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 Store

Audiobus is the app that makes the rest of your setup better.

What’s your creative process?

One of my favorite artists shared some of his creative process on Instagram and I figure I repost it and ask: what’s your creative process?

Checkout this Slowya.roll lofi masterpiece:
https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/wudE3n3kKzfHfRnM8








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Comments

  • My man! Tho I go for 85-90% and just don’t have the skills to make it any better. Movin’ on is key.

  • edited April 2021

    @LinearLineman said:
    My man! Tho I go for 85-90% and just don’t have the skills to make it any better. Movin’ on is key.

    Right on! I’m really embracing the 80% rule... it’s liberating and you really just get out of your own way. It’s like Malcolm Gladwell, “Blink” type thinking 🤨

  • @Intrepolicious said:
    Will 70% do?

    I’ve done what I thought was 50% and was told it was enough 😂

  • Music as % ... really ? What about eating bananas ?

  • @mlau said:
    Music as % ... really ? What about eating bananas ?

    That’s what I thought. I really would never be able to do something like that - it’s just what it is at a moment in time - there are no percentages involved.

    There might be bananas though.

  • @michael_m said:

    @mlau said:
    Music as % ... really ? What about eating bananas ?

    That’s what I thought. I really would never be able to do something like that - it’s just what it is at a moment in time - there are no percentages involved.

    There might be bananas though.

    Proof : 🍌

  • That 80% rule is absolute gold, very glad to have read that

  • I like that layout @echoopera good visualization into your brain 🧠

  • @drez said:
    I like that layout @echoopera good visualization into your brain 🧠

    Yes, very cool! Thank you for sharing sir

  • @michael_m said:

    @mlau said:
    Music as % ... really ? What about eating bananas ?

    That’s what I thought. I really would never be able to do something like that - it’s just what it is at a moment in time - there are no percentages involved.

    There might be bananas though.

    😆

    80% is really just a state of mind... I don’t think there is a way to truly measure unless I were to tell myself all the elements I want to include in a song then only do 80% of them. 80% for me is equal to “feels right, probably could do more but I’ll end here for now”.

  • If I'm honest, what I'm doing is simply playing around with software that emits sounds, and no "creative process" is needed for playing. :)

  • @ervin said:
    If I'm honest, what I'm doing is simply playing around with software that emits sounds, and no "creative process" is needed for playing. :)

    I feel what you are saying... tinkering, noodling.
    Does anything in your environment inspire you to write?

  • @Stuntman_mike said:

    @ervin said:
    If I'm honest, what I'm doing is simply playing around with software that emits sounds, and no "creative process" is needed for playing. :)

    I feel what you are saying... tinkering, noodling.
    Does anything in your environment inspire you to write?

    Write as in write music, or as in write words? In either case though, I don't feel like inspiration is an issue. It's just that what I do on the ipad is not much more than play imho. (Incidentally, I think this is also true for a majority of "iOS musicians" out there, but that's another story :)) But that's fine by me, because I don't aspire to more.

  • @ervin said:

    @Stuntman_mike said:

    @ervin said:
    If I'm honest, what I'm doing is simply playing around with software that emits sounds, and no "creative process" is needed for playing. :)

    I feel what you are saying... tinkering, noodling.
    Does anything in your environment inspire you to write?

    Write as in write music, or as in write words? In either case though, I don't feel like inspiration is an issue. It's just that what I do on the ipad is not much more than play imho. (Incidentally, I think this is also true for a majority of "iOS musicians" out there, but that's another story :)) But that's fine by me, because I don't aspire to more.

    😂 you’re probably right. Write both, words and music? Do you create after hearing someone else, try to emulate?

  • I like looking at images and building boards in Pinterest while making music.

  • @Stuntman_mike said:

    @ervin said:

    @Stuntman_mike said:

    @ervin said:
    If I'm honest, what I'm doing is simply playing around with software that emits sounds, and no "creative process" is needed for playing. :)

    I feel what you are saying... tinkering, noodling.
    Does anything in your environment inspire you to write?

