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.

IOS Poison 202 vs OB-XD (and another question)

First post but have been lurking (this forum shows up anytime I'm looking for reviews on synth apps so I finally registered)...I'm trying to decide between these two synth apps and needed some advice. I browsed the forum prior and saw the issues with the latter, although that was upon first launch. I eventually will get both, but what are the current pros/cons of both? I liked the sound of both of these from looking at videos on YT which is why I'm deciding between these two.
Some background...I currently have all of the free IOS apps plus Trooper (love it). Not a fan of the BLEASS apps due mainly to the interface (the color scheme especially).

Also, which currently available iPhone synth apps would you all recommend avoiding (especially in regards to instability...Synthmaster One crashes way too much for me)?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

«13

Comments

  • Welcome.
    I have OB-XD, and although there's nothing wrong with it sound-wise I do find it personally not a very appealing and interesting synth to work/sculpt sounds with. Trooper is good. Way more fun, better interface. What music style are you after?

  • Personally I’m looking for something with a bit of flexibility sound wise…both Poison and Ob xD appealed to me for that reason … wanting to do something a bit 80s sounding mixed with prog.

    I love Trooper but mostly for making my own sounds not so much for the presets (which are good mind you but doesn’t fit what I’m currently writing )

  • Well, Korg has excellent 80s synths like the iPolysix and Mono/Poly, but they are IAA, and I have never used them outside, only inside Korg Gadget. Have you considered TAL-U-NO-LX?

  • @Slush said:
    Well, Korg has excellent 80s synths like the iPolysix and Mono/Poly, but they are IAA, and I have never used them outside, only inside Korg Gadget. Have you considered TAL-U-NO-LX?

    Probably should’ve mentioned this earlier but it’s for my phone and TAL seems to be iPad only

    Definitely only interested in AUv3

  • Both, they have enough differences in their overall sound and complement each other nicely.

    Another synth that may be worth to keep on the radar is Zeeon.

  • @Samu said:

    Another synth that may be worth to keep on the radar is Zeeon.

    +1 You can't go wrong with Zeeon. And it's for iPhone as well.

  • I recommend Sunrizer, and maybe RT Poly synth if your iPad has an A12 chip or higher.

  • If you want full on 80s then check out VHS Synth B)

    Surprised to hear about your Synthmaster One instability, it’s rock solid for me on both iPhone and iPad

  • edited January 2023

    @wired2moon said:
    If you want full on 80s then check out VHS Synth B)

    Surprised to hear about your Synthmaster One instability, it’s rock solid for me on both iPhone and iPad

    Have VHS synth..definitely enjoy that and SAGA…not so much Digitalism in comparison

  • Definitely recommend Ob-xd, especially if you are looking for loads of presets and 80s vibe!

    The preset banks included have everything you can think of. It doesn’t have a build-in reverb, don’t forget to use one.

  • edited January 2023

    @Jer4 said:
    Definitely recommend Ob-xd, especially if you are looking for loads of presets and 80s vibe!

    The preset banks included have everything you can think of. It doesn’t have a build-in reverb, don’t forget to use one.

    Just saw how many presets it has…think I’m going with that one first as I can use it on my current project and then getting poison in a few weeks (I have only $11 in PayPal currently and funds otherwise are limited)

  • Just to chuck another in that you didn't ask for :) … a lot of folks seem to laud Lagrange as a swiss-army knife synth, if that’s the goal. I don't have it myself but I do have Lorentz from same dev and its stable and sounds great. Sorry if this is going a little off-piste!

  • @wired2moon said:
    Just to chuck another in that you didn't ask for :) … a lot of folks seem to laud Lagrange as a swiss-army knife synth, if that’s the goal. I don't have it myself but I do have Lorentz from same dev and its stable and sounds great. Sorry if this is going a little off-piste!

    Lol that was another one I was considering 😂

  • edited January 2023

    @wired2moon said:
    Just to chuck another in that you didn't ask for :) … a lot of folks seem to laud Lagrange as a swiss-army knife synth, if that’s the goal. I don't have it myself but I do have Lorentz from same dev and its stable and sounds great. Sorry if this is going a little off-piste!

    Lagrange has been the greatest surprise for me when I bought it on sale a few months back. It is very good, on of my favs. A desert island synth. (and for iPhone as well)

  • Poison is super fast to program, zeeon also is very very fast and has way more modulations options.

    I love poison but it sounds too digital for me, so I always pass it through a cabinet IR or simulation, that gives new life to any synth patch.

