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.
Drambo drumkit midi loops and audio fx automation in Loopy
Loopy is insanely powerful. It’s crazy how flexible it is.
I was trying out a way to quickly record drums in Loopy so I made some controls to record either to an audio loop or a Drambo sequence. This is specifically to finger drum.
Why not do it directly in Drambo?. I can’t stand the small auv3 windows… 🤦🏻 I feel like doing it from Loopy it feels more integrated and inmediate. Also a lot better for live scenario or if using a hardware controller. There’s also a kit selector that loads different presets.
Some comments:
- Drambo parameters are not exposed to Loopy, which makes sense given the modular aspect, so I did the mappings via midi CC which I learned in Drambo.
- For notes to record properly I found I had to send ON (press -127) and OFF messages (release - 0). - Same for the “undo” command to clear the sequence. BTW, I couldn’t find a way to map a specific “clear” command, there doesn’t seem to be one in Drambo.
Comments
Modulating audio fx in Loopy via midi
I’m using a “middleware” slider widget as a bridge between a Drambo midi lfo and the Cascade plugin.
Set Drambo to send Cc 15, it sends to a MidiMonitor midi instance, as just using Loopy Virtual out doesn’t work. You can use Mozaic or any midi plugin.
Widget to receive value from MidiMonitor on CC15. Widget set to control cascade parameter “mix”.
If Drambo is loaded as an AU in Loopy, Loopy can bind the midi from Drambo directly to your target. I don’t think any middleware is needed. Can you post screenshots of your routing?
Ahhhhh, after reading your comment I tried the “Control Settings” and I could set up the direct binding there…
That’s what you meant?. So no middleware necessary if doing it from the Control Settings section. But I do like going thorough widgets, serves as manual control and it’s nice to see the widget dancing 🕺 !
I was doing it from the scene screen and the only way I found was through midi mapping. You can’t midi map directly to an fx parameter. Right?.
Btw, the “midi monitor” is not necessary, for some reason the Drambo midi was not showing up as a source… Thanks for your comment!
For Drambo to appear as a midi source, you need to use Add Midi and choose your existing Drambo instance and then Drambo will appear as a midi source whose midi can be routed anywhere.
To send midi from widget’s to Loopy’s control settings, middleware as you put it is necessary.
There seems to be a little hitch or bug in that when you add/remove midi sources they’re not always and totally updated on the “Midi Learn” popup. That’s why I resorted to using midi monitor, as my Drambo midi instance for some reason wasn’t showing up. Seems like they’re not refreshed correctly on some occasions . I’ll report this.
Here are the settings for midi automation of an audio fx parameter. In Drambo you can use automation lane, an lfo, notes, p-locks. Or select one or the other, add them up… Really powerful and with Loopy’s amazing flexibility you can do anything.
I do like always going through widgets, instead of Control Settings bindings I think it’s a good practice. It’s good to have a visual reminder that there’s something that does something… It’s easier to access the widget, you have visual feedback, you can add further actions (like deactivate the midi lfo and switch to manual control from the same slider widget).
Loopy is such an astonishing piece of work. Thanks @espiegel123 for your dedication and passion, you’re a big part of Loopy.
OFF topic… Hoping custom control scripts API is implemented (Michael says it’s in the roadmap) and someone writes a script so I can use my Push with it. I don’t know how it would work but if you could use the Push screen to go through the settings it’d be just killer to control everything with clicks and physical knobs.