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

Sequencing and app combinations

Hi all, I have been trying out different permutations of sequencers/midi utility apps (for want of a better description) and I found this thread : https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/43783/crazy-but-happy-accident-with-cality-and-ionarics

Lots of great ideas in here. What @Poppadocrock says : "When i add different kinds of midi elements together to see what comes out. more often then not with some tweaking you can turn it into something beautiful" basically explains what I want to discuss.

I'm interested to hear people's thoughts on apps that complement each other. But specifically, apps that go before the sound, rather than after. That is to say, leaving aside FX and things that usually go after the sound creation , and focussing on those that go before it.
So for example, I like to open Zoa, or Riffer and then route it through Arpbud, to get some unexpected and, more often than not, interesting results. Autony and Cality, as mentioned in the other thread, are great for this kind of thing too.

I'm not particularly interested in syncopated music. I'm more interested in exploring washes of sound, texture, timbre....

Would love to hear folks' thoughts

cheers!

Comments

  • I do most things with Xequence 2.

    Record from Tonality, ChordPolyPad or Animoog and then put this out to AudioBus or AUM where different Synths are sitting.

    I tested this setup also with Loopy Pro.

    My biggest problem is to record clean pieces of audio that do not start too early or are too long - I hate to cut n crop afterwards 😅

    But I always only play around, nothing serious.

  • @Kashi said:
    Hi all, I have been trying out different permutations of sequencers/midi utility apps (for want of a better description) and I found this thread : https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/43783/crazy-but-happy-accident-with-cality-and-ionarics

    Lots of great ideas in here. What @Poppadocrock says : "When i add different kinds of midi elements together to see what comes out. more often then not with some tweaking you can turn it into something beautiful" basically explains what I want to discuss.

    I'm interested to hear people's thoughts on apps that complement each other. But specifically, apps that go before the sound, rather than after. That is to say, leaving aside FX and things that usually go after the sound creation , and focussing on those that go before it.
    So for example, I like to open Zoa, or Riffer and then route it through Arpbud, to get some unexpected and, more often than not, interesting results. Autony and Cality, as mentioned in the other thread, are great for this kind of thing too.

    I'm not particularly interested in syncopated music. I'm more interested in exploring washes of sound, texture, timbre....

    Would love to hear folks' thoughts

    cheers!

    I also like to chain or merge multiple midi apps. Fugue Machine into an arpeggiator is endless fun.

    My new trick is sending the output from two or more midi sources into a monophonic instrument and listening to them fight for dominance.

    Another recipe is to send a conventional arp into Ionarics, then combine the original arp with the Ionarized arp. This can get pretty wild very easily, but if you keep Ionarics under control it adds just a little rhythmic spice.

    A second, less freaky way to add variation to a static arp: send arp output into Rozeta Particles set to midi trigger, then combine the Particles output with the original arp. But set them to different scales and this recipe can get pretty outside too.

  • edited January 2022

    Good thread idea and I’m not saying that just cause you mentioned a previous comment, lol.

    I use Mozaic a lot, I almost always have that in my midi chain, whether it’s randomizing some notes with Au hazard script, or adding velocity/timing/skipped notes with Rando script. There’s about a dozen or so I use a lot and a bunch of scripts I use sometimes. Also the chordulator script which takes a note and plays or strums the chords in scale. Plus some of the Genertive scripts are great.

    Rozeta is obviously great as well.

    All the Bud apps work well together, I might have chord Bud playing a pad, then cb to rhythm Bud playing keys, and then cb to Arp Bud doing a synth Arp, etc…

    Any monophonic generative app to Chordjam is fun, So for example Autony, riffer, etc to chordjam.

    Cality on the end of something. Then midigates if it gets too busy.

    Aphelian is pretty fun to throw chords at. You can Easily create a lead or bass line.

    Zoa is really cool, sending each channel out to a different midi app then to an instrument.

    Step Poly Arp can do so much.

    For me it’s very situational, so depending on what I’m trying to accomplish, that will then somewhat guide where my midi experimentation goes. Sometimes I just try something different, for difference sake.

    There’s so many combinations it’s hard to remember more at the moment. If I think of some I’ll be sure to add them. I do like to experiment a lot with different connections, even to different instruments. Stick an Arp in between your sequencer and drums or a vocal one shot in segments and see what happens.

  • These are great! Thanks @tja @Wrlds2ndBstGeoshredr @Poppadocrock for these suggestions. Will be trying some of these later.
    Quick question about Mozaic - I'm totally put off by the idea that I have do my own coding, write my own scripts etc. I just don't have the kind of brain that can do stuff like that. But at the same time, it seems like it might be an exciting playground for the kind of things I'm looking to do. Can people share their scripts? Like, on Patchstorage or something?

