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 Store

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

Synths: iOS vs. Desktop

This is a curiosity question. I'm not a synth/keyboard guy, just starting to take a look at what's there. Was recently looking at some of the demos for a desktop synth, that comes with thousands of samples. And the ones in the demo were quite incredible. I now understand the depth you can go to with a synth, and what the attraction is. I honestly didn't think you could get decent acoustic guitar tone, for instance. You can get pretty darn fine acoustic guitar tone.

I wonder at the comparison between desktop and iPad - are the synths comparable in quality, and tonal palette? Price, obviously, there is no comparison - iOS is way cheaper. But are we still comparing apples and oranges when it comes to tonal quality, and capabilities? From what I have seen in the plugins in Auria, the interface is certainly there, and the ability to manage sound is certainly there. I think.

Not trying to start a war, I'm genuinely curious, from folks who live and breath this stuff. whether iOS is catching up the desktop.

«1

Comments

  • I lived through the start of pc soft synths, but don't use computers now. I can say though that while computers still rule through shear grunt and hard drive space, my iPad synths are brilliant at what I need them for.

    It brings to mind hardware synths starting to get effects built in, then more and more complex sounds, yet they also somehow became harder to fit into a mix.

    Sometimes simpler can be better. If I could write better hooks and melody lines...better beats....better ideas, I know that my iPad would easily keep the pace. So in reality, I am the weak link musically, not my iPad synths.

  • I use desktop and iOS synths and the sound quality is the same except there are some expensive desktop "super synths". There is however a ton of great sounding iOS synths and drum apps that you can't get on the desktop. I also like the tactile control of the touch screen over the mouse.

  • @Fruitbat1919 said:
    Sometimes simpler can be better. If I could write better hooks and melody lines...better beats....better ideas, I know that my iPad would easily keep the pace. So in reality, I am the weak link musically, not my iPad synths.

    Well, I'd say that's true about any musical instrument. Which is as it should be. When it starts to write itself, there isn't going to be any room for us.

  • @mkell424 said:
    I use desktop and iOS synths and the sound quality is the same except there are some expensive desktop "super synths". There is however a ton of great sounding iOS synths and drum apps that you can't get on the desktop. I also like the tactile control of the touch screen over the mouse.

    So, are those super synths a step up? I'm talking about everything. Is there then a level on the desktop that can't be replicated, (yet,) on iOS.

  • I miss Diva , Bazille and Microtonic, for everything else I much prefer my ipad

  • edited August 2015

    @rickwaugh said:
    So, are those super synths a step up? I'm talking about everything. Is there then a level on the desktop that can't be replicated, (yet,) on iOS.

    Yes there is a higher level of super synths and effects because of the power a desktop computer. But the caveat they cost over $100 retail. But there are super synths like on the iPad too. And some desktop synths and effects are ported to the iPad.

    The best investment for me was an iconnect audio interface that links up the iPad with the desktop. I'll save thousands and have the best products of developers on both platforms.

  • Bearing in mind that when I bought my hardware studio, a basic compressor cost more than any software, computer or app. Even then there was a higher level bearing in mind the law of diminishing returns, many top end effects cost the price of a second hand car.

  • @mkell424 said:
    The best investment for me was an iconnect audio interface that links up the iPad with the desktop. I'll save thousands and have the best products of developers on both platforms.

    Understood on the cost, of course. But the answer to the main question seems be yes, there is a level of quality on the desktop that is not available on iOS. Of course, 99 percent of the universe probably can't do anything more with it than they can the iPad, ;) , but again, that's moot.

  • edited August 2015

    @rickwaugh said:
    So, are those super synths a step up? I'm talking about everything. Is there then a level on the desktop that can't be replicated, (yet,) on iOS.
    @pierre said:
    I miss Diva , Bazille and Microtonic, for everything else I much prefer my ipad

    Asked and answered- there's definitely a level, cpu intensive (u-he stuff above, also Diversion, LuSH 101 etc), or sheer size (Omnisphere 2) or both...when you see how much a "simpler" synth can do (run through presets onboard Stroke Machine), the capability of these beasts is quite stunning.

  • Personally its the work flow of iOS that needs improving more than the quality of sounds imho. So is iOS catching up to the desktop? Let's think about the question there for a minute. Could it ever catch up?

