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.

Who else is considering buying the Akai key 61?


I just don’t think iOS is quite ready yet as a dope platform. Combining an iPad with this seems optimal to me .

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Comments

  • I’ve been trying to talk myself down. Let us know what you think!

  • @Telstar5 said:
    I just don’t think iOS is quite ready yet as a dope platform.

    Some people think iOS devices work fine as a dope platform.

  • After the initial hype, it still looks good, but Fantom 6 seems better for the onboard and expandable synths.

    The Akai synths are pretty meh. What I like is the amount of storage on the MPC61, and how it could work as a sampler/keyboard, but then might as well as buy an MPC live for portability. New MPC OS has Ableton Link support for start/stop sync so can work really well with iPad.

  • edited July 2022

    I was really wanting it but the price-tag was throwing me off. I went ahead and bought a $130 keyboard I've been eyeing, instead.

    I'm combing Korg gadget with a Casiotone cts200 to make a "workstation" and it's honestly the best setup I've made so far. The keyboard runs on batteries or power with built-in speakers that you can send the ipad audio to (headphone jack :smile: ). I also just figured out my sampling workflow with gadget since the ipad also runs YouTube.

    I'm now wondering what can the Key do that I can't do with my iPad.

  • Looks cool but you can spend 2000€ in a muuuch more effective way, if you are into making music.

  • edited August 2022

    👍

  • @Shabudua said:

    @Telstar5 said:
    I just don’t think iOS is quite ready yet as a dope platform.

    Some people think iOS devices work fine as a dope platform.

    :D

  • edited July 2022

    I'm popping for it as my first MPC. Place my pre-order with Sweetwater, ETA in mid-August.

    My hope is that it will be an integrated experience that allows for me to sketch, play some keys, tweak what I play with MIDI, record some audio, and bang some MPC beats. And be "dawless" with a DAW on a hardware instrument platform. Oh, and have touchscreen where it helps.

    During my wait, I'm learning some MPC via MPC Beats.

    Yep, I can see where some iPad apps -- such as ChordPolyPad -- do things better. Probably Beatmaker 3 does a number of things better. My hope is this will be a platform where I can settle in for awhile.

    Will I keep using iOS? Well, it won't be a top priority. But I'm sold on THU for my guitar. And most Moog apps. So we'll see. The focus will be on the MPC Keys, and paying off Sweetwater.

    Thx,
    Joe

  • For keyboardists who focus on sampling ,Key61 seems decent (for standalone unit)

  • Am I the only one wondering why one would need an expensive keyboard to use with an iPad? Don't get me wrong, it's a great device. But something like the Arturia Keylab Essentials would be enough.

  • @joegrant413 said:
    I'm popping for it as my first MPC. Place my pre-order with Sweetwater, ETA in mid-August.

    My hope is that it will be an integrated experience that allows for me to sketch, play some keys, tweak what I play with MIDI, record some audio, and bang some MPC beats. And be "dawless" with a DAW on a hardware instrument platform. Oh, and have touchscreen where it helps.

    During my wait, I'm learning some MPC via MPC Beats.

    Yep, I can see where some iPad apps -- such as ChordPolyPad -- do things better. Probably Beatmaker 3 does a number of things better. My hope is this will be a platform where I can settle in for awhile.

    Will I keep using iOS? Well, it won't be a top priority. But I'm sold on THU for my guitar. And most Moog apps. So we'll see. The focus will be on the MPC Keys, and paying off Sweetwater.

    Thx,
    Joe

    @joegrant413 : Don’t forget their incredible upgrade track record.. That’s reason enough right there . And for around $35 you can but the 780 page “MPC Bible “ updates to include the MPC 61. Highly recommended

  • @seonnthaproducer said:
    Am I the only one wondering why one would need an expensive keyboard to use with an iPad? Don't get me wrong, it's a great device. But something like the Arturia Keylab Essentials would be enough.

    You’re not the only one but any follower of this forum is bound to see the disappointment in so many users who try to use iOS as their one and only platform. It’s possible, of course but to me hardware and iPad is the way to go. The MPC has wi fi and blue tooth

  • edited July 2022

    My in-store review: https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/comment/1094219/#Comment_1094219

    My friend mentioned in the review ended up buying one, for sitting on top of his Rhodes as a secondary keyboard. For the kind of music he loves, the AIR synth plugins that come with MPCs suit him just fine. He also likes the AIR plugins that are free with MPC Keys but cost extra on all other MPCs.

