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.

Holy hell, Universal Control is amazing!

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Comments

  • @wim said:

    Haha. Yes, it's easy to get these systems confused when the statements devolve into circular arguments and vague aphorisms, but more recent advances are quite impressive, making logical leaps based on context.

  • @NeuM said:

    @skiphunt said:
    Well, I give up. It's not working. I've tried all the suggested troubleshooting suggestions. Off/on, disable Perform touch gestures, turn off wifi and turn back on, turn off the new feature and turn back on, force restart all devices, make sure you're dragging and dropping from compatible apps, etc. I've done all of this on two different iPads and a mini M1 16Gb as desktop. I've tried from the photos gallery from the iPad and from photos on my desktop. I've tried moving a small wav file into Koala on iPad, and nothing works.

    I can see the icon briefly as you drag from the desktop to the ipad, then it's gone.

    Still.. how is it that this is so "exaggeratingly great"? Before, you airdrop a file to your desktop, then drag that wherever you want. This saves one step by dragging directly? Ok, that's obviously a little better, but mind blowing?

    I guess I'll have to wait until mine actually works before I can get my mind blown by saving one step. ;)

    You did update both your desktop computer and your iPad, right? Just checking. Because it shouldn't be this much of a problem.

    Yes. Updated everything.

  • Hey, if anyone here has the original Apple Trackpad (not Magic Trackpad) the silver one that takes 2 AA batteries… and gets this to work with dragging/dropping please let me know.

    With my original Apple Trackpad, all that works is using the mouse pointer and keyboard between Mac & iPad. No transfer of files between the two.

  • edited March 2022

    Okay. I've given this a go. It's absolutely a game changer.

    Dropping sounds from COSMOS running on my Mac to Koala running on my iPad Pro. Holy cow, mind blown.

  • @skiphunt I had the same issues as you but after pulling out a few handfuls of hair I tinkered around in the mouse settings in System Preferences and changed the orientation from left to right. For some reason that did it. Now I can drag and drop but I have to use the right button on the mouse to grab and drag. The mouse behaves normally on the iPad even though the setting is changed in the MBP.

    It's not ideal (I tried with two different BT mice that both only work once the orientation is switched) but it gets it done.

    In Logic, I dragged a midi region from Omnisphere directly into the iPad and Logic rendered out a wave file of that region and placed it in my selected folder in Files. Although, one drawback is that it seems to only export at 16 bit resolution no matter the settings on either device. So it's a mixed bag.

    Hopefully, there's an actual fix soon but you may have luck giving this a try. Cheers!

    2016 MBP macOS Monterey & iPad 11 (2020) iPadOS 15.4

  • @cyberheater said:
    Okay. I've given this a go. It's absolutely a game changer.

    Dropping sounds from COSMOS running on my Mac to Koala running on my iPad Pro. Holy cow, mind blown.

    It's really amazing! This morning I selected a few samples from a kit in Atlas 2, running in Ableton, and simply dragged them over and dropped directly in Koala.

  • ABF members: Apple's overuse of marketing superlatives is ridiculous.

    Also ABF members: Being able to move a file from one device to another is a mind-blowing game changer!!!!

  • Funny how we can drag and drop samples from a Mac into an app on the iPad but iOS
    AUv3 apps can’t access samples placed in their folder on FilesAPP.

  • @Paa89 said:
    Funny how we can drag and drop samples from a Mac into an app on the iPad but iOS
    AUv3 apps can’t access samples placed in their folder on FilesAPP.

    They can access the files but we need apps/auv3’s that support that functionality which in turn requires up to date iOS versions… (ie. an app/AUv3 can directly link to files seen in Files.app, no need to copy).

  • edited March 2022

    @skiphunt said:
    Hey, if anyone here has the original Apple Trackpad (not Magic Trackpad) the silver one that takes 2 AA batteries… and gets this to work with dragging/dropping please let me know.

    With my original Apple Trackpad, all that works is using the mouse pointer and keyboard between Mac & iPad. No transfer of files between the two.

    Dragging and dropping files works for me. MacBook Pro 2016, iPad Pro M1, Apple Trackpad. Everything updated to latest OS versions.

  • edited March 2022

    @krassmann said:

    @skiphunt said:
    Hey, if anyone here has the original Apple Trackpad (not Magic Trackpad) the silver one that takes 2 AA batteries… and gets this to work with dragging/dropping please let me know.

    With my original Apple Trackpad, all that works is using the mouse pointer and keyboard between Mac & iPad. No transfer of files between the two.

    Dragging and dropping files works for me. MacBook Pro 2016, iPad Pro M1, Apple Trackpad. Everything updated to latest OS versions.

    Are you using the trackpad on the MBP? Or a wireless external trackpad?

    And, is the trackpad the original first brushed silver Apple trackpad that takes 2 AA batteries?

