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 StoreAudiobus is the app that makes the rest of your setup better.
Comments
There are things that are loose?
Luckily the fixes are still far and between, but we're bracing for the worst
The mirroring is a good idea and not too hard to add, adding that to the wishlist.
By live transpose, do you mean that you can transpose a part (pattern, clip, whatever others call it...) with i.e. a slider, without changing the actual notes? So in effect, just add a parameter "transpose" to each part or track?
This is how Xythesizer handles it
So yes, just parameter "transpose". I do appreciate the note (key) Octave (missing from so many apps that let you change keys) and Scalar transposition (which I've never seen before, but still use)
I'm not suggesting you copy 'verbatim' the functions or styles. The flipping and note/octave would be great for 'fuge-like' composing.
Thanks for the clarification. That is something I'll definitely consider.
Note that currently, all transpositions in Xequence (when moving notes up and down in the Pianoroll editor) are essentially scalar, except if you choose "Chromatic" as the scale.
@SevenSystems A general how to set-up and use video would help SELL your app and ease questions from the knowledgeable and un-knowledgeable amongst us.
liking it so far.
I'd find it irresistible if it included any/all of those live transpose features a la Xynth.
Should be doable, still sorting priorities here. Hope the in-app hints have been helpful so far anyway!
Spent an hour with this app and had no qualms about pressing the IAP purchase button.
This app is an absolute powerhouse for midi recording, editing and sequencing. It’s very low friction - little learning curve and everything I need is logically placed, on the editor side at least.
But:
These aside, kudos to the developers for making such an intuitive, beautiful, powerful, lightweight (seriously, 2.6 MB?!) app. It’s definitely getting a central role in my midi workflow.
We absolutely need another MIDI sequencer! All these synth apps ain't gonna play themselves!
@SevenSystems, will your (very welcome) app sync to MIDI clock, as a slave? Most audio DAW's, and anything that plays audio tracks, doesn't like to be the slave, because any jitter, or perceived slow down of the clock stream makes them have to go crazy trying to time compress the audio in tiny amounts.
I have another question @SevenSystems So only 16 instruments can play at the same time? Or is there a way to have more play at the same time? I only see channels 1-16, so I wanted to get some clarification.
Yes, currently, recording doesn't erase any existing data (notes or controllers). So in order to overwrite previously recorded controller data, you would first have to erase the part. But different recording modes ("Overdub", "Replace") both for notes and controllers are in consideration!
The editing mode (Pianoroll or CC) is saved per part (clip, pattern, whatever they call it! ). So, say, if you keep all CC data on a separate track in its own parts, and all note data on another track, each part will remember the last editing mode and you shouldn't need to switch. It's best to keep CCs and Notes on separate tracks.
Regarding the part previews (visual issue): Currently, if a part contains notes, the preview always shows notes. Controllers are only previewed if the part doesn't contain notes. However, this is already fixed in the current development version and in the next update, part previews will always show both notes and controllers.
You may have noticed that the "Instruments" view (MIDI Icon) has lots of empty space An automatable slider per instrument (= channel) is planned. So, this would be a "MIDI Mixer". There can't really be an audio mixer currently because Xequence does not host audio. But you would be able to change the volumes of instruments in this view as Xequence would send the necessary data (for example, CC 7 or some user-definable data) to the instrument. I assume that is what you were after?
Yes, we have that request high on our list. It's just an issue of finding space for more controllers in the iPhone version, but we'll manage.
Thank you, it's stuff like this that keeps developers motivated, appreciate it.
And an Universal app too (both iPad and iPhone)?!
Ok, got to load up that card...
But please... Link is essential..
We've pondered this, but MIDI Clock Slave is, as you already mentioned, much more problematic to implement than Master, so we've skipped that for now. However, the setup "Xequence Master" -> "Beatmaker 2 Slave" worked very well in my tests, and there's probably a few other DAWs that can slave (didn't check them all)...
BTW, the MIDI clock that Xequence sends should be absolutely and utterly rock solid, I don't think you'll see any jitter. If you do, let me know so I can fix it!
