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.
Underrated AUv3 synths?
Some of my picks are Mood, Phase 84 (a phase distortion synth), KQ MiniSynth (a modular synth), SunVox, ANS 3, the iceGear apps, Bram Bos Phasemaker, Phosphor 3, SquareSynth, and Korg Module Pro. Which AUv3 synths do you think need more love?
Comments
Big fan of Phasemaker, Phosphor 3 and Module Pro. I think Ruismaker FM, KQ Unitone, Electribe Wave, and Arturia iSEM deserve more love too. KQ Unitone is great on an effects chain!
Phawuo
Unique
OPL
I love Module Pro. I own Gadget and have purchased all of the IAPs to date in Module Pro. However, now I use it as an AUv3 to record stuff into instances of Gauss. The marimbas from "Haunted Marimbas" and the piano in "Dreams of Eno" came from Module Pro.
Now for underrated synths, I truly don't hear Zeeon mentioned often enough, even though that synth is fire!
And maybe I'm not looking close enough at the forum here, but I haven't seen Poison-202 mentioned in a long minute. Before there was GR-16 and Pure Acid, there was Poison-202.
Most underrated for me is Poison-202. Light as a feather and never crashes. It starts in every template.
+1
+1 Zeeon for analog heaven.
I'd also mention iWavestation for digital lushness.
Using presets is one thing but creating your own is where it can start to shine. There's so much variety in the single-cycle and sampled waveforms alone and the wave sequencer lets you build insane evolving sounds, pads and soundscapes. Still no AUv3 though 😢
Who knows, one day Wavestate might hit the iOS world?
Do you have any interesting WaveStation recordings to post? I have been curious what one can do with it but there aren't many examples I have heard that get away from the presets.
I’m not sure underrated is the right word, but I’m always surprised how much they’ve stuffed into Magellan 2: nice synth engine, powerful effects chain, an arp AND sequence engine, a very customizable spawn tool, and an adjustable chorder. It really is amazing how much is in there.
Sure, here's a strings layer for example, starting at 0:14:
iWavestation is also great for Roland D-50 type sounds.
Thanks. Sounds good.
I kinda like Yonac Kaspar...
There's so many iOS synths, I've got most. I like to pick them more or less at random for each new track I do. Klevgrand's Syndt is currently impressing me.
EG WaveShaper (state save broken) and Fingerlab Polywave are recently explored gems for me.
I guess if you manage to use it in a project and it sounds good or you start to click with it, it becomes an underrated gem
I will say SYNTHMASTER 2.X!
Sure, almost every with some knowledge about synths knows that this beast is best, sounds greatest, and, are the most powerful thing on iOS/iPadOS!
But, Synthmaster 2 deservs more focus in the spotlights because nothing beats SM2!
Erik Sigth’s shapesynth and, of course, tardigrain. They sound great; however, the UIs aren’t for everyone.
Shockwave by Kai Aras caught my attention recently...
Clever design of 2 parallel oscillators with waveform mod, sequencer and fx, easy to tweak and automate (midi learn).
I prefer it over Model D in the bass domain, but you could as well double a Moog line with Shockwave...
SPECTRUM
Oh absolutely!
I own a lot of synths and can’t really say any one in particular is underrated. but if I must choose one, then the one closest to being “underrated” would be Kronecker . It is just so unique and fun to use, but from my observation not appearing in people’s “best synths” or “must-have”s lists.
I’d missed KQ Minisynth, so thank you for mentioning that one. It’s on my list to try out now, as is Phasemaker.
KQ Unotone is fantastic and stupidly cheap. I’ve had a lot of fun with it!
Stria is remarkable for textures and soundscapes, although it’s weird (understatement). Gavinski's tutorial on it helps a lot.
Erik Sigth's strng is really interesting, as is Tardigrain, though that’s just had a huge burst of love here due to the recent update.
Speaking of underrated: DRC is on sale, 80% off for 24 hours only - only $1.99 to unlock synth engine!
iVCS3. I like that it modelled so presicly that even the original quirks are in there. I like to operate it live, presets are fun but real joy is when you suddenly reach unexpected cool sound by turning knobs. For inspiration I would like to recommend Alessandro Cortini and Adrian Utley vids from their studios. They are power users of real VCS3 synth.
Another plus to iVCS3 is that, as well as having the synth as a whole as an AUv3, it also has AUv3s for various components (eg reverb, oscillators, filters) so you can use them separately.
Also, one of the IAPs adds in the later modifications to the original as switchable options.
I’m not sure it’s underrated, but LayR doesn’t often get mentioned it seems.
For me, ANILOG sounds nice. Also, OB-XD and VOLT. I like the 80s sounding stuff.
OBX-D is great, and the dev's OPL app is also worth a look for anyone that ever needs chipsynth/2-OP FM sounds.
An app falls into the unrated/mystery category rather than underrated for me is "Synclavier Go!". I have not encountered anyone mentioning it on this forum.
(I have voluntarily read threads on "Synclavier Go!" and its controller in forum searches. I have not purchased "Synclavier Go!". I have "Synclavier Pocket!" that was given away(?) for free, but I have rarely used it.)
Definitely DRC is underrated. I've Been waiting a Long Time until a 50% Sale crossed my way. As it is With almost all/Most of the synths I own - and that are "some" 🥴😵
DRC is tight and "built" Solid - even high voice Count didn't Crash my iPad.
I Love those brilliant imaginando-apps
Volt, poison 202 phosphor 3
Thats a pretty wild demo. Impressive.
Just got it very recently and haven't spent a lot of time with it yet but Ive been really liking ID700