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.

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Audiobus is the app that makes the rest of your setup better.

a Foray into Lofay

Diving into lofi head first. First real run at ducking the kick via FAC Envolver

First time messing with Needlepoint and Lofi af, and trying out some new keys as well (stringlab, retro piano, electric vintage)

Any and all advice is welcome and appreciated! ❤️

Comments

  • Love the overall vibe, the melody etc. If you want a bit of constructive criticism, the drums are the weak part for me. Some things about the choice of drum sounds, the beat itself, the lack of variation, and the groove, don't quite sit right for me. Love the vocal at the end btw 😂 🔥

  • @Gavinski said:
    Love the overall vibe, the melody etc. If you want a bit of constructive criticism, the drums are the weak part for me. Some things about the choice of drum sounds, the beat itself, the lack of variation, and the groove, don't quite sit right for me. Love the vocal at the end btw 😂 🔥

    re:drums

    I absolutely agree! I'm trying to wrap my head around the ducking and I figured I'd need to separate the tracks... But recorded em separately, to set the kick on a separate color to mess with Enveloper

    Recording like that, I've not attempted before, couldnt get a feel flow feel in the least xD

    Is there a way I can separate channels for the drums? Kick to one color, and the rest to another?

    I'm planning to run a sequencer for the next run for the drums and gonna mess with set sounds, compression, and to bring it forward a bit more while hitting a much steadier flow. Definitely needs a thicker sound (and more variation, as you stated)

    Haven't done anything with pattern change or transitions at all yet in loopy, so there's major learning coming all around

    Many thanks for listening and giving advice!

    (And additional thanks, on the end tag. Old production company tags and commercial jingles have stuck in my head for years. "by mennan" and the NBC tones have always fascinated me by their simplicity, but mad catchiness (or "maddening," I suppose lol))

  • Lovely mellow track for a laidback Sunday afternoon. I like how it builds. As the Beatles said… groovin’ up slowly. I do that all the time. It’s a good technique that many of us here use. Personally, I would put a tiny bit of reverb on the drums. I love Leslie speakers on an electric piano. It’s classic. Maybe at about halfway, I might bring in some deep bass to round out the overall sound. I’m hearing a bowed acoustic bass meandering along gently. Another thing to consider is to save this as a stereo mix, then bing it into a DAW for further development. I use Cubasis for everything and love it.

    Happy music making. Have a great day!

  • edited August 25

    @Paulieworld said:
    Lovely mellow track for a laidback Sunday afternoon. I like how it builds. As the Beatles said… groovin’ up slowly. I do that all the time. It’s a good technique that many of us here use. Personally, I would put a tiny bit of reverb on the drums. I love Leslie speakers on an electric piano. It’s classic. Maybe at about halfway, I might bring in some deep bass to round out the overall sound. I’m hearing a bowed acoustic bass meandering along gently. Another thing to consider is to save this as a stereo mix, then bing it into a DAW for further development. I use Cubasis for everything and love it.

    Happy music making. Have a great day!

    Oh thank you for the reverb idea for the drums!

    I'll definitely give that a swing when set up with sequencer (so I can audition sounds a bit quicker)

    And I really like the bowed bass idea (as a Swam junkie, got one on deck)

    Basically anything that kind of works to my ears as I'm messing around, I'm puttng up any for this exact reason... I might not or change whats posted, however, ya'll are GREATLY helping me understand how to translate what I want to hear from my head to the terms that make it happen!! And everything gets incorporated into the next one

    (However, I am quite inspired by a drum changeup, and the idea of reverbing that b, and adding the double bass, so I'll probably hit back to see if it's a more suitable setup)

    In terms of further mixing (and final mixdowns) - loopy is the only daw I'm decently versed in on iOS (haven't touched any others) so I'll locked to this for now. And truth be told, I've never gotten to a point of a proper mix for a track

    Loopys been my first serious obsession into production, daily thoughts trials tests, forums/discord scouring, and dipping my toes into legit sound design trying to garner as much of each step I can, to put it together. Hell, I've got about 9 months since Koala gave me an understanding of Choke Groups

    And FAC Envolver here, has finally opened the concept of envelopes ro me... A very light understanding albeit, but because the base concept makes sense, Im SO excited to see what I can do across the board (moooore testing and trials)

    I AM also enjoying finding out what early steps I'm missing, or simple tricks of the trade (reverbing the drums, perfect example!) that just didn't occurr to me

    Started this journey April of '23, and every day making recognizable progress in one method or another. Honestly crazy how long this has held my ADD ridden attention (then again, I guess Shiney New Thing is presented daily thru the app sales thread and general reccs that pop up xD)

    Many thanks for the input!

