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.
Big MidiSequencer update comming soon
big midiSequencer (free) update comming soon - expecting to submit tomorrow.
Enhancements
[] monitor function - enables you to hear steps by touching. Can also play sliders (even whilst not playing a sequence) to make MS a controller interface.
[] Complete rework of midi controllers - now have 16 midi controllers :
Each can be defined as continuous, NRPN, RPN, Program Change, Aftertouch, Pitchbend or Sysex (or custom) data
Optional one byte entry for NRPN & RPN
Polyphonic atertouch on step note
Pitchbend (14 bit)
Hex pad entry for Sysex data (up to 76 bytes) with autolayout
Sysex data not restricted to sysex - can be any midi data you wish! Chain sysex using multiple CC's.
Define 16 controllers in one panel - will reload on next runup.
[] limit controls - will narrow down lower/upper ranges for easy input & clip existing. Note: will reset on load to avoid clipping.
[] new ornament - 2 note tremolo (octave arpeggio)
[] new step logic : repeat notes x2 to x8 and stop
[] latched notes - use for drones (no midi note off sent until unlatched)
[] Performance panel - One touch load with non-empty slot selected now loads immediately
[] big improvement on file/bank saving & loading times
[] File/Bank description increased from 50 to 120 characters
[] Files Panel - can now sort by Name or Date (see small buttons at top of list)
[] tempo clock fraction multipliers now 1/2, 1/3 & 1/4
[] chords - can save current chord+notes as a preset and use to restore on other steps
[] auto close non-moveable panels by touching outside panel
bug fixes
[] Random button not showing options if pf panel open
[] App launch was timing out if many midi devices connected - now delaying scan until main screen shown
[] fixed Options when swapping from Slave to Master & v.v, and hide tempo slider if SLAVE
[] fixed cycle logic - change of direction, now stops at corrrect step
[] Easier to select Transpose decrement button
[] bank name no longer shows as yellow after new save
[] exit on Files or Snapshots panels now correctly returns to that panel
[] Removed duplicate buttons on New Bank has been modified.
[] shift L or R was corrupting steps & displaying at different place
[] Play button would sometime be huge
Comments
Brilliant stuff! Monitor function, love it. Thanks @midiSequencer
Holy cow, that's a big update (and free).
new ornament - 2 note tremolo (octave arpeggio)
What? That sounds awesome! Looks like an amazing update, thank you!
Thanks a lot! Heavy duty!
Wow! You must be at least part machine. Thank you for all of this.
Looking forward to it....
I missed this on first read through. Good stuff indeed.
"tempo clock fraction multipliers now 1/2, 1/3 & 1/4 [] chords - can save current chord+notes as a preset and use to restore on other steps."
At this moment:
"A performance rollout panel exists for you to quickly load & save ideas into snapshot patterns. Up to 20 are available in a bank which can be saved to disk with a name, date and a description. These files can be exported & imported using itunes file sharing or via email."
I hope this limit has gone or, at least has been increased.
Wow! Thanks for the heads up. Most of this is way over my amateurish head, but the monitoring function will be a huge help for composing withing MidiSequencer!
@fjcblanco - Does anyone use more than 20 in a bank?? This won't be a problem when midiSequencer gets a song mode - you will be able to string snapshots together and define logic to decide the play order (much like steps in a single snapshot).
However, this will come out with the rack, which comes after my new app iMidi has been released.
glad you like the idea of the monitoring
Makes it useful as a controller and live editor too!
Yes, I see your point, but why the limit? You could have a lot, and still have a list of 20 favourites.
By the way, this is a very little (and personal) question and I don't hide the (awesome) overall opinion that I have.
Did start to look at increasing it this morning. The problem is two-fold 1) need to increase the number of buttons of the Snapshots Panel (its fixed at 20) 2) In the Pf performance panel just need to increase the number of 'pages of 10' presets 3) Loading more snapshots in a bank will have a performance hit - albeit slow.
Will have a go at increasing to 40 - but leave Snapshots panel at 20 - will do this as a setting.
Well, I'm feel quite embarrassed to make you working on this instead working on most important stuff. As I have said, it was a personal wish.
Thanks a lot, really.
fjcblanco - done - you now can have 40 snapshots per bank in midiSequencer.
The Snapshots panel just shows first 20 though, but the pF panel allows you to scroll though 1..10,11..20,21..30 & 31..40.
