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

ToneStack PRO by Yonac Inc. - Released

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Comments

  • @SNystrom said:
    Since @flo26 has yet to post any demos of ToneStack Pro since his return, I’m guessing he has been unable to find a decent tone from the stack to share.

    I’m out.

    Heh. The price went up to $60, so I'm out for a while anyway.

  • Oh yeah, definitely now! 🙄

    I can sleep well tonight....

  • $70 can buy a number of really nice Overloud rigs. 🙃

  • edited May 2021

    I got the $5 intro so that I could have it but haven’t tried it yet. I get the appeal of the Fx collection and the friendly UI. If the only difference from the original to the pro is that it’s AUv3, and the sound engine is the same, then it’s a pass for me also. I have the original intro app with one or two iaps, and I remember it being good but not on the level of Nembrini/thu, more on the level of older generation apps with a rinky dink soundstage (overcompressed?) and suspect cabinet simulation. Better than Bias though. I do remember some of the pedals and fx being excellent, but overall the stereo imaging on the amps was extremely variable to me, at least through headphones. Will give it another go this week but with my own IRs. Still, I’m surprised that the audio engine was not improved or at least refreshed with this “new” release.

    So is Tonestack a legit AU host? Last time I tried loading Thafknar into it nothing happened except the logo being loaded. $60?? It has some steep competition at that price point...

  • @JoyceRoadStudios said:
    I got the $5 intro so that I could have it but haven’t tried it yet. I get the appeal of the Fx collection and the friendly UI. If the only difference from the original to the pro is that it’s AUv3, and the sound engine is the same, then it’s a pass for me also. I have the original intro app with one or two iaps, and I remember it being good but not on the level of Nembrini/thu, more on the level of older generation apps with a rinky dink soundstage (overcompressed?) and suspect cabinet simulation. Better than Bias though. I do remember some of the pedals and fx being excellent, but overall the stereo imaging on the amps was extremely variable to me, at least through headphones. Will give it another go this week but with my own IRs. Still, I’m surprised that the audio engine was not improved or at least refreshed with this “new” release.

    So is Tonestack a legit AU host? Last time I tried loading Thafknar into it nothing happened except the logo being loaded. $60?? It has some steep competition at that price point...

    $60 is probably too high, I agree. For around $20 it was a no-brainer. I doubt it’s a good price strategy. If you missed the intro price you’re gonna wait for a sale, I don’t see many users paying the full price. Then again, if this is expensive THU is twice the price. Some might argue THU is a lot better quality, for amps I choose Nembrini and as far effect pedals go I actually like ToneStack better. I also find the UI a lot better to work with.
    The problem with these products is that buying single fx pedals or amps is a total hit & miss. I bought a couple of fuzz pedals in THU that I didn’t like at all. They should have a trial period like the IAPs in Korg Module.

  • @tahiche said:

    $60 is probably too high, I agree. For around $20 it was a no-brainer. I doubt it’s a good price strategy.

    Perhaps you're right. OTOH, this way they can say they did keep their promise of the initial discount being really large. I bet a lot of us buying in on the cheap have a warm fuzzy feeling when looking at the current price... :) Delivering on that promise and having a nice group of satisfied customers because of that is quite important I would say.

    Also, why not try a "high" price before going into another discount? It's valuable info to know how many people will pay that.

    Finally, it was always expected that we will have all those "it wasn't that good anyway and the new price is nonsense" comments from some of those that didn't buy during the promo, no matter how high they raised the price, really. Cognitive dissonance needs to be alleviated, and Yonac can probably live with that for a while. :)

  • @McD said:

    @jolico said:
    Unfortunately mix box is only iPadOS

    Oh no. Well... DDMF apps are beyond perfect to the upper ranges where they show alias artifacts that are the reason they should like the real deal... even-order harmonic distortion that is a by-product of tube amps and filters. Tubes distort signals is the best possible way.

    OS'es are vendor wars. I'd use Linux of there was some great choices there but it's all buggy crap that makes Cubasis 3 look like a life saver. Not that I've tried in 10 years... still. If it was a thing I'd read about it.

    Ouch, you just made me have a flashback to the incredibly painful and non productive year that I tried to use Linux as my music production platform.

  • @tahiche @ervin my comment was unnecessary and premature. I’m happy to have the $5 intro Pro with the tape deck, but I still haven’t even tried it. I assumed the pro was just an AUv3 version of the previous app, based on some comment of other users, but the description says they are new and improved digital modeling algorithms. I was chiming in based on my experience with the old app. The new release reads like an overall improvement, AUv3 aside. So I look forward to trying it.

