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.
Multitrack MIDI sequencer that can record movements of iOS synth parameter.
I'm looking for a multi-track MIDI sequencer to control synths launched on AUM.
I would like to play the synths live on AUM (It means changing various parameters while running the sequencer.) and then edit the recorded data later (preferably by drawing paths and points like Ableton Live). And I would like to do multi-track audio mix with AUM while playing back the result.
I like Xequencer (very nice.) and tried to use it for this, but unfortunately It doesn't have the ability to record parameter movements as paths, so I need another MIDI sequencer that can do that.
Does anyone know a good product?
Also, I like the performance with changing sound parameters and envelopes of SeekBeats, but there's no way to record that performance as editable MIDI data may be. First of all, I don't think SeekBeats can output MIDI other than sync. So I also need another drum synth that can do those things.
Is there a product as nice as SeekBeats that fits this?
Comments
I understand that by “paths” you mean lines, but with the drawing and smoothing tools in Xequence 2, I don’t see why that is a huge limitation. It’s basically the same thing, but presented differently. (I’m assuming by “Xequence”, you mean Xequence 2.)
X2 seems like the best answer IMO. But there’s also ModStep.
As you know, if the synths themselves don’t output MIDI when parameters are moved (few do), then there’s nothing that can those parameter changes then and play them back. However, if you can deal with mapping other controllers (such as X2’s cc controllers, or other keyboard controller apps) to those parameters and controlling from outside the app, you can generally record that automation.
Doesn’t help for Seekbeats though since its parameters can’t be controlled by external midi and don’t output midi either.
Some DAWs do allow you to record the direct tweaking of AU plugin parameters. But you’ve said you want to use AUM, rather than a DAW.
While it's not impossible to do that with AUM and a midi seq, it's definitely not a streamlined task and your live performance will most likely suffer in the process.
If your music is clip/loop based than I would go with BM3, if it's something that evolves in a linear manner than Cubasis or NS2 (NS2 will have some limitations). These hosts/DAWs are made to bring these tasks together in a streamlined workflow. AUMs strength is its modular nature.
I don't own Xequence but I'm pretty sure it can record midi CCs so if you really want to stick with AUM as a host be aware that most AU synths won't send/transmit midi (which is why "It doesn't have the ability to record parameter movements as paths") so you'll need either a physical or virtual midi controller mapped to your AU synths. Once all set you can use this midi controller to tweak your synths by sending midi CCs and mirroring these midi CCs to your seq for capturing.
Once done you can "fix" your performance in seq and route its output back to AUM replacing your midi controller as midi source.
Not sure if my description is clear enough
Let me know if things need more explanation.
I forgot to reply with a quote, so I rewrote it below. I'm sorry.
Thank you 0tolerance4silence.
Yes. As you say. I’m already struggling with the process. But I'm so grateful for your advice, as I think the process of making electronic music using iOS has a different potential than the current mainstream computer-based one.
Since I attach great importance to GUI, I’ve been interested in BM3 which is beautifully designed graphically. Cubasis, NS2, and FL are the next candidates for me. But I think Cubasis has the most needed features that I need.
Yes. I’m surprised that the AU synth doesn’t output MIDI. The PC DAW was useful. However, PC synths are too expensive for me to buy and try as much as I need.
Apparently I also need a controller. But I don't want to complicate the workflow any more.
I probably need an iOS DAW that can launch AU synth on a track, directly access parameter automation, and export the results to a multi-track audio like Ableton Live.
Now I'm looking for it hard, but I don't know which DAW is better. Cubasis 3 is not a casual purchase to me, but I think it's the most efficient to try.
Which iOS DAW do you use?
Please let me know if you know a DAW that is good at recording and editing synth parameters.
Thank you wim.
Yes. I wrote “paths” for the point and line drawing tools used to automate by Ableton Live and protools .etc.
Because I For used to that method, the drawing tool of X2 can be very difficult to use. The “paths” are basically just drawing points and the lines between them are stored, but I think the X2 drawing tools are not easy to make fine corrections and to select both ends exactly for smoothing.