  • +1 to everything @ Wrlds2ndBstGeoshredr and @Poppadocrock have said…
    Also using non drum machine apps to drive drums produces some nice results E.g. couple of Chordjams (in infinite randomise mode) driving Roli Noise Drums (or drums of your choice). One trick is to use the AUM transpose (by semitones) to target different drums.
    A lot of the apps mentioned have randomising exposed so you can randomise e.g. SnakeBud with itself or another instance. Finally Rozeta Scaler is handy for manipulating incoming notes into different notes in the same or different scale. Just automate the Pre Transpose (or Post Transpose) with an LFO or something like StepBud.

  • Pure Acid has to get a mention here. Great randomiser with variation shuffle and reverse options. I much prefer it to Riffer etc.

  • @Kashi said:
    Can people share their scripts? Like, on Patchstorage or something?

    https://patchstorage.com/platform/mozaic/

  • @Wrlds2ndBstGeoshredr said:

    Another recipe is to send a conventional arp into Ionarics, then combine the original arp with the Ionarized arp. This can get pretty wild very easily, but if you keep Ionarics under control it adds just a little rhythmic spice.

    This sounds great- I assume you mean in AUM? If yes, can you explain how I’d configure this please? Thanks

  • Thanks for Patchstorage link @tja

  • Some easy way to share midi and fx chains from AUM as a single file would be great btw
    You import strips from a existing project but saving recalling strips would be great to have in AUM.

  • And these are all just ready to explore right @tja ? I just download them and open them in AUM, within Mozaic like any other AUv3 app? At first glance I can’t see a simple “how to “ tutorial on YouTube…

  • @Wrlds2ndBstGeoshredr My new trick is sending the output from two or more midi sources into a monophonic instrument and listening to them fight for dominance.

    This is evil 😈

  • @Kashi said:
    And these are all just ready to explore right @tja ? I just download them and open them in AUM, within Mozaic like any other AUv3 app? At first glance I can’t see a simple “how to “ tutorial on YouTube…

    Just download it and Share with Mozaic. It will open the stand-alone version. Just exit that.

    Then, open Mozaic in AUM, Load, User Patches, Refresh (necessary), and there it is, ready to use.

  • @uncledave said:

    @Kashi said:
    And these are all just ready to explore right @tja ? I just download them and open them in AUM, within Mozaic like any other AUv3 app? At first glance I can’t see a simple “how to “ tutorial on YouTube…

    Just download it and Share with Mozaic. It will open the stand-alone version. Just exit that.

    Then, open Mozaic in AUM, Load, User Patches, Refresh (necessary), and there it is, ready to use.

    Nice one. Cheers @uncledave

  • A great box of tricks is hosting LK, Fugue Machine and ChordPolyPad inside Drambo to combine composed elements with random elements for endless variation.

  • Velocity and variation with midiCurve and De-Ghost.

    Works with any drum machine or midi sequencer

  • edited January 2022

    @Kashi said:

    @Wrlds2ndBstGeoshredr said:

    Another recipe is to send a conventional arp into Ionarics, then combine the original arp with the Ionarized arp. This can get pretty wild very easily, but if you keep Ionarics under control it adds just a little rhythmic spice.

    This sounds great- I assume you mean in AUM? If yes, can you explain how I’d configure this please? Thanks

    I use the hamburger menus in AUM. Ionarics hamburger chooses the arpeggiator (or Fugue Machine) as input. Your sound module hamburger can choose both Ionarics and the arpeggiator as input. Alternatively, use a different sound module for each of the two midi streams.

    For this recipe I would suggest trying a very vanilla Ionarics setting at first.

  • @robosardine said:
    Pure Acid has to get a mention here. Great randomiser with variation shuffle and reverse options. I much prefer it to Riffer etc.

    Definitely I love the bass sequencer.

  • @audiblevideo said:
    Velocity and variation with midiCurve and De-Ghost.

    Works with any drum machine or midi sequencer

    Another good call.

  • edited January 2022

    @tahiche said:

    @Wrlds2ndBstGeoshredr My new trick is sending the output from two or more midi sources into a monophonic instrument and listening to them fight for dominance.

    This is evil 😈

    Try it on one of the SWAM brass. Flugelhorn is my favorite but it will be good on any of them.

