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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Staffpad now available for ipad with Kontakt-libraries IAPs

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Comments

  • What an amazing app! A true premium product at a justified premium price. Even though I wouldn't be able to afford it it's good to see software in that league making it to the iPad. But the real milestone for me is the fact that major sample library names finally made it to iPadOS. I'm sure we will see them in other apps/formats soon in the future as well. Yay good times!
    Just thinking of Fabfilter coming exclusively with AURIA and now we have most of the Fabfilter goodness as AUv3.

  • @ScottVanZandt said:

    There are 3 major brands of orchestra samples available: Cinesamples, Spitfire, and Orchestral Tools. Each one is divided into instrument categories: Strings, Brass, Woodwinds, Choir, Piano, Percussion, and maybe 1 or 2 more depending on which company you choose from. Each instrument category costs $99.00, so for a full orchestra from Cinesamples, it'll be $500-$600. Luckily, I just got my income tax refund, so the timing was perfect for me.

    Hi Scott! Can you give me an idea of the global footprint of the Cinesamples full orchestra? How much space on the iPad did it take? Some gigabytes or some tenths of gigabytes?

    Thanks a lot!
    MrG

  • For the amount of times I would use it I think this is overprices.

    I have been thinking about Notion for a while, so glad to see it mentioned a couple of times in relation to this.

  • What's the Kontakt story here, again? Being able to play desktop kontakt instruments would be amazing

  • @inakarmacoma said:
    What's the Kontakt story here, again?

    If you buy the app and all the Cine* sound libraries (from CineSamples) it costs ~$600.
    There's another set of libraries from Berlin that would run $390. These are libraries that also in sold in the Kontakt desktop environment.

  • @McD said:

    @inakarmacoma said:
    What's the Kontakt story here, again?

    If you buy the app and all the Cine* sound libraries (from CineSamples) it costs ~$600.
    There's another set of libraries from Berlin that would run $390. These are libraries that also in sold in the Kontakt desktop environment.

    got it. But if I have kontakt libraries on the desktop I can't Port them over here?

  • @inakarmacoma said:
    got it. But if I have kontakt libraries on the desktop I can't Port them over here?

    No. They are just doing distribution deals with some of the big sample libraries vendors.
    There's no real connection to Kontakt. There's are so many Kontakt sample options and Staffpad has recruited 2 companies to sell their wares in the internal store. More could follow but just a few. Mostly people wanting to write scores would want to hear what the real orchestra would sound like if they printed out their parts and had a rehearsal in the physical world.

  • edited June 2020

    Some "famous" Kontakt sample library developers also offers some of their samples especially optimized for Staffpad. They are stripped down in size, microphones and maybe also articulations but it is all about to how it plays your written score. A lot composers on V.I.Control f.e. find that it sound even better and more dynamic as the much bigger Kontakt counterparts. But it is mainly for writing score (or importing midi) and not a real time play engine like Kontakt where you might can do much more detailed work but with a ton of automations, live playing with fancy controllers, midi CC´s while Staffpad just play what you wrote in a very dynamic and natural way which might be much harder to achieve with simple midi input (or like i said with a lot more work and editing).
    Notion is nice too but Staffpad (especially with the add on libraries) is next level stuff for this kind of work.
    So while these Kontakt libraries might share the same samples they are totally different in how they work. On the V.I.Control there is a big thread about it with lots of great examples.

  • The $500 scared me off.

    But I took the plunge and got the $89 StaffPad version and it competes well against the "OPTIONAL"
    libraries. It includes 50+ instruments and they sound close to the quality of the optional libraries.

    The big add-ons for me will be extra Percussion, Choirs (Staffpad includes one "Ah" voice that can sing from bass to soprano with the alto range being the most natural sounding to me), soloists Cello, Violin are available and 1st soloist from the orchestral string section which makes cell+violin+viola+bass a bargain package.

    But for the cost of $89 for StaffPad and an official Apple Pen (Logitech won't work) and an iPad that supports the Apple Pen (I have the 2018 9.7" iPad and the original Apple Pen) you can start creating
    music like:

    The 3 optional orchestras are also demo'ed here:

  • New update 1.5, now includes audio tracks amongst other things.

  • What’s New in this Update
    Version History
    Dec 21, 2021 Version 1.5

    Welcome to the StaffPad Audio Update! This is a huge release for StaffPad, with support for importing, recording and editing audio right on the score canvas.

    Audio Staffs


    Audio Staffs live next to regular notation staffs, and hold audio clips. You can import or record multiple audio clips on each audio staff, and add as many audio staffs as you like to create full productions. You can edit audio clips with Apple Pencil; move, trim, split, fade, loop and change the gain using easy editing handles on each audio clip. Of course, you can copy, cut and paste using StaffPad's selection tools, and automate the volume and pan from the Automation Layer and even add text to audio staffs.

    Tempo Mapping


    If you don't know the tempo of your audio, for example if it wasn't recorded to a metronome, you can easily tempo map it using the new Tempo Mapping feature found within the tempo staff. Drag the bar and beat lines to match the transients of your waveform, and StaffPad will build a tempo map for you.