Yes, you can currently only play 16 separate instruments per destination app. So, if you host all your plugins in AUM, you'll run out of channels after 16 instruments. However, you could add 16 further instruments from Gadget (hosted as IAA in AUM, and then use the "Gadget" destination in Xequence instead of AUM), and then as many separate (standalone) apps as you like.
But yes, for a single MIDI destination, you can only have 16 instruments. That limitation should be lifted though as soon as we integrate Audiobus MIDI.
Thank you! I look forward to that!!! Would you please also implement Audiobus preset saving? That would make it really nice to have an entire project load up by just opening a preset, rather than having to set things up each time.
I've briefly checked the Link documentation, however, I couldn't see how it was better than MIDI Sync? Or is it only that more apps support it? You can already slave any other app that supports MIDI Clock Slave to Xequence... but maybe I'm missing something (had a long day)
The only thing you'd really need to do is load your Audiobus project and your Xequence project. All the presets in the synth apps should be set up automatically by Audiobus, and Xequence will restore all MIDI connections. But we're still working on those details.
Link is essential.
That would be great. I’d rather ‘twiddle the knob/slider and hear how it sounds’ than ‘draw the envelope’. Goes hand in hand with the planned CC automation control mentioned below.
Yeah, I loaded the demo project after posting and saw how this was done. It makes perfect sense now.
Precisely what I’m after, and that will be the perfect place for it!
Now that I realise you can place multiple tracks per instrument, I guess this is moot? Unlimited CCs can be controlled by tracks of 1-3 controls?
Not quite clear what I would do morer better with this than Xynth etc. Clarification for the simple anyone?
@JohnnyGoodyear arrange your Xynth for one.
Lost me already. This world is just too elliptical for me, but, you know, music.
Not really. The number of CCs (max. 3) and which CCs you want to send (for example: Modulation, Pitch Bend and Volume) are configured per instrument. Yes, you can route several tracks to the same instrument (and you should: One track for notes, one track for Modulation, etc.), however, in each part (pattern / clip) you will only ever be able to choose among the 3 CCs you defined in the instrument.
However, this limitation is easy to lift and the next update will allow more controllers per instrument.
Thanks very much for the quick response. That's great you worked on the stability of the sending MIDI clock. I'll have to eagerly wait for the MIDI slave, if you ever have the time and interest at some point. It's just because my studio setup uses a computer DAW (Reaper, or Logic Pro) for recording, so it passing out MIDI clock is the only way to keep it, a couple pieces of hardware, and the ipad synced together. A lot of newer apps skip the MIDI clock entirely (kids!), so props for jumping in with it from the get-go.
As far as I know, Ableton is the only major DAW on the computer that will slave to MIDI clock, and even then, people report issues. The rest, Pro Tools, Logic, Reaper, can only be the master.
Good luck with your app!
Yes, more apps support it. And more importantly, More apps support it correctly. A lot of developers don’t do a good job with Midi—It’s sad to say, but true
Yeah, I think MIDI is considered "old-fashioned" by many. But that's only the cables and ports. Otherwise, the MIDI protocol itself is still amazingly well designed for being over 30 years old. It has a ~ 350 page specification, so it must be capable of something
I know that MIDI itself is great. It’s the way it is implemented by so many developers on the iOS platform that has bothered me. Some only listen to midi notes in. Some don’t listen to a master clock. Some don’t play in sync. Some (I’m looking at DM1 from Fingerlabs as well as others) just don’t work, even after countless attempts by the developer to fix it. For some reason, LINK just works, and works well. It is well supported, and I think Link would be very helpful.
MIDI also has a very broad scope (it's even used for controlling lighting!), while at the same time being very low-level and designed for the extremely limited computing capabilities of the time. That creates another challenge for us "Gigabyte Hipsters" of the 2017s But I digress...
****The inevitable comparison.. This to modstep.. I just downloaded it.. There are @hint “ buttons but no written manual to speak of?
@SevenSystems : Is there an owner’s manual for this anywhere?