    I remember a time when laptops were so underpowered, music making was mainly done on desktops with extra hardware to run the synths. Now that has changed. So maybe it's not a matter of iOS catching up, more a matter of when iOS can do what you personally need it to do.

  • edited August 2015

    @Fruitbat1919 said:
    Personally its the work flow of iOS that needs improving more than the quality of sounds imho. So is iOS catching up to the desktop? Let's think about the question there for a minute. Could it ever catch up?

    I remember a time when laptops were so underpowered, music making was mainly done on desktops with extra hardware to run the synths. Now that has changed. So maybe it's not a matter of iOS catching up, more a matter of when iOS can do what you personally need it to do.

    I think iOS already surpassed most vst in terms of gui, the touchscreen for synths on iOS (that use it well) makes for more speed, flexibility and pleasure in sound design than the usual mouse accessed gui. There are exceptions, some vst "super synths" have fluid, fun-ish mouse-gui.

    Trends with software, here as elsewhere for sheer processing power, (and miniaturization: old school) there is that algorithm that describes the progress of digital tech, how did it go? the tech becomes twice as powerful, and 1/2 as big, every two weeks or something?

    Merge ahead, see iOS invade vast, Nave, Sunrizer, PPG Wavegenerator and Wavemapper, Klevgrand stuff, or the intact ports coming into iOS from vst like z3ta and Thor.

  • Some desktop supa synths need a couple gig RAM just to fire up.. For this you get far more dials, fx, oscillators, routing options etc.. If an iPad met one of these it'd probably collapse into a pool of CPU juice, or something like that !

  • @rickwaugh said:
    So, are those super synths a step up? I'm talking about everything. Is there then a level on the desktop that can't be replicated, (yet,) on iOS.

    Portability goes a looooooong ways, no pun intended.

  • Tablets are very nice that way. But a laptop is only marginally less portable.

  • edited August 2015

    One other issue that I don't think has been mentioned yet: Nearly every iOS synth is single instance usage. That is a big difference in capability. It may or may not be a factor in your workflow.

    Also, automation of synths is mostly a clunky workaround on iOS.

    I think the OP was mostly asking about sound quality, but these two factors are significant aspects of "capability"
    as related to ease of use.

  • I kinda like some of the iOS limitations, makes me try to make better use of what I have to work with....maybe it's a old timer thing where we started off with a two track tape and the fan noise of early computers was sometimes more musical than the early soft synths lol

  • ios synths are perfectly capable (sound wise) instruments and the multi touch gives them a new dimension. I'm half way thru a track using just Nave, which has provided drums, percussion, bass, pads, lead, fx and vocals.

    I'm not too fused about clunky automation, forces me to record live fader/dial movements.

  • edited August 2015

    yes desktop provides higher quality, instruments are built based on spec.

  • edited August 2015

    Desktop no doubt. With the right instrument and controller amazing sounds can be had.

    Funny thing is 2 guys that I admire for their sound design rarely even use "desktop synths". Amon Tobin creates otherworldly sounds by twisting samples into crazy basses and leads with Kyma, and Mista Bishi uses a groove box from
    Korg.

    Amon

  • That's one insane keyboard.

  • edited August 2015

    @rickwaugh said:
    That's one insane keyboard.

    Hakem ($5000 USD)

  • Heh, @MirEko. That's worth more than my whole recording setup, and probably my guitars, too. ;)

  • "The best investment for me was an iconnect audio interface that links up the iPad with the desktop. I'll save thousands and have the best products of developers on both platforms."

    Much cheaper solution just made available: http://audionewsroom.net/2015/04/audiomux-how-to-send-audio-from-ipad-to-mac-from-mac-to-ipad.html

  • My 2 cents...

    There is no real VS. The combination is the way to go. I mean i have most of the said super synths like Omnisphere 2, Alchemy, Zebra HZ, Dune 2...... and more but there is a reason that i sometimes still prefer iOS synths like Mitosynth, Animoog or other iOS sound design tools instead of theses monsters.

    I made a lot experiments and load the same samples into the same synths and did similar modulations and routings (not always possible) you can believe me that a under 20 bucks iPad/iPhone synth can sound better or more interesting sometimes and you can do things way faster. And if not just sample that iOS synth as sound source to go further with it in one of these monsters.

