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.

MASTER CLOCK in AB?

AB is great for chaining apps together, but I find it hard or impossible to synchronize (for example) 2 drum machines in AB.

Wouldn't it be nice if AB had a start/stop button that would be linked to all apps that run with clock?

Now I use MIDIbus to sync sequencer based apps and it doesn't see some apps...(no MIDI in/out)

Could this be done, or how do you people solve this problem?

Comments

  • This is one area where IAA seems to have a fundamental advantage over AB at present, so it would be great if Audiobus could somehow implement a similar MIDI routing/Clocking solution.
    (integrated Spectacular Sync Engine and MIDI patchbay ??)

    Personally, I have a couple of saved multi-lane AB chains that I can barely get to make a sound without manually making about 1000 MIDI connections. (slight exaggeration)
    It's a shame because it limits the usefulness of AB presets as way to recall complex effects patches with relative ease.

  • Spectacular Sync Engine... where are you?

  • I remember @Michael mentioning this possibly happening further down the line.

  • Really glad to see (thespectacularssyncengine)is about to make its debut ,see discussion Re.(Syncing or BPM.App,Jan 2013) .Do hope it works in ios 7 This could be a MAJOR step forward and with Michael Tyson on the bridge I'm confident.---- so needed! Will it fit in the Audiobus chain embedded or as an IAP? Either way can't wait !

  • I cannot see why it cannot be done. If Audio bus sent out a Midi Master clock sync messages within Audio bus, all we would have to do is make our apps receive those messeges? When everything is set to sync, within the apps, just press the master button on Audio bus, and then all apps should play in perfect time. Just like the hardware synths which receive standard midi messeges to a PC daw.

  • Exactly Mr. Stud....
    That's what I am after and how I imagined it,....why hasn't it been done? Yet?
    Like you say, a button ON/OFF that would activate all sequencer based apps.
    (Of course the app has to allow midi clock in/out, but that's another story)

  • Would be nice if AB tackled this but two things: 1) Sebastian came right out and said at one point that this is a hard and expensive problem that may not pay off for them (and fair enough). 2) a solid master clock from AB doesn't mean other apps will play nicely. There are already apps out there now with solid MIDI clocks and yet we still have deal breaking sync problems on iOS.

  • I originally thought it might be better not to give Audiobus the responsibility for holding and operating the house clock, but rather, a multitrackable audio collecting end-point. I contacted the manufacturer of Hokusai once (when I was new to it and before I took such a spectacular dislike to it because I started actually trying to use it) that there should be an option to midi start any or all running midi-listening apps when the recording starts, and once started, not to be concerned whether the app stays in sync or not, at all. Then do the same on another track with another synth, and so on. Since then, I think that any multitrack audio recorder would be a good place to put a midi start feature. Keeping it in sync is a separate problem to solve, but I’d be relatively happy at the moment if everything at least started at the same time.

  • I think if AudioBus wants to take everyone on board, they should make sure that we don't have to get out and push.
    And I am not interested in "DAWS" to run a few apps in sync...All I want is a button that puts everything with a clock on route and it gives BPM.
    MidiBus does that, but Audiobus refused to take him on board, (if you want to know why, "contact manufacturer" in AB compatible apps)...could't believe it... lol

  • edited March 2015

    @Sebastian, @Michael..any input from you guys, please?

  • Hi,
    imho it would be great to have the opinion to activate a masterclock in audiobus.
    Do it, if somebody don't like it don't activate it.

  • The problem is that the DAW I use most, Cubasis, can only send out MIDI Master Clock; and cannot receive it; so it cannot slave to any other Master Clock. Maybe Cubasis will fix this in future upgrades. It will be interesting to see if Auria Pro will do things differently?

  • It would be interesting from a high vantage point to see if Audiobus actually did implement the Midibus standard for something like this, whether most iOS music devs would then implement the Midibus SDK.

    Plus we'd have one big, magic bus for everything!