No need for a setting, it loads old files ok, and doesn't save empty snapshots anyway.
Hope that's enough for you to work with now - please share any creations you do with this number - I've only reached 8 so far!
Ha, ha, so this is a challenge...I'll try it!
Thanks again.
midiSequencer v1.7 will be submitted to Apple tomorrow.
Here is what's in it:
Enhancements:
1) monitor function - enables you to hear steps by touching. Can also play sliders (even whilst not playing) to make MS a controller interface.
2) Complete rework of midi controllers - now have 16 midi controllers : Each can be defined as Continuous(0..127), NRPN, RPN, Program Change, Aftertouch, Pitchbend or Sysex (or custom) data
Can record these into midiSequencer too.
Optional one byte entry for NRPN & RPN
CC's can be named to match hardware (will update list on future updates - Ultranova & Waldorf Q)
Key(polyphonic) or Channel(monophonic) atertouch on step notes
Pitchbend (14 bit)
Hex pad entry for Sysex data (up to 76 bytes) with autolayout
Sysex data not restricted to sysex - can be any midi data you wish! Chain sysex using multiple CC's.
Define 16 controllers in one panel - will reload on next runup or save/loaded with your snapshot.
3) Limit controls - will narrow down lower/upper ranges for easy input & clip existing. Note: will reset on load to avoid clipping.
4)increased bank size up to 40 snapshots (20-40 accessible from performance panel)
5)new ornament - 2 note tremolo (octave arpeggio)
6)new step logic : repeat notes x2 to x8 and stop
7)latched notes - use for drones (no midi note off sent until unlatched)
8)performance panel - One touch load with non-empty slot selected now loads immediately. New save bank button.
9) big improvement on file/bank saving & loading times and size.
10)file/Bank description increased from 50 to 120 characters
11)files Panel - can now sort by Name or Date (see small buttons at top of list)
12)tempo clock fraction multipliers now 1/2, 1/3 & 1/4
13)chords - can save current chord+notes as a preset and use to restore on other steps
14)auto close non-moveable panels by touching outside panel
bug fixes
random button not showing options if pf panel open
app launch was timing out if many midi devices connected - now delaying scan until main screen shown
fixed Options when swapping from Slave to Master & v.v, and hide tempo slider if SLAVE
fixed cycle logic - change of direction, now stops at corrrect step
easier to select Transpose decrement button
bank name no longer shows as yellow after new save
exit on Files or Snapshots panels now correctly returns to that panel
removed duplicate buttons on New Bank has been modified.
shift L or R was corrupting steps & displaying at different place
play button would sometime be huge
Thanks Tony, looks great!
I think you're competing with @midiSequencer said:
LOLZ. I was wishing for this this morning as I was using midiSequencer to drive ChordPolyPad.
Sounds like a killer upgrade over all!
@Johnfromberkeley - well for once we can now send 'any' data down midi, program changes, Aftertouch(poly & mono), NRPN, RPN, sysex and any bytes you want. I don't think any app does that currently which is why I'm looking to support those of us with hardware synths.
Thanks. Amazing work. Even more easy to play with.
Did a quick video of it in action (just using CC's) on Magellan.
Submitted to Apple this morning.
@midiSequencer
Thanks for the vid. With an eye to how much time and effort you have obviously put into this app, and how much it seems that those who 'get it' like it, I would encourage you to consider going further for the new update. The utility of this program is high, but many of us have a very poor understanding of what's going on/can be done here. More urgently even than 'what' and 'can' is 'how'.
I know it's apples and oranges, but I recently got a lot out of a 120 second Nave tutorial:
Simple and easy for a dullard like me to pause and consider and see the end result.
This was also true with the text 'flow chart' that @C_Ph added recently here to the Multitrackstudio discussion:
http://forum.audiob.us/discussion/comment/78315#Comment_78315
The result of these -different approaches though they are
- was my 'getting' both programs (at least to a far greater degree than previously), and thus enjoying the products and my time spent playing/working with them. AND then moving the programs to the first page of my iPad. I'll be using them more and appreciating them as a result. Talking about them to others (that old word of mouth) and, most of all, hopefully making music that satisfies me.
This is by no means a criticism, if anything it's just a marketing nudge/feedback, which you may or may not care about (as is entirely your prerogative
. However I am sure that if you illustrate things simply for the many folks like me who want to get the most out of a midi program/sequencer, but find themselves frustrated at their own inability to do so, you might open up a far larger segment of what I think is a hefty latent market: Folks who have apps that make or play waves/sound, but are not being fully leveraged via sequencing and midi.
