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.
Yamaha drops the motherload (reface series)
I walked into an instrument shop today and couldn't believe my eyes, there before me was a new DX synth from Yamaha. I hadn't been following the news about the reface series so was surprised. The reface series are all 3 octave mini keyboards and will go for about 500 bucks. The build on the DX I saw was good and the sounds are the real thing. It's only 4 operator however, so more like a DX100 than a DX7 ... the DX100 had more keys though...
Relevant to this site — it will connect to iOS via a USB cable, so if your willing the pay the price it could be a nice controller.
The limitations of these machines are a bit of a head-scratcher though — only 32 memory slots for the DX??? No presets for the CS??? Guys, it's not 1978 anymore.
Anyway, they look cool and sound great and will make good controllers for your iOS synths so might be worth a buy.
Comments
There's a preset manager app coming to ios I'm pretty sure
Yup here it is:
"What makes the new Reface keyboards even more interesting is the ingenious range of connectivity options that Yamaha have dreamed up for them. On the analogue side, a stereo mini-jack input means that multiple Refaces can be daisy-chained together. On the digital side, while USB MIDI allows connection to laptops and tablets in the usual manner, the Reface keyboards can also connect to iPhones to make use of a free iOS app that caters for preset management and storage. More intriguing still is their use of the brand-new Web MIDI API to allow users to upload and share presets online via Yamaha’s Soundmondo website. Other users’ presets can be loaded straight into your own Reface, with the website providing a visual representation of where the physical controls should be positioned to match the loaded patch."
Here's a video demo via discchord:
http://discchord.com/blog/2015/8/10/yamaha-reface-ipad-app-first-look.html
I've been seriously considering one of these keyboards for my live rig in a bag.
I've been interested in the DX model. I used to own a 100 back in the mid 80's.
Why do people keep saying “motherload”. It‘s not a word. The nearest thing that actually is a word to that is the autocorrected “motherland”, or else “motherlode”.
Disagree. While I don't think Reface is the motherload by any means, I think (very) common usage makes the term itself acceptable.
I keep telling my wife to speak English as she is a southerner and I'm a Northerner, but the usual response is a clip 'round the lug hole!
. > @JohnnyGoodyear said:
Thanks Johnny.
Just a bit of humor people. Chill and discuss the topic at hand.
I kinda like the idea of no presets for the CS. Keep them on the iPad, and use it the old fashion way with plenty of know twiddling!
I'm more interested in the keys model (forgot the name).
As a softy-southerner myself I love wearing this t-shirt around Austin and having to explain to the locals that, after all, London IS in The South.....
Lol will have to get one with 'fine southern lady' for my wife!
@u0421793 While "motherlode" may not be in the dictionary, mother lode is. The poster seems to be expressing the idea that the most valuable products from Yamaha are in the Reface series.
'The Motherload' is slang and has been around for some time, spelling included. But we're not here to have an English lesson are we?
The reason I used it is because for a long time people into hardware synths have been calling out for a new FM synth from Yamaha and here it is ... along with a new VA.
Although they do sound good they are too limited and have mini keys - for the same money there are better options all over the place. Take the CS - why buy this when you could get an AN1x for less money (one of the best ever hardware VA's from which the CS's sound engine is taken). Why not just get a decent MIDI keyboard. I can see that there is some argument for the Reface DX - its more user friendly than the old DX range and has some unique options even if it only has four operators. If you are after a portable toy that does sound good then the Reface may fit but for that money there are definitely better options. I imagine that AN2015 (which I love) has a wider palette of sounds than the CS and is probably based on the same sound engine. Wish Yamaha would enlarge upon AN2015.
MotherPhuckin' + PayLoad = ?
I generally like to keep my load and mother separate.
Whatever the etymology.
I thought the piano reface was a sexy proposition as a standalone unit but at this price an ipad mini + controller make so much more sense.
Motherload comes from mining and hitting the mother vein of ore. Hitting the jackpot, the mother lode.
I simply don't understand the big companies anymore.
Yamaha 32 memory slots, no memory slots.
Roland 16 patterns a 32 steps.
Korg no song mode.
wtf? It's really ridiculous.
no, thx.
R u local?
Yeah even the new Electribe ES2 with only a tiny 120 seconds of stereo sampling and is not expandable... Plus the dropped the 8 bar of the old electribe to 4 in the new?!
It seems that the big companies are...foundering...about in a perplexing way.
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Yes. Makes you wonder. These Yamaha synths hold absolutely zero interest from me, and the korg Liverpool even less. The volca bass is slightly intriguing though.
That is very disturbing.
disturbing? U haven't met Barbara yet. ^^
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I don't believe you ever had the pleasure of meeting my Auntie Ada. Why do you think I left Blighty in the first place?
I was quite interested in the CS at one stage, then got thinking about its various limitations and ended up buying a second hand Roland Gaia (which is wonderful!) before the Refaces were even in the shops. So thanks Yamaha!
I visited my local music store and bought the Yamaha Reface DX and I am impressed. I see it as a DX100 mk2 with its mini keys. The sound editing possibilities are very good.
did they give you a deal, were they budging on the prices at all?