    Even when some iOS synths sounds a bit thin you can work this out trough a good mix/master. If you go commercial for patches etc. there is of course a big lack of support in iOS. It's still underrated here.

    I mean f.e. Mitosynth can do similar things like some big hybrid synths. Load high quality samples inside that awesome gridcore put some modulation on it and no one could tell a different between synths like Omnisphere or Alchemy after a good mix/master.
    I just wish iOS synths would go further too... they could. Grain Science combined with Mitosynth plus a VA osc added, modulation of every FX parameter plus better filters (but i damn love the Mitosynth tube resonator even more than lots of the Omnisphere filters... that thing is awesome) that would be the killer iOS synth and maybe really on par with those monsters.

    So if you are not going for large commercial things or soundtrack for blockbusters etc. i would say that iOS is a pretty good source for nearly every kind of high quality sounds.

    The main thing which breaks it is iOS itself. Still not happy with a smartphone OS on a powerful tool like an iPad. An iPad would need finally a kind of OS X light touch. Still no "full" desktop browser, no proper copy paste of huge folders (Audioshare can do it), safari still reloads, and a lot more things which should not still there.

    The biggest wish would be to have also iOS on my mac. Why the hell doesn't let apple me just open iOS and all my apps on my mac and it could interact with OS X. That can't be impossible if they would try.

    Back to the topic..... no VS. Booth can be good or bad :D

  • @Cinebient said:

    Well said on all points :)

  • edited August 2015

    So i wonder where is a synth like Sculpture for iPad. Even the other included Logic synths are really great and on par with our beloved iPad synths. Why still no iOS versions?
    This thing is so old but still unbeatable and no tools can reach it for was it does. The most organic textures i ever heared out of synthesis. There are a few others like this but Sculpture is in a class of it's own.
    But again here.... no damn HD graphics. It's usable when i resize it as big as possible but...... ugly as hell but sounds soooooo goooood. The retro synth, the new compressors and the eq are the only ones which looks O.K. (indeed it's an awesome synth too).
    I'm sure some day there will be an iOS Logic but that could be still far away.

    I find it a good way like Klevgrand releasing everything crossplatform. BeatMaker 3 seems to do the same. The next FL-Studio mobile too. I know it's hard for an i dependent developer to do so but it could be just a bit dangerous to focus on one (still very unstable) OS.

  • I suppose we are still at the early days of the iPad as a platform, well so I am hoping. I like touch and tablet form for music....would add a new MacBook if I could afford it. I'm sure more synergy between iOS and OS X will happen. I'm sure they will have touch Mac laptops in the future, unless they could make an iPad pro that really has the same grunt as the MacBook?

  • @Fruitbat1919 said:
    I suppose we are still at the early days of the iPad as a platform, well so I am hoping. I like touch and tablet form for music....would add a new MacBook if I could afford it. I'm sure more synergy between iOS and OS X will happen. I'm sure they will have touch Mac laptops in the future, unless they could make an iPad pro that really has the same grunt as the MacBook?

    True.... in a maybe not so far future i could imagine a smartphone connecting to any device and change it to a supercomputer so that it can fit whatever you want and you just need a tiny device to power all the things you need....... but maybe we will wake up all in the matrix ;)

  • @Cinebient said:

    Yep would love lots of devices for input and one CPU that fits in my pocket. We could have the iPad......the iBongos.......the iFloating Sphere.....the iJean Micheal Jarre....

  • @Fruitbat1919 said:
    I'm sure more synergy between iOS and OS X will happen. I'm sure they will have touch Mac laptops in the future, unless they could make an iPad pro that really has the same grunt as the MacBook?

    Back in 2011 Apple filed a patent for a iOS/OS X hybrid iPad/MacBook that looks like the Surface. They've probably built a prototype by now. And last fall they were given a patent for a "OS X like" GUI for the iPad.

    http://appledailyreport.com/apple-patent-hints-os-x-ios-hybrid-device/

    http://www.cultofmac.com/222730/apples-patent-for-a-hybrid-ipadmacbook-is-eerily-similar-to-the-microsoft-surface/

Sign In or Register to comment.