    Price wise, $60 seems on par with Bias pricing but yes it’s less expensive than thu or amplitube. Thu offers an IR loader and many officially authorized models, as does amplitube. Tonestack offers a tape deck and an 8 track, there’s a lot to like there. It looks like Tonestack ditched the whole AU host thing that the previous app had. I couldn’t get that to work anyway. Based on the number of components, $60 isn’t even that expensive. Still, the market is kind of saturated, so the Pro should be much improved from the previous. I would like to hear from people who have the old app whole enchilada, is AUv3 and algo improvements worth $60??

  • Demo to come later today.

  • @JoyceRoadStudios said:
    @tahiche @ervin my comment was unnecessary and premature. I’m happy to have the $5 intro Pro with the tape deck, but I still haven’t even tried it. I assumed the pro was just an AUv3 version of the previous app, based on some comment of other users, but the description says they are new and improved digital modeling algorithms. I was chiming in based on my experience with the old app. The new release reads like an overall improvement, AUv3 aside. So I look forward to trying it.

    Price wise, $60 seems on par with Bias pricing but yes it’s less expensive than thu or amplitube. Thu offers an IR loader and many officially authorized models, as does amplitube. Tonestack offers a tape deck and an 8 track, there’s a lot to like there. It looks like Tonestack ditched the whole AU host thing that the previous app had. I couldn’t get that to work anyway. Based on the number of components, $60 isn’t even that expensive. Still, the market is kind of saturated, so the Pro should be much improved from the previous. I would like to hear from people who have the old app whole enchilada, is AUv3 and algo improvements worth $60??

    It’s worth it.

  • @JoyceRoadStudios said:
    @tahiche @ervin my comment was unnecessary and premature. I’m happy to have the $5 intro Pro with the tape deck, but I still haven’t even tried it. I assumed the pro was just an AUv3 version of the previous app, based on some comment of other users, but the description says they are new and improved digital modeling algorithms. I was chiming in based on my experience with the old app. The new release reads like an overall improvement, AUv3 aside. So I look forward to trying it.

    Price wise, $60 seems on par with Bias pricing but yes it’s less expensive than thu or amplitube. Thu offers an IR loader and many officially authorized models, as does amplitube. Tonestack offers a tape deck and an 8 track, there’s a lot to like there. It looks like Tonestack ditched the whole AU host thing that the previous app had. I couldn’t get that to work anyway. Based on the number of components, $60 isn’t even that expensive. Still, the market is kind of saturated, so the Pro should be much improved from the previous. I would like to hear from people who have the old app whole enchilada, is AUv3 and algo improvements worth $60??

    More power to you mate. Tbh I didn't see anything wrong with your comment (and who am I to judge anyway). My comment was not a riposte to any previous comments but rather an observation regarding how Yonac's approach may well be smart strategy in general.

  • @JoyceRoadStudios

    I have both Tonestack 3 and Tonestack Pro.
    When Tonestack Pro was released I had been playing the original all day
    so my ears were tuned to listen for differences between the two.
    I find that Tonestack Pro is an improvement upon the IAA version.

    I have the whole enchilada and it's sounds really good.

    The guitar effects alone are worth it and the new
    stereo function for the amps is really cool.
    The studio effects are perfect for dropping in on a track or tracks.
    I'm using them quite a lot in my dRambo projects.

    It's worth it.
    No complaints here at all.

  • @ervin said:

    @JoyceRoadStudios said:
    @tahiche @ervin my comment was unnecessary and premature. I’m happy to have the $5 intro Pro with the tape deck, but I still haven’t even tried it. I assumed the pro was just an AUv3 version of the previous app, based on some comment of other users, but the description says they are new and improved digital modeling algorithms. I was chiming in based on my experience with the old app. The new release reads like an overall improvement, AUv3 aside. So I look forward to trying it.

    Price wise, $60 seems on par with Bias pricing but yes it’s less expensive than thu or amplitube. Thu offers an IR loader and many officially authorized models, as does amplitube. Tonestack offers a tape deck and an 8 track, there’s a lot to like there. It looks like Tonestack ditched the whole AU host thing that the previous app had. I couldn’t get that to work anyway. Based on the number of components, $60 isn’t even that expensive. Still, the market is kind of saturated, so the Pro should be much improved from the previous. I would like to hear from people who have the old app whole enchilada, is AUv3 and algo improvements worth $60??

