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.

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Audiobus is the app that makes the rest of your setup better.

Song Of The Month Club - March 2023

What is the Song of the Month Club?

It's a place where musicians come to give and receive feedback on their work. Anyone is welcome, whatever their level of ability.

The spirit of the club is to contribute: if you submit a song for others to comment on, you should also have the courtesy to listen to everyone else's contributions and give as much feedback as possible. Posting a track and not listening and commenting on others is not cool.

The purpose of feedback is to be honest. Essentially you should give your truthful impressions of the song, whether good or bad. Negative feedback, if done in the right spirit and with courtesy, can be the most useful and can help the artist to grow and improve and correct their mistakes.

All submissions are welcome, don't hesitate if you want to contribute. We like all kinds of music and we are particularly fond of vocals (but of course we still love a great instrumental). If you are thinking of experimenting with vocals this is a good place to get started.

We ask that you only post one song per month in this thread - if you're lucky enough to be able to produce more, then please just submit your strongest material

And finally, iOS is not a requirement for posting here. If you've recorded your song using nothing but a ukulele and a Fostex 4 track, that's fine.

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Comments

  • My entry for the month (which I also recently posted in Creations), which includes a couple of female vocalists that I hired on Fiverr to sing (they are called Iseult and Pauline Mykell, you can find them both on Spotify). My voice is also in there somewhere, but it's quite far back in the mix :)

    Lyrics in the spoiler:

    A broken dream, a broken world
    Well I think I know how this unfurls
    My broken dream, in your hand
    Scattered pieces all around

    So this is how our hearts are broken
    This is what the wounded say
    This is what was left unspoken
    This is why the faithful pray

    An ugly scene, and ugly words
    And all the lies we overheard
    And so it seems, we understand
    We’re arguing on sinking sand

    So this is how our hearts are broken
    This is what the wounded say
    This is what was left unspoken
    This is why the faithful pray

  • edited March 2023

    My entry for this month.
    Lyrics in the spoiler

    Take me
    Somewhere nicer
    Some place brighter
    Where we could feel at ease
    Just doing what we please
    Without hurting each other
    And make it warmer.

    What a mess we made
    Look at the fading days
    Look at the babies' eyes
    We poison with our lies
    Does someone know the answer
    And take us some place higher ?

  • @JanKun said:
    My entry for this month.
    Lyrics in the spoiler

    Take me
    Somewhere nicer
    Some place brighter
    Where we could feel at ease
    Just doing what we please
    Without hurting each other
    And make it warmer.

    What a mess we made
    Look at the fading days
    Look at the babies' eyes
    We poison with our lies
    Does someone know the answer
    And take us some place higher ?

    Good to see you here B)

    It's a haunting tune, the singing is raw and emotional, with a slight hint of Thom Yorke to the performance. Good lyrics, and the vibe of the song conveys the despair in them perfectly.

  • track for this month I just finnished this afternoon

  • @richardyot said:
    My entry for the month (which I also recently posted in Creations), which includes a couple of female vocalists that I hired on Fiverr to sing (they are called Iseult and Pauline Mykell, you can find them both on Spotify). My voice is also in there somewhere, but it's quite far back in the mix :)

    ++++++++++++++++
    Very hip, and I love this recording.
    Truly lovely vocals. I love the lyrics as well.
    Very well done!

  • @ReneAsologuitar said:

    @richardyot said:
    My entry for the month (which I also recently posted in Creations), which includes a couple of female vocalists that I hired on Fiverr to sing (they are called Iseult and Pauline Mykell, you can find them both on Spotify). My voice is also in there somewhere, but it's quite far back in the mix :)

    ++++++++++++++++
    Very hip, and I love this recording.
    Truly lovely vocals. I love the lyrics as well.
    Very well done!

    Thanks! 🥰

  • @JanKun said:
    My entry for this month.

    ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
    Truly emotional vocals, and I am digging this.
    You are an artist, and you are so appreciated, @JanKun !
    Loving this recording.

