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.

More love for the TNRs

2

Comments

  • @Littlewoodg said:

    @Matt_Fletcher_2000 said:

    So next question - does anyone know what the 'user' instruments are for? Presumably you can't upload your own samples?

    You can upload your own samples. Top Menu : Preference Menu : User Voice Settings : User 1, 2, 3 (three separate instruments or kits can be built from here) the next window shows 16 slots, tap 1-16 takes you to a page to paste (from device pasteboard or AudioCopy app), record, or select from your onboard files. There's basic sample trim and normalize.

    As far as recording actual multitrack midi performances: setting up long open tracks and recording in Gadget using the Gadget stuff is a cool idea.

    Also as noted above I accidentally discovered that BM2 records the TNR's output as separate midi channels via IAA.

    Up to 16 instances of TNR in BM2, assigned to their own tracks as IAA instruments on BM2's instrument console...results in separate midi tracks for each layer

    Somebody forgot to tell these two that IAA doesn't allow multiple instances...

    This is whack, and I don't really get why this works.

    BM2's midi settings menu show network session only, not TNR by name...and also weirdly each track (the way BM2 does IAA) is an audio track when you are using IAA instruments, but BM2 records a discrete midi channel track of that TNR layer on top of a mix down of all the layers playing currently, a kind of audio guide track...so weird. The audio track of all layers is recorded on each track, as the midi data is laid down at the same time...

    I've tried this with Cubasis and MTS, no go.

    There's more to find out, in terms of BM2/TNR love: are volume changes being recorded (live cueing from the mix control) Im guessing yes, as volume changes are sent to Roland SC, Gadget and Thumbjam when I use those...and is there a way to use BM2 to get discrete audio channel stems along with the discrete midi stems...I guess multiple passes of the Song in TNR w/selective muting, but I bet there's another way.

    Thanks.

    I've also noticed that you can also have two Animoogs in two TNR IAA channels. Don't get excited - it's the same Animoog. But it means you can send two patterns to it simultaneously from TNR. Presumably more than two also possible.

    The beatmaker thing makes sense to me. BM2s tracks are obviously tied to incremental IAA midi channels - so it's receiving midi a track per channel. I doubt very much you'll find a way to split the audio coming out of TNR though - since it doesn't have separate audio ports.

    The fact that Gadget is responding to TNRs 'volume' is interesting. I presume it is therefore effecting note velocity? That means I could bring tracks in and out with volume (and then go into Gadget and delete all the 0 velocity notes afterwards to tidy things up.

    Blocks, I've realised, are almost exactly like scenes in Gadget. And layers are like tracks in Gadget.

    The only difference is that it doesn't play straight through block 1-16 - you need to control this yourself.

  • Interesting... The volume control on TNR actually sends a value for cc7 (which in Gadget is normally the gadget's output level).

    So it's not sending note velocity.

  • edited July 2016

    @Matt_Fletcher_2000 said:
    Interesting... The volume control on TNR actually sends a value for cc7 (which in Gadget is normally the gadget's output level).

    So it's not sending note velocity.

    makes sense that its volume, I noticed the tweaks in TNR R4 mixer page were actually restting Roland SC's mixer sliders...seems like midi send overall is limited to on/off, volume, octave and transpose (though here only certain IAA sources)

    @Matt_Fletcher_2000 said:

    I've also noticed that you can also have two Animoogs in two TNR IAA channels. Don't get excited - it's the same Animoog. But it means you can send two patterns to it simultaneously from TNR. Presumably more than two also possible.

    I did get excited after reading this about Animoog: because you reminded me Animoog isn't universal!

    I now have 2 on my iPad and you can too (one will have a 1x iPhone GUI)...ha! Thanks @Matt_Fletcher_2000, your posts do help me to look again, (and again) with fresh eyes!

  • Yep. 2 Animoogs and the rest of your tracks as Gadget tracks. What more do you need?