Yes. I think X2 is very nice too. I’ve never seen such a beautiful software. However, I should consider introducing a DAW to make electronic music efficiently. Despite being bored of working with DAWs on a PC and just starting to explore this interesting iOS world…
Ableton Live is really useful because it can easily record most parameters of AU and VST synths and edit them with point and line drawing. But for synths, I find iOS overwhelmingly fun. And because fun is the driving force of creativity, I need to build a workflow that manages the two good things. I wonder what kind of workflow does everyone produce?
Yes. It is difficult to use Seekbeats. It has a lot of great things but it's buggy and even can't undo. I'm so sad.
I feel AUM is something between a PC-based production environment and machine live, and I'm very fascinated, but probably I can only make sketches for the time being without DAW.
Thanks for teaching ModStep. I’ll look at the details.
I agree 100%. Trying to make a classic DAW out of AUM is what I would consider the most awkward way of sequencing multiple tracks including automation.
I can understand the desire because AUM is a very nice modular host and my first tipp would be to use BeatHawk as a sequencer inside AUM, but I personally don't see enough advantage of doing this instead of using BM3, NS2, Cubasis 2 or whatever DAW @swiperrr prefers.
My recommendations would be BM3 and NS2 because both have macro knobs that can be freely mapped to a number of synth parameters, offering an additional level of control that's impossible with the synth's own UI, and both can record automations of these.
Another tipp is to create a few templates with your favorite synths so you don't always have to walk through setting up everything again if all you want is write a new song.
Edit: I forgot to mention Gadget 2. If you can live with the available synths (and there's a number of great ones imho), it's a fast, straightforward an fun composition environment - if writing music in patterns is your thing, that is.
Thanks for your polite advice.
Until I recently bought an iPad, I assumed that iOS was only an ancillary feature of computer-based music. (The music I make is loop-based called techno or electronica, and the tone change by the synthesizer is very important as you know.)
And knowing the amazing features of AUM, I looked for another possibility. But, as you say, I may be trying to create a classic DAW system using AUM. Because I'm still used to old, saturated computer-based mediocre production methods.
I hope to create a fresh production environment centered on AUM, and I'm grappling with ways to do that. But at the same time, I should do what I can do already too.
So, let's take a closer look at the BM3 and NS2 you suggested. However, when it comes to macro mapping, I don't feel that even Ableton Live brings state-of-the-art efficiency, so far I've recorded synth parameters directly without using macros, and then edited the automation was doing.
That said, if I find one or two of my favorite synths, I can create music, so I need to try creating templates.
What I want from iOS is the process before mixdown. It doesn't make much sense to do the subsequent process on iOS, at least for me.
Because it is electronic music, the structure of the song due to the change in tone is important. Therefore, I need to create an environment the parameters of the synth can be automated with sequencer.
Of course I paid attention to gadget 2's compatibility with computers, and I purchased and tested it, but unfortunately I couldn't mad about synths in this app. These synths didn't captivate me like the fresh devices that apeSoft, Amazing Noises, and Erik Sigth are developing.
Auria Pro has drawing tools for automation of exposed AU parameters.
Realtime Recording AU parameters in Auria Pro is a little hit and miss at the moment because AP expects AUs to report touches so that it can properly detect value changes when overdubbing automation and few AUs implement that.
@swiperrr
In your case I'd suggest starting with BM3.
If you rely on automation and MIDI routing then I have to say that it just works better in BM3 than in NS2 although I love the simplicity of NS2 and the Obsidian synth+sampler.
For features and quality though, I consider BM3 the best DAW on iOS if you want good audio and MIDI support. Cubasis 3 can only dream of its stability and Auria Pro is not as great with MIDI.
+1
IMO NS2 provides the best/most precise touch based midi editing toolset. But there are just too many limitations at the moment as well as being a linear DAW.
BM3 since last update is a pretty stable, which was its biggest fail.
Otherwise it’ll offer instant automation recording from plugin UI, good editing tools, probably one of the best sampling/sample playback workflow (desktop software included), which comes handy when running out of juice. Similarly to ableton clip/linear workflow.
The only thing I can think of as negative compared to AUM is that you can have only one AU opened for tweaking at a time. But like mentioned above this is where macros become crucial. Tweaking various parameters at once from one knob or have various synths most frequent parameters together for quick access (within one bank).
Thanks for the polite advice over and over again. They are very helpful.
Apparently NS2 seems to have some important limitations as others have taught me the same. So I’m looking into BM3 now,
However, it seems to me that BM3 is specialized in audio and sampling functions.
