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
How familiar is OP with the use of music apps on iOS? I think this makes an enormous difference in what to suggest. If this truly a one-off thing and he doesn’t plan on doing much else on the iPad (only needs to sequence an external synth), then I think Drambo and TheSys are much too complex.
Also think Quantum is a lot to learn if but it might actually be the best app for what he’s after. Patterning or Cykle seem like the best bets for a dabbler IMO. Just my 2 cents as a dabbler who often finds himself in way over his head after listening to all you musical geniuses out there who know what they’re doing! All the suggested apps are great if willing to put in the time!
@rrcopter
I'm guessing you also like Node & Redshift - so Moog modular bass sequences?
This video shows what you can do with 1 sequence & Moog Model D in AUM - using realtime controls in Quantum to control Model D
Another Quantum bass sequence with ambient fx from Animoog & iVCS3
Great demos & recommendations from everyone.
I think for now I’ll focus on Quantum, and then perhaps check out Patterning2.
That should keep me busy a day or two!
Whoa! Sweet sounds. Has Quantum always been usable in AUM? For some reason, I swore it could only be used with midi direct (or whatever that’s called where you don’t use AUM or Audiobus but one app picks up on another through iOS somehow). I got on iOS after AUV3 was already becoming the standard so I’m not super familiar with the terminology there.
I’m now wondering if I just picked up quantum before I was ready for it and didn’t know what the heck I was doing... need to revisit this gem!
Octachron. Made for drums but can sequence anything. Edit @auxmux already mentioned
Poly2
@obo Audiobus & AUM have always worked with standalone apps using core midi( this is Apple's standalone midi before AU midi).
AB has its own midi (which Quantum uses if run from within AB).
AUM used to detect core midi (just pick the device called Quantum) but lately I've had to direct Quantum's midi out to AUM destination - which works well.
It has to do with the Audio Unit Type declared by the app developer. An AU app can only be declared with certain types. Those types don't distinguish between input and output. So, there's no concrete way for a host to know when instantiating a plugin whether it outputs Midi or not.
Thanks wim, makes it a bit of a pain when trying to find what apps in that massively long list can actually send midi out!