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.
Korg SQ-64; Logic Pro X Step seq; or something on the iPad? Which and why?
I’m particularly leaning toward the Korg SQ-64 and the stochastic feature + polyrhythms feature. However, if I simply used my MacBook with Logic Pro X’s new Step sequencer (which I own) I’ve probably already got a far more powerful setup for that sort of thing. Or, there’s probably a bunch of iPad apps which I might even own that do all the same things again. Who knows.
Why do I keep looking at SQ-64 videos on youtube then?
Comments
The SQ-64 is attractive to me because of its CV i/o. I have a fair amount of hardware that would interface well with it, in ways that my DAW or the iPad (without an ES-8) could not. If I were only going to use the SQ-64 to control or sequence software, it would feel incredibly limiting.
The Polyend Seq on the other hand, I could see that working brilliantly alongside a DAW or IOS setup.
It's kinda the same dilemma when I'm looking at the Launchpad Pro Mk3 videos.
...I know I don't really need it but the 'thought' of a stand-alone device that can sequencer other gear is nagging me.
An alternate playing method (ie. grid vs. keys) is tempting I could go with 'cheaper' LaunchPad X but doesn't have the sequencer & advanced chord mode which is the feature I'm mainly interested in since I suck at playing keys.
Personally the SQ-64 never sparked my interest but the Launchpad Pro Mk3 with it's midi outs and 4 track sequencer is still haunting me.
Thankfully taking a deeper looks at Logic Pro X has tamed the app-o-holic in me, why buy more stuff when I've got more than enough already...
Have your tried using Drambo or Poly 2 or Patterning 2 or Octachron to sequence your external gear. All are great and quite liberating and powerful when it comes to sequencing.
LK and Drambo are all the best solutions today for having one tool/AU to sequence multiple internal and external synths.
But a lot can be done with all the other midi AUs now available: StepBud, LoopBud, Rozeta, and others.
Also if you want a hardware sequencer there is also the following:
OP-Z
PolyEnd Tracker
OctaTrack
DigiTakt
Toraiz Squid
and many others
Why? Because as much as we enjoy our iPad apps, we always crave contact with something other than flat glass, sooner or later.
USB controllers help stave off that craving, but only to an extent, apparently for most folks.
Yes what @GovernorSilver said. We all crave hardware tools. But beware for it is a never ending cycle 🤪
The one feeble defence against the SQ-64 is that they didn’t use a usb-c connector, they used the usb-micro connector, so I think it’s perfectly valid to throw my hands in the air and exclaim that I’d never buy such an old-fashioned thing because of that. I need further and stronger reasons though.
@u0421793 Hrmmm...that seems good reason enough to me.
Good luck
Don’t forget the Beatstep pro! Still a very powerful device. The two ways of input (tweaking knobs and note input via pads or keyboard) is very inspiring. Transposition works also nice. It‘s also a nice Midicontroller with 16 Encoders which are capable of sending 14bit Midi CCs (NRPN). And it‘s not very expensive …
oops...wrong thread....
Yeah micro usb 🙌 not a clap but why oh why. But..
also Drambo can do many a more. But I’m contemplating things to get the pressure out of D. Sq64 is a contender. Oxi could possibly be better, but hey double the price? Beatstep, yes, just another?
KeyStep Pro is also pretty nice...if you're into a sequencer with Keys. For some reason the Guitar Center near my house has them on sale for $299 USD...not sure if you're state side...or have a friend to ship you one if that seems interesting.
I too was fantasizing about the Launchpad and kept watching these videos where it all seemed to work flawlessly. So I bought the cheaper Launchkey mini mk3 to actually try out the Launchpad ways. Hasn’t worked out like in the videos… 😶. I guess it’s about specific use cases. Sure it’s great if you use mostly use Atom2. But if you have a messier workflow it just doesn’t work that well. I did download some Mozaic patches to control AUM and even adapted them, but it’s too much work. Also wouldn’t work to control daws, for example with Zenbeats clip launching, as it needs the script at the host not in a n auv3 slot.
I haven’t tried it with LK, it’s supposed to work well, and with the upcoming Loopy Pro aswell, I’ll check back later when Loopy is released. If it works on the mini I might want the big one.
I made this for use with Drambo and AUM on the LPX:
