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.
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I would second the recommendation from earlier to check out a few YouTube channels from VCV Rack users Omri Cohen and Modular Curiosity. They both have some “beginner” tutorials, as well as going deep into patches and certain modules.
Some of the recent videos are from Rack V1.0, so the interface will be a bit different, but the same fundamentals apply.
Will do and thanks!
From twitter ...
{insert Kool Aid Man Oh Yeah! gif here}
@mifki Can I add a request for midi program change for session loading as a potential feature?
This is really useful when combining with other hosts/apps and gear
Cross-posting this clarification about products from Expert Sleepers from the other thread, for any iPad musicians who might get inspired by miRack to get into the physical modular game (the Behringer Neutron is a great starting point at $210). This sort of hardware (DC-coupled audio input/output ports) lets you turn a virtual cable carrying virtual CV in miRack into a real cable carrying real CV to your modular gear, or vice versa.
The ES-3 works as an ADAT-to-CV output converter for any audio interface, not just as an extension for the ES-8.
That means that for the majority of users here who already have an audio interface for their iPads, if that interface has a lightpipe port on it, the ES-3 by itself ($203) is definitely what should be purchased rather than a whole second audio interface in the ES-8 ($475). That way the existing interface can still be used in conjunction with the added CV outputs. Also you save about $300.
If @mifki adds multichannel audio input as well, then users might be interested in adding an ES-6 ($179) to the chain (connected to their ES-3, which would be connected to their audio interface). Then you'd have the all the outputs and inputs of the ES-8 (plus two more inputs) while retaining use of your existing audio interface and still coming out ahead in price.
That's all assuming that your existing interface doesn't already have DC-coupled inputs and/or outputs.
The ES-8 and ES-9 are more targeted to musicians who work primarily with Eurorack and are looking for a self-contained audio interface to add to their rack.
How were you able to download patches? For me, they just open up in browser as XML.
Once the xml is displayed, just record it. It will be saved as a .vcv file. You have then to turn the .vcv into .wrk. Simplest way to do that is to use the rename function in AudioShare. You have then to move the file in the miRack folder
What exactly does this mean?
Also, can you guys please outline what your real-life use case for VCV Rack/miRack in desktop/mobile workflow is or would be? From what I've seen here, some people want to create patches on the go (and possible open in VCV Rack afterwards), some want to route audio into other apps on iPad for post-processing and recording (and some I believe a patch to play simultaneously with other apps), and some want to connect iPad to real Eurorack hardware. Also I've seen requests for Ableton Link support.
These are all valid but very different use cases, and while the plan is to support it all (subject to hardware limitations as I always note), I need to prioritise some of these tasks over the others.
Thanks for the great tip! I am new to this type of app and would really motivate me to see something working. Could you please provide some patches that you tested on the iOS app? It will be best to zip compress so we can unpack via AudioShare and make the file transfer easier. As far as I can tell the iOS app does not include any templates or patches to get started.
There are two patches in Examples folder. Please let me know if you can't find the folder as I've heard some reports about issues with the iOS documents browser the app is using.
If you have the Shortcuts app, you can download patches on Patchstorage directly to the files app. It is described on the Audulus forum for Audulus files but works exactly the same. Lookee here:
https://forum.audulus.com/t/how-to-download-audulus-patches-on-ios/1059
How can I delete a module? Am I missing something obvious?
to be honest for me unless an app can interface to others either via Audiobus or via Auv3 i don't really use it much these days. even on my desktop i route multichannel audio from Vcvrack into ableton. being able to do that on my ipad would make me very happy
as mentioned earlier the stellare link module for 0.6 should hopefully help you get ableton link working....
Two-Finger tap the module to reveal the menu, then select delete.
This means by sending a midi Program Change message to the app, it would then load a corresponding patch matched to the PC number.
For example Sugar Bytes apps use a method where each of their apps has a folder which you put the saved sessions you want to load via a Midi PC message. So maybe it could work like that, a folder in the File browser.
it's very useful in recalling saved sessions when used in combination with apps like AUM/audiobus or hardware.
