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
How are you using the clip buttons?
Not sure if you did understood my point: My ideas is to be able to operate iPad in two "modes":
1. "relaxed" one - for scratching ideas, noodling etc = only iPad
2. "serious" - production and performance one - iPad with controller + interface
Switching to desktop would be fine if it's seamless. I would really love to have e.g. BM3 or some serious DAW for both iOS and desktop with projects synced via cloud and be able to seamlessly switch, depending on my mood / possibilities. Garageband and Korg Gadget are probably the best in this, but unfortunately, not my faves
Maybe with iPadOS this changes but until now it was just a big iPhone instead a portable computer replacement so most of the things we do on them are the exception instead the rule...
I was pointing the same over the mpclive/X release but nobody cared... includding Apple with all the limitations it had over time and wrecking audio
New iPods could be a perfect platform for musicians but again which iOS will they get? Apple Arcade is a business (or could be) but artists seems sometimes too, sometimes non and in the end some of us need to make music and forget about all the hassle...
I will love to see that detachable approach or even something like Apple car applied to gear (imagine push2, maschine mk3 or NI D2...) but probably isn't going to happen in Apple realm
I think the community should push on Apple to make App store "Pro" too. It's obvious that it currently does not allow the business model known from desktop which is most common for every pro software:
This is currently very tricky with iOS, which is suited perfectly for other business models (ad revenue, subscription, freemium...), but not for the standard one from the desktop.
Unless there is an healthy environment for "pro" developers, we probably never get pro apps...
Well, my point was more like "don't even try to go serious if you want to avoid frustrations".
I've stumbled over them in the past and came to the conclusion that at some point, I should stop expecting too much from a platform that is only used by a minority of musicians.
Your idea of hardware integration has already been requested by a few people more than five years ago, and not much has changed since.
Sounds like a Windows tablet with bitwig would be a better option in your case.
Or Cubasis/iPad, only used with plugins available on both platforms.
As @rs2000 pointed we probably aren’t enough. Even with the 2M launchpad downloads in our group these are peanuts for Apple. In fact probably the big numbers are their justification to keep prices low but it could be change of course. I will love to see Marzipan/Catalyst companion apps from both sides of the river making a whole ecosystem for devs so they can get more money from desktop apps and funnel users from mobile iDevices. It seems the Apple approach itself with apps like Garageband which fits this workflow we are discussing.
That’s how I finally end using Garageband/BlocsWave on iPad/iPhone and Garageband/Logic/Ableton on mac mini. Also look at Stagelight proposal to see a different to subscription model approach that could make sense for users too.
Check out my Dub Techno track collab with Dean Daughters at Electronisounds on YT!
I sent him the original groove via GR-16 and he sampled it into his Akai Force to rebuild it into a complete track. There’s about nine video uploads going through the process on his channel!
The final track will make it onto his next E.P. for BeatPort 👍
The Force seems a good companion for the iPad.
Hey dude!!
Awesome I'll chexk that out, really cool!
is there any difference between the force's looper and the mpc live looper, also same question for the time stretching, how would you compare?
I could never justify the cost of an Akai Force myself, but it is certainly an impressive unit in my eyes.
There’s a lot of detail on the workflow inside the Force on those vids, plus a lot of great recording, mixing, production and EQing tips along the way.
Anyway, I think it’s a good example of taking stuff out of the iPad and into the Force.
Dean definitely did an awesome job of taking my original Dub Techno idea in GR-16 and turning it into a finished track on the Force, and it was an interesting look at the Force in action, for me.
Here’s a link to the first episode. Bear with the sound on this one as it was a first livestream test. The rest of the episodes use more direct audio.
The timestretch is better in force...although not by any leaps and bounds.
Force loop record mode is like GarageBand mobiles loop record mode...not like ‘loopy’ as much...
It could be a tiny less steppy
...
?
Had several questions, found the answers on the MPC Forum.
MIDI OUT over USB - still not implemented on the Force (or MPC).
MIDI IN as USB Host - yes, but OMNI only.
Bluetooth MIDI IN - yes.
@MrSmileZ
WiFi is for Ableton Link and Splice only? Is Network MIDI possible? Edit: Now I see there is an 'Akai Network Driver' for Mac and WIN.
Can the Force access the Files app when connect via USB to an iPad running iPadOS 13? (I understand the MPC is able to.)
Are you still enjoying the Force?
I haven’t tried to access the files app connected usb to force or MPC. I use the iconnectaudio 4+ to hook to iOS with both Akai units...so it’s all standard midi. Network midi came with drivers after the last Akai update...also something I don’t use. Midi in on either Akai machine, even thru physical midi is Omni and only controls the selected track...for instance..trying to use and external sequencer to play several channels of instruments loaded on Akai machines is not a go! All sequencer channels will play on selected track on Akai. I don’t know how Akai thought this would fly? I love the force for what it is. I mostly use iOS to sketch ideas and stems to send to my daw running reason 11 and LPX. I utilize the akai boxes to do the same only in a more tactile way. I find that I use the force far more than I do the mpclive.