    As mentioned earlier, a wired mouse and a cheap folding bluetooth keyboard with a built in trackpad works fine. It’s just the original wireless Apple Trackpad that doesn’t drag/drop files.

    However, I’m mostly just in curious 🧐 troubleshooting mode at the moment, ie. Just want to figure out the puzzle 🧩 as to why it’s not working. I played with the drag/drop feature via mouse and evidently my mind isn’t as easily blown. lol 😝

    I’m guessing an eventual update might get it working. I deleted all the trackpad PLIST files and rebooted. They were dated 2012 so I thought that might be it. They’re now dated 2022 and it still doesn’t work.

    Very curious if your trackpad that’s working for drag/drop is the same as my OG?

    If I happen to stumble onto a fix I’ll post it here in case anyone else has the same issue.

  • @skiphunt I have the newer Magic Trackpad, and it only works sometimes. Maybe drag-lock (in accessibility prefs) might help.

  • @mistercharlie said:
    @skiphunt I have the newer Magic Trackpad, and it only works sometimes. Maybe drag-lock (in accessibility prefs) might help.

    I tried all sorts of things. Even turning off all the trackpad gesture settings. I did try the drag lock with no luck.

    Also tried some accessibility settings on the iPad side and got the icon of the dragged photo to show up, but it wouldn't let me drop it on the ipad, ie. the dragged photo stuck as the pointer icon... and then my trackpad cursor was stuck on the ipad only... couldn't get it back onto the desktop.

    What's strange is... I tried my OLD wireless apple mouse. Years older even than the original trackpad... and it dragged and dropped fine. I'm convinced it's just the original Apple Trackpad (silver version) that doesn't work for drag/drop.

    As all this is clearly stated as "beta", I think I'll abandon it for now and see what happens on a future update.

    As stated before, even if it worked with my regular OG Apple trackpad, I don't honestly think I'd use it much. Drag and drop that is. I would actually use the ability to use my desktop trackpad and keyboard on the iPad. Sometimes when I want to type out a longer bit of text, I prefer a regular keyboard. I could obviously just connect one of my other bluetooth keyboards to the iPad to type with, but it'll be easier to just move the pointer of the desktop trackpad over to the ipad, use my regular keyboard to type out the message instead of having to go connect/pair a keyboard to the iPad for just one message.

    So, I will get some use out of it for sure. If an update fixes it for my current Apple trackpad and it's a little less restrictive than this first beta iteration... I'll play with it some more to see if I'd use the drag/drop stuff more than I think I would currently.

    Thanks for the update and info! :)

  • @skiphunt said:

    @krassmann said:

    @skiphunt said:
    Hey, if anyone here has the original Apple Trackpad (not Magic Trackpad) the silver one that takes 2 AA batteries… and gets this to work with dragging/dropping please let me know.

    With my original Apple Trackpad, all that works is using the mouse pointer and keyboard between Mac & iPad. No transfer of files between the two.

    Dragging and dropping files works for me. MacBook Pro 2016, iPad Pro M1, Apple Trackpad. Everything updated to latest OS versions.

    Are you using the trackpad on the MBP? Or a wireless external trackpad?

    And, is the trackpad the original first brushed silver Apple trackpad that takes 2 AA batteries?

    As mentioned earlier, a wired mouse and a cheap folding bluetooth keyboard with a built in trackpad works fine. It’s just the original wireless Apple Trackpad that doesn’t drag/drop files.

    However, I’m mostly just in curious 🧐 troubleshooting mode at the moment, ie. Just want to figure out the puzzle 🧩 as to why it’s not working. I played with the drag/drop feature via mouse and evidently my mind isn’t as easily blown. lol 😝

    I’m guessing an eventual update might get it working. I deleted all the trackpad PLIST files and rebooted. They were dated 2012 so I thought that might be it. They’re now dated 2022 and it still doesn’t work.

    Very curious if your trackpad that’s working for drag/drop is the same as my OG?

    If I happen to stumble onto a fix I’ll post it here in case anyone else has the same issue.

    I don't have a trackpad from that era, but I do have a mouse from then with the 2 AA batteries. I pulled it out to test with. At first it was failing every time I moved the cursor to my iPad. The connection dropped consistently. I then tried with the mouse on the left side of my keyboard. The iPad is to the right side. On the left side, it works without issue. I'm guessing that my iPad is blocking too much of the signal with the way I have the computer and iPad arranged. My newer trackpad (2017) doesn't have this connection problem.

    When I have the old mouse over on the other side with a direct line of sight to the iMac, it works without issue for Universal Control.

  • edited March 2022

    Okay, you guys are right it doesn't work properly with the Apple Trackpad. I think I could DnD a PDF from Mac to Documents on the iPad and it opened it but with the external trackpad I wasn‘t able to drag an audio file out of Bitwig into a Koala pad. With the mouse or built-in trackpad this works.

