midi editor (such as AUM) then you are permitted to add a midi sequencer such as Atom as a 6th plugin.
How you select these 5 random plugins is entirely up to you (please be creative) - ideally you will select 2 instruments/synths and 3 audio effects.
One final note - if your synth includes it's own effects (reverb/delay etc) I would strongly suggest turning these off and using your randomly selected effects instead
Have fun!
Comments
Really cool beans. I think Michael had once a twitter account - something with bus
And then it twittered some times a day 5 randomly chosen AB compatible apps to hook up and get something going with. Imam sure someone will recall the name of that account.
Like the idea though 👊🏼
No melody, no harmony. Just rythm&timbre.
Just look how happy these guys are
Use no constraints! Best thing I can recommend.
AUM with Poison-202, KQ Dixie, SquareSynth 2 and Turnado controlled by Atom could be interesting.
Try iOS
Make an album with just iKaossilator or some other severely limited app with just the bare minimum. To me using ONLY five different plugins or what have you is really missing the point. Be more like the kids in the picture.
This
I think using track limitations is another approach, use only 4 (or 8) track setup with fx.
I went through a phase where I dumped all my apps except one DAW and only the effects/instruments that I needed but were not already present in Cubasis (a DeEsser for example).
Then I hit a compulsion to redownload tons of my other apps and now I still don’t use most of them, but I feel happier knowing I could if I wanted to. It’s a weird comfort zone.
My constraint are:
1. Buy a lot of apps and learn a few at a more in depth level than others because they peak my interest.
2. View intriguing videos or hear compositions by others of the apps I’ve neglected.
3. Revisit the neglected apps and see if they interest me this time.
4. Throughout this process I become sidetracked by my urge to connect as many different apps and/or hardware together as I can without regard to their musical coherence.
5. Occasionally post my compositions.
While certainly constraining (see video above which supports this conclusion), I can’t recommend this course of action as an alternative or superior approach to more traditional approaches such as learning how to play an instrument, playing with others, or learning music theory.
I think this is the most straightforward approach. Think of it like a typical four piece rock band who’s just playing their songs and there’s no overdubbing. Just good riffs/hooks/vocals and a pleasing arrangement of such. One of the hardest lessons to learn in music I think is that layer after layer after layer of sound isn’t going to turn a shitty musical idea into a great one. And judging from my experience on this forum, ALL of us have been guilty of this at least once.
A recent constraint I’ve had a lot of fun with is working within Groovebox and seeing what I can do with only 4 tracks, even though you get up to 8. No automation either. It’s been an eye opening experience
True and sometimes layer upon layer upon layer can be done due to shortcomings in the mix when actually there are good rhythms and melodies going on... just too damn many at once. Sometimes I will add a meaty pad and feel better for the moment but only because the bass isn’t sounding right in the mix, bad Gus! Fix the bass first before adding that second pad.
Nanoloop
Sinusoid
Snibbetracker
VividTracker
PixiTracker
DefleMask
(All universal, no particular order, some more constraining than others. Pick one...)
Choose one single app to go from start to finish. Any app of your choosing but just one.
Restraint FTW.
Make your box logical.
It then makes sense even though it is an artificial barrier.
For instance:
1- Loopy HD Song Template:
Song must fit in 12 circles of Loopy
2- Blocs Wave Project/Pattern Game
Song broken down according to the 6 sections of Blocs
or
Live performance having 1 x 6 loop section per song
3- “F” x it up first
Get main applied as you go so at the end more arranging and avoid ear fatigue providing faulty register recognition.
These are mine
Get in the car with a title or a couplet. Start driving. Start humming, singing, trying melodies, making up words. Bark at the roof. Howl. Croon. Every so often press the record button on Audioshare which is open on your phone on the passenger seat next to you. Keep driving.
IKaossilator too
Get ticket for distracted driving. Record encounter with cop. Use excessive vulgarities. Spend night in jail. Have something to write about.
Story of my life.
Things got really creative for me once I decided to not use any loops/sequencers and to play everything in real-time/ off the grid.
Limit your build time to an hour and post an hour later after about six snap decisions on how to process the two minutes of audio your keeping.
Set yourself a limit on how long the track is, fitting something into 2 mins is actually quite challenging !
Also using track limits like @RUST( i )K suggests is a good discipline to have, GB, blocs wave and launchpad have 8 tracks....most controllers have knobs and pads arranged in 8's.....free versions of Ableton etc are limited to 8 tracks.
Base your track on an improvisation. Do not judge if it is good or bad as you are doing it. No matter what happens take that track and make the most of it with your skills.
Cool: I realized this is what I always do: rummage around in a well stocked scrap yard (my mind, an app or apps, and samples) pick up on a random improv, beat, or clip that appeals to me in that moment, attach another, whittle a bit, attach another, twist them this way and that, break a piece off, attach something else, and so on. Nothing special (or rare) in this way of playing around, just my idea of fun.
I’m also a big fan of self imposed limitations, trying to stretch a limited toolset as far as it’ll go, or even imposing limitations on how I use an already limited app.
I’ve done some of my best work in apps like Beatonal, Figure and Groovebox, as it’s focuses entirely on the fundamentals of the music, no room to get lost in complexity or too many choices.
I occasionally use Koala, Nanoloop or Samplebot with the caveat that I create all the sounds via vocalizations/ beatboxing through the mic ..Re-sampling and shaping the sounds into something unique or synthetic sounding. — or if sampling another app into them, limiting myself to a single synth to create all the percussion and melodic parts, only using presets I create from scratch (great way to improve sound design skills)
created a few tracks in electribe wave recently, only using the drum section’s factory samples to build both the rhythm and melodic parts (skipping the synth altogether) ... These methods don’t always lead to worthwhile results, but they’re always fun and great practice.
Good call; That’s really the only way I know how to fly; I made it a point to never learn how to play other peoples music- It can be a handicap when I’m low on inspiration, as I can’t really play the keyboard unless I’m really feeling it and get into the flow; but it can definitely be rewarding when the muse is in town.
Was just watching a documentary a couple weeks ago about one of my fav musical inspirations, Pink Floyd; delighted to hear that they started out using the same improv method. They attributed their unique sound to their learning to play entirely through improv and being unaffected by contemporary music, relying only on their collective imagination.
This is pretty damn minimal. And inspirational.