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.

Perfect hardware companion to iOS

Built in sampler AND two track audio recorder straight to SD card w undo? Plus audio/midi usb interface? Color me IN!
http://www.korg.com/us/products/synthesizers/kross2/

Comments

  • I'm in similar situation but can't make up my mind...
    Roland JD-Xi & FA-06, Yamaha MX49/61 & reFace CS/DX, Korg MicroKorg S, Arturia MicroBrute arghhh.

    I think I'll stick with my Steinberg UR-242 and Korg nanoKEY Studio for now...

  • @Samu said:
    I'm in similar situation but can't make up my mind...
    Roland JD-Xi & FA-06, Yamaha MX49/61 & reFace CS/DX, Korg MicroKorg S, Arturia MicroBrute arghhh.

    I think I'll stick with my Steinberg UR-242 and Korg nanoKEY Studio for now...

    I'll have 2 of each please :D
    I went for Mininova over the MicroKorg...those performance pads are pretty neat......I'd happily take any or all of the refaces....really yearning for a Reface YC after seeing this
    would then just need Mr Woods to come and play it for me :D
    I'm hoping the promised Galileo update is going to satisfy this yearning for now and save me a couple hundred quid.

  • @Telstar5 said:
    Built in sampler AND two track audio recorder straight to SD card w undo? Plus audio/midi usb interface? Color me IN!
    http://www.korg.com/us/products/synthesizers/kross2/

    Nice !

  • After reading the Kross 2 manual it seems next to impossible to use custom/user-made samples as 'multi-sounds' with the synthesis engine to create own instruments. I guess this is something Korg reserves for the higher end keyboards like the Kronos. It's the same limitation with the likes of the Roland FA-06 and it's 'sampler'.

    I guess I've 'out-grown' hardware since there are always too many compromises for my taste...

  • @AndyPlankton said:

    I'm hoping the promised Galileo update is going to satisfy this yearning for now and save me a couple hundred quid.

    Even though GarageBand is quite 'closed' the Organ in it is pretty darn good with draw-bars that can be automated, and AUv3 effects can be added to taste etc etc. :)

  • @Samu said:
    After reading the Kross 2 manual it seems next to impossible to use custom/user-made samples as 'multi-sounds' with the synthesis engine to create own instruments. I guess this is something Korg reserves for the higher end keyboards like the Kronos. It's the same limitation with the likes of the Roland FA-06 and it's 'sampler'.

    I guess I've 'out-grown' hardware since there are always too many compromises for my taste...

    Yeah I would just prefer a decent quality keyboard controller that had templates for iOS apps

  • @Fruitbat1919 said:

    Yeah I would just prefer a decent quality keyboard controller that had templates for iOS apps

    As long as the apps can 'learn' CC's any controller with plenty of knobs, sliders & pressure pads would do.

    That's what I love about the nanoKEY Studio. Even without any configuration the preset scenes make it easy to access 8x8 'knobs'. For example I could in AUM map the Scene #1 knobs 1-4 to adjust volume of channels 1-4 and 5-8 would control pan for those channels. Scene 2 could be mapped to channels 5-8. Scenes 3-8 could then be dedicated for mapping knobs for various synths. Switching scenes is instant on the nanoKEY...

  • @Samu said:
    After reading the Kross 2 manual it seems next to impossible to use custom/user-made samples as 'multi-sounds' with the synthesis engine to create own instruments. I guess this is something Korg reserves for the higher end keyboards like the Kronos. It's the same limitation with the likes of the Roland FA-06 and it's 'sampler'.

    I guess I've 'out-grown' hardware since there are always too many compromises for my taste...

    That's 100% what I thought too after reading its manual. Not a good idea to add a box of compromises to a tablet already full of compromises.

  • edited March 2018

    @Samu: You CAN load a sample and play it chromatically as a multi sound . You just have to write it into a drum program . As for the FAO6, the Kross 2 is MILES ahead. The FA06’s sampler pads does not integrate into the rest of the unit though, for example you can’t trigger samples and have the sequencer record them. It also weighs substantially more than the Fa06 and does not sound as good IMO. It also runs on batteries and has an audio interface. HUGE differences between the two keyboards.