  • @martinsa82 said:
    track for this month I just finnished this afternoon

    Another nice piano meditation, with some good flow and dynamics. Maybe not quite as melodically satisfying as some of your previous work but very good nonetheless.

  • This is a music track that I improvised on two MIDI keyboards connected to an iPad.

    I used Bome Network software to send the iPad's MIDI notes to Bitwig Studio running on a desktop PC. There the MIDI was routed to Solo for the singing voice and Omnisphere for the background instruments.

    After bringing the audio recording into Vegas Pro, I applied the Lurssen Mastering Console plug-in to the audio mix.

    It's titled Portal.

  • @richardyot really like, as always - with this one though, might it work better without any drums? Tor style B)

    @JanKun wow that’s a super engaging piece, love the fragility. In agreement with Richard about the Thom vibe

    @martinsa82 excellent piano which I really enjoyed, not as keen on the drum beat if I’m honest but keen to check out more of your stuff

    @DavidEnglish mesmerizing both sonically and visually. Curious about ‘Solo’ - those operatic vocals are really effective. That’s a desktop program I guess (thus out of bounds for me :'( )

  • I might be breaking a rule here (pls let me know @richardyot ) as posted similar piece in Creations. However I’d like to support the monthly thread plus I just did a new, slightly different take for Soundcloud (previous one is a Youtube video).

    Anyhoo it’s a semi-generative ambient effort
    100% on iPad, many apps involved but AUM, LK Matrix, ChordPolyPad and StepPolyArp are at the heart of it. It has rain and CS80-style brass for a Vangelis vibe in places :)

    Hoping to build out the Starship Relic catalogue over time.

  • A much simpler arrangement from me this month. This is the story of an asylum seeker who spent more than two decades sleeping on the night buses that criss-cross London, before eventually being given leave to remain in the UK.

    Wind penetrates the beaten greatcoat
    Patiently waiting, cold winter biting
    Legs are weary, he stands firm
    Routemaster lunges to a halt

    Wing mirror clips overhung branches
    Greets the driver with a gentle bow
    Weathered Oyster card in his hand
    Settles in for the ride ahead

    Clutching a bag into his stomach
    Wrinkled hands start to thaw
    Eyes start to close, mind is drifting
    To another time, his younger self

    Night rider for 21 years
    Asylum rejected, a sixth sense of danger
    All take your seats on the N29
    And dare to dream of a brighter life

    Kneeling and praying, waiting for the guard
    Lifted to his feet, silent corridors
    Blinding sunlight, a car was waiting
    He’d dare to dream, of a brighter future
    Jerked back to now, a drunken scrum
    Tuneless singing trailing to the upper deck
    Heading home, cramming in fast food, while
    Foreigners scramble to pre-dawn cleaning jobs

    Christmas night shelters and scattered churches
    Daytime exodus, the walking dead
    Beating the curfew has taken its toll
    Old knees are creaking but his heart remains young

    https://soundcloud.com/bill-saunders/nightrider

  • @richardyot said:
    My entry for the month (which I also recently posted in Creations), which includes a couple of female vocalists that I hired on Fiverr to sing (they are called Iseult and Pauline Mykell, you can find them both on Spotify). My voice is also in there somewhere, but it's quite far back in the mix :)

    Lyrics in the spoiler:

    A broken dream, a broken world
    Well I think I know how this unfurls
    My broken dream, in your hand
    Scattered pieces all around

    So this is how our hearts are broken
    This is what the wounded say
    This is what was left unspoken
    This is why the faithful pray

    An ugly scene, and ugly words
    And all the lies we overheard
    And so it seems, we understand
    We’re arguing on sinking sand

    So this is how our hearts are broken
    This is what the wounded say
    This is what was left unspoken
    This is why the faithful pray

    Excellent! The melody and mood really draw you in, and I love the bass line and playing. Great emotional piece. I’d love to know more about the Fivrr experience - how did you find it? Did you sing the melody yourself first as a guide for the singers? What method did you use to collaborate and how would you rate the whole experience?