  • @Kashi said:
    These are great! Thanks @tja @Wrlds2ndBstGeoshredr @Poppadocrock for these suggestions. Will be trying some of these later.
    Quick question about Mozaic - I'm totally put off by the idea that I have do my own coding, write my own scripts etc. I just don't have the kind of brain that can do stuff like that. But at the same time, it seems like it might be an exciting playground for the kind of things I'm looking to do. Can people share their scripts? Like, on Patchstorage or something?

    Just to confirm you’re good on Mozaic and Patchstorage right? Cause I can’t code at all, besides a midi echo in Mozaic that I learned in a thread in this forum, where someone was nice enough to give several basic lessons for making a Mozaic scripting. I just download other peoples creations, there’s over 250, which basically means Mozaic is over 250 midi fx apps in one.

    Here’s Patchstorage you can sort, filter, or search for scripts.

    https://patchstorage.com/platform/mozaic/

    The audiobus wiki also has a bunch of scripts, but categorized for easy browsing. Here’s that link too.

    https://wiki.audiob.us/doku.php?id=mozaic_scripts_list

    It’s really simple to import. Download in safari, tap on download arrow in top bar, then hit the share icon, and select Mozaic from the list. it will open Mozaic in standalone and import the script. You then just close Mozaic and it’s in your user presets.

  • @audiblevideo said:
    Velocity and variation with midiCurve and De-Ghost.

    Works with any drum machine or midi sequencer

    I have and use this tool from midi tools, but I’m curious is this basically the same as the velocity filter app by blue Mangoo?

  • edited January 2022

    @Wrlds2ndBstGeoshredr said:

    @tahiche said:

    @Wrlds2ndBstGeoshredr My new trick is sending the output from two or more midi sources into a monophonic instrument and listening to them fight for dominance.

    This is evil 😈

    Try it on one of the SWAM brass. Flugelhorn is my favorite but it will be good on any of them.

    I like sending chords from chord Bud, or something I recorded into atom 2 to aphelian in Arp mode, select a shape and randomize a sequence then to a swam app. Then cc several swam expression parameters for realistic playing and you get some great sounding parts.

  • Tons of inspiring configurations, thanks folks!
    @rs2000 @audiblevideo @Poppadocrock

    So Mozaic is a no-brainier then @Poppadocrock ?

  • Wasn’t really familiar with Aphelian. Just looked into it - looks pretty damn cool! Might have to take a punt on it…

  • edited January 2022

    @Poppadocrock said:

    @audiblevideo said:
    Velocity and variation with midiCurve and De-Ghost.

    Works with any drum machine or midi sequencer

    I have and use this tool from midi tools, but I’m curious is this basically the same as the velocity filter app by blue Mangoo?

    No. It's not the same. Velocity Filter opens and closes a filter to simulate the darkness and brightness of notes played with corresponding lower and higher velocities. In other words it opens the filter on high velocities and closes it on low velocities.

    You can try using the two together, which I have done, to work together.
    The routing would be this (or similar)

    Riffers velocity is maxed out at 100% and locked. All that is controlling the velocity is the MIDICurve app, while the Velocity Filter handles the "brightness" control.

  • De-Ghost and Cality used separately or together with Rozetta baseline (or similar) can offer some nice alterations to what RBaseline plays.

    De-Ghost makes things more sparse without altering the typical length of what RBaseline plays.

    Cality can make things sparser with probability but it does so without the timing control of what De-ghost offers. What it does do is alter the lengths of what RBaseline plays ALWAYS as a 16th note pulse. So you can convert notes to 1/8 note pulses or longer. If you mess with the Length and Release times along with the Resolution you can mix in the 16th pulses with longer notes for some FUNKY stuff.

  • @audiblevideo said:
    De-Ghost and Cality used separately or together with Rozetta baseline (or similar) can offer some nice alterations to what RBaseline plays.

    De-Ghost makes things more sparse without altering the typical length of what RBaseline plays.

    Cality can make things sparser with probability but it does so without the timing control of what De-ghost offers. What it does do is alter the lengths of what RBaseline plays ALWAYS as a 16th note pulse. So you can convert notes to 1/8 note pulses or longer. If you mess with the Length and Release times along with the Resolution you can mix in the 16th pulses with longer notes for some FUNKY stuff.

    I ran Rozeta Arpeggio through two Perforators in series to make the bass part for this one:

  • Probably worth mentioning the reason I'm exploring these different possibilities; I've just bought an Expert Sleepers ES-9, so I can use iOS sequencers and midi apps to get sounds out of my modular rig (plaits and 0-coast being the "voices"). Just mentioning this in case it causes anyone to think about the original post in a new way.
    Once I've figured out how to set up Covariant then I can start to put all these suggestions into practice. Thanks again!

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