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.
What’s the first “test” synth you go to when testing a configuration?
You know, when you first get a new midi sequencer, or a new reverb, and you just wanna check it out for the first time to see what it looks like, and how it sounds?
What synth do you use, because you know it will be rock solid, midi friendly, and relatively lightweight?
I am not looking for your favorite synth, just your favorite “test synth.”
Comments
Kq dixie or strng or fm Player 2
But lately been loading up kq sampei
Hi, Korg Electribe Wave 🎛🎹🎧
Mirack or Augen x.
OB-XD because it has no built in reverb / delay and I always love the way that the fundamental analog sounds created from saw, pulse, sine waves get transformed by effects.
Yep this is mine as well. Not only that but it’s one of the best sounding synths on iOS.
Someone already mentioned OB-XD which is mine. However I also like to see how the effects and sequencers sound with “real” instruments so I’ll also load up Module and run them through the pianos, organs, etc.
Interesting. Nerdy.
Zeeon is a go-to for me for this. Can act like a mono or poly, good stock presets, easy to tweak.
Surprisingly I found myself reflexively launching Phosphor3 mainly because it comes early in my list of AUv3s and the default patch is fairly friendly and generic, poly, no fx. And because I can just move a couple of partials around to radically change the timbre.
Before that I used to load the free version of Korg Module because I can choose a piano or Rhodes.
We're going to get a nice list of "should own" synths out of this. I always grab a piano myself because I want to hear notes. But when I reach for a synth its usually Continua and I pick a @Spidericemidas created preset and slow the BPM way down in general to insure all the notes have time to bloom. Lately, I've been using Poison-202 which just has a wonderful Moog like quality using one of the Flute-y sounding preset that I personalized with a little more portamento like a Mini-Moog solo. Pure Synth Platinum is also a good option to audition synth and/or instrument sounds just like Module Pro. Owning a ton of IAP's in both really makes them a one stop shop.
I like pure synth cos I like testing out effects with a piano and it’s lightweight. For sequencing stuff I actually usually use a hardware synth with a 5 pin midi connection coming from my audio interface. If I had to pick a soft synth I’d probably use Dixie cos of the versatility in sound and low cpu usage or Flowtones cos it can be very dry sounding
List of apps:
Updated with #14-21 as suggested in comments that follow.
I'd expect to see some Yonac and Harry Gohs/Virsyn apps put forward by someone.
Arturia iSem.
It’s conveniently close to the top of my AUM plugin list, and I love the sound
For some reason, I have no idea why, I always use Lagrange...
Fractal Bits and auGEN X for Reverbs & Delays.
Spectrum and OB-XD for Modulation Effects.
Reasoning behind this is that these apps have no built-in effects just raw output and in the case of Spectrum offer a wide palette of sounds with a bit of tweaking.
When I test 'midi generators', KQ Dixie / KQ Sampei get used the most due to their multi-timbral options.
bs-16i for sequencing.
Viking.
KQ Dixie always. Lightweight and FM sounds love fx.
"World synth"... because it is on top of my AU list when sorted by company name
Interesting.
I always grab Sunrizer.
Sometimes Animoog.
Always Sunrizer, consistency across many years of breakdowns (machinery) and happiness (personal).
Zeeon. Usually my first go to anyway, but also yeah, top pick for testing anything much.
That’s my go-to “need something poly here” synth
Phosphor 2/3 as been my "test poly" too for a long time. There must be something about it 😄
Phasemaker for me.
Simple, light, never fails.
I'll put in another vote for Sunrizer. It's easy to dial up sounds and I've used it for long enough to know what it "should" be sounding like and I like the fact that everything I need to adjust is right there on the same screen.
Another vote for Zeeon. It's one of my favourite synths for producing warm drones to record into Gauss, lol, but it's also easy to program a plucked sound to be driven by a MIDI AUv3 such as Rozeta's Particles. Then again, Sunrizer is also easy to program, so even though I don't use it as my "test synth", I would vouch for it anyways.
DRC.
For the easy GUI but also for the sound. The oscillators are very "reallistic" in a way that a hardware polysynth reacts. If you know synthesis, every synth with a direct GUI works.