  • @JanKun said:
    My entry for this month.
    Lyrics in the spoiler

    Take me
    Somewhere nicer
    Some place brighter
    Where we could feel at ease
    Just doing what we please
    Without hurting each other
    And make it warmer.

    What a mess we made
    Look at the fading days
    Look at the babies' eyes
    We poison with our lies
    Does someone know the answer
    And take us some place higher ?

    Wow, this is pure raw emotion condensed in a short song. The vocals are extraordinary - I won’t pretend this would be something I’d listen to for enjoyment as such, it’s just too ‘out there’ for me, but it’s a highly original piece and a truly full on performance. Good stuff!

  • @martinsa82 said:
    track for this month I just finnished this afternoon

    A another lovely listen from you and an accomplished, polished piece. I like the changes of pace that ebb and flow throughout which add interest.

  • @DavidEnglish said:
    This is a music track that I improvised on two MIDI keyboards connected to an iPad.

    I used Bome Network software to send the iPad's MIDI notes to Bitwig Studio running on a desktop PC. There the MIDI was routed to Solo for the singing voice and Omnisphere for the background instruments.

    After bringing the audio recording into Vegas Pro, I applied the Lurssen Mastering Console plug-in to the audio mix.

    It's titled Portal.

    Yes, I too think the operatic voices sound great and I might have to investigate Solo myself. All your pieces are beautifully put together and presented.

  • @wired2moon said:
    I might be breaking a rule here (pls let me know @richardyot ) as posted similar piece in Creations. However I’d like to support the monthly thread plus I just did a new, slightly different take for Soundcloud (previous one is a Youtube video).

    Anyhoo it’s a semi-generative ambient effort
    100% on iPad, many apps involved but AUM, LK Matrix, ChordPolyPad and StepPolyArp are at the heart of it. It has rain and CS80-style brass for a Vangelis vibe in places :)

    Hoping to build out the Starship Relic catalogue over time.

    What an epic journey that was, very imaginative and I bet a whole lot of fun to create

  • I’m still learning how to use Pocket Singer with a new track that was a lot of fun to do. I think this app really deserves more attention and can really do the job should you give it enough love. Lyrics are :

    What is the purpose of our time on earth
    Why do we exist
    What's our worth
    Is it to love and be loved in return
    Or to chase success until we learn the meaning of life is not a mystery
    It's in the moments that we choose to see
    In the laughter and the tears

  • @BillS said:
    A much simpler arrangement from me this month. This is the story of an asylum seeker who spent more than two decades sleeping on the night buses that criss-cross London, before eventually being given leave to remain in the UK.

    Wind penetrates the beaten greatcoat
    Patiently waiting, cold winter biting
    Legs are weary, he stands firm
    Routemaster lunges to a halt

    Wing mirror clips overhung branches
    Greets the driver with a gentle bow
    Weathered Oyster card in his hand
    Settles in for the ride ahead

    Clutching a bag into his stomach
    Wrinkled hands start to thaw
    Eyes start to close, mind is drifting
    To another time, his younger self

    Night rider for 21 years
    Asylum rejected, a sixth sense of danger
    All take your seats on the N29
    And dare to dream of a brighter life

    Kneeling and praying, waiting for the guard
    Lifted to his feet, silent corridors
    Blinding sunlight, a car was waiting
    He’d dare to dream, of a brighter future
    Jerked back to now, a drunken scrum
    Tuneless singing trailing to the upper deck
    Heading home, cramming in fast food, while
    Foreigners scramble to pre-dawn cleaning jobs

    Christmas night shelters and scattered churches
    Daytime exodus, the walking dead
    Beating the curfew has taken its toll
    Old knees are creaking but his heart remains young

    https://soundcloud.com/bill-saunders/nightrider

    Cool tune. I really like the vocal style. The overall sound of the song is very good.
    Reminds me of roger waters.