    The one thing I'm wondering about is how TNR is at sending out midi for drum tracks. Gadget wants its drum midi to be chromatic from C2 upwards.

    So presumably that would mean the scale you choose for all the other layers in TNR has to be chromatic. That's a bit of a pain if you want to drive both drums and synths. Or does it work in another way?

  • @Matt_Fletcher_2000 said:
    Yep. 2 Animoogs and the rest of your tracks as Gadget tracks. What more do you need?

    Yep, those and Model 15...Whenever I hear something like that, and really think about it, I am tempted to delete all the other synths I've got. Tempted for minutes at a time...

    The drum thing could be a headache, maybe a custom user scale with transpose tweaks per layer? (I use the chromatic scale when I sequence, not to mention until Gladstone my fav Gadget drums were Tokyo and even then I tend to only go 3 piece with drums...my only issue has been when the default scale of a sequencer tool isn't chromatic and suddenly my drum machine isn't "working")

  • @Littlewoodg said:

    @Matt_Fletcher_2000 said:
    Yep. 2 Animoogs and the rest of your tracks as Gadget tracks. What more do you need?

    Yep, those and Model 15...Whenever I hear something like that, and really think about it, I am tempted to delete all the other synths I've got. Tempted for minutes at a time...

    The drum thing could be a headache, maybe a custom user scale with transpose tweaks per layer? (I use the chromatic scale when I sequence, not to mention until Gladstone my fav Gadget drums were Tokyo and even then I tend to only go 3 piece with drums...my only issue has been when the default scale of a sequencer tool isn't chromatic and suddenly my drum machine isn't "working")

    Ah.... Yep, could be a headache. My solution, I'm thinking, is to set TNR to compose in whatever scale I choose but then just make sure the drums I need in Gadget (London or Bilboa etc) are placed in slots that correspond to notes in that scale. Should work OK as a work around. I might be down to 5 or so drum slots in London but I could cope with that.

    Right now I can't seem to get the scale features in TNR to have any effect at all on the scale of the midi it's outputting. It keeps just outputting all the white keys from C upwards (c major). But that's probably user error.

    Have you explored the bounce mode (for drums)? Now that is cool.

  • More discoveries:

    If you set an external app to be 'IAA' then unfortunately it seems like changing transpose, octave or scale has no effect at all on the midi being sent (at least in my tests to Gadget).

    But, you can work round this by:

    • set an empty spare layer to be a Gadget IAA (you need 1 layer like this in order to have any midi sent to Gadget and to keep TNR alive in the background)

    • have your real layers you want sent to Gadget set to the internal instrument of 'user 3' and make sure this doesn't have any samples in

    • then the transpose, octave and scale is reflected in the midi sent.

    A bug I think, but at least the above makes it work as in terms of sending midi.

  • And....

    Jeeez - I didn't realise but the effects (including the looper etc) actually work on the incoming Gadget audio in TNR... (all tracks). That's pretty cool (if you wanted to record the audio of the performance live).

  • Tnr e and Ikaossilator are my both favorite apps .Does someone Know How to change the octave in TNR E with IAA ? It works with the built-in instruments but i can't change the octave of Gadget for example .

  • @grego68 said:
    Tnr e and Ikaossilator are my both favorite apps .Does someone Know How to change the octave in TNR E with IAA ? It works with the built-in instruments but i can't change the octave of Gadget for example .

    Yep. You're right. It's a bug I think.

    The workaround is:

    • load Gadget as an IAA in a spare layer of TNR
    • then use built in instrument layers to send midi to Gadget (each layer still sends midi according to its layer number even if it's a built in instrument).
  • @grego68
    Yep, some IAA stuff deals with octave stuff, Roland SC, Thumbjam, some particular synths...and some not so much.

    Though I just checked with TNRe, and Gadget Chicago, octave change sent no problem- weird. Are u using midi "advanced" in Gadget? (This allows multiple Gadgets in multiple layers, with channel assignment)

  • @Littlewoodg said:
    @grego68
    Yep, some IAA stuff deals with octave stuff, Roland SC, Thumbjam, some particular synths...and some not so much.

