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.

Best Guitar to MIDI solution for iOS?

I am looking for the best MIDI solution to use guitar (Fender Strat through interface) to play synth apps and enter in MIDI data/notes for sequences on piano rolls, etc.

I have both the MIDI Guitar 2 and MIDImorphosis apps, but the MIDI Guitar 2 app has $30 in IAP purchases for the full functionality, so I haven't invested in it...I want to know if it's worth the purchase. The MIDImorphosis app hasn't been updated until 2014 and I've honestly never tried it. If it is decent I'm willing to.

So...has anyone used these apps with any success? Is there another app I'm not aware of that is better? I use MIDI more and more lately but am still a very light user. But I look at it like drum samples: I used to be quite militant about only using real drums, but over the years have come to appreciate drum samples & drum machines.

Same with synths now, really never got into them too deep, but iOS music production and the ability to have access to the sound palettes of classic synths (ie: Model 15, ARP, iM1) for a low entry fee I love using them. Playing those synths with guitar or writing parts with guitar for a synth sound is really appealing.

Any info is appreciated...be cool.

«1

Comments

  • MIDI Guitar is my go to, haven't used anything that works better, hardware or software.

  • Midi Guitar 2 and you're done! You can adjust it to your playing style (to some extent of course) and the dev is responsive and takes requests into account. Had a support request for Midimorphosis and never got an answer...

  • Midi Guitar 2 is worth it. It's that good.

  • Another vote for MIDI Guitar. It's the best of all the apps I've tried.

  • Software guitar to midi doesent work very well(this is a limitation with the technology, not with developers not knowing what they are doing), so if you want something with at least some reliability, you better get some hardware guitar to midi converter. Software basically works if you play slowly, and one note at the time, and in general adjust your playing style for this(it might feel harder to play the way the software wants, but it gets easier as you practise a bit and learn how not to play).

  • I sold my hardware after getting the JamOrigin app. It works well enough for me and there's no clunky interface to lug around and no ugly MIDI pickup.

  • MIDI Guitar works pretty well IMO, I don't really have to adjust my playing style for it, and it's very responsive. It accurately picks up bends, hammer-ons, pull-offs and slides. You can even play chords with it.

  • @ToMess said:
    Software guitar to midi doesent work very well(this is a limitation with the technology, not with developers not knowing what they are doing), so if you want something with at least some reliability, you better get some hardware guitar to midi converter. Software basically works if you play slowly, and one note at the time, and in general adjust your playing style for this(it might feel harder to play the way the software wants, but it gets easier as you practise a bit and learn how not to play).

    MIDI Guitar 2 tracks very well for me and is polyphonic. I'm not a lightning fast player by any means but for the $ it can't be beat.

    And you can try it for free. I ponied up for the IAP and haven't regretted it.

    Considering this would have been impossible in software not so long back it's pocket change.

  • @Munibeast said:
    I sold my hardware after getting the JamOrigin app. It works well enough for me and there's no clunky interface to lug around and no ugly MIDI pickup.

    I'm keeping my Fishman Triple Play because it can output string per channel midi. The Midi Guitar 2 app doesn't track as fast as the hardware pickup but I still find it useful and use it with my nylon string acoustic

  • Can you get away with just the MIDI outputs IAP if you want to use this to drive 3rd party synths?
    What does the MIDI Guitar rig IAP offer .. is it required for the MIDI ouputs ?

  • edited March 2017

    @TheVimFuego said:

    @ToMess said:
    Software guitar to midi doesent work very well(this is a limitation with the technology, not with developers not knowing what they are doing), so if you want something with at least some reliability, you better get some hardware guitar to midi converter. Software basically works if you play slowly, and one note at the time, and in general adjust your playing style for this(it might feel harder to play the way the software wants, but it gets easier as you practise a bit and learn how not to play).

    MIDI Guitar 2 tracks very well for me and is polyphonic. I'm not a lightning fast player by any means but for the $ it can't be beat.

    And you can try it for free. I ponied up for the IAP and haven't regretted it.

    Considering this would have been impossible in software not so long back it's pocket change.

    I have tested these and also beta tested one a bit on desktop. Also i discussed about the tracking with a developer of some of these apps(dont remember which one), and even he said that recognising notes from audio(especially polyphonic) is really hard and that if you want professional tracking, you need hardware that tracks every string individually. But yes, they cost and this is cheap and can really be worth the price, if you can deal with the limitations and are willing to live with occasional wrong notes. Also these things needs to be properly adjusted for tracking to be optimal. And when using this sort of apps, its best not to use low strings, and instead if you want to play low notes, play the guitar a bit higher and transpose down for better tracking. Also i know a bit how sound recognition works(friend works in industry and wrote his major on it), and getting midi from audio is not really the best way to get midi from guitar, instead using piezos for individual strings and sending signal to some small computer that changes the electricity from piezo to midi command is the way to go for optimal tracking, especially when it comes to polyphony.

