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.
Caustic or Gadget
After seeing all the videos, I'm really impressed by both these apps and will probably end up buying both...
But let's assume a parallel universe where you were only allowed to buy one, which would it be and why?
Does Gadget justify the bigger price tag?
- Which would you choose?55 votes
- Gadget56.36%
- Caustic36.36%
- Neither7.27%
Comments
I have both. If I had one choice. Gadget.
I kind of feel the same way but to be truthful I need to spend some more time with Caustic because it really is very good and I also want to support the developer. With audiobus both are going to be very useful. I think Caustic is going to get a lot of 3rd party support as well and already has gotten some of that in the way of very affordable expansions.
Caustic for me, much more control, and honestly thats saying a lot as I am a huge fan of Korg, both hardware and software. But right now Caustic is the more pro choice, but I love Gadget.
I also have both. As much as I like Caustic and applaud this independent developer for creating what he has done, if I had to choose one it would be Gadget, even at the higher price.
The sounds are nicer IMO and the interface is really well made.
That said, if you like to experiment and do things like vocode your drums with a sound from your synth, etc. etc. Caustic is really powerful in that respect.
But in terms of having fun and just getting some music made, Gadget wins, hand down.
All I need is for Propellerheads to release Reasons Kong, and I won't even have to think about this. If I had to choose at the moment it would be Gadget, based on their future updates description, name brand history and resources, and the fact that they may be the company that scares propellorheads into releasing at least a "reason junior" with a sequencer lol.
Side note: it's kind of inexcusable for MUSIC apps released the end of 2013-2014 and beyond to not include audiobus and IAA.
I would disagree with your calling it "inexcusable". Both are very powerful on their own and can produce stunning tracks without AB integration.
Caustic!
I'll definitely be using both as both apps do sound really good, and both have their pros and cons. But if you put a gun to my head, I probably would choose Caustic at the moment due to the better mixing/routing system, the ability to use your own samples in various formats, plus it's a bit more produce oriented vs the more performance oriented system in Gadget.
@techguy227 said:
Ok, well that's great for them and for you, but in my opinion it's inexcusable. To me it's like buying a hardware synth and the manufacturer saying "we will release an audio output and a Midi add-on in a few months". I didn't buy all of these audiobus compatible apps so they can sit in a corner. To each his own!
Gadget will have audiobus , please read the launch article. I am glad that I have the app available as version 1 while I wait. Patience is a virtue...inexcusable or not we do not get to make that decision thankfully.
Any more opinions ? I'm totally torn between picking one of these up.. Keep flip flopping back and forth which one i should get.
@ChrisG said:
... and the modular synth alone in Caustic is worth the price of the whole app.
Caustic doesn't need Audiobus, although it is planned and would benefit from it. Anyway, in a parallel universe I'd get Caustic to support the dev.
In this Universe, I don't think I need either, as I prefer to have a DAW and use other instrument apps and effects with it. Still might get Caustic to support the dev as I only expect to get Z3ta in the future and otherwise I'm quite happy with what I have
Caustic first, got to support the small independent developers. He has come up with a brilliant product at a ridiculously low cost. Apart from that he has listened and participated here. Will Korg do that? I think not. Not knocking Korg at all, but the small guy has got more heart and soul invested.
I was facing a similar dilemma, and have to admit that I went for Gadget, the thought of getting Korg quality synths for that price seemed a steal, and it does have some really great sounds. Having said that, I'm not ruling out getting Caustic too, it has features that Gadget doesn't and I would like to support his product - I may wait for it to have AB though.
I have both, sad app addict that I am. Caustic is so lightweight and I have it on ios, and android, and desktop, so I always have it with me and can put together a track on my phone and transfer to my ipad to be worked up. Great app and amazing bargain price, awesome value. Gadget is a thing of beauty and has great sounds. Really enjoyable to work with. Mixing and mastering options and fx options a bit limited. If I had neither I would buy caustic first. It lacks the beauty but is a brilliantly designed workhorse!
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All very valid points. Supporting an independent development is good and Caustic defo deserves use by people who appreciate its routing capabilities, vocoder etc. This said however, with a small kid, part time job, university and the house that needs work on I choose gadget for a sheer immediacy of music creation, beauty of sounds and its future development trajectory. I can see it becoming even more powerful music making tool with an inevitability of an update to the next generation ipad as soon as it is released. Capitalism/consumerism all the way.