    Write as in write music, or as in write words? In either case though, I don't feel like inspiration is an issue. It's just that what I do on the ipad is not much more than play imho. (Incidentally, I think this is also true for a majority of "iOS musicians" out there, but that's another story :)) But that's fine by me, because I don't aspire to more.

    😂 you’re probably right. Write both, words and music? Do you create after hearing someone else, try to emulate?

    I'm not consciously trying to emulate anyone, but I'm sure I'm heavily influenced by what I'm listening to whether I recognize or it not. :)

    Speaking of influence, it was kind of telling that the musicians whose records your lo-fi guy in the OP couldn't do without are, without exception, the exact opposite of what we are doing here. Instead of putting 17 instances of Kronecker through some Bleass miracle in AUM while midi controlling the sh*t out of the whole shebang via some radical new Atom+LK setup like real men do, poor Stevie Wonder just sat down to his piano and started playing. Those 20th-century savages knew nothing about creative processes, man... :smiley:

  • 1) determine first chord, usually minor.
    2) work out several chord progressions on guitar, adjust adjust adjust
    3) start using triad chord tones to get an idea of a basic melody, at least enough for a good lick to build a tune around.

    -- This part is new, as of my latest composition: --
    4) build everything above in Tune Maker app for organization.
    5) use Tune Maker to write string section or harmonies to the main melody as it's really nice to see the scale and chord tones above each chord.
    -- This part is new, as of my latest composition: --

    6) improvise over the above with a stringed instrument to add the good stuff, mostly approach notes, chromatic connections and other accidentals.
    7) record scratch take of everything above
    8) arrange and record other instrumental parts to above.
    9) tweak endlessly, hem and haw
    10) record final takes while simultaneously recording video
    11) mix audio and create multi-tracked video

    In my latest composition, steps 1-9 took about a month. Feeling like I'm ready to start on #10 took several weeks. I've currently recorded one of 6 instruments.

  • Try something, fail, bin it, learn something from it.... keep repeating, don’t give up.
    Keep repeating and believing it will be worth it, bin it, learn, bin it, learn bin it, learn.
    Keep binning it all... what did you learn? ... repeat, repeat, bin bin.
    This actually works 😃.... at least it has for me.

  • @ervin said:

    @Stuntman_mike said:

    @ervin said:

    @Stuntman_mike said:

    @ervin said:
    If I'm honest, what I'm doing is simply playing around with software that emits sounds, and no "creative process" is needed for playing. :)

    I feel what you are saying... tinkering, noodling.
    Does anything in your environment inspire you to write?

    Write as in write music, or as in write words? In either case though, I don't feel like inspiration is an issue. It's just that what I do on the ipad is not much more than play imho. (Incidentally, I think this is also true for a majority of "iOS musicians" out there, but that's another story :)) But that's fine by me, because I don't aspire to more.

    😂 you’re probably right. Write both, words and music? Do you create after hearing someone else, try to emulate?

    I'm not consciously trying to emulate anyone, but I'm sure I'm heavily influenced by what I'm listening to whether I recognize or it not. :)

    Speaking of influence, it was kind of telling that the musicians whose records your lo-fi guy in the OP couldn't do without are, without exception, the exact opposite of what we are doing here. Instead of putting 17 instances of Kronecker through some Bleass miracle in AUM while midi controlling the sh*t out of the whole shebang via some radical new Atom+LK setup like real men do, poor Stevie Wonder just sat down to his piano and started playing. Those 20th-century savages knew nothing about creative processes, man... :smiley:

    😂 Stevie is the man!

  • @AudioGus said:
    I like looking at images and building boards in Pinterest while making music.

    Interesting! So you get a vibe from those images that translates to your sound?

  • @Sabicas said:
    1) determine first chord, usually minor.
    2) work out several chord progressions on guitar, adjust adjust adjust
    3) start using triad chord tones to get an idea of a basic melody, at least enough for a good lick to build a tune around.