    [Edit: oh, i missed the Deep Bass recommend. I've only discovered in the past two weeks what sounds I want to hear from main keys.

    What would you recommend for a good bass option for a lofi sound (either plugin rec, or just standard synth settings that typically can be tested across the board)?

    As I'm learning, I'm going for more mellow tones, I haven't found a personal use for saws or more punchy gritty synths (yet?), but that's about all I know for certain xD]

  • Liked this, wouldn't normally offer feedback, but as others have I will too re: the drums. I'm no expert but I've learned that layering helps with kicks and snares. These sound more different to me than anything else across different speakers and having multiple slightly different sounds going on simultaneously helps thicken them consistently. I'd also cut them out then reintroduce them earlier on in the piece, seems to happen a lot in chill hop type music. Great overall vibe though and loved the broken chords.

  • @belldu said:
    Liked this, wouldn't normally offer feedback, but as others have I will too re: the drums. I'm no expert but I've learned that layering helps with kicks and snares. These sound more different to me than anything else across different speakers and having multiple slightly different sounds going on simultaneously helps thicken them consistently. I'd also cut them out then reintroduce them earlier on in the piece, seems to happen a lot in chill hop type music. Great overall vibe though and loved the broken chords.

    Ahhh layering sounds! Great thought! Thanks!

    First attempt when I go back in will be sequencer for easier auditioning of base drum sounds, but will absolutely keep layering in mind (not a think I would have considered for drums.... But makes absolute sense!)

    And thank you for the pattern drop idea! Yes, will definitely help with overall variance

    (I was telling the wife, this is the first time I personal production [not band, or with another producer] that I've felt like there's enough to build more on!

    Typically, it's trial, learn something and apply it to the next (been main-lining learning, so it's like 5 different fields I'm finally starting to understand, that I was completely oblivious towards, prior to the 1.5yr I've been shoveling this all in)

    It's exciting and all coming together!)

    Again, thanks to all y'all for the input!

  • edited August 26

    I really love the vibe of this track. :) You did a fantastic job. Although, I will say, I'm not a fan of the drums. When it comes to Lofi drums, I tend to go for HipHop drums rather than acoustic-sounding drums (although that is personal preference). About layering the drums, I will have to respectfully disagree. Lofi is supposed to be a simpler genre focused more on the groove rather than a ton of drum layers. It isn't Trance afterall, lol.

    The drums in my "Lofi Lounge" track are rather simplistic in nature. But they are timed in such a way so as to add groove. Definitely study how the late and great J Dilla sequenced his drums. In many cases RE Dilla, the kick would hit ever so slightly late of the quantisation, the snare ever so slightly ahead of the quantisation, and the hi hats (if you choose to use those) programmed good and sloppy.

    One trick I've learned in selecting drums for Lofi is choosing a stronger main kick, and a weaker secondary kick. Main kick will hit in the usual way a Boombap pattern would work, and the secondary weaker kick will hit some places inbetween the main kick and the snare. Gives it a bit of a "record scratch" feel in a way without it being a cheesy record scratch lol.

    That said, I would also send my drums to a buss and add something like Doctor Vibe, or Beef, or Taip, or something to give the drums some sauce. At least some sort of bit/sample crushing at around 12-bit, 32kHz, some compression, and maybe some tape or tube saturation. Layers wouldn't make much sense in Lofi, but adding sauce to dry samples (and even samples affected by analogue gear) will phatten them up nicely.

    Hope I'm making sense mate.

    EDIT: Everything else sounds great. Just not a fan of the drums, lol.