    He previously owned an MPC Live 2, then sold it because he decided he wanted an integrated keyboard for that "on top of Rhodes" position. He was considering a Korg Nautilus, until the MPC Keys was announced. Anyway, because of the MPC experience, he was flying around the MPC Keys UI in no time flat, laying down bass, drums, etc. as well as editing synth tones.

  • @Telstar5 said:

    @seonnthaproducer said:
    Am I the only one wondering why one would need an expensive keyboard to use with an iPad? Don't get me wrong, it's a great device. But something like the Arturia Keylab Essentials would be enough.

    You’re not the only one but any follower of this forum is bound to see the disappointment in so many users who try to use iOS as their one and only platform. It’s possible, of course but to me hardware and iPad is the way to go. The MPC has wi fi and blue tooth

    Yeah, but your iPad/iPhone has wi-fi and bluetooth. Get a bluetooth wireless MIDI dongle and attach it to any generic MIDI controller, and you have that feature.

    Apologies, I’m trying to understand what the gamechanging feature of this device is, or the reason one needs an iPad to use with this. I think this is a standalone controller, great for an all-in-one setup. I mean, sure if you have one lying around, you could use it with the iPad but I mean to spend $2300 for a probability of using it with iOS seems a bit high.

    Okay, that aside, let’s try this. What would you like to see in a dedicated iOS MIDI controller. Actually, I’ll make a thread on that.

  • edited July 2022

    It‘s not about the controller, but the (rather) fully integrated product approach.
    Akai (aka Nukai) have extended the MPC paradigm in a radical way with audio tracks / DAW features, instruments, fx, sample content.
    It‘s not without teething problems, but steps could be followed in recent years.
    You either like it or leave it. ;)

    I did the latter, bailed out buying an MPC 4k after getting familiar with their MPC Studio controller and the software evolution from Essentials over MPC 1.x, Beats, MPC 2.x
    Never liked the VST part and mixer/DAW features, but it seems highly appreciated and is a well thought out business and support strategy. Which I respect...

  • edited July 2022

    @seonnthaproducer said:

    Apologies, I’m trying to understand what the gamechanging feature of this device is, or the reason one needs an iPad to use with this. I think this is a standalone controller, great for an all-in-one setup. I mean, sure if you have one lying around, you could use it with the iPad but I mean to spend $2300 for a probability of using it with iOS seems a bit high.

    Not much new to the table, it is as you write another all-one-solution for a lot of money. I ditched this type of setup connected to my iPad two years ago since it is just double-up of everything. Got a keyboard controller to my iPad instead, haven’t looked back since.

    Now I can both use the iPad only or play the controller with the iPad in a small flexible setup, adding other hardware if needed like audio interface, speakers or synths.

    On the other hand, if one likes the Akai MPC workflow and want to add a keyboard, I can totally see the the USP here.

    /DMfan🇸🇪

  • IMHO, Arturia should make a AU host app that is fully integrated with at least one of their MIDI controllers. I like what Arturia does both in hardware and software.

    This kind of app could be helpful to those of us wanting more standardization and seamlessness for a simpler, more holistic UX with iOS.

  • edited August 2022

    It sucks that MPC does not understand an ipad connected via USB. You cant use it properly with it, unless you get separate audio interfaces for both with tons of i/o, or dont mind having very limited i/o between the devices, making it impossible for example to use the ipad as an FX unit for more than one track or having all your ios instruments coming on their own audio lanes to the MPC..

    Except ofc if you just send like drums only from the MPC and use ios synths and do all recording etc on ipad. Which kinda ruins the whole idea of MPC keys.

    If ipad worked properly over USB with the MPC, then they would be very nice companions, but without this functionality, the combo is very crippled(without the two high i/o audio interfaces). I have MPC live and have tried to use ipad with it, they just dont work very well together, except for some very limited uses or just using ipad mostly and just sequencing from MPC. Id love to use AUM properly with the MPC, but buying the two interfaces just is not worth it for me :/

  • Regarding the iPad / MPC integration, there are two things I'd like to do:

