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.

Anyone tempted by AC Sabre yet?

I’m viewing the new AC Sabre app thing with interest. Anyone gone for this yet? I can’t imagine waving an iPad around like that, though, but it seems to me that this is a perfect app for the Apple Watch. (And by extension, the least perfect app for the Apple TV 4).

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Comments

  • Dev also created Sound Wand several years ago. That was pretty cool, but failing to invest the time to master it, it became a novelty.

  • I'm planning to try it. Not for performance tho - but for utility - "drawing" modulations on my tracks. I'm interested in using it to draw LFO's, map to pitch bend, mod wheels, FX parameters etc. It also maps intensity - so I can see it for increasing volume on an envelope, or amount of reverb etc. There are about 6 types of motion you could map - so maybe map A,D,S,R - or multiple FX, LFO's etc. I think you could also map it to Play/Stop or On/OFF .

  • I paid for Sound Wand several years ago before it went free. The App is no longer available on the AppStore. Not much faith in the developer.

  • @Pisadaan said:
    I paid for Sound Wand several years ago before it went free. The App is no longer available on the AppStore. Not much faith in the developer.

    Snap

  • Wave your hands in the air like you don't care
    Glide by the people as they start to look and stare

    Do your dance, do your dance, do your dance quick mamma
    Come on baby tell me what's the word

  • Thumbjam can do some of this.

  • Oh yee of little faith...

    AC Sabre is a substantially more sophisticated beast. Demo videos: http://air-craft.co/demos/. Very excellent for "conducting" multidimensional automations. In fact that was my original motivation. The note-play mechanism does allow for the amazing riff and hook making though...

    We'll be making soundpacks like this one to help you get started quicker...

    See the manual for an overview of the features and screenshots.

    There are a few people on board with this project now and we're raising some funds so fingers crossed. Of course it does help considerably if people buy it ;)

    Gratefully,
    Hari Karam Singh

    P.S. @Pisadaan message me and I'll send you a promo code...

  • @AirCraftHQ thank you for the additional information about your app. I'd seen some of your performance videos before but they didn't really give me an appreciation of how the app worked.

    Reading the manual was a real eye opening experience and explains clearly and comprehensively how the app works. The scale support, the various articulations, sensor control functions, and MIDI learn are all well thought out for musicians. AC Sabre goes way beyond being a gimmick of waving your phone around to make noise. It would be nice if there were a PDF version of the manual.

    The soundpack video and concept is a great one where the app is setup to work with a specific synth setup. It'd be great if there were a way for AC Sabre users to share and submit their setups. I would hope there would also be soundpacks developed for controlling iOS synths and a way for users to request soundpacks for specific setups.

  • I had just a few minutes to play with it today - ran a sequence through the BeatStep Pro and modulated the sounds with AC Sabre - great fun & much packed under the hood.

  • FYI, v1.2 is out now with iOS11 updates and MPE support... http://apple.co/2iwGjU3

    And a new demo video with GeoShred:

  • @InfoCheck said:
    @AirCraftHQ thank you for the additional information about your app. I'd seen some of your performance videos before but they didn't really give me an appreciation of how the app worked.

    Reading the manual was a real eye opening experience and explains clearly and comprehensively how the app works. The scale support, the various articulations, sensor control functions, and MIDI learn are all well thought out for musicians. AC Sabre goes way beyond being a gimmick of waving your phone around to make noise. It would be nice if there were a PDF version of the manual.

    The soundpack video and concept is a great one where the app is setup to work with a specific synth setup. It'd be great if there were a way for AC Sabre users to share and submit their setups. I would hope there would also be soundpacks developed for controlling iOS synths and a way for users to request soundpacks for specific setups.

    It is more complicated yet makes more sense the more you learn.

    It is a detailed and highly functional midi controller which uses the most basic of principles for performance based midi triggering.

  • This app looks very interesting, but I don't own a iPhone and it seems a little awkward to use it on an iPad. I am scared that my iPad might fly from my hand if I got too crazy. Anybody try it on an iPad?

  • Wow this looks like total smartphone idolization. Haha could make a good new chapter in hitchhikers guide about aliens watching the humans from space step up in the smartphones obsession. Too much for me sorry. If anything like that, so maybe theremin

  • It’s gone up to twenty four fucking quid, and that’s half fucking price? Fuck that.

  • edited December 2017

    deleted comment, sorry

  • @amusing_Grace said:

    @u0421793 said:
    It’s gone up to twenty four fucking quid, and that’s half fucking price? Fuck that.