  • I want to just say this was a vibe and fun, also, the way your LP looks, I was like damn that’s pretty. I wanted to see if the tuning knobs actually did something to the sound! For the bass mayhaps Mariana or my favorite for those smoove bassy keys the electric Vintage

  • I liked it. the piano chords seemed like Erik Satie a bit. I'm no genre expert so can't comment on the finer details.
    But what caught my ear was your little audio 'signature' at the end. A great idea I may have to borrow. I think it would be fun to hear what others here would make of their own such marks on their own productions.

  • @jwmmakerofmusic said:
    I really love the vibe of this track. :) You did a fantastic job. Although, I will say, I'm not a fan of the drums. When it comes to Lofi drums, I tend to go for HipHop drums rather than acoustic-sounding drums (although that is personal preference). About layering the drums, I will have to respectfully disagree. Lofi is supposed to be a simpler genre focused more on the groove rather than a ton of drum layers. It isn't Trance afterall, lol.

    The drums in my "Lofi Lounge" track are rather simplistic in nature. But they are timed in such a way so as to add groove. Definitely study how the late and great J Dilla sequenced his drums. In many cases RE Dilla, the kick would hit ever so slightly late of the quantisation, the snare ever so slightly ahead of the quantisation, and the hi hats (if you choose to use those) programmed good and sloppy.

    One trick I've learned in selecting drums for Lofi is choosing a stronger main kick, and a weaker secondary kick. Main kick will hit in the usual way a Boombap pattern would work, and the secondary weaker kick will hit some places inbetween the main kick and the snare. Gives it a bit of a "record scratch" feel in a way without it being a cheesy record scratch lol.

    That said, I would also send my drums to a buss and add something like Doctor Vibe, or Beef, or Taip, or something to give the drums some sauce. At least some sort of bit/sample crushing at around 12-bit, 32kHz, some compression, and maybe some tape or tube saturation. Layers wouldn't make much sense in Lofi, but adding sauce to dry samples (and even samples affected by analogue gear) will phatten them up nicely.

    Hope I'm making sense mate.

    EDIT: Everything else sounds great. Just not a fan of the drums, lol.

    Uh thank you so very much. Huge compliment man. Only been diving into what people have been posting (so many talented creators... Inspirational to say the least), and yours definitely stand out (been listening for ideas)

    JDilla has been on my radar a lot recently, popping up, and I really gotta listen xD dunno why I haven't

    Gift of Gab and J5 are my main influences... So that's the sets I've been focused on getting this far

    But with that plan... Imma gonna make lofi tracks (god it's so much fun), then tear em apart for samples for late 90s early 2k style boombap (and THEN use the motown sets an shiz THERE)!

    In the meantime, where could I locate recommended lofi sets? (I guess pianobook would be a good place to start, but I'd rather utilize others' trial and error rather than resort tommy own xD)

    And yes! Everything is crystal clear! I've got a lot of ideas and can't wait to implement (working 3rd... 3.5hr til I'm out.... I think I can hold it together 😅😰)

    And I've got Dr vibe to run some audio tests there as well!

    Thanks so much for the tips and, again, the compliments. Truly appreciated

    @Drrabbitfoot said:
    I want to just say this was a vibe and fun, also, the way your LP looks, I was like damn that’s pretty. I wanted to see if the tuning knobs actually did something to the sound! For the bass mayhaps Mariana or my favorite for those smoove bassy keys the electric Vintage

    re: electric vintage

    WONDERFUL! Didn't think about checking the bass out there to see, and I love the normal octave sounds!

    Funnily, the template title is "Easy Audition" and was recently built as a quick way to go thru presets (favorited) in the plugins I like. Gospel Organ is kinda weird and I gotta work with that more (different setup), and the Pure Piano/Uprights only have presets for 100% of each effect, so I wanna go thru and make my own before I make a dial

    So each dial is JUST a favorites preset for the synths I have going

    Though I've made some fun ass templates that do have onscreen activities ;)

    It sounds exaggerated, I know, but Loopy was kinda life changing for me. Could never afford an rc505 and attempted similar in Ableton for a year (couldn't replicate a few small, yet major aspects that Loopy was pretty much the first software to do other than the 505)