    Though I just checked with TNRe, and Gadget Chicago, octave change sent no problem- weird. Are u using midi "advanced" in Gadget? (This allows multiple Gadgets in multiple layers, with channel assignment)

    I don't think it's to do with the receiving app. I think TNR is buggy in this respect.

    At first I thought it was dependant on the layer being IAA or internal. With internal layers able to change midi out octave/scale/transpose etc. Worked with layer 2 and 3. But layer 1 will only do this when certain instruments are assigned, not others.

    Then, suddenly, my A minor user scale got messed up for no reason and is permanently transposed down a semi tone accross all layers (when it shouldn't be). This happened when changing instrument.

    It's all a bit weird and fraustrating.

    I might try with a brand new file, if I can work out how to create one!

  • I have this to change the octave ,it' s a good Nice little app Zen Musical Harmonizer ZMH-1 par Jonathan Pivar
    https://appsto.re/fr/07RXab.i

  • Can you start it in sync with Auria or Cubasis?

  • @NTKK said:
    Can you start it in sync with Auria or Cubasis?

    It 'should' - if either of those can send midi clock and a midi start signal. Because I can get Midi-Link Sync to start it.

    However, i'm getting pretty poor timing (about a 16th of a bar out at 126bpm) going: Gadget >(link)> MidiLinkSync>(midi clock)>TNR>(midi notes)>Gadget... on an iphone6.

    But i guess that's life sending midi without link.

    MidiLinkSync has a nudge tool for it's midi clock - which helps a bit... but it still seems the midi clock combined with sending 4 tracks of midi notes is a bit unstable.

  • in other news I think i've cracked the scale/octave/transpose thing finally.

    The solution is to set every layer to IAA (instrument undefined). That seems to always allow note transposition. (And you actually only need one instance of Gadget selected somewhere as an IAA instrument).

    I think the problem stems from:
    1. Layers reverting to internal instruments whenever you restart
    2. Some internal instruments (drum kits) being locked and not allowing transposition (that makes sense)
    3. Some other weird stuff going on

    But just ensuring your layer is set to an undefined IAA seems to allow you to transpose the midi going out on that channel. You might need to check this hasn't reset to an internal instrument each time you start a session though.

  • @Matt_Fletcher_2000 said:

    @NTKK said:
    Can you start it in sync with Auria or Cubasis?

    It 'should' - if either of those can send midi clock and a midi start signal. Because I can get Midi-Link Sync to start it.

    However, i'm getting pretty poor timing (about a 16th of a bar out at 126bpm) going: Gadget >(link)> MidiLinkSync>(midi clock)>TNR>(midi notes)>Gadget... on an iphone6.

    But i guess that's life sending midi without link.

    MidiLinkSync has a nudge tool for it's midi clock - which helps a bit... but it still seems the midi clock combined with sending 4 tracks of midi notes is a bit unstable.

    Actually, forget that re the sync not being very reliable. It was user error.

    I forgot that annoyingly TNR doesn't reset itself to the start of the loop when you stop it. So I was triggering it to start half way through it's loop - which was obviously going to mean the timing was out. Once I remembered to reset the loop to the start in TNR (via the play menu) then the

    Gadget >(link)> MidiLinkSync>(midi clock)>TNR>(midi notes)>Gadget...

    sync works pretty well. I put a +30ms compensation on in MidiLinkSync and it's printing midi pretty much spot on in Gadget with quantise switched off.

  • edited July 2016

    @Matt_Fletcher_2000 said:
    in other news I think i've cracked the scale/octave/transpose thing finally.

    The solution is to set every layer to IAA (instrument undefined). That seems to always allow note transposition. (And you actually only need one instance of Gadget selected somewhere as an IAA instrument).

