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.
Midi not working in Beatmaker 2
Hi (again I should say)
I am trying to get Beatmaker to play the sounds of an external app (Alchemy) connected via midi and then record the audio in Beatmaker. I am using AUDIOBUS and has Beatmaker as output and Alchemy as input. The midi settings are as follows:
Alchemy is set to Midi input Channel 1
Beatmaker has an empty keyboard track and that track is set to Midi output channel 1
General Midisettings in Beatmaker are Midiout and Midiout is also enabled for Alchemy
With this I should be able to control Alchemy via the keyboard track in Beatmaker but there is NO sound!!
What am I doing wrong! This would be very helpful for me in my recordings so I would greatly appreciate an answer!
Kind Regards
dannebojj
Comments
These ought to get you going:
http://www.camelaudio.com/faqs/Alchemy_Mobile/How_do_I_use_background_audio_with_Alchemy_Mobile
http://iosmusicandyou.com/2013/11/09/ipad-music-app-tutorial-using-beatmaker-2-to-trigger-midi-record-audio/
Couple of things to check:
Is background audio in Alchemy set to on.
Try switching the 'omni' button on in BM (top right in the main interface).
Have you gone into Alchemys midi settings and allowed midi IN from BM2?
It should work eventually (I've done this successfully with these two apps). Try restarting BM.
Also try it with another synth instead to assetain if it's a problem with Alchemy or not. Equally if you have another midi generating app try pointing that at alchemy. (To assetain the problem is with BM).
Good luck.
I've pretty much given up on internal MIDI. Waaaay too much hassle.
It is possible to have a Beatmaker empty keyboard track set to correct midi output channel and still have nothing going to Alchemy. When you create a blank keyboard track in BM2 (stupidly) it does not automatically generate the zone on the keyboard that will send midi you have to go in to the settings for the keyboard and add a "zone".
settings>mapping>Add zone
Pic 1> Hit button that says Mapping
Pic 2> If your screen at this point looks like this it is the reason you are having issue as is no keyboard zone defined on which to send out midi note data (to alchemy)
It would make much more sense to have it default to entire keyboard range but that would have made your life way too easy....
Pic 3> Once you have hit add zone the whole keyboard range will be chosen by default
Now your midi should send from the BM keyboard out to Alchemy and you should be able to record simultaneously the audio back in to BM.
The Beatmaker2 Manual is very long but is complex app, it is worth plowing through the manual for sure. hope above solves your issue
BIG BIG thanks to everyone for answering my question but infortunately i doesn´t work. Think I´ll give it up (for the moment at least). Anyway, thanks again for your time and effort!!
First start Alchemy, then AB. (That's important, because when you let AB load Alchemy (from its 'zzzz'state) BM2 won't recognize it later, and you don't see Alchemy in BM2's Global Midi Setup Outputs! - an Alchemy bug?). Next put BM2 in AB's Output and load a project or make a new one. Next put Alchemy in AB's Input. Then open BM2 and you will see that BM2 has automatically made an Audiotrack called 'Alchemy' and that Alchemy is visible (and checked) as Output in BM2's Global Midi Setup. Next you have to make a new keyboard-track (with empty preset) for playing Alchemy (with the right midi-channel) through midi-out. You will hear Alchemy's presetsound via the audio-track (!) in BM2. If not: check the midi-settings in Alchemy and be sure that Background Audio is on. I just tried this (iPad Air 7.1.2) and it works!
Hi Harro
Thanks a lot for your answer but I just can´t get it to work. Tried everything:-( ! Maybe I should add that I am using an Iphone (6 plus 128 GB) but it shouldn´t make a difference. It seems that on every tutorial i check they tend to use Ipad instead of Iphone - perhaps it´s more stable with fewer bugs - anyway thanks a lot everyone for your replies and Thomas you were probably right - waaaay too much hassle;-)
Hi @dannebojj
I just tried this on an iPhone 6 and am having the same problems. When I open up these apps in MidiBridge, it looks like Alchemy is only enabled for midi out, and doesnt even have the option for receiving in MidiBridge. The settings do say in/out configure in Alchemy, but it only seems to be one way. Don't know if this is a bug or what? @ZenPunkHippy might know?
Hi CSwinn
Funny you should mention that because if I try to do it the other way around i.e. Alchemy is set in output and Beatmaker in input for Audiobus it doesn´t work - Alchemy is not visible in the output of Audiobus - som maybe it is a bug??!!
Something else to try (with apologies, as this is the Audiobus forum) is Inter-App Audio. I just tried it, and it worked for me. Never did see any transport controls, but then again, I seldom do.
Tried to find it in app store but couldn´t. How do I get it? Telecharge do you also use Iphone or maybe it´s just for Ipad?
It's built into iOS 7 and higher.
