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
When the bean counters stop you doing anything you want.
Other than the boneheaded charging port position, I love my magic mouse 2.
+1
Uggh. Logictech MX Master Mouse 2 every time.
You know, I would be less butt hurt about them removing a headphone jack if they moved the usb port to the same position as the old headphone jack. Really, right in the middle? Why?
Ha! You're so right. I never thought about it. I guess it's a holdover from iPod docking station type stuff? Suppose it still makes sense on the phone but, yeah, why on the ipad?
Speaking of... Work got me a new MBP. Fast machine, hurrah! But port hell: 4 USB C ports which connect natively to exactly zero devices I own. Even simple stuff is annoying: if I just want to use my expensive apple computer to charge my expensive apple phone... dongle time. Bah. I reckon they could have had their all USB-C future and be friendly to those of us without Ive scale salaries by sticking a frigging USB port on the power brick for what, 2-3 dollars in manufacturing costs? Even friendlier if that could both act as a charging port and USB data connection. Bah.
Also, mag-safe was cool! Also also, the little light indicating charge status was handy!
/end-privilege-problems-rant
Uggh back!
Using multi-touch gestures on the apple mouse really is delightful. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204895#mouse
Already having 30*50 kagillion dollars and wanting to do something else, or somewhere else? That kind of money makes my head spin to be honest
That's 1st world rough homie.
I don't think Ive on his own has been that great, personally, for awhile now - or at least I haven't been able to see it (he's not the end all be all on decisions). So... I guess I'm OK with him moving on. He seemed sort of one-dimensional in his design approach, from the outside looking in, of course. Or at least those are what "Tim Apple" went with out of alternative options. Tim is, very loosely speaking, a Steve Ballmer with a LOT more class. Brilliant businessmen, but not innovators.
There’s a lot of varying opinions here on Ive. At the end of the day, he was responsible for the design of more than a few iconic products that hundreds of millions of people wanted and aspired to own.
I haven't really liked the direction of Apple design for a while now, so I'm kind of meh on this really. Unless Apple bring back the headphone socket I can't really see myself getting another iphone, and while I guess I'll get another iPad the lack of socket there changes how I will be able to use it. It's common for designers to forget about use and usability, and my feeling is that this has happened with Apple. Their devices are kind of becoming a pain to use.
I wonder if Ives needed Steve Jobs to keep him in check.
My main problem with the magic mouse is that it's an ergonomic disaster (as is the keyboard as well). If you ever develop RSI and you use them - ditch them. I've known several people have exactly this issue. The logitech mouse is just very comfortable to use and does everything the magic mouse can do.
A common theme amongst Apple commentators seems to be that during the Steve Jobs era design was how it worked and in the Jony Ive era has veered too far into the “design is how it looks” category.
However you see things there can be no doubt that Jony Ive is a bona fide superstar of design though. His ‘misses’ are relative and his designs will be iconic for years to come.
And I still think the Cube is one of the coolest computers ever designed. I wanted one soooo badly. :-)
@EyeOhEss Yep, iPhone SE is my main everyday fighter as well (and it's really a remake of the absolutely iconic iPhone 4, which was my first iPhone and it's sitting right behind me on the last iOS 6 version, and it still works perfectly! (9 years!))
On the headphone jack, that's a so-recurring theme
you have to see that they did NOT actually remove it for design reasons, but for PURELY technical ones -- the headphone jack (as they rightly explained in their keynote) is roughly a hundred (!) years old and is bigger than the whole phone (in thickness), so it's really about time that technology is ditched.
About the replacement (wireless headphones) -- yeah I'm not sure about that. It would probably be better, theoretically, to introduce a new connector for analog headphones. Smaller, more robust (although the Apple headphone sockets really are absolutely exceptional in mechanical quality). But then you have the hen and egg problem.
@EyeOhEss yeah, I agree that such transitional periods are terrible. But the headphone socket/plug is not a very good standard by today's, errr, standards. How about something like MagSafe, but for audio? That would rock (literally). Oh, maybe I should get a patent for that... "Boy have we patented it"
Yeah I've heard this. I think it's a dumb argument honestly. The headphone socket is a standard (which means any set of headphones I buy will work with it - and means I can use my headphones on any audio device), is fairly robust, has zero latency, doesn't require batteries and just f***ing works.
In contrast wireless headphones require batteries, have latency and are just more hassle to get working (and that's ignoring the cost of the Apple ones which are ridiculous). A thinner phone (which I don't actually want anyway) doesn't really seem worth all the disadvantages.
Also, when you have to explain a new 'feature' in as much detail as Apple did for the headphone socket, that's a sign that maybe it was a bad idea and people aren't buying it. The whole Apple fanboy thing of "this is good actually but you're too dumb to realise" annoyed me in the 90s, and hasn't exactly got better over the years.
A headphone jack that comes out when you're running?
😒
People are starting to get it:
https://daringfireball.net/2019/07/on_the_post-ive_future_of_design_at_apple
A d*ck move not even to ship it with any kind of adapter. Lightning to USB C cables do exist however. Dongles and 3rd party cables are not only annoying but they’re like taking street drugs, you never know what you’re getting when you buy them. (Disclaimer don’t take drugs
)
And customers who shelled out for a Thunderbolt Display need to pony up for another adapter... meh.
I was thinking more along the lines of Atari's.
If you're heading for the bar could you place an order for a glass of wine for me please
and whatever you're having.
Thank you.
Yeah, seems like they have more multimedia, news, and more short term memory/long term contract agenda more than any reference to the future hardware or machines.
Steve Jobs.....RIP
It is amazing to realize what a role he played.
As we know, maybe this is a good thing like hardware in synths, we will see exciting new smaller ventures that open new things up for quality devs like you.
I love design but Apple ( Ive? ) has designed the shit out of every product they make. Time to design in some more usability. Apples products don’t t have to fly or do a re-entry maneuver so the ridiculously thin form factor that precludes ports and connectors makes no sense ... I can barely hang onto some of my more recent devices!
Give me ports, more battery, more internal components and an ergomonic shape over the vanishingly slim sliver any day!
I hope it’s time for a correction.