    My brain has always worked on loops. Memorization or just remembering a string of numbers for a bit -- pattern and rhythm would just happen

    And I got DEEP into TouchOSC for Ableton when streaming (and another surface builder. I had 4 defunct work tables on stands around my computer. One with twitch on 2ndary acct for issues, and 3 with custom setups for e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g)

    So loopy just kinda merged a whole lot of my life xD

    But template building is like taking a shower

    I fight to finally do it, any reason available will push it back. But as soon as I start, I'm in it for hours until the inspiration runs cold

    I also have a handful of knobby controller things I want to allocate to go all physical (or as close as possible)

    Happy looping! (Or: "Lllllloop Oooown!!" To phonetically quote LiveLoopers)

    @MrStochastic said:
    I liked it. the piano chords seemed like Erik Satie a bit. I'm no genre expert so can't comment on the finer details.
    But what caught my ear was your little audio 'signature' at the end. A great idea I may have to borrow. I think it would be fun to hear what others here would make of their own such marks on their own productions.

    Thanks! I'm a big sucker for production companies at the end of tv shows and simple but earworm commercial jingles ("by mennan" and NBC... Just four and three notes respectively, but absolutely recognizable

    And yes! Would love to see what others would do too!

  • @PapaBPoppin
    Uh thank you so very much. Huge compliment man. Only been diving into what people have been posting (so many talented creators... Inspirational to say the least), and yours definitely stand out (been listening for ideas)

    Thanks mate. :) That means a lot to me. Keep up the good work. :)

    JDilla has been on my radar a lot recently, popping up, and I really gotta listen xD dunno why I haven't

    I listened to music that was produced by Dilla in the past, but I never listened to study his work, only for enjoyment. It wasn't until I got into Lofi myself back in November 2022 that I was recommended to study how he produced beats. In fact, here's the original thread I started back in November 2022.

    https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/52922/lofi-production-advice-needed-to-expand-my-limited-knowledge/p1

    Gift of Gab and J5 are my main influences... So that's the sets I've been focused on getting this far

    I'm going to have to check those producers out. :) I love to intently listen to new-to-me producers.

    But with that plan... Imma gonna make lofi tracks (god it's so much fun), then tear em apart for samples for late 90s early 2k style boombap (and THEN use the motown sets an shiz THERE)!

    Sounds good to me. :) Sounds like you got a nice clear vision for what you want to do.

    In the meantime, where could I locate recommended lofi sets? (I guess pianobook would be a good place to start, but I'd rather utilize others' trial and error rather than resort tommy own xD)

    Lofi sets? You mean samples? Instruments? :) If you clarify what "sets" means (I think I'm missing something), I can better help you.

    And yes! Everything is crystal clear! I've got a lot of ideas and can't wait to implement (working 3rd... 3.5hr til I'm out.... I think I can hold it together 😅😰)

    Hopefully you got through that mess okay.

    And I've got Dr vibe to run some audio tests there as well!

    Good. Doctor Vibe is indispensible to me. Never have I used a plugin that can affect my busses the way it can. That compressor, good god almighty. 😨 It's incredible! (I usually turn off the vinyl emulation and go straight for the AD/DA converter and the compressor, sometimes turning off the AD/DA as well, depending on what buss it's on.)

    Thanks so much for the tips and, again, the compliments. Truly appreciated

    Always mate. Always. Sorry I wasn't able to respond here sooner. Was busy working on what is possibly my final track for my upcoming album (if not the second-to-last track, we shall see how much music production I can fit into my schedule, lol).

  • edited August 27

    Oh noice will check that out for further reading! Thanks!

    Gift of Gab and J5 are my main influences... So that's the sets I've been focused on getting this far

    I'm going to have to check those producers out. :) I love to intently listen to new-to-me producers.

    Gift of Gab is the MC for Blackalicious ('recently' brought back to the limelight for a bit when Daniel Radcliffe did Alphabet Aerobics on Fallon while The Roots were playing ... God, what a bucket list items xD) and got solo stuff as well

    His solo album Next Logical Progression was life-changing when I discovered it last year. It's been this, Blazing Arrow (Blackalicious, early 2k) and...