    More power to you mate. Tbh I didn't see anything wrong with your comment (and who am I to judge anyway). My comment was not a riposte to any previous comments but rather an observation regarding how Yonac's approach may well be smart strategy in general.

    You might be right. Back then I got BeatMaker3 for free. Must have been a “create hype and user base” kind of thing. Like you say there’s a nice “a-ha” feeling about the ones you get free or really cheap. Like GAS bitcoins.

  • Funny after playing TS Pro for an hour or two I requested a refund. I'd decided after reading initial reactions in this thread and already having ToneStack and all the Motherloads (therefore already investing a lot), that I should instead spend my time getting back to playing.

    I did see all the hype about MixBox and I returned MixBox for much the same reason. Complete overload, and App Acquisition Syndrome. The psychology of the intro pricing really gets you. But personally after spending over $100 on the various ToneStack apps and Motherloads over the years I didn't find this newest version that appealing just to get AUV3. I'll fire up regular ToneStack and get mostly the same sound anyway.

    I must admit to reading through this thread, knowing my ears are really not very good and hearing all the comparisons with Nembrini and THU etc. that even $25 wasn't worth spending. I know it isn't much but why spend it if it is just going to sit unused in the pile of apps that I just had to have because they were on intro sale?

    Instead I took the refunded money and bought some Nembrini amp sims during the Mother's Day 1/2 off sale. I probably don't need those either, in fact I haven't even fired them up yet.

  • @tahiche said:

    $60 is probably too high, I agree. For around $20 it was a no-brainer. I doubt it’s a good price strategy.

    I'm guessing that they will migrate back toward the old ToneStack strategy of having bundles and individual amp and FX IAPs in addition to the all-in one.

    The whole way they ended up setting it up on release was because they were unable to get a way of transferring old ToneStack IAPs to the new app past Apple. They had to rethink things last minute and the intro Base / Pot of Gold pricing was a compromise. I think they just need some time to get the smaller purchases set up. There's a lot more to it than just listing some IAPs in the App Store.

    At any rate, I think they're going to have to do that or they look at a casual glance to be real expensive. That's not true when you compare total cost for the other options out there with that many amps and FX, but it's a too high cost of entry for most iOS buyers I imagine.

  • wimwim
    edited May 2021

    @JoyceRoadStudios said:
    @tahiche @ervin my comment was unnecessary and premature. I’m happy to have the $5 intro Pro with the tape deck, but I still haven’t even tried it. I assumed the pro was just an AUv3 version of the previous app, based on some comment of other users, but the description says they are new and improved digital modeling algorithms. I was chiming in based on my experience with the old app. The new release reads like an overall improvement, AUv3 aside. So I look forward to trying it.

    I was one of those commenters. At first I didn't notice any difference in the quality of the base package amps. I do think I see some improvements now that I've had more time with the full IAP. Some of the amps I couldn't get along with in old ToneStack are actually quite good now. The overall improvement isn't dramatic, but it's enough to make me very happy with the purchase at the intro price.

    Price wise, $60 seems on par with Bias pricing but yes it’s less expensive than thu or amplitube. Thu offers an IR loader and many officially authorized models, as does amplitube. Tonestack offers a tape deck and an 8 track, there’s a lot to like there. It looks like Tonestack ditched the whole AU host thing that the previous app had. I couldn’t get that to work anyway. Based on the number of components, $60 isn’t even that expensive. Still, the market is kind of saturated, so the Pro should be much improved from the previous. I would like to hear from people who have the old app whole enchilada, is AUv3 and algo improvements worth $60??

    Is it worth $60? Yes.
    Would I purchase it today at that price? No.
    Would I have purchased it a year ago (before the recent completion arrived) at that price? Probably.

    I really think they're going to need to introduce some finer grained IAPs to be successful. I expect they will do that.

    (for context, I'm a guy that spends south of $10 per month on apps on average these days)

  • @Gavinski said:

    @ttk said:

    @Gavinski said:
    Going on from @Paulo164's question. If a non guitarist has (and likes) mixbox, what does tonestack add? What for example are some cool things you could do with tonestack that you couldn't do with mixbox? And what, if any, failings does it have compared to mixbox? Cheers!

    Mixbox is limited to 8 fx
    Tonestack :

    • polyphonic pitch sfting
    • parallel fx chain
    • stereo EQ
      ...

