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.
Introducing Audiobus Remote
Hello, friends of Audiobus,
Today is a big day for the Audiobus team!
We’ve spent the last months working on a new product we think is going to make those multi-app workflows much easier – and pave the way for a bunch of cool new workflows.
And we’re launching it today.
It’s called Audiobus Remote, and it’s an app that mirrors and extends the Audiobus Connection Panel to a second iPad or iPhone.
It’s a really nice way to switch apps and access Connection Panel controls, but we didn’t stop there: we’ve also given developers a way to create their own “Remote Triggers” – app-specific controls that appear in Audiobus Remote on your second screen.
Audiobus Remote works great with all 700 Audiobus-compatible apps.
Here’s Mike with an introduction to the new app:
Audiobus Remote is compatible with all the apps that are currently compatible with Audiobus, but we’ve also teamed up with a select list of third party developers. They’ve implemented Remote Triggers in their apps, and we think the result is really cool. Here are some things you can now do with Audiobus Remote:
Record or toggle individual loops in Loopy HD.
Trigger drum samples in DM-1.
Move between presets in Bias FX and JamUp.
Change presets and adjust effect controls in Holderness Media’s effects apps including Crystalline and Echo Pad.
Trigger individual sections in Sector, and switch modes.
Play a mini version of SoundPrism Electro.
Our compatible apps list now has a badge for apps that offer Remote Triggers.
Audiobus Remote requires iOS 8.3 and a device that's compatible with Bluetooth Low Energy: iPad 3, iPad Mini, iPhone 4s, iPod Touch 5th gen and newer devices.
Audiobus Remote is available today for $4.99 USD.
We're also lowering the price for Audiobus to $0.99 USD for a short time.
We hope you like Audiobus Remote as much as we do!
Cheers,
The Audiobus Team
Comments
Wow
Good work
looks really useful!
Thank you!
Can it run on the same device as audiobus?
Not yet but we're considering adding that as a feature since a few people have already requested it.
MOM! Can i borrow your ipad for a few weeks....aaaah please. ill promise to bring it back soon.
Just grab an iPod Touch or an iPhone 4S. Works just as well.
Wow, that looks fantastic
I would like to incorporate remote to trigger synths in Elastic Drums, even to control Synth parameters, if possible. What do I have to do, where do I start? Is the needed source code public already? Cheers, Oliver
We'll release the new SDK today. Along with updated documentation. If you're signed up to the Audiobus Developer portal you'll receive a mail containing all information.
All apps that are compatible with Audiobus are compatible with Audiobus remote. Extended Triggers require these extended triggers to be define, but that's as simple as adding normal triggers.
We've also added the possibility of adding button matrixes and react to touch-up events.
Cool, looking forward to build that in
Excellent!
My BIG question is this:
Does Audiobus Remote do anything to address / resolve the HUGE midi sync problem there is between different apps in iOS???
Because I understand that this is a great concept, but if nothing has changed on the MIDI sync issue then having two devices playing out of sync is not a massive improvement on one device playing out of sync...!
If it has fixed this, then it may just be the killer app we've all been waiting for.
If not, it will just be another one of the (many) apps that I can't use until MIDI sync is fixed
Definitely looks cool, but since I only have an iPad, not yet for me. Cheeky feature request: ability to run on a single device (hidden in the background) and respond to MIDI events
No, it does not, but there's a good reason we're not tackling that with our current projects. And I cannot talk about that reason. But you'll like it.
TBH I wouldnt use it much that way, just wanted to play with it right now.
Hmmmmm, interesting and mysterious.... but slightly disappointing too... (for the time being at least!)
I'd really like to buy Audiobus remote, but I'm not sure if there's much point until sync is fixed... or am I missing something?
If you have Audiobus and a second compatible device then - in my biased opinion - Audiobus Remote is essential for most users.
@o_imseng put it nicely: Audiobus connects your apps. Audiobus Remote lets you use play them together at the same time.
Initially we only wanted to launch Audiobus Remote as an app switcher because that alone is relatively tedious with the connection panel (still better than the multitasking menu).
The extended additional features of apps make it a must buy. And I'm saying that as a user myself.
I'm usually very reserved about praising our own work but in this case I'm convinced that what we delivered with Audiobus Remote is so good I don't need to hold back.
I'm going to buy Audiobus Remote the moment this update happens.
This is great and moves audiobus forwards.
I sometimes use two iPads synced together through my ica4+ . With the remote, it's only possible to have it working when the other device is running audiobus, but you can't currently use two instances of remote, one controlling the other device's audiobus at the same time. This would be a great studio feature.. 2 remotes controlling the alternate device.(or the same device as an option)
I would also like to see as a function of the remote each app have a volume output and mute as standard, then it's already got basic mixer functionality.
Better still, Audiobus could be updated with mixing ability in the main app and different audio output for each lane, (controls could then be in the remote too) would really like to see this, would really speed up workflow. Mimix is a good workaround but I find it takes a while to set up and can break quite a lot.
Also currently there is no indication graphically of multi lanes in the remote, this might be something to develop, a simple way to show what's going through what etc which could also be useful visually. this would also be very helpful in a live setup. Could be as simple as some faint connecting lines in the background (or at the side/ top edge where the icons are could have thin connecting arrows which show routing)
Thanks
It really is guys. Up until now I had tons of AB chains I used for my tracks, but I never really got that much into playing and improvising music with Audiobus. It was just a hosting platform for me which I then classicaly used to record sequences to my main daw.
This morning I started up Remote and Audiobus with DM1, SP Electro and Nave and suddenly it felt like I was playing an instrument. Its the logical extension to Audiobus, its what has been missing to finally turn the iPad Platform into an instrument. Just hook up a hub and another Midi Controller and you'll be able to things that are spontaneous, creative and extraordinary.
Awesome.
PS: I am not paid for writing this
So is this essentially a tool to make live performance/improvisation more efficient? I do find that I am only really 'performing' with one music app while using Audiobus, and the other ones have just been set up beforehand.
Try it out, I was never the live guy. I could spend hours with this
you have to try it out to grasp the opendness about it, as some of you may know I was happy enough to work on some things with Sebastian and Audanika (Gabriel) I was able to follow the development of audiobus remote and only today after getting the public release version I have really grasped what it can do for me.
Looks great, off to the store to buy a iTunes card.
I have a feature request;
A keyboard would be nice. So I could for example tweak an AB effect while playing a AB synth.
Nice. You can already do that in a way with SoundPrism electro.
Make sure Audiobus is updated on both devices ;-)
So I understand other developers have to implement this feature?
Don't need Audiobus on both. Just Ab Remote on one and Audiobus on the other. But updates are a great idea
@Greg: App specific triggers, yes. But we might look into the keyboard idea.
Awesome, thanks!
A quick demo, Loopy HD , a Drumloop, SP Electro and Nave
The transitionare a bit rough cause I did not update the toggle settings in loopy