  • This is how hearts are broken just gets better with each version you post 🙏 a great laid back feel to it.
    Wow @JanKun you packed a lot into just over a couple of minutes, such emotion !
    Enjoyed yours a lot @martinsa82 , lovely playing.
    Great lyrics @BillS and loved the snatches of violin.
    Wasn’t convinced by yours @cuscolima at the beginning but it just grew on me more and more as it went on. The voice, especially in the lower register is weirdly good 🤨

  • @JanKun Very Radiohead-ish track, even the voice sound very similar to York. It is a beautiful track
    @richardyot I really like the double-voice. It sounds to me a bit like the early Eskobar. Very nice
    @martinsa82 A complex track with lot of variation around piano patterns. I would have appreciated more evolution with volume to bring more tension
    @DavidEnglish very nice ambient track. I am vey impress with the voice that is coming from a desktop app if I understand well. Nice and meditative
    @wired2moon Immediately reminded me Bladerunner. Very well recorder, a work of pro
    @BillS a simple, nice and efficient song. I liked it the way it is

  • @GeoTony @Jmd8928 @cuscolima thanks very much for taking the time to listen and comment. The snatches of violin were courtesy of GeoShred…I don’t do simple songs like this very often, find it harder than more complex arrangements.

  • @DavidEnglish said:
    This is a music track that I improvised on two MIDI keyboards connected to an iPad.

    I used Bome Network software to send the iPad's MIDI notes to Bitwig Studio running on a desktop PC. There the MIDI was routed to Solo for the singing voice and Omnisphere for the background instruments.

    After bringing the audio recording into Vegas Pro, I applied the Lurssen Mastering Console plug-in to the audio mix.

    It's titled Portal.

    The choral voice is beautiful, and definitely gives it a very different feel to most other ambient pieces.

  • @wired2moon said:
    I might be breaking a rule here (pls let me know @richardyot ) as posted similar piece in Creations. However I’d like to support the monthly thread plus I just did a new, slightly different take for Soundcloud (previous one is a Youtube video).

    Anyhoo it’s a semi-generative ambient effort
    100% on iPad, many apps involved but AUM, LK Matrix, ChordPolyPad and StepPolyArp are at the heart of it. It has rain and CS80-style brass for a Vangelis vibe in places :)

    Hoping to build out the Starship Relic catalogue over time.

    The vocal samples mixed with the ambient textures are really evocative, and the overall feel is very nice. The Blade Runner vibe is pretty strong when the brassy synth plays, and I really like the way the track evolves through several movements, each with their own mood.

  • @BillS said:
    A much simpler arrangement from me this month. This is the story of an asylum seeker who spent more than two decades sleeping on the night buses that criss-cross London, before eventually being given leave to remain in the UK.

    Wind penetrates the beaten greatcoat
    Patiently waiting, cold winter biting
    Legs are weary, he stands firm
    Routemaster lunges to a halt

    Wing mirror clips overhung branches
    Greets the driver with a gentle bow
    Weathered Oyster card in his hand
    Settles in for the ride ahead

    Clutching a bag into his stomach
    Wrinkled hands start to thaw
    Eyes start to close, mind is drifting
    To another time, his younger self

    Night rider for 21 years
    Asylum rejected, a sixth sense of danger
    All take your seats on the N29
    And dare to dream of a brighter life

    Kneeling and praying, waiting for the guard
    Lifted to his feet, silent corridors
    Blinding sunlight, a car was waiting
    He’d dare to dream, of a brighter future
    Jerked back to now, a drunken scrum
    Tuneless singing trailing to the upper deck
    Heading home, cramming in fast food, while
    Foreigners scramble to pre-dawn cleaning jobs

    Christmas night shelters and scattered churches
    Daytime exodus, the walking dead
    Beating the curfew has taken its toll
    Old knees are creaking but his heart remains young

    https://soundcloud.com/bill-saunders/nightrider

    I really like the pared-back production on this one, it works really well and lets the song stand on its own merits. Great vocal performance as well, unadorned by production tricks.