As far as my uses go for miRack, I'd love to use it with Multichannel routing to Ableton or to my second ipad. And also I'd like to use it on the same ipad as other apps, eg host miRack in Audiobus/AUM with other apps to record etc.
Yeah I'd also be making patches on the ipad and taking them across to my laptop too
For those of you just starting to learn VCV/Modular beyond the fundamentals, I’ve found it helpful to narrow my focus to the Audible Instrument collection. They have some of the most thorough manuals and extensive coverage on YouTube.
Here’s a convenient site to pick up all the guides, as well as a list of the Audible Instruments modules in MiRack, followed by the Mutable Instrument’s namesake for each:
http://midimanuals.com/manuals/mutable_instruments/
Bernoulli Gate = Branches
Keyframer/Mixer = Frames
Macro Oscillator = Braids
Macro Oscillator 2 = Plaits
Meta Modulator = Warps
Mixer = Shades
Modal Synthesizer = Elements
Multiples = Links
Quad VC-Polarizer = Blinds
Quad VCA = Veils
Random Sampler = Marbles
Resonator = Rings
Segment Generator = Stages
Texture Synthesizer = Clouds
Tidal Modulator = Tides
Utilities = Kinks
Wow! This is so amazing. First impressions is this is the biggest saving anyone can make in opting for a software version of a synth. Thats dev. We owe you big time. Gushing 5 star review time
Hi @mifki - thanks so much for this wonderful thing!
in answer to your question:
My use would ideally be to run mirack in tandem with a small hardware setup and AUM. Setup something like this:
Squarp Pyramid controlling a Preenfm2 and Micromonsta running into iConnectaudio4+.
2 ipads connected to the iconnect, which can pass audio and midi. mirack will be running on one, and AUM will be on the other, receiving and processing all audio. Aum will handle midi and audio fx, as well as serving as a multichannel recorder.
So the ability to route audio and midi in and out are my top concerns. Multiple outs and good midi implementation are key. I like @Carnbot's idea for program change, too.
Not sure if it's been requested, but a midi learn mode would be incredibly useful. I find the midi modules to be a bit clunky. If trying to map a large patch to be controlled via midi, midi learn would be ace!
How can this app be controlled with a midi keyboard? Any examples? I can’t figure it out with the included examples
Much appreciated, thanks 🙂
You'll need to use one of the MIDI modules (MIDI-4 seemed to not gate properly for me, but MIDI-1 works) to convert to CV. Wire the MIDI-1 CV Out to the V/Oct input on a VCO and the MIDI-1 Gate to the gate input on an envelope generator. That should get you started.
This guy does a pretty good overview of getting started with Modular synthesis, by using VCV Rack Fundamental modules.
This is a reasonable place to start?
https://vcvrack.com/manual/QuickStart.html
By the way, I find that a pencil is very helpful on iOS esp. when connecting patch cables. But how to display the menu with a pencil?
FWIW screenshot of a naive connection of KB-1 to miRack
Chabange! There you go.
My recommendation. Skip IAA support as it has been deprecated by Apple and focus on standalone usage and more importantly iOS AU compatibility. The ability to record and automate AU knob movements would be a major step forward. Taking advantage of iOS multitouch, allowing the movement of more than one knob or slider simultaneously as one would with real world hardware is also high priority.
The main use for me would be making music on the iPad only. For everything else I can use VCV Rack on the desktop.
iOS-only means being able to edit, load and save patches, 1:1 transparent patch library between standalone and AUv3 version, clock- and AUv3-host-syncable LFOs and arp/sequencing objects, both MIDI-learn- and controllable, and AUv3-automatable parameters and for an AUv3 version, saving patch data with the project for total recall.
Ableton LINK would be useful too for apps that don't support MIDI clock.
BTW, is there any 'tempo taps to clock pulse' translating module available that one could send MIDI notes or CC periodically and the module would convert these to something that can beat-sync an LFO?
@mifki you have done an excellent job in forking this and adapting it for iOS! Am really impressed out how usable you manage to make it with a touchscreen and performance is great. Already I have several page worth’s of experiments 🧪 that I am aching to use with my other apps.
So, my use case would be:
These would allow me to jam with other apps and to record the results, both for Audio and MIDI.
Loving it, would simple like the ability to record the output too.