    Im not trying to bash those apps, they are great for the price and can do what many people need them to just fine, just being realistic about the limitations.

  • @ToMess said:

    @TheVimFuego said:

    @ToMess said:
    Software guitar to midi doesent work very well(this is a limitation with the technology, not with developers not knowing what they are doing), so if you want something with at least some reliability, you better get some hardware guitar to midi converter. Software basically works if you play slowly, and one note at the time, and in general adjust your playing style for this(it might feel harder to play the way the software wants, but it gets easier as you practise a bit and learn how not to play).

    MIDI Guitar 2 tracks very well for me and is polyphonic. I'm not a lightning fast player by any means but for the $ it can't be beat.

    And you can try it for free. I ponied up for the IAP and haven't regretted it.

    Considering this would have been impossible in software not so long back it's pocket change.

    I have tested these and also beta tested one a bit on desktop. Also i discussed about the tracking with a developer of some of these apps(dont remember which one), and even he said that recognising notes from audio(especially polyphonic) is really hard and that if you want professional tracking, you need hardware that tracks every string individually. But yes, they cost and this is cheap and can really be worth the price, if you can deal with the limitations and are willing to live with occasional wrong notes. Also these things needs to be properly adjusted for tracking to be optimal. And when using this sort of apps, its best not to use low strings, and instead if you want to play low notes, play the guitar a bit higher and transpose down for better tracking. Also i know a bit how sound recognition works(friend works in industry and wrote his major on it), and getting midi from audio is not really the best way to get midi from guitar, instead using piezos for individual strings and sending signal to some small computer that changes the electricity from piezo to midi command is the way to go for optimal tracking, especially when it comes to polyphony.

    Im not trying to bash those apps, they are great for the price and can do what many people need them to just fine, just being realistic about the limitations.

    Totally agree, good advice on the low pitch tracking too.

    I'm just an enthusiastic noodler so it's "good enough" for my needs but can see how a hardware solution might be worth the investment for more serious use.

    Fantastic to be able to do it all on iOS. I've been playing guitar for over 30 years (ouch!) and tech has come a long way from my very dubious quality first electric (which I played through the hi-fi until I could afford an amp).

  • edited March 2017

    Another vote for Midi Guitar2 and another cautionary word on iOS trackers inabilities to properly track all notes especially at faster playing speeds. Slow and steady more often than not is the rule with them.
    Still great fun to get beautiful string or synth pad sounds from my guitar( using midi guitar2w/IAP.

  • I always liked Thumbjam's tracking. Tracked my fretless bass very well. How do other people find that one?

  • @OscarSouth said:
    I always liked Thumbjam's tracking. Tracked my fretless bass very well. How do other people find that one?

    I ran through the ever useful ThumbJam for a while, not bad at all for monophonic tracking.

  • I agree, ThumbJam can do very well though I haven't compared it to MIDI Guitar 2. The right gain and velocity settings make all the difference. Low octave tracking is no good on my acoustic guitar, but I expect that is the norm.

  • Another vote for MIDI guitar 2. I tried them all and the tracking in MG2 is the best and you have the most options for velocity, bends, etc.

  • Does anyone know if ThumbJam does polyphonic tracking or is it only Midi guitar 2 that does that?

  • @Tritonman said:
    Does anyone know if ThumbJam does polyphonic tracking or is it only Midi guitar 2 that does that?

    I think it's only MidiGuitar and Midimorphosis that can do polyphony. For monophonic the sonuus app G2M is quite good as well, btw.

  • MIDI Guitar 2 works really quite well. The polyphonic mode is brilliant for adding string or synth pads behind your guitar - or instead of the guitar. Monophonic mode is a little faster and a bit better for melody lines - but there is not a huge difference between the two modes really.

    If you want to play fast melodies then you'd be better off with a piezo pickup with individual string recognition.

    The only problems I have with MIDI Guitar 2 are:
    1) that you can only choose Inputs 1 or 2 if you have a multichannel audio interface
    2) it is not Audiobus, IAA or AUv3 compatible - so you can't use AUM or Audiobus to get round problem 1

  • It will however drive third party synths for Cubasis recording which is what I use it for when looking to record it.

  • What I liked about Thumbjam with my fretless bass was that it accurately tracked the nuance of my portamento very effectively, and when it got too low to track accurately (somewhere around D) then instead of tracking poorly, it just didn't generate any MIDI data at all.

    This meant that in the mid/upper registers I'd have my tone doubled/octaved by whatever lovely timbre I chose, and in the lower registers I'd get plain old (lovely!) fretless bass. Very usable!