I'm a little concerned about this, as I don't need to deal with audio on iOS, except to export multitrack audio as premix at the end of editing in iPad.
The iOS DAW feature that I need is an environment that I can comfortably edit the synth app’s automation, so I don't need to worry about other features.
You told me that BM3 would match my purpose. Now I'm looking for a DAW, not an AUM and MIDI sequencer.
I went through the following process to sort out my ideas. This is the process just I need to make electronic music. It would be very helpful if I could do what I did here with Ableton live and M4L device with BM3. Please let me know if you knew that.
1,
First, I exported the two-bar phrase created by the X2's MIDI generator function to MIDI and imported it to Ableton Live's MIDI track via a server.
2,
Then I launched my favorite M4L device, Phase Distortion Synth, on that MIDI track and manually tweaked the notes while playing them in a loop.
3,
Next I right-clicked on various Phase Distortion Synth parameters and added them to the track automation list. These features are really less stressful and useful. I don't need to look up the list of CC assignments for each synths, do any MIDI Learn operations, or consider the MIDI channel of the track, just right-click the knob. This efficient feature is really amazing.
4,
And I edited the dots and lines of each automation while I loop-playbacking the phrase, reconstructing the phrase with progressive timbre changes.
I was able to do these process very comfortably. And the music will be completed by developing this process. Only one synth needs to edit MIDI and automation at a time.
Also, originally I would like to use push in process 4 to record the performance of the parameter in real time and edit the point using the mouse, but the iOS synth can be touched directly, So It's great not to need a controller like push to play the parameters.
I would like to do what I'm doing here on an iOS synth, not M4L devices. That's because iOS synths inspire me much more than Live's soft synths because of their interesting design and accessibility.
Thank you. So that's it. Drawing tools for automating AU parameters are good to hear.
I was looking at the information about embedded MIDI of a synth and found the AU parameter. But I don't understand the details yet, so I’ll examine it.
Thank you. Apparently BM3 is good at the functions I need.
I hear NS2 is good too, but I probably don't use the native synth of iOS DAW.
For audio, if I can export each track at the end after editing MIDI and automation that's enough,
but I think it's fun to export to 2mix and use interesting iOS effects like Moebius Lab, Effectrix, and SECTOR, for it so I'm looking forward to BM3.
Here are my 2ct. I think for your use case it's best to buy a good MIDI controller with many knobs and use a good MIDI centric DAW. Most good iOS synths can MIDI learn and then IMHO 8 knobs are usually enough for controlling parameters.
You wrote you mainly want to play iOS synths regarding notes and parameters. I do not own BM3, but honestly I don't think it's the good choice for you as it's focus is an MPC style sampling workflow.
If you also want to control the mixer of the DAW with a hardware controller, then Cubasis and NS2 are not the right choice - they simply don't allow that. Then better go with X2 + AB3 + AUM or Auria. But I think all these DAWs can record MIDI CCs for synths.
I'm using the X2 setup together with a Korg nanoKeys Studio and LaunchControl XL. I'm controlling the AUM mixer with the LaunchControl XL and I MIDI learned my synths in AUM to the knobs of the nanoKeys. Then X2 records the knobs along with the notes. I'm not much of a keyboarder so I'm happy with the nanoKeys studio which has a rather simple keyboard as it is more of a composing tool. But there is an Akai device with many knobs with a much better keyboard.
https://www.korg.com/products/computergear/nanokey_studio/
https://novationmusic.com/en/launch/launch-control-xl
https://www.akaipro.com/mpk-mini-mkii
The Korg has got Bluetooth MIDI and can then run on batteries, so it's very mobile and without cables. The other devices require to buy an USB adapter for the iPad.
In contrast to Ableton, I don't know of a single iOS DAW that supports bidirectional MIDI control including parameter feedback, not to speak of missing support for the various types of incremental controller messages. That will leave you with 8 anonymous knobs you have to map to a narrow selection of synth parameters that you'll use blindly. And for every synth, you need a different mapping. I've been through all this and I've stopped using hw controllers except a BT MIDI keyboard with pitch bend, modwheel and expression and sustain pedals.
BM3 currently is the strongest option for this MIDI-based workflow. Please elaborate if you know a better one for directly recording live knob tweaks on an AUv3 synth.
