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.
Best iOS App for iPhone?
I am primarily using Beatmaker 2, Sunrizer, Figure, Loopy HD, Filtatron, iVoxel as well as some others. What's your next favorites to use with Audiobus at which I should throw a few bucks? I know it's a vague question but what are your initial thoughts in this direction?
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"Harmlessly passing your time in the grassland away. . . Only dimly aware of a CERTAIN UNEASE in the air. . ."
- Pink Floyd
Comments
ThumbJam is a must have for sure obviously.
Impaktor, xynthesizer, ampkit, seekbeats. Each one from a different bag. Also thumbjam for more natural instruments.
You can't go wrong with Alchemy and it's free too. A must have that's not on your list.
Not yet on audiobus but you should definitely also get Caustic before it updates. I think he ups the price a little after significant updates like the next one will be.
Hello @CertainUnease. I actually just started shifting universal apps over to my IPhone 5s earlier this week in preparation for a vacation I'm about to go on.
I have the following (all of which work great):
Looptical: an all in one Audio Workstation. Highly recommended here. I bought because it was recommended to me!
MTDAW, great for capturing all audio, very light footprint!
AUFX Effects: great delay and reverb. Also a nice EQ.
Xynthesizr: I just bought it. I have been send ins midi from this to various synth apps. Also a great synth too.
Sunrizer: everyone should have this synth!
Thumbjam / Drumjam: this will cover a ton of sounds and percussion!
DM1 / Funkbox: two great step sequence drum machine apps!
I'm sure I've missed a few. But these are great on the iPhone in my limited experience thus far.
I know it's been mentioned twice already, but it's so great it deserves a third:
Xynthesizer !
Bs16. +1 for alchemy
Beatmaker 2.
If I had a short list, it's Alchemy, DXi, CMP Grande, Magellan Jr., Thumbjam, Unity, Samplewiz, Sunrizer, NLog, Micro Addictive. Square Synth.
All for use in BM2 either with AB or IAA.
Then there's Audioshare and Dropbox, to make and to feed BM2 samples
BeatMaker 2, although you'll definitely need some of your own samples and/or synth app. I often paired it with Magellan Jr.
However, if you like trackers, SunVox is the only app you need to produce electronic music on an iPhone or iPod touch. It's ridiculously powerful and versatile, not to mention inexpensive. Learning your way around the UI might take a bit, but it's worth it. SunVox is more powerful than BeatMaker 2.
On iPhone, the processing power is often the same or GREATER than the iPad models people actually own, but the question is more about what will actually work on a 4" screen. SunVox, for example, is super powerful/versatile (and also still terrifies the hell out of me b/c I'm new to it), but I find that interface on an iPhone screen basically impossible to use. It's a weird interface to begin with, but you can't split a 4" screen into keyboard, generators, and other sections and have anything left.
Here's my quick list of the best-suited apps for iPhone that sound/work great:
Synths:
Magellan Jr. ($5; an absolute KILLER with tons of sounds);
Sunrizer ($2.99 and also sounds great, but I find the iPad version notably better)
Xynthesizr (Actually a sequencer/arpeggiator, but cheap, sounds great, and is a great MIDI controller)
Arpeggionome (Great arppegiator with internal sounds, but also a MIDI controller. Think it's free/cheap initially, then a $4.99 Virtual MIDI IAP)
bs-16i (actually a SoundFont player, but small, universal, and infinite versatility due to the free SF content online)
Effects:
AUFX: Space, Dub, PeakQ (The Kymatica "trifecta" are universal apps that work great on iPhone, and many of the great effects apps are not universal)
Drums:
EasyBeats 3 (bit of an underdog winner over DM-1, which lacks features like DropBox import on its iPhone version - EB3 is really superb)
SeekBeats (actually a synthesizer that allows a lot of customizable percussion sounds, and you can arrange it easily in grid form)
DAW:
Multi-Track DAW (not as feature-laden as BeatMaker2, but BM2 ends up requiring 1GB of space after it bloats up, and MT DAW is very workable on the small screen)
Utilities:
AudioShare (Really, everybody who does music on an iPhone should have this app - especially on a phone where you're always online, and you pull stuff you need off of DropBox and get it off your device so you don't have to store everything)
@firejan82 said:
Caustic is good one - it's actually universal, too. It has some clunky export ability now, but the next update will really put it on the map. It's a pretty good self-contained little studio right now, though!
Any word on when that 3.1 update is out?!
+1 Sunvox
It's not for everyone, but it is. Seek out Kiarchive for a billion xi instruments and you are set for life.
bebot!
my favs- Seekbeats for drums, Minimapper for synth, Elsa for sampler, and Bebot/Thumbjam for the most fun.
cuebasis and gadget...bias and jamup
cubasis and gadget aren't iphone apps....
Sunrizer isn't a universal iPhone app either. I wish it was!!! Bought it for the iPad and would love to use it on my 5s.
I say buy every bloody app you can afford or fit on your IOS device. You already named 6 apps you use, and the rest of us told you that every other app available are must haves, so save yourself the time it takes to read every response and get to downloading ! Once you have them all, you will have time to sort it out, because you won't be looking for the next big thing. Oh crap, another best app of all time just dropped its price to free. Gotta go!
@fprintf said:
I did it the other way around and ended up getting the iPad version later. But iPhone version is only $2.99. It's worth it if you use the phone, though I like Magellan jr a little better
Thanks for all of the help. Some of them I have and some I just picked-up based on everyone's recommendations.
Feel free to continue adding to this. . .
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Have a blast - music on iPhone is really big fun in a really small package
Any other ideas?
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"Harmlessly passing your time in the grassland away. . . Only dimly aware of a CERTAIN UNEASE in the air. . ."
Alchemy and Sampletank together cover a lot of needs. Other good options are NLog, Addictive micro, Caustic, Yamaha's Mobile Music Sequencer, Cassini, Argon, Magellan jr, SunrizerXS, MiniMapper... There are a lot of good apps even if there aren't as many as on the iPad. ThumbJam is essential also because it is very useful for MIDI controlling. ChordPolyPad is also a great MIDI controller and can be used for chords, evolving pads, 80's style brass... Guitarism with the QuadroPlay IAP gives you other options. SeekBeats is the best drum machine by a long shot. AudioShare and the AUFX trilogy can't be missed. I actually use them for mastering.
Another thing I find really useful is a free app called FileMaster. I use it to store files for apps that support "Open In..." handlers. I use it for final mixdowns, soundfonts, .mid files...
My page one iPhone 5s instruments are IAA and/or AB, all for use in Beatmaker2: Alchemy, CMP Grande Piano, Magellan Jr., NLog, iPulsaret, DXi, DM1, Funkbox, CloudSynth, iFretlessBass, Voice Synth, Vio, Drumjam...AB instruments overlap with above and include Unity, Sunrizer, Cassini, SquareSynth, Thumbjam (!), Modrum, Bassline, NeoSoulKeys, Argon, Wavemapper. No particular order.