    I think the problem stems from:
    1. Layers reverting to internal instruments whenever you restart
    2. Some internal instruments (drum kits) being locked and not allowing transposition (that makes sense)
    3. Some other weird stuff going on

    But just ensuring your layer is set to an undefined IAA seems to allow you to transpose the midi going out on that channel. You might need to check this hasn't reset to an internal instrument each time you start a session though.

    This is where the file "all settings" is handy, after setting up and saving what are essentially templates (no notes, just scale and other Master and layer settings and IAA instrument assignments) w/layers 1-16 assigned to Gadget, another with layers 1-8 to thumbjam, another with layers 1-16 assigned to Roland SC, and another w/1-8 assigned to Square Synth, and a couple with combinations of 8 layers of one source and 8 layers of another...

    The steps to assign 16 IAA instruments in TNR aren't ultra laborious, but there is a lot of scrolling and selecting if you've got a lot of IAA instrument on your device, and if you're using TNR with your IAA stuff. whatever it is, it's so much more fluid for your music making just to set it up one time. Upon opening TNR select the template you want, then go to your source to choosecand tweak the voices in your source instrument, and get to the making music part... Your composition can then be saved as ""All Blocks" and/or Song/Audio. The All Settings file you started with remains as it was to use again.

  • @Littlewoodg said:

    @Matt_Fletcher_2000 said:
    in other news I think i've cracked the scale/octave/transpose thing finally.

    The solution is to set every layer to IAA (instrument undefined). That seems to always allow note transposition. (And you actually only need one instance of Gadget selected somewhere as an IAA instrument).

    I think the problem stems from:
    1. Layers reverting to internal instruments whenever you restart
    2. Some internal instruments (drum kits) being locked and not allowing transposition (that makes sense)
    3. Some other weird stuff going on

    But just ensuring your layer is set to an undefined IAA seems to allow you to transpose the midi going out on that channel. You might need to check this hasn't reset to an internal instrument each time you start a session though.

    This is where the file "all settings" is handy, after setting up and saving what are essentially templates (no notes, just scale and other Master and lauer settings and IAA instrument assignments) w/layers 1-16 assigned to Gadget, another with layers 1-8 to thumbjam, another with layers 1-16 assigned to Roland SC, and another w/1-8 assigned to Square Synth, and a couple with combinations of 8 layers of one source and 8 layers of another (Square Synth and Thunbjam!).

    The steps to assign 16 IAA instruments in TNR aren't ultra laborious, but there is a lot of scrolling and selecting if you've got a lot of IAA instrument on your device, and if you're using TNR with your IAA stuff. whatever it is, it's so much more fluid for your music making just to set it up one time. Upon opening TNR select the template you want, then go to your source to choosecand tweak the voices in your source instrument, and get to the making music part... Your composition can then be saved as ""All Blocks" and/or Song/Audio. The All Settings file you start remains as it was to use again.

    Very cool. Although i'm finding that 'all settings' isn't actually retaining things like user scale and the assignment to IAAs. Unless this is user error.

    Anyway - i've just figured out a great way to enhance this 'performance device' to include cc modulation in the source app(s)... (at the cost of a few layers)... How about this:

    • Decide that you want your piece to control, say 8 tracks in Gadget
    • Then give over the other 8 volume controls to be for controlling parameters in those 8 Gadget synths
    • They will send midi cc7 on channels 9-16, so set up a midiflow template to intercept them and redirect them to be, say, cc100 on midi channels 1-8.
    • Then just have Gadget midi learn whatever parameter you want to modulate in each gadget.

    Obviously it's an extra step to take these midi ccs through MidiFlow - but you'd only have to make the template in MidiFlow once.

    The only other downside is TNR jumps those volume slides in increments of 8 values unfortunately. But I can probably live with that.

    Haven't tried it yet in practice - but could be fun.

  • Hi Matt
    Hold R4 and L1 to reset. Still struggeling with midi link sync...

