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.

Seaboard Rise 2

Comments

  • I think Roli’s keyboards have been surpassed by other options today in terms of expressiveness, plus even the iPad has far more variety to choose from and it doesn’t suffer from the same physical wear issues.

  • @NeuM Thats probably true. Their peak-uniqueness moment has likely passed.

    That being said, are you a former seaboard owner? Just curious since I adore my two 4yo seaboard blocks that miraculously still work perfectly and hold a charge (rare gems I know). For SWAM instruments they are so incredibly natural I feel like I can play the trumpet now lol. I’d consider an updated block if they meaningfully update Noise, until then no more monies.

  • I am really looking forward to the robust build quality, predictable supply chain, and rockstar technical support that Roli is so famous for!

  • @johnfromberkeley said:
    I am really looking forward to the robust build quality, predictable supply chain, and rockstar technical support that Roli is so famous for!

    They do have some built up perception hurdles to get past now. To take the effort to become proficient on a new instrument you kinda want to know that your instrument is going to be around for awhile and preferably replaceable when it does die.

    I checked in their docs and ad copy and didn't find any mention of MIDI 2.0. Does anyone know if it has it or if the firmware is at least upgradable?

  • Lol this criticism is totally fair. I agree…even though I have been lucky with mine so far I feel like they screwed me with all my unusable Noise IAPs.

    My main point though is despite all of those problems, I haven’t seen an MPE controller that’s so natural for people that prefer a piano format. Anyone have a better one? Please 😂

  • @marmakin … Osmose by ExpressiveE. @GovernorSilver should get one in June as he preordered. We shall see, but you don’t have to learn a new keyboard technique and it has the Haken engine.

  • @marmakin said:
    Lol this criticism is totally fair.

    I kid, I kid! Actually, I don’t kid.

    But I will say this Equator 2 is a really fun synth and it sounds great. And I do have fun with my Seaboard Block.

  • edited March 2022

    @johnfromberkeley said:

    @marmakin said:
    Lol this criticism is totally fair.

    I kid, I kid! Actually, I don’t kid.

    But I will say this Equator 2 is a really fun synth and it sounds great. And I do have fun with my Seaboard Block.

    I think if Roli (or whatever is the company name now) wants to make their product viable in the future, they should concentrate 95% of their energy on making great software plugins and players for both desktop/laptop and iOS. The hardware game is a loser, except if you're Behringer and willing to cannibalize your own product lines. In fact, if they want their hardware to succeed, they should be making it with thin margins for a few years to ensure widespread adoption.

  • @NeuM said:

    @johnfromberkeley said:

    @marmakin said:
    Lol this criticism is totally fair.

    I kid, I kid! Actually, I don’t kid.

    But I will say this Equator 2 is a really fun synth and it sounds great. And I do have fun with my Seaboard Block.

    I think if Roli (or whatever is the company name now) wants to make their product viable in the future, they should concentrate 95% of their energy on making great software plugins and players for both desktop/laptop and iOS. The hardware game is a loser, except if you're Behringer and willing to cannibalize your own product lines. In fact, if they want their hardware to succeed, they should be making it with thin margins for a few years to ensure widespread adoption.

    Oh, yeah, why not become the leader in MPE ~software~? Actually great positioning.

  • edited March 2022

    @johnfromberkeley said:

    @NeuM said:

    @johnfromberkeley said:

    @marmakin said:
    Lol this criticism is totally fair.

    I kid, I kid! Actually, I don’t kid.

    But I will say this Equator 2 is a really fun synth and it sounds great. And I do have fun with my Seaboard Block.

    I think if Roli (or whatever is the company name now) wants to make their product viable in the future, they should concentrate 95% of their energy on making great software plugins and players for both desktop/laptop and iOS. The hardware game is a loser, except if you're Behringer and willing to cannibalize your own product lines. In fact, if they want their hardware to succeed, they should be making it with thin margins for a few years to ensure widespread adoption.

    Oh, yeah, why not become the leader in MPE ~software~? Actually great positioning.

    Exactly. Why not? There is a far bigger audience for that than there is for costly hardware. And no hardware returns either.

