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.

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Is there a Keyboard to MIDI App (AUv3 ideally)?

McDMcD
in General App Discussion

I'm looking for a typing keyboard to MIDI app for IOS.

Are there any? I use one on my Mac a lot. It can also be used to trigger events with
MidiFire StreamByter scripts on the Mac.

People want to use text keyboards to trigger MIDI targets like PAD's and even Loops/Samples.

Comments

  • audio_DTaudio_DT

    Great idea. No idea of an app that does it, but I'm glad you raised the issue. It would indeed be very useful.

  • Samflash3Samflash3

    Sidecar

  • [Deleted User][Deleted User]

    Recipes

  • wimwim

    Sidecar. But it has it's limitations.

    @McD, the problem with typing keyboard to MIDI on iOS has to do with key release detection. A PC knows when a key is released. iOS doesn't. So, you can't just play it like a piano because all the app gets is note-on messages - no note-off. If a music app was to try to use a typing keyboard, it would need to assume some fixed length note after which to send the note-off.

    Imagine a Mozaic script where you can only pass through Midi Note-On messages, and what you'd need to do to compensate for that. That is the issue with typing keyboards for music on iOS.

  • WillWill

    Another issue is that the app associated with the keyboard must be in the foreground. Bummer if you want to use it to control a background app but good that rando apps in the background can't steal your passwords. ;)

  • mjcouchemjcouche

    S_nv_x can do this somehow...though I never really figured it out. It was the only reason I bought it but alas it is now collecting barnacles in the “Not on this iPad” section of my Purchased apps.

  • mjcouchemjcouche

    https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/28875/ios-keyboard

  • lukesleepwalkerlukesleepwalker

    @syrupcore said:
    Another issue is that the app associated with the keyboard must be in the foreground. Bummer if you want to use it to control a background app but good that rando apps in the background can't steal your passwords. ;)

    Yes, but sidecar works in side by side mode.

  • josh83josh83

    Is there any update on this?

    I would love to use something like this wireless page turner (which, as far as I can tell, simply sends a standard QWERTY keyboard code, probably arrow left and arrow right) to trigger a standard MIDI note.

    There are a few other key turners, that can also send MIDI. For example, the M-VAVE Cube Page Turner can be configured for this using an iOS app. It would be great though to be able to use any QWERTY keyboard for something like that.

    I feel that this would be a great feature to be implemented in Audiobus (or AUM). For example, Group the Loop allows to be controlled by any QWERTY keyboard. Is there a place to file such a feature request for Audiobus (or AUM)?

    Thank you.

  • tpjtpj

    The main problem is ios security. That's why it can't be in the background.

    @josh83 you could do it using switch control. You can create a recipe from keyboard cursor or midi trigger to a on screen gesture.

  • wimwim

    @josh83 said:
    I feel that this would be a great feature to be implemented in Audiobus (or AUM). For example, Group the Loop allows to be controlled by any QWERTY keyboard. Is there a place to file such a feature request for Audiobus (or AUM)?

    The problem with this is they are both AUv3 hosts. In iOS, whatever app is in the foreground "steals" the typing keyboard focus. So, neither app has any way of keeping the keyboard dedicated to itself. As soon as anyone opens a plugin window, any plugin window, the host no longer receives keystrokes until no windows are open. You simply can't have reliable typing keyboard control in any app that hosts plugins. But, I suppose if you never opened any plugins ... ?

    The ideal place for Loopy Pro feature requests is the roadmap: https://roadmap.loopypro.com. Search for "qwerty" and you'll find two existing requests that you can up-vote.

    For AUM, the best place might be the Feature Requests topic on the Discord Channel: https://discord.gg/uaXta4h6hU

  • josh83josh83

    Thanks a lot for your answer, @wim! This explains a lot.

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