  • edited July 2016

    @NTKK said:
    Hi Matt
    Hold R4 and L1 to reset. Still struggeling with midi link sync...

    Yes, thanks... That's a great shortcut.

    Midi Link Sync is great...

    • ensure the tab at the top is link >> midi
    • then ensure MidiLinkSync syncs with your link enabled app (in my case Gadget)
    • then in the lower portion (the midi clock bit) select "MIDI Link Sync out" (this will then get picked up by TNR since it seems to connect to any and midi signals it can hear)
    • R4 and L1 in TNR to reset the loop and ensure it's set to be a midi clock 'slave'
    • then hit 'start midi clock' in MidiLinkSync and this should start TNR running in sync with the LINK session
  • edited July 2016

    @Matt_Fletcher_2000 said:

    @Littlewoodg said:

    @Matt_Fletcher_2000 said:
    in other news I think i've cracked the scale/octave/transpose thing finally.

    The solution is to set every layer to IAA (instrument undefined). That seems to always allow note transposition. (And you actually only need one instance of Gadget selected somewhere as an IAA instrument).

    I think the problem stems from:
    1. Layers reverting to internal instruments whenever you restart
    2. Some internal instruments (drum kits) being locked and not allowing transposition (that makes sense)
    3. Some other weird stuff going on

    But just ensuring your layer is set to an undefined IAA seems to allow you to transpose the midi going out on that channel. You might need to check this hasn't reset to an internal instrument each time you start a session though.

    This is where the file "all settings" is handy, after setting up and saving what are essentially templates (no notes, just scale and other Master and lauer settings and IAA instrument assignments) w/layers 1-16 assigned to Gadget, another with layers 1-8 to thumbjam, another with layers 1-16 assigned to Roland SC, and another w/1-8 assigned to Square Synth, and a couple with combinations of 8 layers of one source and 8 layers of another (Square Synth and Thunbjam!).

    The steps to assign 16 IAA instruments in TNR aren't ultra laborious, but there is a lot of scrolling and selecting if you've got a lot of IAA instrument on your device, and if you're using TNR with your IAA stuff. whatever it is, it's so much more fluid for your music making just to set it up one time. Upon opening TNR select the template you want, then go to your source to choosecand tweak the voices in your source instrument, and get to the making music part... Your composition can then be saved as ""All Blocks" and/or Song/Audio. The All Settings file you start remains as it was to use again.

    Very cool. Although i'm finding that 'all settings' isn't actually retaining things like user scale and the assignment to IAAs. Unless this is user error.

    Anyway - i've just figured out a great way to enhance this 'performance device' to include cc modulation in the source app(s)... (at the cost of a few layers)... How about this:

    • Decide that you want your piece to control, say 8 tracks in Gadget
    • Then give over the other 8 volume controls to be for controlling parameters in those 8 Gadget synths
    • They will send midi cc7 on channels 9-16, so set up a midiflow template to intercept them and redirect them to be, say, cc100 on midi channels 1-8.
    • Then just have Gadget midi learn whatever parameter you want to modulate in each gadget.

    Obviously it's an extra step to take these midi ccs through MidiFlow - but you'd only have to make the template in MidiFlow once.

    The only other downside is TNR jumps those volume slides in increments of 8 values unfortunately. But I can probably live with that.

    Haven't tried it yet in practice - but could be fun.

    Well this works - you can use spare layer volumes to send midi ccs to whatever you're sequencing. But the only problem is the jumpyness of the 'slider' jumping in increments of 8. Bit annoying since we're on a touch screen (not the hardware!). It is possible to bring up the (ugly) layer menu and use the volume slider in there though - for smoother control - but it's another thing to pull up, it's then just one slider at a time, and it makes your screen look ugly :).