    • "Play" the iPad on things like Sampler and just get good quality audio into the MPC
    • Use the MPC AutoSampler to get some nice full-range iPad sounds on the MPC
  • edited August 2022
    The user and all related content has been deleted.
  • @ToMess : Wrong : It’s in “The MPC Bible “ at the end of Appendix A.
    You can connect the two either via Bluetooth or the traditional midi ports (w interface , of course ) but true you can’t use usb

  • edited August 2022

    @Telstar5 said:
    @ToMess : Wrong : It’s in “The MPC Bible “ at the end of Appendix A.
    You can connect the two either via Bluetooth or the traditional midi ports (w interface , of course ) but true you can’t use usb

    Yes you can do that only and its very crippled compared to being able to connect via USB and have multiple audio channels back and forth. Like i said, if you want to connect multiple audio channels, you need to have two audio interfaces that have many audio in/outs between the devices.

    Only thing you can do with MPC and ipad connected via USB, is to use MPC as a dummy midi controller for ipad. But then you cant use any of the MPCs functionalities other than buttons and knobs to send midi to ipad. You can do this by connecting ipad and putting MPC in controller mode. But then its no different from any other midi controller that has no menus or anything except pads, buttons and encoders.

    What exactly did i say that was false again?

    I have had my MPC live for about 3 years and ipad even longer and have tried to use them together in pretty much all the ways possible. Currently i rather ditch the ipad completely and use ableton on laptop instead. Also because iDAM is only stereo in/out, it also does not allow me to use my ipad properly with laptop either. I mean i could use one synth on ipad or have all audio come through one stereo channel or use the ipad as FX for one thing at the time, but that would not be worth enough to go through all the hassle of having to hook up ipad every time.. I get some ios instrument on ableton because im running the beta that can use AUV3 plugins, but sadly only very few ios apps can be downloaded for mac..

    It sucks that both apple and Akai are not capable of doing the ipad integration right, like Elektron and Native instruments for example does :/

  • edited August 2022

    @ehehehe said:
    They seem way underpowered for the price and the built in synths are boring. How sucky that you need two interfaces, but i wouldnt expect less from nukai.

    Have you checked on the new updates on its synths? When they first released the synths on MPC, they were pretty boring, but the new ones are pretty sweet, like Odyssei for example.

    Oh and i should also mention that MPC does not work properly with all class compliant audio interfaces, but you need to guess or ask someone who tries a specific interface if it works on MPC or not..

    So its not just that you need some class compliant interface, but you need specific interfaces if you want them to work. For exaple my 6i6 mki does not work properly, i can use only 2 inputs on it and only output is through headphone out.. Even tho the interface is class compliant and MPC is supposed to work with class compliant interfaces. Behringer interfaces work at least and they have one decent priced with many i/o.

  • IMO, I’m buying a MPC to be a sampler. The synths are a nice add-on, but I’m probably never using those. Workstation synths can’t compete with dedicated synths like a Hydrasynth, etc. What I really like about the new MPC’s is the ability to make multi-sample instruments, aka Keygroups (in Akai-speak). I love stacking pads, drones, etc samples to make dense evolving soundscapes.

    FYI, you can load in the older “.akp” Akai format keygroup programs. 1000’s available online.

  • @ToMess : My bad, I don’t even own an MPC yet, just reading about it .. you obviously know more about it than I do.. But you know Akai… Their updates are significant . Also the book says you can use USB via a powered hub. Even as a dummy keyboard I could always sample into the MPC. Lastly , I agree , the new AIR synths definitely DON’T “suck”. Serum may sound better but there’s plenty you can do . I’d be hard pressed to find a DAW that does major updates as often as AKAI.

  • edited August 2022

    @Telstar5 said:
    How?

    I got an MPC One, iPad Pro 11 M1, MicroFreak and KeyStep 37 for under $2000 last year 🤩

  • @Stuntman_mike said:

    @Telstar5 said:
    How?

    I got an MPC One, iPad Pro 11 M1, MicroFreak and KeyStep 37 for under $2000 last year 🤩

    @Stuntman_mike said:

    @Telstar5 said:
    How?

    I got an MPC One, iPad Pro 11 M1, MicroFreak and KeyStep 37 for under $2000 last year 🤩

    😜😜that’s nuts!! Wow ..

  • @Stuntman_mike said:

    @Telstar5 said:
    How?

    I got an MPC One, iPad Pro 11 M1, MicroFreak and KeyStep 37 for under $2000 last year 🤩

    This, all the way, a modular approach, you can swap integrated parts as you see fit.

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