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.

Olympia Noise Co Appreciation Thread

I've been playing around with the recently-updated Ribbons (formerly Ondes, one of my early favourites but i had bad luck with it on iOS 10). Then I got sick of waiting for Chordion 2 and purchased Chordion. Within minutes, I programmed a Travis-pick-esque arp pattern and found what was missing from a song I've been tweaking since 2014.

I went to slap the idea down in GarageBand only to find that Chordion and Ribbons both have IAA control panels, and although Chordion doesn't have arp sync, manual tempo matching was a breeze. And let's not forget MIDI out -- both Chordion and Ribbons make rad controllers for damn near anything.

This reminded me that Patterning has MIDI out, Link, boss AB integration, an IAA control panel, AND IAA sync. It's also the most exciting drum sequencer I've ever used -- I used to be a moderately good drummer but I live in a condo now, and I can't justify renting a jam space so it's all sequenced percussion for me. Grid drums are a suitable solution but not too thrilling. Which then reminded me that Dot Melody is unlike just about anything else out there and it has a full complement of sync options as well.

So compatibility features are all well and good, but there's something more important happening: Olympia Noise Co's apps give me the same feeling I got when I was eighteen, stoned alone in a basement with a Tascam 788 and a handful of guitar pedals. Musicmaking is exciting again, it feels like I can get ideas out of my head and into the air... and if I don't have any ideas, I can muck about until something happens.

I know ONC is well loved around here and I'm sure this isn't the first thread of its kind, but with the Ribbons update, it seemed as good a time as any to say thanks.

Weigh in with your stories! Lord knows these developers aren't doing it for the money.

Edit: and update your reviews!

Comments

  • Only 3 apps feature in 100% of my iOS setups:

    Audiobus
    AUM
    Patterning

  • Haven't got the others but Patterning is my favourite/go to drum app. Sounds like I need to check out their other stuff.

  • I picked up Ribbons a couple days ago. Enjoying it very much, and very stable. Love it's sound engine too.

    Only one minor complaint that it strangely doesn't have a background audio setting.

  • Appreciate their work (Patterning, come on...). Not a great lover of Ondes/Ribbon, I find it too slippery for my own use, but I really like Chordion. It's one of those apps that when I find myself in a stale jam can sometimes break me out.

  • Chordion you say? I remember buying that years ago and loving it. Time to reinstall

    Also, i always liked dotMelody

  • @jn2002dk said:
    Chordion you say? I remember buying that years ago and loving it. Time to reinstall

    Also, i always liked dotMelody

    DotMelody is one of the most underrated apps ever. Really good to work with, versatile and inexpensive. I'd recommend it to any IOS music maker.

  • @JohnnyGoodyear said:
    Appreciate their work (Patterning, come on...). Not a great lover of Ondes/Ribbon, I find it too slippery for my own use, but I really like Chordion. It's one of those apps that when I find myself in a stale jam can sometimes break me out.

    I'm finding Ribbons/Ondes great for other-worldly stuff, and setting up nice drones that are great foundations for further filtration and fx. Not so much "playing it" as intended.

  • Many people may not be familiar with Ribbons, but it is excellent for creating drones using the hold feature and moving the touch points around.

  • What jrjulius said

  • @Zen210507 said:

    @jn2002dk said:
    Chordion you say? I remember buying that years ago and loving it. Time to reinstall

    Also, i always liked dotMelody

    DotMelody is one of the most underrated apps ever. Really good to work with, versatile and inexpensive. I'd recommend it to any IOS music maker.

    I agree. Most people love them for Patterning but for me it was always dotMelody that stood out

  • @jn2002dk said:
    I agree. Most people love them for Patterning but for me it was always dotMelody that stood out

    >

    Yes. Why they don't make more effort to promote it, is a mystery. Ondes/Ribbons is most useful for drones. Patterning is in the top five drum apps, but DotMelody can control other synths and is so much easier to work with than many of the more complex apps.

  • @skiphunt said:

    @JohnnyGoodyear said:
    Appreciate their work (Patterning, come on...). Not a great lover of Ondes/Ribbon, I find it too slippery for my own use, but I really like Chordion. It's one of those apps that when I find myself in a stale jam can sometimes break me out.

    I'm finding Ribbons/Ondes great for other-worldly stuff, and setting up nice drones that are great foundations for further filtration and fx. Not so much "playing it" as intended.

    Hmmm...definitely need to check this out - sounds like my pot of tea.

  • edited May 2017

    @MonzoPro said:

    @skiphunt said:

    @JohnnyGoodyear said:
    Appreciate their work (Patterning, come on...). Not a great lover of Ondes/Ribbon, I find it too slippery for my own use, but I really like Chordion. It's one of those apps that when I find myself in a stale jam can sometimes break me out.

    I'm finding Ribbons/Ondes great for other-worldly stuff, and setting up nice drones that are great foundations for further filtration and fx. Not so much "playing it" as intended.

    Hmmm...definitely need to check this out - sounds like my pot of tea.

    I think you'd like it. Not earth shattering, but if it's still on sale, I think you'd find it useful. :)

  • I bought Dot Melody on release and have played around with it off and on, but it has never really gelled for me. What is everyone else doing with it that you love it so much? Any usage tips will be met with appreciation.

    Ondes/Ribbons needs an iPhone version :smile:

  • @asnor said:
    I bought Dot Melody on release and have played around with it off and on, but it has never really gelled for me. What is everyone else doing with it that you love it so much? Any usage tips will be met with appreciation.

    Ondes/Ribbons needs an iPhone version :smile:

    For me it's the simplicity. It's so easy to use when i'm stuck on part of a melody or bassline

  • @jn2002dk said:

    For me it's the simplicity. It's so easy to use when i'm stuck on part of a melody or bassline

    >

    Exactly. I can assign apps for lead, bass and drums, then fiddle with the melody using the literally hands on interface, in a way my brain understands. In other words, instead of needing to know what note is where, the visual representation makes life easier for me.

  • ONC gets all the :cookie: :cookie: :cookie: :cookie: :cookie: :cookie: :cookie:

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