  • @Matt_Fletcher_2000 thanks for your hard work figuring out those midi workarounds. I'll be trying those solutions. Also for anyone who's interested in kind of similar workflow, I've been building up tracks in ikaossilator, then exporting the audio for the parts to midimorphosis, converting them to midi for use elsewhere. Chords will vary but for everything else, change the timbre to Epelead, (a very simple tone) for a near perfect conversion. Thought I'd mention that for any fans of composing on xy pad. I reckon it takes roughly the same amount of time as setting up all the IAA stuff in TNR.

  • @db909 said:
    @Matt_Fletcher_2000 thanks for your hard work figuring out those midi workarounds. I'll be trying those solutions. Also for anyone who's interested in kind of similar workflow, I've been building up tracks in ikaossilator, then exporting the audio for the parts to midimorphosis, converting them to midi for use elsewhere. Chords will vary but for everything else, change the timbre to Epelead, (a very simple tone) for a near perfect conversion. Thought I'd mention that for any fans of composing on xy pad. I reckon it takes roughly the same amount of time as setting up all the IAA stuff in TNR.

    That's a cool tip. Might try that sometime. Nothing is easier than jamming with one hand with iKaossilator!

    If anyone wants to try the TNR MidiFlow trick to convert the volume of layers 9-16 to become cc parameter sliders for layers 1-8 then here's the MidiFlow preset:

    http://preset.midiflow.com/u5NxjZlzKh

    It converts the volume (cc7) on midi channels 9-16 to become cc #74 on midi channels 1-8 respectively.

  • @grego68 said:
    I have this to change the octave ,it' s a good Nice little app Zen Musical Harmonizer ZMH-1 par Jonathan Pivar
    https://appsto.re/fr/07RXab.i

    NICE! thanks for the tip. Imma try right NOW :)

  • This thread is amazing, alot of great info here. I have what I think may be a simple question but it has been driving me nuts for awhile. I use various apps in conjunction with audiobus and loopy to save loops as wav files that I then dump into ableton for composing and adding effects, etc. My question is whenever I open tenori-e, audiobus and loopy and try to record loops they never play back in sync. How do I configure everything so when I record into loopy it starts at the beginning of the sequence and stops at the end. This works great for all other apps that I use except for the tenori-e and I cannot figure this out to save my life. I realize that there may be better ways of getting my recordings from the tenori-e into ableton but I would just like to know this for starters. Thank you in advance

  • I keep assuming that I need to adjust something in the preferences menu in tenori-e (like local control or master/slave) then in loopy that I may need to adjust something. I'm assuming this is controlled by midi clock/sync but am not sure how to setup the two apps so they will be in sync. I was intrigued by some of you talking about each of the layers being split out as individual tracks in gadget but first I just want to understand why my current method is not working as it does in all of my other apps.

  • @eloquintet said:
    This thread is amazing, alot of great info here. I have what I think may be a simple question but it has been driving me nuts for awhile. I use various apps in conjunction with audiobus and loopy to save loops as wav files that I then dump into ableton for composing and adding effects, etc. My question is whenever I open tenori-e, audiobus and loopy and try to record loops they never play back in sync. How do I configure everything so when I record into loopy it starts at the beginning of the sequence and stops at the end. This works great for all other apps that I use except for the tenori-e and I cannot figure this out to save my life. I realize that there may be better ways of getting my recordings from the tenori-e into ableton but I would just like to know this for starters. Thank you in advance

    If you have AUM you can try running TNR in it which will give it link then open Loopy and Audiobus and everything should sync in theory.

  • Forgive me but what is AUM (Is that an audio mixer that I see in app store) and why do I need anything in addition to TNR, Audiobus and Loopy, It works with other apps why not TNR?

  • @eloquintet said:
    Forgive me but what is AUM (Is that an audio mixer that I see in app store) and why do I need anything in addition to TNR, Audiobus and Loopy, It works with other apps why not TNR?

    Have you tried going directly out of your TNR on your device, directly into Ableton? For digi sound Studiomux or Audreio, some people go commando with audio cable in. Record soloed full takes of each track etc? I'm probably not getting the idea...

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