    It‘s on sale in the german store for Euro 5.49

    Same here in the Cypriot Store......

  • Bought at $4.99 US a couple hours ago.

  • edited December 2017

    Bought it ages ago (on sale), it's a really cool app, really good for self-indulgent wank fests and once you get that out of your system it can be used subtlely as well. It can also be used with minimal arm and hand movement so you don't have to look like a tool when using it. It also works really well when paired with an ipad or vsti/AU's on a desktop system.

  • @hacked_to_pieces said:
    Bought it ages ago (on sale), it's a really cool app, really good for self-indulgent wank fests and once you get that out of your system it can be used subtlely as well. It can also be used with minimal arm and hand movement so you don't have to look like a tool when using it. It also works really well when paired with an ipad or vsti/AU's on a desktop system.

    Yep, I use it with Live for envelope modulations, or on a sequence with the BeatStep... has tons of scales, you can also minimize the velocity range, or spread out the velocity ranges, or don’t include all of the directional controls to better control the effect of your movements. It’s a good-looking app as well, and @AirCraftHQ is a super friendly and engaging dev.

  • Just downloaded and had a play with this controlling Geoshred from my new iPhone .
    and..it's fantastic!
    I don't care what I look like, I just care about having alternative wireless midi controllers that free me from being tied to a screen. On stage it's gotta be a better look than shredding whilst hunkered down over the iPad...I think I may gaffer tape my phone to my Ibanez electric and make like Adrian Belew...or..maybe Angus Young...:))

  • @u0421793 said:
    It’s gone up to twenty four fucking quid, and that’s half fucking price? Fuck that.

    Really? Must be a mistake..
    $7.99 Aussie dollars here and it says on sale til dec 11

  • @u0421793 said:
    It’s gone up to twenty four fucking quid, and that’s half fucking price? Fuck that.

    Stil £4.99 in the UK. You don’t want it though, it’s cheating:

    AC Sabre MIDI Instrument by Air Craft

    Oh ok, when I selected ‘copy link’ on the new Store, it just copied the name of the app. FFS.

  • TC-Data and Lemur agree that I should sit this one out. But. If they weren’t already up there in the stands, bickering away like those two old dudes from the Muppets (what were their names?) I’d be all over this... Theremin of tomorrow.

  • @MonzoPro said:

    @u0421793 said:
    It’s gone up to twenty four fucking quid, and that’s half fucking price? Fuck that.

    Stil £4.99 in the UK. You don’t want it though, it’s cheating:

    Cheating ?
    Ok I will bite......how so?

  • @Jes said:

    @MonzoPro said:

    @u0421793 said:
    It’s gone up to twenty four fucking quid, and that’s half fucking price? Fuck that.

    Stil £4.99 in the UK. You don’t want it though, it’s cheating:

    Cheating ?
    Ok I will bite......how so?

    You don't have to play any notes or need any musical knowledge to 'play' virtuoso level solos.

    Geoshred already makes playing lead lines fast and furious - I can play about five times faster on that than an actual guitar. Plus it highlights all the right notes to hit. But at least you actually have to hit them, to get it to play.

    As far as I can see this app basically plays your other apps for you, so you sound like Steve Hillage or Keith Emerson, by moving your phone about.

    You might as well put a tape on and listen to that.

  • @MonzoPro said:

    @Jes said:

    @MonzoPro said:

    @u0421793 said:
    It’s gone up to twenty four fucking quid, and that’s half fucking price? Fuck that.

    Stil £4.99 in the UK. You don’t want it though, it’s cheating:

    Cheating ?
    Ok I will bite......how so?

    You don't have to play any notes or need any musical knowledge to 'play' virtuoso level solos.

    Geoshred already makes playing lead lines fast and furious - I can play about five times faster on that than an actual guitar. Plus it highlights all the right notes to hit. But at least you actually have to hit them, to get it to play.

    As far as I can see this app basically plays your other apps for you, so you sound like Steve Hillage or Keith Emerson, by moving your phone about.

    You might as well put a tape on and listen to that.

    I fail to see how its going to make me sound like Keith Emerson..although after 45 years of ELP freakdom it would be pretty cool...and I certainly dont want to sound like Steve Hillage.
    I see it as an ultra modern, cutting edge midi controller...it is possible to do what you are talking about with any synth app that has a scale based keyboard eg Animoog...the potential of this app is virtually unlimited..shredding etc are just one possible use scenario..this app is pointing toward the way of the future..who would have thought even ten years ago that you could control synths etc from your phone wirelessly...I think its fucking awesome!

