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.
Retronyms "Update"
Them: Koala has added even more features and updates, Beatmaker 3 has added fixes and stability updates to an already powerful, feature-rich app., Drambo adds more incredible features...
Retronyms (after no updates in eons): We've just released an "Inspiring New Vocal Pack" for $5.99!
Shut up and take my money! Lol
Seriously though, I have been a long supporter of iMPC since the beginning, but at this point I think its about time to delete it and free up nearly 20Gbs since I rarely use it anymore. Between Koala and BM3 and Auv3s I have everything I need:)
Comments
Last time I heard something was that there was plans to add key group support...
...but yeah, I'd be surprised if we get updates to iMPC Pro 2, more likely a new app, iMPC Pro 3...
(It was the same deal when we were waiting for iMPC Pro to get 'fixed' and iMPC Pro 2 dropped instead).
Time will tell...
Yeah...they dropped the Ball big time with this app. Really sad, cause it really had a lot of promise. But who knows what they're up to.
AKAI is their client...RN just provides the software support...so it's probably up to AKAI to determine the future of iMPC Pro...and not Retronyms.
It would have been a perfect 'mobile first' if they made it compatible with their new MPC Studio controller...I guess AKAI doesn't see it that way though.
But hey...it's software, so anything is possible
I don't really understand Retronyms. They seem to develop stuff, have a massive promo campaign right at the start and then do absolutely nothing else whatsosever with whatever they release except squeeze it til the pips squeak for cash. I mean, it's definitely one way to do it. Just because they're the only devs to do it doesn't mean it's wrong but I don't get why they don't put the MPC name to better use.
Well, they are just working for AKAI when it comes to iMPC Pro...so I am sure they burn through whatever retainer they negotiated with Akai. If I were Retronyms, I would have built out a version of iMPC Pro that worked with the MPC Studio as Proof of Concept to keep the money flowing in from AKAI.
NOW WORKS WITH MPC STUDIO!!! Would be so amazing
Based on my experience with Retronyms, I would lean toward this more being a problem with the dev but a problem with Akai.
@johnfromberkeley & I went to a couple of Retronyms happy hours at their office in SF (pre-COVID) and asked them about the Arturia apps, specifically why they were never updated. They said that it was Arturia holding all the cards and they weren't being given the permission to upgrade them. Retronyms was just a nice bunch of folks trying to do their jobs, but they were being blocked by the big company for doing the thing their users were asking for.
This leads me to believe a similar thing is happening here.
"They who hold the Purse strings determine the course and path development takes..."
Maybe they are working with Akai on the MPC Desktop software. It seems as if the Desktop has sort of borrowed some of the iMPC UI design....
If they are there's no mention of them in the credits.
(I've only got the free MPC Beats software installed).
MPC Beats for iPad would be insanely cool!
Good to know. Now I wonder too if they stopped development on their own apps (like Tabletop and such) because they had focused on comissioned work or if it wasn't worth their trouble for the return (not much money involved in our niche market)
Miss those vlogs they used to do
When you make a walled garden inside of a walled garden it just becomes a hedge maze.
I have to say that iMPC Pro 2 is ultra fun with the Akai Element controller…and the sound packs from Akai are top (as usual for Akai sound ware)
BTW in terms of “updates” Retronyms drop these soundpacks all the time, not always Aksi stuff, but pretty damn good usually
It's fun when it works and doesn't dive
The polyphony issues (ie. sometimes things simply won't play) when the sequencer is triggering 'held notes' and sometimes 'one shots' are a bit annoying though.
Keygroup support would be nice for melodic samples as 16 levels for pitch doesn't really cut it.
I'm happy that it's got basic Files.app support and yes, the Akai packs are quite nice.
(I'm too lazy to re-create the kits in other apps so when I need them sounds I use iMPC Pro 2).
So when it does work it's a blast!
(But when simple things like zooming in to a sample can crash the app at random I loose my patience).
Cheers!
I get what you’re saying, though ive been lucky to be relatively crash free (relatively in the sense that i am able to crash most apps, especially the ambitious ones, and fewer times with this one)
Key groups would be cool. The ones built into the instruments in their soundpacks would suggest such a thing would be available to the user
Those were the days!
I completely forgot about this company. I've deleted their apps a long time ago.
Same here. Just seeing the name "Retronyms" made me smile: "ah, I remember them from the early days of iOS music apps (pre AudioBus)".
I'm glad I didn't buy any add-ons to TableTop. Nearly did, but they wouldn't add AudioBus compatibility. That killed it for me.
For what it’s worth: At least Tabletop is stable…and has AUM support (until IAA eventually ends).
Disclaimer: I’m a fan of the Retronyms stuff so there’s that. I like apps that are “sandboxed”, self contained workstations. Gadget for example (and the many many others, on this platform and the other mobile platform that is itself sandboxed…). Tabletop for me is a productive version of that paradigm. By productive I mean fun, interesting, and I have all kinds of stuff to say about why. But horses for courses as another forum comrade says.
What’s interesting is that iMPC Pro 2 is in part the next level version of Tabletop. Which takes us right back to where we started on the thread. Because iMPC Pro 2 has stability issues for users. I think this is happening because it’s trying to do more than it’s uncle Tabletop. And yet Tabletop does some of the same things better. iMPC Pro (the first) much maligned in stand-alone has its best expression in Tabletop. Same with the Arturia VAs. All of which can have multiple iterations within Tabletop. See, I’m going off again. All just my humble opinion, see disclaimer above
Yeahhhh. So why do that repeatedly? As a Dev, it's their choice who they work with and under what contractual agreement.
For sure. I would love to know what companies like Akai think of the iPad. Like, are they stuck in the past or have they got an eye to the future?
I'm not necessarily defending them, just passing along what I know from past experience. Frankly - everyone needs to pay the rent, so if it's a matter of taking a contract from a big name company to develop some apps on their behalf, I get it. Especially with the cost of rent of SF. 🤷
They would be idiots not to accept a nice big cash payment from a major company, as opposed to making an app and crossing their fingers and hoping the AudioBus Forum crowd will all buy it.
But only on sale…
Yep! And when anyone asks why they've not sorted any bugs out they can point to the major company and say "nowt to do with us!" Win win.
There might be a new catagory of app that one might call "a Black Friday app"
I had the MPC Beats app on my PC for a minute, has anyone done the deep dive and compared the features there with those of iMPC Pro 2?
I didn’t spend much time in the PC Beats, it seemed a bit old-timey to me. Workflow in iMPC Pro 2 is way slicker, in this man’s experience. Seemed the chief difference was that on PC i could use my PC plugs, and in iMPC Pro 2 I can use my iPad plugs…and i have cool ones on both platforms so
Maybe AKAI is moving on to another company and is waiting for some sort of licensing agreement to expire so that they can push the app they really want. Just a thought, because their desktop stuff is in a different class.
….or they just don‘t give a sh*t and that‘s it.i believe in this scenario unfortunately.
I've got the MPC X so I feel you.
MPC app = less hardware MPC sales , not gonna happen
I find this one difficult to believe as the primary motivator. MPC Beats is more fleshed out than anything MPC on iOS and it's free. They want as many people to sink their teeth into their ecosystem as possible and an iPad app that is enhanced by the MPC studio II would accomplish that.