Also, if you are a lover of FX then Caustic wins with two FX slots for every device and master reverb, delay and that width thing that is so awesome,
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At this point I'm leaning ever so slightly towards Gadget but maybe because it's the new, shiny, kickass toy on the block
The lack of AudioBus is the main reason I haven't got either yet. I understand that Audiobus isn't critical to everyone's workflow, but it is critical to mine. It's probably the first feature I look for before buying an app.
Well fortunately most of us don't have to choose and we can enjoy both of these fantastic apps. At the moment Caustic is further developed, definitely with regards to mixing and mastering but to be fair to Korg I don't think they envisaged Gadget being an all singing and dancing DAW so it will benefit from AB and IAA support. Caustic is a superb box of tricks but so is Gadget and most of us absolutely love the sounds from the Korg devices it ships with. Caustic has a really good workflow but I must say the Korg dev's have really excelled with the workflow we have in a Gadget. Everything is so intuitive, logical and well-thought out - I have played extensively with it since release and not looked at the manual yet. I am delighted that we have both of these fine apps and I look forward to further developments, especially with Gadget ;-)
Glad to see the support here guys. You have to realize how daunting it is as an indie to go up against the big guys, only to have one of them come out with a very similar product one month after yours :-|, it's a risk you take and I'm not going to pretend I invented anything groundbreaking with the rack-based synth station or didn't derive inspiration from existing software...
Anyway, I have nothing but respect for Korg, they're one of the companies that early on realized the potential of mobile music and constantly put out really nice apps and this one is no exception. They have the advantage of building off of existing iOS apps so they've probably got their CoreAudio quirks all sorted, plus a huge range of quality sample they can just trow in, I had neither.
To touch on comments made in another thread, I wonder if anyone at Korg even noticed when Caustic came out, maybe they did, but I'm sure it didn't shake them much.
What does this mean for me? Well it's a great motivator to get as much work done as possible to keep up/on top . The fire has indeed been lit if it wasn't already. Maybe it's time to contact graphic designers too... ;-)
Whatever your choice, have fun.
Oh and I know it's not that common on iOS but I'm thinking of releasing a free demo version of Caustic (save/export disabled) in order to help people decide if mine is the right app for them. I'd rather people know what they're getting when they buy the app, no surprises is better for everyone (and my reviews, right supadom?)
I don't have Caustic but you won't be disappointed with Gadget.
It's not a serious workhorse app but it's definitely reminding me of Reason 1.0. Very easy to use and get into with some awesome sounds
The edit and automation features are some of the easiest to use on iOS I've seen yet.
For me, it's hard to have my say, due to my close connections with Caustic for a long time, but Korg does and always has made quality products, and I use them to this day.... that being said, both apps have good potential, but so far the early feedback I've been seeing at this moment, is that Caustic can handle the heavy loads, where KG appears to choke on some iDevices....
Thanks guys, it's so refreshing to hear a dev's perspective.
@caustic_rej ..great words. The indie devs have given us some of our best apps. I don't see that changing anytime soon. Often the big guys innovate too slowly and aren't as close too the community's needs
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Choking is certainly an issue. On my ipad 2 I start glitching with 5 tracks, but with Caustic I can get all 14 in. I was able to, however, get 12 tracks with Gadgets with only freezing 8 without glitching. But Caustic is certainly the all around better choice. More tracks and better FX, for a quarter of the price.
I like 'em both, and Caustic has a vocoder. BLAOW!
Of the two, Caustic 3 is the one I can use on my iPhone...and I can name its synths with silly names of my own choosing (cities from LA county's inland empire: Rancho Cucamonga, Riverside, San Bernardino)
I have both Gadget and Caustic on iPad of course and love both. Love the tweakers-dream synths on Caustic, and can't help but love the shit-hot Korg style, presets, and audio: got my first Hotwheel in the sixties, and still have it....
Also love tabletop! which gets very little love hereabouts but has slick IAA integration and audio copy (and the best working iterations of IMini, and iMPC) and also sounds pretty damn tight. And it's got T-Pain's vocoder, which no lie is really fun on the iMPC, given the piano roll editor on the tabletop version of iMPC.
I dig Caustics graphic, BTW, it's cozy familiar somehow to me, one of many kinds of work space that is freeing
@Caustic_Rej said:
Haha, busted again. Twice today. I just re read my review. All I've said is what I feel. Constructive criticism
. Glad you're listening in man, and thanks for all your hard work David.