  • @Jes said:

    @MonzoPro said:

    @Jes said:

    @MonzoPro said:

    @u0421793 said:
    It’s gone up to twenty four fucking quid, and that’s half fucking price? Fuck that.

    Stil £4.99 in the UK. You don’t want it though, it’s cheating:

    Cheating ?
    Ok I will bite......how so?

    You don't have to play any notes or need any musical knowledge to 'play' virtuoso level solos.

    Geoshred already makes playing lead lines fast and furious - I can play about five times faster on that than an actual guitar. Plus it highlights all the right notes to hit. But at least you actually have to hit them, to get it to play.

    As far as I can see this app basically plays your other apps for you, so you sound like Steve Hillage or Keith Emerson, by moving your phone about.

    You might as well put a tape on and listen to that.

    I fail to see how its going to make me sound like Keith Emerson..although after 45 years of ELP freakdom it would be pretty cool...and I certainly dont want to sound like Steve Hillage.
    I see it as an ultra modern, cutting edge midi controller...it is possible to do what you are talking about with any synth app that has a scale based keyboard eg Animoog...the potential of this app is virtually unlimited..shredding etc are just one possible use scenario..this app is pointing toward the way of the future..who would have thought even ten years ago that you could control synths etc from your phone wirelessly...I think its fucking awesome!

    What would be more awesome is learning to play it yourself.

  • edited December 2017

    @MonzoPro said:

    @Jes said:

    @MonzoPro said:

    @u0421793 said:
    It’s gone up to twenty four fucking quid, and that’s half fucking price? Fuck that.

    Stil £4.99 in the UK. You don’t want it though, it’s cheating:

    Cheating ?
    Ok I will bite......how so?

    You don't have to play any notes or need any musical knowledge to 'play' virtuoso level solos.

    Geoshred already makes playing lead lines fast and furious - I can play about five times faster on that than an actual guitar. Plus it highlights all the right notes to hit. But at least you actually have to hit them, to get it to play.

    As far as I can see this app basically plays your other apps for you, so you sound like Steve Hillage or Keith Emerson, by moving your phone about.

    You might as well put a tape on and listen to that.

    If AC Sabre is cheating what about Link, auto chord players, note filtering to scale, randomizers, sequencers etc basically ios music is cheating if you really get down to it. Most music app are designed for instant gratification or close to it and that is one of iOS musics major appeals imho.

  • edited December 2017

    @hacked_to_pieces said:

    @MonzoPro said:

    @Jes said:

    @MonzoPro said:

    @u0421793 said:
    It’s gone up to twenty four fucking quid, and that’s half fucking price? Fuck that.

    Stil £4.99 in the UK. You don’t want it though, it’s cheating:

    Cheating ?
    Ok I will bite......how so?

    You don't have to play any notes or need any musical knowledge to 'play' virtuoso level solos.

    Geoshred already makes playing lead lines fast and furious - I can play about five times faster on that than an actual guitar. Plus it highlights all the right notes to hit. But at least you actually have to hit them, to get it to play.

    As far as I can see this app basically plays your other apps for you, so you sound like Steve Hillage or Keith Emerson, by moving your phone about.

    You might as well put a tape on and listen to that.

    If AC Sabre is cheating what about Link, auto chord players, note filtering to scale, randomizers, sequencers etc basically ios music is cheating if you really get down to it.

    Not at all. Sequencers are usually used to build up backing tracks, and notes added by the musician themself. Randomisers add a bit of randomness that musicians can build on for surprises. Link links tempo's together. Note filtering to scale....that's close, but again you have to actually play the notes that have been presented.

    They're not pretending to be something they're not, and it takes work and skill to make something decent and original with them. Synths have almost always had some kind of automated element, it's part of what they are, and no-one since about 1974 will be surprised to know that a sequence has been programmed to play.

    But this app not only generates the notes to be played, it plays them for you as well, so you can impress your listeners with:

    "Immediate proficiency, but with the potential for virtuosity...…A maestro’s palette at your command"

    @hacked_to_pieces said:
    Most music app are designed for instant gratification or close to it and that is one of iOS musics major appeal imho.

    I disagree. App's bring more tools to the less wealthy, and give us a bigger palette in which to be creative with. And there's nothing creative in waving a phone about and getting an app to play the music for you. You might as well put a tape on and wave your arms around in front of it.

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