    -- This part is new, as of my latest composition: --
    4) build everything above in Tune Maker app for organization.
    5) use Tune Maker to write string section or harmonies to the main melody as it's really nice to see the scale and chord tones above each chord.
    -- This part is new, as of my latest composition: --

    6) improvise over the above with a stringed instrument to add the good stuff, mostly approach notes, chromatic connections and other accidentals.
    7) record scratch take of everything above
    8) arrange and record other instrumental parts to above.
    9) tweak endlessly, hem and haw
    10) record final takes while simultaneously recording video
    11) mix audio and create multi-tracked video

    In my latest composition, steps 1-9 took about a month. Feeling like I'm ready to start on #10 took several weeks. I've currently recorded one of 6 instruments.

    Do you find yourself getting faster each time?

  • edited April 2021

    @Stuntman_mike said:

    @AudioGus said:
    I like looking at images and building boards in Pinterest while making music.

    Interesting! So you get a vibe from those images that translates to your sound?

    Yah for sure! Making groups of images gives inspiration and context to the music. It is really chocolate and peanut butter for me. I used to look through art books and watch animation while making music when I was younger but now Pinterest is next level amazing for this. I don’t really focus on a particular image for too long, just browse through them ebbing and flowing with the music. I also work on multiple tracks jumping between various ones without fixating too much. Takes the pressure off.

  • For me, programming drums is a real flow-killer, so I made a crap ton of complete drum tracks and kept the top 20.

    Now, whenever I get inspired, I throw in one of my “drummers” and produce music without boring metronome click tracks or the whole drums production process.

    This also saves CPU.

  • @Stuntman_mike said:

    @Sabicas said:
    1) determine first chord, usually minor.
    2) work out several chord progressions on guitar, adjust adjust adjust
    3) start using triad chord tones to get an idea of a basic melody, at least enough for a good lick to build a tune around.

    -- This part is new, as of my latest composition: --
    4) build everything above in Tune Maker app for organization.
    5) use Tune Maker to write string section or harmonies to the main melody as it's really nice to see the scale and chord tones above each chord.
    -- This part is new, as of my latest composition: --

    6) improvise over the above with a stringed instrument to add the good stuff, mostly approach notes, chromatic connections and other accidentals.
    7) record scratch take of everything above
    8) arrange and record other instrumental parts to above.
    9) tweak endlessly, hem and haw
    10) record final takes while simultaneously recording video
    11) mix audio and create multi-tracked video

    In my latest composition, steps 1-9 took about a month. Feeling like I'm ready to start on #10 took several weeks. I've currently recorded one of 6 instruments.

    Do you find yourself getting faster each time?

    I'm on my 3rd composition (using this process) now, but yeah, some things have gotten faster. Bringing in Tune Maker to help keep the big picture in view saved a lot of time. Of course, I had a lot to learn about tracking and video editing the first go-around. I wasn't completely confident my vision would be realized so I have a bit more confidence pushing me forward now.

    I should have added a "rehearsal" step between #9 and #10.

    I've written many other parts with bands or partial compositions that just were never logged and faded from memory. This is all a recent pandemic-spurred attempt to get organized.

  • @AudioGus said:

    @Stuntman_mike said:

    @AudioGus said:
    I like looking at images and building boards in Pinterest while making music.

    Interesting! So you get a vibe from those images that translates to your sound?

    Yah for sure! Making groups of images gives inspiration and context to the music. It is really chocolate and peanut butter for me. I used to look through art books and watch animation while making music when I was younger but now Pinterest is next level amazing for this. I don’t really focus on a particular image for too long, just browse through them ebbing and flowing with the music. I also work on multiple tracks jumping between various ones without fixating too much. Takes the pressure off.

    Nice! That’s cool. What’s the most tracks you’ve created together?

  • @jolico said:
    For me, programming drums is a real flow-killer, so I made a crap ton of complete drum tracks and kept the top 20.

    Now, whenever I get inspired, I throw in one of my “drummers” and produce music without boring metronome click tracks or the whole drums production process.

    This also saves CPU.

    Good idea! I’ve started recording myself drumming on my desk in my office. My hands come up with better drum sequences than me just inputting notes. 😂

    I want to pick up a brush set and drum on stuff with that too... Rozeta Rhythm is great for random drums too.

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