  • Thanks guys for all the input, sounds that save for minor tracking concerns, MIDI Guitar 2 is the best choice. Primarily I want to be able to enter notes into a piano roll with my guitar to write parts easier.

    Actually recording pads or synth lines live to audio isn't really a huge concern. If there's a part I want on a track I think putting it down on the sequencer roll via MIDI Guitar and then editing & fine tuning it would be really cool.

    Thanks again for the info...be cool.

  • edited March 2017

    @JRSIV said:
    Thanks guys for all the input, sounds that save for minor tracking concerns, MIDI Guitar 2 is the best choice. Primarily I want to be able to enter notes into a piano roll with my guitar to write parts easier.

    Actually recording pads or synth lines live to audio isn't really a huge concern. If there's a part I want on a track I think putting it down on the sequencer roll via MIDI Guitar and then editing & fine tuning it would be really cool.

    Thanks again for the info...be cool.

    Oh, in that case I'm not so sure how happy you'll be. I never tried that on iOS but I was having a lot of problems trying to do that with the computer and hexaphonic PU. There were just so many mistakes and glitches that I found it was actually easier to do it all manually. One of the biggest issues was timing. That was a long time ago though, so YMMV...

  • Yes timing can be a bit tricksy - but Quantise is your friend :smile: - I've been using MIDI Guitar to feed into Infinite Looper (which is then playing sounds from ThumbJam mainly at the mo). With some 1/8th note input quantise (or whatever is suitable) I can easily lay down drums parts, bass parts, melodies, etc with my guitar.

  • edited March 2017

    I haven't tried the ios guitar to midi options, but for those that use them, do they track any better on the neck pickup? I ask because the neck has more of the fundamental frequency of the note you're playing, and less harmonics, than the bridge, and the harmonics seem likely to throw off the tracking, and do things like make the octave jump. On analog harmonizers, especially, the neck pickup is the only way to get decent tracking.

    Then again, digital tuners don't seem to care which pickup you use.

  • @Munibeast said:

    Oh, in that case I'm not so sure how happy you'll be. I never tried that on iOS but I was having a lot of problems trying to do that with the computer and hexaphonic PU. There were just so many mistakes and glitches that I found it was actually easier to do it all manually. One of the biggest issues was timing. That was a long time ago though, so YMMV...

    Thanks @Munibeast I appreciate the heads up, but I may get the full functionality IAP for MIDI Guitar 2 and see if even if my best wishes set up won't fly there may still be some cool features & uses. As you said this app is on iOS so the tech may have improved from even PC DAW stuff of 5 years ago.

    One of the main problems I have is since I never dove into MIDI until just a few years ago I just don't have the best experience with it to explain what I really would dig as far as guitar & MIDI.

    Put simply, just like how we plug a MIDI controller in to play a synth & input/record MIDI notes, values & velocities I want to do the same with guitar. I get the tracking may not be flawless but I am interested in using it to create parts not so much capture performances. Of course I don't want a gimped piece of kit sabatoging a great take either, but I gather MIDI Guitar 2 can do most of what I am looking for according to the responses, especially from @ricksteruk, so I am going to gamble and get the IAP's.

  • Midi Guitar 2 does its job pretty well. You don't have to gamble though, you can try all the features in the free version, including all the midi stuff, it just interrupts you periodically until you purchase the IAP.

  • @sonosaurus said:
    Midi Guitar 2 does its job pretty well. You don't have to gamble though, you can try all the features in the free version, including all the midi stuff, it just interrupts you periodically until you purchase the IAP.

    @sonosaurus Thanks brother, me & the wife have been out of town for a family wedding since Thursday, so couldn't really mess with anything without my guitar & interface. Heading home today so I'm itching to try it, appreciate the reminder re: demo version.

  • edited March 2017

    @heybail said:
    Can you get away with just the MIDI outputs IAP if you want to use this to drive 3rd party synths?
    What does the MIDI Guitar rig IAP offer .. is it required for the MIDI ouputs ?

    20 bucks unlocks the app and virtual/core midi, but if you want access to advanced features such as pitch bend, etc. (and who wouldn't?), you have to pony up another tender for the "guitar rig." From the site:

    The old In-App-Purchase translates over to the new version and if you are an old customer, you can of course use MIDI Guitar you’ve always done, with the improved tracking. All you need to do is to click “Restore” in the Shop to restore the old purchase. This still unlocks the MIDI outputs (Virtual-MIDI, Cable-MIDI and WIFI-MIDI)

    New customers will have to get the same in-app purchase to unlock the MIDI outputs and the price remain $20. For both new and old customers there is a new In-App purchase which unlocks all the features of Advanced mode (including the built in synths, pitch bends, etc..), priced at $10.

    So yeah, $30 US for a round trip ticket, but as you can see, most folks who've bought it seems to think it's worth it.

Sign In or Register to comment.