Just my long-winded 2 cents. Good luck. JG
@jonnygoodyear - all valid points. This vid was just a quick noodle and a ramble. I do intend to produce something more aligned on how to use the features of the app and your suggestion to use short 2min clips would be ideal!
Will plan out some sessions and produce something more focused (and annotated too!).
Hi!
Is there any possibility that future versions could include options for running the CC sequences at separate speed or different resolution from the main sequence?
For example Notes are triggered at 1/16 and 'Pitch-Bends' or CC at 1/64 or even 1/128?
(ex. during 1/16th note, 4 different pitch bend or cc commands are sent)
For performance a 'trigger and play sequences while note is held down' transposing the sequence with the keyboard.
This could be used to create for example playable 'Pitchbend Arpeggios'(I'm a chip-tune junkie).
For more complexity even sequencing the 'transpose sequence feature' at slow speed (1/1 or slower) would be nice, a sequencer sequencer.
I used to make patches like this on my Nord Micro Modular until it broke, wish there was an AudioBus & IAA version of the Nord Micro Modular...
@Samu, this would be possible in the rack version in which you can run multiple instances of midiSequencer sequences.
This gives you (on each sequence):
1) different tempo's (quantised to a master clock).
2) 16 CC's to define per sequence (or default to master version)
3) direct output to any midi endpoint (e.g. animoog on one sequencer, sunrizer on another) or use notes to drive another sequence in the rack (i.e. transpose).
The rack will feature:
1) A slimmed down front rack (smaller slider length but a scrollable middle section with all the main step controls of the sequence - e.g. mute button).
2) An ability to define songs which are sequences with play logic (e.g. Seq 1: play x3, transpose +5, play x2, reverse, play x1, stop). This will be a graphic interface where you can drag n drop sequence boxes and link them together. Each box will contain the play logic (instructions on how it is to be played).
This was the aim of midiSequencer all along - to replace hardware multi-track sequencers, but I kept adding functionality to the core sequence. I already have this rack version written as a proof of concept (I even produced an audio demo), but put it on hold pending the complete rewrite to accommodate 16 midi CC's. Now that's done, I can focus the development on producing this (after the iMidi app to record midi performances).
I think this would suit your chip-tune sequencing admirably as you could use different sequences to send to the same device (i.e. merge) and then have a sequence for pitchbend, one for notes etc, all linked in tempo by some ratio. The sequence sequencer is then just one sequence transposing another (rather than a midi endpoint say).
I think the Rack is all that is left. This is already way past casual comprehension!
One thing though - at the start of the video you loaded a snapshot but I can't see any display to identify which (of the 40) is currently running after that.
david, for the rack I'm thinking of two interfaces for this. A Reason style screen with mini controls, and another screen which is more of a modular pasteboard. You will be able to switch between both and one main sequencer screen (as used today). Another alternative to the pasteboard would be to mimic Reason reack and rewire the back with chords.
I'm only using one snapshot in the video. Normally I would create variations as I go along and save them in subsequent slots.
This is just too sweet...
Rack mode will make this even more awesome than it already is, looking forward to this.
To simulate 'note macros' from Music-X on the Amiga each note/step could trigger also sub-sequence of controller data. (Seems like rack-mode will do this too).
My mind wanders away thinking about all the neat things that can be done with multiple sequencers running and controlling each other, building sequencer logic etc...
Having a tool like MidiSequencer to generate all the CC and PitchBend data is by far faster than manually entering CC and Pitchbend Data in say, Cubasis or BM2...
The effect i'm after is nicely done and illustrated here...
http://www.angelfire.com/music4/b1itz_lunar/chiptune.htm
midiSequencer v1.7 can set the RPN 0,0 range to 0 (this is the pitchbend range) in one snapshot then load another which would contain your pitchbend midi messages.
Only thing is, as you say, the ability to run at different tempos - which you will get if you run parallel sequences.
You could also use the new sysex controller - it's up to 76 bytes of data and the cool think is it doesn't have to be sysex (F0....F7)! You would need to add the bytes manually yourself using a hex keypad now included in midiSequencer. You can also chain these together (CC's are sent in order 1,2,...16) - for a total of 1216 bytes per step (if all CC's are sysex and active)!
But yes, having multiple tempo sync sequencers would be easier.