If you like switching apps all the time and if you don't need total recall then sure, go for it.
That's a perfectly valid setup, I just think it won't help the OP realize his vision in the most straightforward way.
BT MIDI is a great invention and I wouldn't want to miss it 😃
Bidirectional? How would you make use of that with hw controllers? Only with motorized knobs and faders, I guess or lights in pad controllers. Or did I miss something?
There are not so many parameters that I need to control live. Usually I map cutoff, resonance, detune, LFO, envelopes. The nanoKeys has got an XY-pad that I usually map to cutoff and resonance. Then I have still the 8 knobs for the rest. Usually my mapping is very similar for all synths.
I actually never evaluated BM3 as I thought it is kind of a extended MPC workflow. Probably I‘ll play around with it this weekend... Do you think it can be used for a workflow like Ableton‘s session view the same way for audio and MIDI? If you want I can describe my setup more detailed. I forgot to mention that in my setup is also the Launchpad app together with the Launchpad mini pad controller to trigger audio loops.
I do not need to switch very often as I mapped a lot of mixer and sequencer controls to the LaunchControl XL. Mostly staying in X2. AB3 is saving state for everything including X2, AUM and all the synths in AUM.
It’s really great to make music everywhere I go just taking the iPad, nanoKeys, headphones and a powerbank. It all suits in one 10 inch laptop bag and the battery lasts for many hours.
Thanks for your advice.
I would like to make tracks using note editing and parameter automation. However, for live performances on iPad I'm going to think about setting up a little later. At that time, I would like to use AUM and X2, but right now, first of all, it was decided to make a records using DAW, and I was able to make a decision while giving advice from everyone here.
I currently would like to use as little hardware as possible in the production environment, so I don't want to have any hardware controllers if possible.
Regarding BM3, I also think it focused on MPC-style sampling workflows as you, and I doubted if it was good at making electronic music such as techno, IDM and electronica. However, the following video showed the features that I just needed.
But I don't know if all the plugins work this way yet, so I'm currently asking it for developer of BM3.
I'm currently investigating the BM3 specs in detail, and when I watched the video linked to the above article, I probably understand why you recommended me this DAW.
Thanks a lot. If many AU and IAA synths and effects can be controlled automatically like iSEM, BM3 seems to be a good choice for me.
AUv3: Yes
IAA: Not with the same comfort you have in AUv3-capable synths.
Tweaking and recording knobs on-screen in a plugin window inside the same DAW is only possible with AUv3 synths. But I think that today we have more than enough of them to be very productive.
Thanks again.
I've watched a video that talks about many of the iOS synth apps not showing graphical feedback in plugin windows when reading automation in the past.
I thought the IAA was probably the equivalent.
But does this mean that IAA apps can’t even record automation?
If so, because many of my favorite synths are IAA, I may have to think of another way…
If they output midi from their controls you should be able to record the knob movements. Most don’t though. So for that you need to use a controller of some kind to both record the movement and control the synth.
IAA apps tend to destabilize things too sometimes. They also don’t save their state with the project, so you need to save the presets used, take note of their names, then reload the presets every time you re-open the project. Best to avoid IAA if possible.
Thanks for the important information.
So even with AUv3 apps, most synths can't read and write automation with BM3?
If so, is the video I linked to the above article an example of just a few synths that read and write automation?
(iSEM is used there.)
In any case, I w’ll avoid purchasing IAA apps in the future at least. It looks too old-fashioned.
Maybe I got dusty. Excuse me. IAA Apps don't seem to be able to read / write automation to BM3, but can the most AUv3 app do that?
Yes.
Thanks a lot. 😀
I'm trying to use BM3 for nearly same purpose but more live performance oriented.
One thing that I'm missing and can't figure out how to do is metronome output.
I have sound card connected which have 4 outputs and I want output mix to first two outputs and same mix but with metronome to second two outputs.
Any advice how to do that?
The simplest solution (even if BM3 will send metronome) might be to create a track that is just a one measure loop of quarter notes.
Thanks but I can't figure out how to route outputs to get desired results.
I had added bank for click track and set outputs to 3+4 outs. It's work.
Other bank plays on 1+2 outs. Also work.
Next I add audio track with input from internal main out and output to 3+4. And I can't hear any sound on 3+4 from main out.
Oh. I get it. I forgot to turn on monitoring on audio track.