Would I buy the force again, yes.
Would I buy the mpclive again...no, instead I would by a roland vsynth xt or octatrack mkii
Could the force be better, yes, of course.
If the newest update ever comes to the force, I can see me loving it even more.
If you want to think of how the force is used by me...picture it more as a workstation for developing song parts, verse, hook, break, drops, and etc. That is mostly it’s function in my setup. Sampling is more convenient in my many daw and iOS areas of production. I can edit thousands of samples on bm3 faster than 100 on Akai...to be frank. I also highly value the 64 pad layout with velocity and after touch for using the force as a main controller <—-this is big to me.
Being I own alchemy, iris2, melodyne editor, reason, serato sample, spacecraft, and many others; I can do better and more accurate twisting and mangling of samples on other platforms. It’s easy to take what’s made and pop it on sd and just load it into the force or live.
I do know that Ableton link can be used on Akai machines instead of midi for sync...I just don’t use it. I don’t use Ableton live, so I have few ideas about any of that stuff either. I also don’t use splice...I prefer found sounds.
When I buy gear and apps, I usually assign duties to those things I acquire, by what usefulness they bring. So if I don’t know the answer to a specific question from my own use, I would rather let somebody who can answer more accurately do so.
Thank you for your detailed response!
I do make loops in AUM, BM3, and Sonar (also don't use AB Live), so I'm looking for an easy, tactile, way to play and arrange those stems, as you mentioned. With the Force as the master clock, sequencer, and controller. AB Link and Bluetooth sound convenient, but we'll see. Good to know about the MIDI IN issues.
Do a lot of sampling, get the MPC, arrange those loops/stems into a song, get the Force. I hear that a lot. I never gelled with the MPC's Sequence/Track/Program relationship. The Force's simpler Track/Clip concept makes more sense. (Sonar has a Matrix View, which is similar, but we don't have a Push for Sonar).
The screen can control one thing, the knobs another, the top 4 rows of pads another, and the bottom 4 another! This is amazing.
Hopefully Song Mode comes soon. I've seen the beta videos and it looks deep.
Re V Synth XT, never had one, had the VariOS and it's WIN XP only, with very sluggish software. Been on and off the fence for an OT for years. Waiting patiently for a MnM MKIII, or at least something with multi-synthesis and the modern Elektron sequencer. Though the DN Keys is tempting since it's on sale.
Thanks again. About to push the 'Checkout' button.
Despite the things it can’t do (but probably will do when the long-gestating update drops), I am constantly surprised by how much my force CAN do. Easily the most powerful groovebox out there.
Take a look at this bundle - Force, Eris E4.5 monitors, ATH-M50x, SD card, cables all for $999.
crazy , if they ever add warp markers to that thing it'll be ridiculous
What is a warp marker? If you have the time to slip me a clue.
warp markers are a feature in Ableton Live, they are movable anchors that allow you to push and pull parts of audio to experiment with the audio's timing while keeping the audio in sync with the tempo of your project. Time stretching audio will only sync one audio file with another or with the rest of the project, but warp markers make the audio elastic and malleable
Ableton doesn't even allow you to manipulate warp markers with the push 2 controller you have to use the mouse, if Akai gives the force warp markers and allows you to manipulate them any way you want via the Force it'll be amazing.
@kobamoto Can each warp marker on an audio clip have different warp settings?
(ACID does this using multiple groove templates paint brushes.)
I don’t think this generation of force will have the cpu power to do warp markers.
If Akai was to turn up the algorithm for timestretch in force, I think the system would be pummeled.
Maybe when the next force touts a better board we will see this come into play.
That being said...
The timestretch on Force is better than stand alone currrent MPC timestretch, but here’s where I would put it...
Mpclive stretch is like eco...barely useable... so (eco, good, better, best) force would fall into the good category
The mpclive has the ability to tether to MPC software and there you can go all the way to best...where as the force does not use MPC software at the moment, nor is it free with the force. I would say the force stretch is nowhere near beatmaker3 stretch in quality even though I believe they use the same elastique algorithm... I believe bm3 uses the highest quality one under pro.
Could be wrong...but it seems to be that way.
Thanks. Does any App on IOS provide a "warped audio" feature? I'd also like to hear the effect on a recording. I'm assuming it doesn't change the pitch just the manipulation of the tracks rhythmic alignments. I can't even guess what that sounds like.
yep, and you can have a ton of them don't even know the limit... use some to anchor and some to move things around it's just too much fun and too easy to get lost in creating stuff,
that's a good question, don't know of anything on iOS like it... in Ableton it can change pitch if you like or it can maintain pitch
is the Force stretch better or worse than the mpc offline stretch?