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.

Apple Pencil 1

Is there really no way to turn this thing on/off?

Comments

  • @Ailerom said:
    Is there really no way to turn this thing on/off?

    Nope. It puts itself to sleep if you don’t use it for a bit.

  • @bygjohn Oh that's not so bad. So what turns it back on?

  • @bygjohn said:

    @Ailerom said:
    Is there really no way to turn this thing on/off?

    Nope. It puts itself to sleep if you don’t use it for a bit.

    I think it puts itself to sleep only if you put it down on the table. If you carry it in the ipad case for example it stays on and drains the battery even if you don't use it. It seems the continuos movement keeps the pencil awake.
    At least this is my observation.

  • @Ailerom said:
    @bygjohn Oh that's not so bad. So what turns it back on?

    Inserting it into the iPad's lightning port briefly.

  • I used to switch off Bluetooth after use. Otherwise, sometimes the pencil slept, but sometimes drained battery to zero

  • My pencil 2 battery can drain in just a couple days if I'm not using it and just leave it sitting on a desk. That's my only complaint about it, otherwise brilliant little device.

    When I don't need to charge it first to use it.

  • @Ailerom said:
    @bygjohn Oh that's not so bad. So what turns it back on?

    Moving about near the iPad it’s paired to, I’m pretty sure.

  • My Apple Pencil 1 died due to the battery completely draining and not being able to charge. Apple sent me a replacement free of charge.

  • Apple is unbelievable.

    Why not add an On / Off button?!?

  • I only use my Pencil 1 in Procreate. It’s usually dead if I haven’t used it in a while. I just plug it into my iPad for 10-15 minutes and it’s fully charged. No big deal as far as I’m concerned.

  • @tja said:
    Apple is unbelievable.

    Why not add an On / Off button?!?

    Because it is clear that Apple care more about form than about function. And what's $100 bucks to replace a new pencil in Tim Cook's mind? That's often just the average dinner restaurant tip for many of these Silicon Valley types lol, or the cost of a few fancy cocktails. I just try to keep Bluetooth off as much as possible, it's a real battery killer.

  • @espiegel123 said:

    @Ailerom said:
    @bygjohn Oh that's not so bad. So what turns it back on?

    Inserting it into the iPad's lightning port briefly.

    :D

  • @anickt said:
    I only use my Pencil 1 in Procreate. It’s usually dead if I haven’t used it in a while. I just plug it into my iPad for 10-15 minutes and it’s fully charged. No big deal as far as I’m concerned.

    So there is a way to tell how much charge it has?

    @Gavinski said:

    @tja said:
    Apple is unbelievable.

    Why not add an On / Off button?!?

    Because it is clear that Apple care more about form than about function. And what's $100 bucks to replace a new pencil in Tim Cook's mind? That's often just the average dinner restaurant tip for many of these Silicon Valley types lol, or the cost of a few fancy cocktails. I just try to keep Bluetooth off as much as possible, it's a real battery killer.

    So, turning off the connected device Bluetooth will turn off the pencil?

  • @tja said:
    Apple is unbelievable.

    Why not add an On / Off button?!?

    Ethical pollution, more battery drain, shorter lifespan, more sales, equals more pollution.

  • I have considered getting the pencil 2 for months, it’s quite expensive, for music making, will it change my life or is it just a luxury?

  • I don’t find the pencil all that necessary except for drawing. That’s all I use it for.

  • Thanks for the insight
    My eyes are getting worse by the day and dials sliders etc are getting hard to move consistently on my iPad / iPhone, so thought having the pencil mikght make things easier

  • @Gdub said:
    Thanks for the insight
    My eyes are getting worse by the day and dials sliders etc are getting hard to move consistently on my iPad / iPhone, so thought having the pencil mikght make things easier

    The Apple Pencil has become more or less essential for me as the UI elements of apps get smaller to a degree that they are almost impossible to accurately tap with the finger which is kinda sad as I do prefer to use my fingers.

    Feels like more and more apps are no longer 'designed for touch' but more for pen and other pointing devices.
    My eyes are quite bad as well and while I do have the pencil it's still sometimes hard to see the thing to point the pen at...

  • @Samu
    Thanks also for your input
    Think I will sit on the fence till Black Friday or Xmas
    Kids need feeding and always needing trainers
    They should eat less and use all there energy to make music instead of watching YouTube,
    However hard I try, they just don’t want to learn

  • edited September 2022

    I use my Pencil a lot with Lightroom more than anything. I find it easier to hit the small sliders with it, and there's something about using it for JUST that activity that helps get me in the right mindset. Sort of like how when I'm doing mastering work, I always use a mouse. But for my own music making or daily laptop use, I just use the track pad. It's a nice sort of reinforcement to help your brain switch to a different gear.

    The only thing I really don't like about the Apple Pencil is that it can be kind of loud, that clicking can annoy other people near you. I bought a 30 pack of silicon tip covers on Amazon for like $5, and those make a huge different. Quieter, but just as responsive.

  • @Tarekith
    I understand where you are coming from, small things ( like the pencil or mouse ) just set the mind set
    I am also the same, sometimes i just need someone to point it out to me, and it all makes sense
    Thank you

  • @Gdub said:
    Thanks for the insight
    My eyes are getting worse by the day and dials sliders etc are getting hard to move consistently on my iPad / iPhone, so thought having the pencil mikght make things easier

    I bought a Logitech Crayon a couple of years ago and it is fantastic. Work bought an aftermarket pen of some sort which seems just as good but more comfortable. I use them mainly for drawing and fine editing in Cubase. I can honestly say from my perspective the only reason I bought a Pencil is because I bought Staffpad which literally won't work with anything else. There may be other apps like that and the touch sensitivity thing might be important to some (I know little about it) but in so Staffpad is the only reason I have to spend the extra on a device with no on/off button.

  • I find I use the pencil most with MiRack, it makes it much easier to use without doing so much zooming in and out.

  • edited September 2022

    Couple of things:

    @Ailerom said:
    I bought a Logitech Crayon a couple of years ago and it is fantastic. Work bought an aftermarket pen of some sort which seems just as good but more comfortable.

    As a stylus, yes, just as good as the Pencil. But if you want to make use of pressure sensitivity…no good at all.

    On a positive note, there is a great utility for converting pressure, as well as tilt, orientation and velocity to CC data (and it’s AUV3!): Pen2Bow. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/pen2bow/id1358113198

    Works great with GeoShred, et al.

  • @bygjohn said:
    I find I use the pencil most with MiRack, it makes it much easier to use without doing so much zooming in and out.

    And Thesys, for the same reason.

  • @zilld2017 said:
    As a stylus, yes, just as good as the Pencil. But if you want to make use of pressure sensitivity…no good at all.

    @Ailerom said:
    and the touch sensitivity thing might be important to some (I know little about it) but Staffpad is the only reason I have to spend the extra on a device with no on/off button.

    Yep. As I said, important to some. The only thing I find it necessary for is Staffpad. Although, when I get around to some drawing who know how much my Pencil appreciation will change.

  • Definitely useful for small UI elements, and reduces the number of errors caused by tapping the wrong item.

    It’s most useful for drawing though - works way better than using fingers.

  • @michael_m said:
    Definitely useful for small UI elements, and reduces the number of errors caused by tapping the wrong item.

    It’s most useful for drawing though - works way better than using fingers.

    Isn't that true of any of the cheaper alternatives though?

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