    For 80s sounds get zeeon and one IAP that is fantastic

  • I'm not sure if zeeon runs on the phone

  • @cokomairena said:
    I'm not sure if zeeon runs on the phone

    It does

  • Since this is specifically for iPhone, I would add that, while useable, OB-Xd's UI is not ideal at that size

  • @Grandbear said:
    Since this is specifically for iPhone, I would add that, while useable, OB-Xd's UI is not ideal at that size

    Yeah I was wondering about that, although I saw that had been addressed in an update according to version history . Didn’t know if that was true or not!

  • edited January 2023

    @Fear2Stop said:

    @Grandbear said:
    Since this is specifically for iPhone, I would add that, while useable, OB-Xd's UI is not ideal at that size

    Yeah I was wondering about that, although I saw that had been addressed in an update according to version history . Didn’t know if that was true or not!

    Some of the glaring issues have definitely been solved, but I still find it exceedingly small, and scrolling up and down is not great; I would prefer a tabbed interface with larger controls

  • Poison sounds colder, imo. Better UI, especially for iPhone. I think it's more flexible, has a pitch envelope, better modulation, and built in fx (distortion, crusher, panning or regular digital delay, reverb, chorus, flanger) that are solid (like stock daw fx quality, imo).

    Obxd has more analog character, imo, and sounds overall fatter. Ui is much less friendly, imo. Also, oscillator pitch knobs have no detente or readouts so you need to tune them by ear unless you're just slamming them up or down 2 octaves. I don't know how well the ui plays on iPhone, so check some vids if possible.

    If you want an 80s sound, my vote is for Obxd. The presets will go a long way towards that 80s character as well... Poison's presets have a distinctly 90s electronica character, imo (more Prodigy than Depeche Mode). As mentioned, Obxd will need an fx chain. If you're using a daw, built-in fx will be fine. If not, you will need to at least factor in the cost of a reverb so that things aren't too dry.

    Good luck!

  • Another vote for Zeeon and the 80s IAP. It really will do everything you need, and it sounds rich. Obxd is good for 80s sounds as well, but the UI isn't as friendly. It does look like an Oberheim, though.

    Lots of people praise Poison for its versatility and its low CPU use.

    Not for iPhone, but Korg's iPolySix is simple to use and fits really well in the 80s-style tracks that I've tried to make. Also works in Korg Gadget (where I like it a little better than the "Oberheim" synth in Gadget, which does the brass thing well but not strings).

  • iSEM ! Not for iPhone but a fantastic synth and definitely loads of 80s vibes!

  • @dokwok2 said:
    Another vote for Zeeon and the 80s IAP. It really will do everything you need, and it sounds rich. Obxd is good for 80s sounds as well, but the UI isn't as friendly. It does look like an Oberheim, though.

    Lots of people praise Poison for its versatility and its low CPU use.

    Not for iPhone, but Korg's iPolySix is simple to use and fits really well in the 80s-style tracks that I've tried to make. Also works in Korg Gadget (where I like it a little better than the "Oberheim" synth in Gadget, which does the brass thing well but not strings).

    How much is the IAP?

  • @Polyphonix said:
    iSEM ! Not for iPhone but a fantastic synth and definitely loads of 80s vibes!

    I recently watched a YouTube of this synth, it sounds so good, I wonder why it is hardly mentioned here on Audiobus. Seems to have some unique features as well.

  • @Grandbear said:

    @Fear2Stop said:

    @Grandbear said:
    Since this is specifically for iPhone, I would add that, while useable, OB-Xd's UI is not ideal at that size

    Yeah I was wondering about that, although I saw that had been addressed in an update according to version history . Didn’t know if that was true or not!

    Some of the glaring issues have definitely been solved, but I still find it exceedingly small, and scrolling up and down is not great; I would prefer a tabbed interface with larger controls

    How bad is it? I’m trying to find a screenshot online but just seeing stuff from a few years ago

  • Keep in mind that there are at least 4 free preset packs for Zeeon.

  • @Polyphonix said:
    Keep in mind that there are at least 4 free preset packs for Zeeon.

    Is there a description online? The App Store doesn’t mention anything about them

  • @Fear2Stop said:
    How much is the IAP?

    The "BB Synthwave" IAP for Zeeon (US$10) is $3.

  • edited January 2023

    @Fear2Stop said:

    @Polyphonix said:
    Keep in mind that there are at least 4 free preset packs for Zeeon.

    Is there a description online? The App Store doesn’t mention anything about them

    Search the AB forum for ‘Zeeon presets’ and off it goes…
    I count 583 presets in my Zeeon!

Sign In or Register to comment.