  • McDMcD
    edited March 2022

    The primary business calculation is:

    (What_will_people_pay - Cost_to_produce) x Number of customers

    After the product is designed, the manufacturing is outsourced to asia.
    Roli still exists so I think they must be getting the numbers to work reasonably well
    making hardware devices. I suspect they are really cheap to build and people are willing to
    pay a lot from them. There might not be enough people to get really wealthy but they persevere trying to make a better option for us.

    What does this new model cost? $800 I suspect.

    UPDATE: they cost $1400 for pre-order and ship in December of this year.
    Maybe Behringer will make us a cheap "knock off".

    They have the design done and need to get the manufacturer to ramp up for production runs.

  • edited March 2022

    The SWAMs sound pretty good on this. But Osmose is only $400 more… both unavailable till late 2022.

    https://www.expressivee.com/2-osmose

  • @NeuM said:
    And no hardware returns either.

    To be fair, it doesn’t sound like hardware returns have been much of a concern to them. :D

  • @johnfromberkeley said:
    I am really looking forward to the robust build quality, predictable supply chain, and rockstar technical support that Roli is so famous for!

    👍

  • Thanks for the tip @LinearLineman ! I will definitely be watching for customer feedback when it comes out.

    That’s the thing, Roli does make great software too! I also love Equator in particular. I’m sure the software game ain’t easy but hardware and all of the physical considerations must be a lot harder to pull off. But someone’s gotta make our MPE controllers! 😂

    Roli had so much goodwill and excitement when they came out. I honestly think even with all of their challenges their reputation wouldn’t have been so trashed if they could at least provide decent customer service. Curious if they’ll be forgiven by burned musicians when the new seaboards come out.

  • edited March 2022

    MPE controllers need to break from the piano chromatic keyboard layout to be truly interesting. See Haken Continuum. These should be scale and tuning flexible, so they can more expressive and interesting. Right now, these are marketed as keyboard 2.0 and mpe can be so much more than that. We need a mass market device like that. Linnstrument doesn't count because it forces a guitar layout, which is just as limiting.

  • @CapnWillie said:

    @auxmux said:
    MPE controllers need to break from the piano chromatic keyboard layout to be truly interesting. See Haken Continuum. These should be scale and tuning flexible, so they can more expressive and interesting. Right now, these are marketed as keyboard 2.0 and mpe can be so much more than that. We need a mass market device like that. Linnstrument doesn't count because it forces a guitar layout, which is just as limiting.

    +💯

    I think both are necessary to satisfy market demands. I would try a keyboard mpe but wouldn’t learn a new instrument.

  • I had one of the originals and sold it. I didn't like the feel of it all. Probably the best description I read was on a forum thread (I can't remember who or where, unfortunately). The poster said it felt like "fingering a seal."

  • @LinearLineman said:

    @CapnWillie said:

    @auxmux said:
    MPE controllers need to break from the piano chromatic keyboard layout to be truly interesting. See Haken Continuum. These should be scale and tuning flexible, so they can more expressive and interesting. Right now, these are marketed as keyboard 2.0 and mpe can be so much more than that. We need a mass market device like that. Linnstrument doesn't count because it forces a guitar layout, which is just as limiting.

    +💯

    I think both are necessary to satisfy market demands. I would try a keyboard mpe but wouldn’t learn a new instrument.

    Agree, both have their place depending on the user. But I love the diatonic keyboards we have on iOS. Makes playing expressively so much easier than playing instrumentally. Sadly, I haven't committed to being keyboard proficiently, so hardware that makes this easier would be wonderful.

  • edited April 2022

    @marmakin said:
    Lol this criticism is totally fair. I agree…even though I have been lucky with mine so far I feel like they screwed me with all my unusable Noise IAPs.

    My main point though is despite all of those problems, I haven’t seen an MPE controller that’s so natural for people that prefer a piano format. Anyone have a better one? Please 😂

    Yes Linnstument.. Quite natural for guitarists.. I think ROLI = Keyboardists' choice and Linnstrument = Guitarists' choice

Sign In or Register to comment.