  • In my case, after much troubleshooting... I'm 99.9% sure that Apple simply isn't completely supporting the original Apple Trackpad with this new feature. And, I'm not surprised. When they first announced that you could use a mouse/keyboard with the iPad, the original Apple Trackpad wasn't supported then either.

    Since this is still beta, it might actually work after an update or two. Or, Apple will require people using these old trackpads to go buy a new one.

    I can't justify getting a new trackpad just for drag and drop. To Apple's credit, this original trackpad is ancient and still works perfectly. I'm fairly certain I've been using it for nearly 20 years. And I didn't even buy it... it was a gift from a friend who didn't feel comfortable using a trackpad in the beginning.

    To be honest, I'm impressed that it still works as perfectly now as it did when it was new. I also like the fact it takes AA batteries so that I don't have to chunk it when a proprietary interior battery (as in the new ones) eventually fails. So, there's no real reason for me to upgrade it yet. If there was some other benefit or the one I'm using was glitchy, I'd just go ahead and pick up a new one.

  • edited March 2022

    Honestly I find this quite strange. If DnD works correctly, the mouse pointer on the iPad screen changes into a plus sign when hovering over an UI element that allows dropping this file type. With my old Apple Trackpad the pointer shape doesn’t change but the iPad instantly tries to open it with an app associated with this file type. I don‘t understand why.

    Pointing devices simply send signals for their x and y axis and the buttons when pressed. Their pointing device drivers and MacOS translates that into an abstract position of the pointer and actions. From a high level operating system view there shouldn’t be any difference between the pointing devices as long as their driver correctly implements the OS‘s pointing device interface. These problems are absolutely contrary to my understanding of hardware abstraction in operating systems.

    Grrr… angrily switching back to mouse

  • edited May 2022

    @wim said:

    @ 2:52

    Him: "I don't want to talk about it anymore."

    Her: " But I do".

    Seems like they've nailed it. 🤣

  • How is UC working for folk lately?

    I'd need to update both iPad an iMac to latest OS.

    Slightly worried about MIDI issues I think were mentioned on Monterrey. Is that still a thing? Ta

  • Resurrecting an old thread here.
    I'm a bit confused about how to use this.
    I have Universal Control set up and I'm able to drag files to the ipad but only to the extended screen so it's still within the Mac OS, not iOS. I'm unable to drag files to actual iPad apps. Is there a setup step that I may be missing?

  • @macsearcher said:
    Resurrecting an old thread here.
    I'm a bit confused about how to use this.
    I have Universal Control set up and I'm able to drag files to the ipad but only to the extended screen so it's still within the Mac OS, not iOS. I'm unable to drag files to actual iPad apps. Is there a setup step that I may be missing?

    Drag'n'drop works but you need to make sure that the app you're dragging stuff to accepts the file-type you're dragging over to the iPad. (For example you could leave the Files.app with the destination folder open and drag files there, but even Files.app doesn't accept all file-type so it's best to zip the files before dragging them over).

    The app that you drag to has to have support for Drag'n'Drop otherwise it won't work...

    Another option is to enable File-sharing (SMB) on the Mac and mount the folder in Files.app.
    This way all the apps running on the iPad can access the files from your Mac using the document-picker.

  • @ervin said:
    ABF members: Apple's overuse of marketing superlatives is ridiculous.

    Also ABF members: Being able to move a file from one device to another is a mind-blowing game changer!!!!

    Also:

    ABF members: This feature JUST WORKS!!!™️

    Also in the same thread: 10 different people hitting 10 different obscure problems while trying to use that feature 😆

  • @macsearcher said:
    Resurrecting an old thread here.
    I'm a bit confused about how to use this.
    I have Universal Control set up and I'm able to drag files to the ipad but only to the extended screen so it's still within the Mac OS, not iOS. I'm unable to drag files to actual iPad apps. Is there a setup step that I may be missing?

    In the displays settings in MacOS you can add the iPad in two different ways. Don’t use „extended display“, use the other option.

  • @SevenSystems said:

    @ervin said:
    ABF members: Apple's overuse of marketing superlatives is ridiculous.

    Also ABF members: Being able to move a file from one device to another is a mind-blowing game changer!!!!

    Also:

    ABF members: This feature JUST WORKS!!!™️

    Also in the same thread: 10 different people hitting 10 different obscure problems while trying to use that feature 😆

    Valid. 👍

  • @ervin said:

    @SevenSystems said:

    @ervin said:
    ABF members: Apple's overuse of marketing superlatives is ridiculous.

    Also ABF members: Being able to move a file from one device to another is a mind-blowing game changer!!!!

    Also:

    ABF members: This feature JUST WORKS!!!™️

    Also in the same thread: 10 different people hitting 10 different obscure problems while trying to use that feature 😆

    Valid. 👍

    I know, I'm a terrible "party brake" (as they say in German!) 😢

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