    Adaptive Audio


    StaffPad will keep your audio in sync with your score tempo and key changes using powerful tempo and pitch shifting algorithms. You can tell StaffPad the original key and tempo of imported audio by long-pressing on an audio clip and choosing "Set Clip Tempo" and "Set Clip Tuning". From then on, any changes you make to the tempo or key will be reflected in all the audio in your score.

    Elements


    Elements are royalty free production sounds and loops for use in your score. You can search for, preview and drag in Elements from the new Elements browser. More Elements will be added over time to build a huge library of custom, StaffPad specific sounds to elevate your work further.

    Studio Quality Effects


    StaffPad now includes a suite of studio quality effects that you can use on both audio staffs and regular notation staffs. Turn your score from a natural sound to a modern record production by applying compression, EQ, reverbs, delays, chorus effects and more - with specialised processors for specific types of instruments.

    Audio is conformed to the correct format and standard, and stored within the StaffPad score file, so you never have to worry about missing audio files or file management. Audio is truly a game changer for composers who work with notation.

    Of course, there's also a few minor features which we've added to help the composition process:

    • You can now add "pizz" and "arco" instructions easily with the new quick insert tile. Tap once to add a pizz instruction, then again to add an arco instruction. Drag up to change the pizz to a snap (or "Bartok") pizzicato symbol.

    • You can give you score custom cover art: From the Welcome Screen, choose "Edit Details" then tap the camera icon. Choose an existing photo, import a file, or take a photo with your device's camera. You can choose to print this cover art as a cover page too.

    • You can now duration-drag rests as well as notes.

    • You can toggle between automation layers from a single menu, rather than have to cycle between them

    • We've localised the StaffPad Store into more languages and tweaked the design for easier navigation

    • There is now a "No Key Signature" option - in fact, this is now the default key signature. This means that new scores are now created in an "open" key, instead of C Major. Open Keys are sometimes useful if you're working with transposing instruments or music that modulates frequently.

  • I had a couple of scores I had input not convert in the update - even one of the demos. 🤔 I’ve contacted support.

    Otherwise, it’s looking quite nice!

  • @MrFromage said:
    I had a couple of scores I had input not convert in the update - even one of the demos. 🤔 I’ve contacted support.

    Otherwise, it’s looking quite nice!

    I’m holding off doing the update for now, bit worrying to hear that. I hope it gets sorted soon.

  • It’s funny, I’ve been waiting for elastic tempo mapped audio for so long in an iOS DAW, and the app I purchased as an alternative to DAW workflows is the first to provide what I’ve been looking for. :)

  • @MisplacedDevelopment said:

    @MrFromage said:
    I had a couple of scores I had input not convert in the update - even one of the demos. 🤔 I’ve contacted support.

    Otherwise, it’s looking quite nice!

    I’m holding off doing the update for now, bit worrying to hear that. I hope it gets sorted soon.

    I think I messed up my initial support request. Nevertheless, I contacted them again, sent my scores that I couldn’t open, and they were able to open them in the newer version and resend, telling me to import them through the import facility on the homescreen.

    My understanding is that the latest update should’ve fixed whatever issue was causing the scores to update improperly.

  • @MrFromage said:

    @MisplacedDevelopment said:

    @MrFromage said:
    I had a couple of scores I had input not convert in the update - even one of the demos. 🤔 I’ve contacted support.

    Otherwise, it’s looking quite nice!

    I’m holding off doing the update for now, bit worrying to hear that. I hope it gets sorted soon.

    I think I messed up my initial support request. Nevertheless, I contacted them again, sent my scores that I couldn’t open, and they were able to open them in the newer version and resend, telling me to import them through the import facility on the homescreen.

    My understanding is that the latest update should’ve fixed whatever issue was causing the scores to update improperly.

    Thank you for following up on that. I have seen reports of more frequent crashes with the new versions so I may just update one of my devices and see how it goes.

  • 1.5.7 update with a few new features, though I am not brave enough to jump in and update immediately:

  • I guess they would get a lot more sales if they add MIDI.

  • @Eschatone said:
    $930 for the APP and all 10 IAP.
    [edit] looks like there are more IAP sample packs on the video demo than the 10 listed on the app store?

    If you’re a working pro, this cost is negligible and can be recouped immediately.

  • Interesting that the Bricasti M7 (the reverb model they use in the app) does not seem to have been emulated by anyone so far in any other iOS apps.

  • @ScottVanZandt said:
    This app is really impressive to me. I’ve been trying to create decent sounding orchestral music on iOS for years and now I finally can. Here’s my first attempt with this program. I used all Cinesamples libraries for this one, and the composition process was mostly glitch-free. I'm actually surprised at how well it it all works.

    I guess this would rank as one of the first true “pro” versions of composition software available. Nice composition, by the way.

  • @NeuM said:
    Interesting that the Bricasti M7 (the reverb model they use in the app) does not seem to have been emulated by anyone so far in any other iOS apps.

    There are free IRs out there of it which can be loaded into any convolution reverb.

    One source discussed here:

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