    Though actually, I am not too clear on parallel. Mixbox offers insert or send. Could u explain clearly the difference between parallel and send if there is one?

    You can setup two parrallel FX routes in the app itself. Mixbox seems pretty linear.
    Some examples of applications:

    • Modulated Reverb / Delay : send your dry signal through path A, and put some reverb / delay on path B. Then apply any Mod effect you want after the reverb / delay without affecting your dry signal. Flanger, Chorus, Formant filters, Ring mod, ...you name it.
    • Multiband FX: Split and filter the two path so that path A deals with the high frequencies, and B deals with low freqs. Then apply different reverb and panning effects so that the High and low sit well together in the mix

    Did I answer your question?

  • Oh crap I clean forgot to get the IAP, god damn it

  • @wim said:
    (for context, I'm a guy that spends south of $10 per month on apps on average these days)

    Your membership in the club has hereby been revoked.

  • When it's on sale, it's probably worth it. But at full price? The amps seem to be subpar (though the Ampeg B15 is worth having), and though there are many effects, how many distortion pedals do you need? I'm at the point where I already have too much to choose from. I don't need 20 varieties of overdrive pedal. I don't need any flangers. (I would like a TubeWorks Blue Tube emulation, though.)

    But I personally feel that a $200 Wüsthof chef's knife is a better value than a 15-piece set that costs $129 at Bed Bath and Beyond.

  • @JoyceRoadStudios said:
    So is Tonestack a legit AU host?

    What do you mean?

  • @ttk said:

    @JoyceRoadStudios said:
    So is Tonestack a legit AU host?

    What do you mean?

    I meant IAA host. The original app could host third party apps, but I could never get it to work. It would load the app logo but nothing would happen. Perhaps I was doing something wrong...

    The new Pro app seems to have ditched hosting all together, as far as I can tell...

  • @JoyceRoadStudios said:
    The new Pro app seems to have ditched hosting all together, as far as I can tell...

    Yep.

  • edited May 2021

    Hope @flo26 doesn’t mind me posting these here. To my ears, Tonestack Pro sounds pretty darn good. Of course, pretty much everything sounds great when he plays it!


  • edited May 2021

    Whaaaaaat?

    There were 0 presets!. Come on now!!. What’s wrong with us?.
    I the iPad frier, the procrastinator, I am the first one?.
    Head here right now and start posting some sounds, you lazy bums.

  • @tahiche said:
    Whaaaaaat?

    There were 0 presets!. Come on now!!. What’s wrong with us?.
    I the iPad frier, the procrastinator, I am the first one?.
    Head here right now and start posting some sounds, you lazy bums.

    Agreed.

    I’ve yet to migrate my presets from the IAA version to the auv3 version.
    As soon as that’s done I’ll start uploading some of mine.

  • @tahiche said:
    Whaaaaaat?

    There were 0 presets!. Come on now!!. What’s wrong with us?.
    I the iPad frier, the procrastinator, I am the first one?.
    Head here right now and start posting some sounds, you lazy bums.

    Going off on a tangent here, but this:

    I the iPad frier, the procrastinator

    sounds totally like one of those boastful rock inscriptions by some ancient Assyrian king, commemorating yet another glorious battle. :)

  • edited May 2021

    @ervin said:
    Going off on a tangent here, but this:

    I the iPad frier, the procrastinator

    sounds totally like one of those boastful rock inscriptions by some ancient Assyrian king, commemorating yet another glorious battle. :)

    = middle aged man sitting on a sofa with a ridiculously big usb dongle hanging on the side of his overpriced iDevice.

  • @ervin said:

    @tahiche said:
    Whaaaaaat?

    There were 0 presets!. Come on now!!. What’s wrong with us?.
    I the iPad frier, the procrastinator, I am the first one?.
    Head here right now and start posting some sounds, you lazy bums.

    Going off on a tangent here, but this:

    I the iPad frier, the procrastinator

    sounds totally like one of those boastful rock inscriptions by some ancient Assyrian king, commemorating yet another glorious battle. :)

    Agreed.

  • @tahiche said:

    @ervin said:
    Going off on a tangent here, but this:

    I the iPad frier, the procrastinator

    sounds totally like one of those boastful rock inscriptions by some ancient Assyrian king, commemorating yet another glorious battle. :)

    = middle aged man sitting on a sofa with a ridiculously big usb dongle hanging on the side of his overpriced iDevice.

    Well, marketing is all about shining a positive light on things, innit

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