  • @bsantoro said:
    The problem is that the DAW I use most, Cubasis, can only send out MIDI Master Clock; and cannot receive it; so it cannot slave to any other Master Clock. Maybe Cubasis will fix this in future upgrades. It will be interesting to see if Auria Pro will do things differently?

    I have learned with Cubasis not to hold my breath.

    Although, I prefer Cubasis out to the DAW available on IOS.

    I have Auria Pro and all the IAPs, yet, end up back at Cubasis. Not sure if it is intuitive nature of Cubasis, my familiarity with it, or how it is so similar to the studio and software I used over the years.

    With AUM and other potential Eq/Mixer apps, I can see myself in the future just needing a recording app in lieu of "DAW" and it's accoutrements. With apps like Group the Loop, I have really been able to reverse engineer my song production process. Forcing me to work within parameters that I have found helpful in eliminating the fat prior to post production.

    More times than not Cubasis clock signal causes more problems than anything for me.

  • Just out of curiosity: With the global play button in Audiobus and Ableton Link to deal with sync, what's still missing for you?

  • @Sebastian said:
    Just out of curiosity: With the global play button in Audiobus and Ableton Link to deal with sync, what's still missing for you?

    For me, other than a midi learnable global play button everything is perfect! ;)

  • @supadom said:

    @Sebastian said:
    Just out of curiosity: With the global play button in Audiobus and Ableton Link to deal with sync, what's still missing for you?

    For me, other than a midi learnable global play button everything is perfect! ;)

    Noted.

  • @supadom said:

    @Sebastian said:
    Just out of curiosity: With the global play button in Audiobus and Ableton Link to deal with sync, what's still missing for you?

    For me, other than a midi learnable global play button everything is perfect! ;)

    this would be great!

    plus samplr with Link , @supadom ;;-)

  • @obiwahnkentobi said:

    @supadom said:

    @Sebastian said:
    Just out of curiosity: With the global play button in Audiobus and Ableton Link to deal with sync, what's still missing for you?

    For me, other than a midi learnable global play button everything is perfect! ;)

    this would be great!

    plus samplr with Link , @supadom ;;-)

    These are the two biggest things on my wish list: a MIDI learnable AB play/stop button and Link enabled Samplr.

  • I wouldn't say no to linked turnado either

  • @supadom said:
    I wouldn't say no to linked turnado either

    And while you weren't saying no I'd be at your elbow shouting yes.

  • Ooh my. I don't dare dream of that given sugar bytes relative interest in iOS, it seems. But yes.

  • edited February 2016

    I heard Samplr.. Who said Samplr update?

  • @lukesleepwalker said:

    @obiwahnkentobi said:

    @supadom said:

    @Sebastian said:
    Just out of curiosity: With the global play button in Audiobus and Ableton Link to deal with sync, what's still missing for you?

    For me, other than a midi learnable global play button everything is perfect! ;)

    this would be great!

    plus samplr with Link , @supadom ;;-)

    These are the two biggest things on my wish list: a MIDI learnable AB play/stop button and Link enabled Samplr.

    Link enabled Impaktor!

  • @gburks you just added to my list!

  • From my lengthy conversation with impaktor' dev it's highly unlikely he'll add link. He sees it as a percussive instrument rather than a percuencer. Of course I secretly hope it does somehow happen but I'm not holding my breath.

  • I can certainly see this point of view. One of the reasons I use impaktor is that it isn't "perfect" like sequenced/quantized tracks.

  • @lukesleepwalker said:
    I can certainly see this point of view. One of the reasons I use impaktor is that it isn't "perfect" like sequenced/quantized tracks.

    Ditto.

    Many of the worlds best and relevant house DJs' and producers will actually tell you that "off" or "out of sync" component is what makes their sound the way it is and recognizable.

    People forget when you are in the zone of neurologically responsive soundwaves that contusions to the percussion could potentially have exponentially significant results.

    Its about the things between the sound as a wise man once told me.

Sign In or Register to comment.