I'm strictly interapp audio for BM2, just as I've become almost strictly AB in MultitrackStudio. IAA implementation in Beatmaker is like butter...in both iOS 7 and 8. Except sometimes u have to open your synth selection first before selecting it inside BM2 (or selecting it a second time after bm2 tells you it won't load- then it loads)
Ok. I´ll look into that - thanks alot!
Hm, how do I load IAA into BM? I´m totally neew to this!
It's already there. Here's a walk through...
Close everything, maybe even reboot
Start Beatmaker 2
New Project
Keyboard
Tap the Empty Preset button (bottom-right corner)
Tap the + INSTR. button
Audio Apps
Alchemy (select a 2nd time if unable to connect)
Tap the Alchemy icon in BM2 (should be right there next to AO1)
In Alchemy, tap Menu >> Settings
Turn Background Audio on (just tap OK if you get a Virtual Midi pop-up)
Turn MIDI out off (you don't need it)
Tap MIDI in/out configuration
You should be on MIDI in
Tap "Any Source" which should select all 16 MIDI channels
Tap Menu to close it
You should see the Inter-App Audio transport bar on the right edge of your screen
Tap the Beatmaker 2 icon
In Beatmaker 2, tap the home icon in the upper-left corner
Double tap below "01 empty" (left of TRACK 2)
You should now see the keyboard, and when you play it, hear Alchemy
When u first load BM2 u can select new project or load or whatever, then the next screen (the main navigating screen that shows images of each loaded item ie drum machine, keyboard etc) there's a plus signs owner left in the tray (+) and you tap there, and you are taken to a screen that says "add instrument". and u can select drum, keyboard, audio track, sound store, or audio app. Select audio app and you'll see the next screen which is scrollable and shows you all the IAA instruments available on your device. Select your synth of choice. Alchemy will connect on the second try usually but some synths go without a hitch. Once it's loaded you will need to go back to that + and "add instrument" screen again to install a keyboard. When you add the keyboard you will go to the patch selection screen for your keyboard and select "empty preset" and that keyboard will then play your IAA instrument rather than a BM2 preset. And the midi piano roll for that keyboard will sequence your instrument (If midi-in on the instrument is set to the channel of the BM2 keyboards midi- out)
Edit @telecharge has u covered already and nicely!
Hey guys want to thank you for great answers but it just won´t work. No sound nothing and I´ve checked everything from channels to mapping and so on. Don´t know if its´me or the apps:-)
@telecharge, that is a perfect explanation for the iPad, but the iPhone settings are unfortunately different. There is the midi in/out config in settings and it appears to only be a vague channel/port selector, with no indication of in vs out. Seems its just for the "out" I think, and there is no "in" on the iPhone. MidiBridge seems to confirm this.
I'm on an iPhone 6, 8.1, and had only just redownloaded Alchemy to check this out, so everything should be the latest. I don't think it's you @dannebojj, just the settings for ipad vs iphone are a little different.
@CSwinn
The app on iPhone and iPad is identical (except for the relative sizing of various screens). I use it on both devices, and settings are identical.
When I use it on the iPhone, I see the first image. There is no choice between in vs out, and so I believe it's only the out. MidiBridge confirms this because I can't select Alchemy as in input.
The iPad screen is the second screenshot, and there is a tab in that version to select midi in/out. The Menu->Settings tab is the same as well, minus the BG Audio, Learn, and Midi Out options.
Is it perhaps different versions we're looking at? I can do it no problem on the iPad, but the phone just ain't having it.
The version I have has an "Any Source" bank, along with the two shown, and that is the key to BM2 working with Alchemy...also as mentioned above background audio has to be on in Alchemy.
Also, iPhone has the same two buttons for midi in and midi out above the banks that iPad has...my iPhone version has these, and they are missing in your iPhone screenshot. Updates are current on your version?
I'm restoring the pro IAP now, it says "Virtual MIDI" as a feature so I'm guessing this is the reason our screens differ. Guess I didn't realize that was an upgrade... @dannebojj, do you have the pro upgrade on your phone?
Now we are getting somewhere. And make sure background audio on alchemy is on. And select "any source" on midi in, and select whichever channel # you are sending from BM2
Yep, this works no problem with the pro upgrade on the iPhone. The MIDI settings are the same now.
Thanks @Littlewoodg, glad I was able to figure that out for my own sanity! I hope the OP has the same solve-able issue or at least a little luck.
Good on ya, @CSwinn. I forgot about pro upgrade issues...
YEEAAAHHH!!! IT WORKS!!
That was the problem - you had to set "Any Source" in Alchemy midi in to the channel Beatmaker was sending from. Tried both with Inter-app audio and audiobus and it works:-)!! Thanks a lot for your help!! Now I am a happy man again!
Cool @danebojj, glad to here it. Definitely worth the struggle to get Alchemy into BM2, the "any source" issue had held me up too, and I found the trick here on the forum too
Just for fun: have you tried to do it the other way around - Alchemy sending signals to BM and you´ll hear BM sound in Alchemy. Think I´m gonna try it:-) It should work! Anyway, big thanks once again for helping me out!