    Jurassic 5's album Quality Control

    Those 3 albums are on constant rotation with very little else (j5 constant for over a decade lots of other genres going regularly at that time. Blazing Arrow was about three years ago I stumbled upon it... Again, crazy love found there, then Next Logical Progression been added for the past year. My YouTube Music Recaps are completely tracks of those 3 albums xD

    Sounds good to me. :) Sounds like you got a nice clear vision for what you want to do.

    My brain runs on marketing (the impetus for the audio tag at the end of my vids), I've got plans set for utilizing stream, YouTube and shorts/Tiktok (all individual content, but all based off of each other), and an old collab/freestyle buddy just told me (yesterday) working on a 24/7 yiutube stream (under a fun concept) for all past work of his, mine (well, what I'll be producing) and another good buddy that weve done work with a bit a few years back (life separated us in distance, but thats changing at the end of Aug!) ... Along with planned collabs with a handful of real people and internet people I've gotten to know thru this journey

    Lots of plans all contingent on me learning this stuff. But it's ALL GETTING THERE

    (Lots of lessons in patience and perseverance, but all very well worth it)

    In the meantime, where could I locate recommended lofi sets? (I guess pianobook would be a good place to start, but I'd rather utilize others' trial and error rather than resort tommy own xD)

    Lofi sets? You mean samples? Instruments? :) If you clarify what "sets" means (I think I'm missing something), I can better help you.

    Oh man xD sorry, like drum sets. I SHOULD have said "kits" but that's still not describing what I mean xD

    I've gotten used to using AudioLayer and the Drumdrops kits, I was curious if there's anything similar to that, that would be better to use for Lofi (maybe with a bit of eq, compression and other sound fuckery)

    Or maybe a decent sounding plugin focused on a more degrated drum sound?

    I'm pretty sure I've got a folder of lofi samples off of Splice (or I can just go in and find em to be certain)

    Reason being I'm trying to stay away from pre-made samples as much as possible... But I know that's not a huge issue when it comes to drums (and I suppose the drumdrop kits ARE samples... I'm just a walking contradiction!) -- I suppose it's just the way I've been progressing without really putting deeper thought into it xD

    Good. Doctor Vibe is indispensible to me. Never have I used a plugin that can affect my busses the way it can. That compressor, good god almighty. 😨 It's incredible! (I usually turn off the vinyl emulation and go straight for the AD/DA converter and the compressor, sometimes turning off the AD/DA as well, depending on what buss it's on.)

    I'm unfamiliar with AD/DA

    Is that industry shorthand, or specific to Lofi effects, or just things I'll understand after learning Dr Vibe a bit deeper (or just spending any time with it lol)

    I do plan on turning off the vinyl emulation. I've fallen hard for needlepoint on the master *swoons*

    But I'll definitely be messing around with it on the drums. Both full track and individually to see what's what

    New question just appeared! Are all drums typically tracked and effects'ed separately, either for Lofi, or just another standard practice that I've been oblivious to? (Obvs for kick, but as I'm mulling this over it would make sense, especially for intentionally drawing trying to push kick and snare forward, they'd probably do better with individual focus)

    Always mate. Always. Sorry I wasn't able to respond here sooner. Was busy working on what is possibly my final track for my upcoming album (if not the second-to-last track, we shall see how much music production I can fit into my schedule, lol).

    Haha no worries in the slightest. I completely understand how busy life is and never expect an immediate, or even timely answer

    If it's "time sensitive" (see also: I'm impatient), I hit up discord lol

    But I really dig the overall vibe of community and conversation here and prefer to pick the brains of randos mixed in here with some names I've grown to recognize

    (Seriously, all of the ideas thrown out here are being incorporated in some way -- and maybe not all for this one, but will be in my brain for every future piece I start to noodle into)

  • The first few bars reminded me of Loving You by Minnie Riperton ?
    Which is besides the point… enjoyed it a lot, nice relaxed ‘groove’ and lovely feel 👌

  • Very cool track that is perfect for a lazy afternoon

  • Yes, good vibe, indeed. I liked @jwmmakerofmusic’s track, too. I might have to give this genre a try.

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