  • @BillS said:

    @richardyot said:
    My entry for the month (which I also recently posted in Creations), which includes a couple of female vocalists that I hired on Fiverr to sing (they are called Iseult and Pauline Mykell, you can find them both on Spotify). My voice is also in there somewhere, but it's quite far back in the mix :)

    Lyrics in the spoiler:

    A broken dream, a broken world
    Well I think I know how this unfurls
    My broken dream, in your hand
    Scattered pieces all around

    So this is how our hearts are broken
    This is what the wounded say
    This is what was left unspoken
    This is why the faithful pray

    An ugly scene, and ugly words
    And all the lies we overheard
    And so it seems, we understand
    We’re arguing on sinking sand

    So this is how our hearts are broken
    This is what the wounded say
    This is what was left unspoken
    This is why the faithful pray

    Excellent! The melody and mood really draw you in, and I love the bass line and playing. Great emotional piece. I’d love to know more about the Fivrr experience - how did you find it? Did you sing the melody yourself first as a guide for the singers? What method did you use to collaborate and how would you rate the whole experience?

    Thanks for listening :)

    In answer to your questions (sorry it's taken me so long to get back to this):

    I recorded a version of the song with my vocals, which I supplied to the singers as a guide, and then they recorded their versions to follow that. They then sent back their vocal stems as wav files.

    It all went very smoothly, and it wasn't especially expensive: prices range from £30 upwards.

    I would definitely do it again, in fact I've asked one of the singers to sing on another 4 of my songs.

  • You made the mistake last month Richard (and @BillS I think) of asking for something…so here it is!
    Not sure it’s a valid entry, it’s not a song, has no vocals and I couldn’t repeat it if I tried but I was pleased with it.
    I’m sat here without any heating, boiler has blown up, so needed something to stop my hands from freezing up 🥶

    Very quickly thrown together track…
    Loaded Piano Motifs, pressed generate and took the first motif that came along.
    Used that to play Ravenscroft 275 through FAC Alteza, Spirangle and Velvet Machine (all on initial presets)
    Loaded GeoShred Gong Lead preset, had a 30 second familiarisation with the motif and then just went for it, mistakes and all 🤨

  • @cuscolima said:
    I’m still learning how to use Pocket Singer with a new track that was a lot of fun to do. I think this app really deserves more attention and can really do the job should you give it enough love. Lyrics are :

    What is the purpose of our time on earth
    Why do we exist
    What's our worth
    Is it to love and be loved in return
    Or to chase success until we learn the meaning of life is not a mystery
    It's in the moments that we choose to see
    In the laughter and the tears

    Interesting, I haven't really been paying attention to this app, it sounds very human and convincing. The melody in this tracks is probably not what a real singer would sing though, with those intervals in the middle of words which are not natural sounding.

    It should be interesting to see how you progress with this, I would suggest going for a simpler and more natural melody.

  • @GeoTony said:
    You made the mistake last month Richard (and @BillS I think) of asking for something…so here it is!
    Not sure it’s a valid entry, it’s not a song, has no vocals and I couldn’t repeat it if I tried but I was pleased with it.
    I’m sat here without any heating, boiler has blown up, so needed something to stop my hands from freezing up 🥶

    Very quickly thrown together track…
    Loaded Piano Motifs, pressed generate and took the first motif that came along.
    Used that to play Ravenscroft 275 through FAC Alteza, Spirangle and Velvet Machine (all on initial presets)
    Loaded GeoShred Gong Lead preset, had a 30 second familiarisation with the motif and then just went for it, mistakes and all 🤨

    Nice improvisation B)

    The tone and the phrasing are quite Knopfler-esque, and the playing is very good.

    If I could just give one minor piece of criticism it would be this: there are some really nice phrases in the improv, and some great melodic playing, but (for me at least) some of the fast runs were a bit distracting. I would have preferred some more space in the music, and fewer of the shreddy runs, because that creates more evocative and memorable melodies.

    Just for comparison, since this is the track that came to mind when I was listening to this, note how much more space there is in the playing, Knopfler uses fewer notes, and doesn't fill every bar with music, but lets the melodies breathe:

  • Cheers Richard, I appreciate any comments as I still very much class myself as a beginner… your absolutely right, I put too many notes in because basically I can 😊 but I know the end result is not as musical as I could make it. I love Knopfler so know exactly what you mean about space. Many thanks.

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