  • Most of what this thing does can be done better elsewhere . But not as easily. 1,000 arps, direct recording to SF card.. On board good sounds, High res sequencer. No set up time .. Just plug or no plug and play. Can’t beat hardware for getting a sketch down quick .

  • edited March 2018

    @Telstar5 said:
    @Samu: You CAN load a sample and play it chromatically as a multi sound . You just have to write it into a drum program.

    That may be the case but still samples should he kept in a ’pool’ and thus be possible to use in both drum and regular patches.

    This is something that has always been ’strange’ on Korg & Roland synths, why can’t we for example use the hi-hat as a transient when making synth sounds!? Noo, drum sounds and other samples are kept separate for no logical reason what s ever...

  • Thinking about companionship for iOS, like a job interview, rather than a love affair, I would say the things iOS does well, and needs no companion for, are:
    Variety of high quality sounds
    Sequencing/recording (I know, it’s not perfect, today, but due to demand for modern features, and large screen size for editing, hardware sequencing and especially recording seems like a dead end).
    Sample collecting/organizing.
    Project management/librarianing/export
    Drum machines, both synthesized and sampling type.
    Widgets/noveltie/sound toys.
    Effects. especially time based effects, reverb, and midi synced modulations.
    Sound design
    FM sounds
    Granular sounds
    Wavetable sounds
    90’s workstation sounds (thank you Korg)
    Portability

    The things it does not do as well as hardware:
    Foot control
    Knobs. Touchscreen knobs are not as good as real knobs
    Keys. Touchscreen keyboards are hard to play, except as a ribbon type keyboard.
    Drum pads. Latency of the touchscreen makes finger drumming troublesome and embarrassing.
    Stability. Inexpensive apps are rarely as extensively tested and debugged as good hardware. How many times has my analog mixer bombed in five years? 0.
    Access to all necessary controls at once- paging around is a drawback of iOS.
    Roadworthiness. The connectors on iPads are worrisomely delicate.

    If you agree with these strengths and shortcomings, would an ideal companion to ios, that really fills in the blanks, look like this?

    • Have an input for a footswitch, that can be assigned a midi cc# or note#, for looping and synth control and whatnot
    • many knobs, either for controlling itself, like a synth, or ios, like a midi controller
    • A midi keyboard
    • midi Drum pads, or some other percussive triggering input
    • Minimal menu diving
    • 1/4” jacks for audio

    It looks like, from this, that the ideal companion is a well built midi controller, with an audio interface. An alternative would be a midi capable synthesizer with lots of fun knobs.

    I’m not sure you need a workstation keyboard if you are invested in iOS. Or an MPC. Or a ROMpler keyboard. Or a drum machine. Or even a modular synthesizer. Nothing wrong with any of this great stuff, but if you use this stuff, you don’t exactly need to use iOS, and vice versa. Choosing one, and sticking with it, is better than being stuck in the middle, because that rules out any sort of mastery.

  • @Samu said:

    I guess I've 'out-grown' hardware since there are always too many compromises for my taste...

    This.
    I think in the past six years I've tried almost any piece of hardware that I was interested in ( mainly synths and samplers ), something is always missing. Momentarily I only use my iPad and a desktop DAW.
    Maybe it's not the perfect environment for a lover of knobs and sliders but I get things done and I can do everything that I want to do. No more compromises for me, and I'm still waiting for the ultimate hardware sampler to come :D

  • @Processaurus said:
    It looks like, from this, that the ideal companion is a well built midi controller, with an audio interface. An alternative would be a midi capable synthesizer with lots of fun knobs.

    I think you just described the iRig Keys IO which has a keyboard (2 or 4 octave), drum pads, and a built-in audio interface. I’ve been happy with my iRig Keys (the original one) so thought I’d throw it into the mix for your consideration.

  • @SFXGuy said:

    @Samu said:

    I guess I've 'out-grown' hardware since there are always too many compromises for my taste...

    This.
    I think in the past six years I've tried almost any piece of hardware that I was interested in ( mainly synths and samplers ), something is always missing. Momentarily I only use my iPad and a desktop DAW.

    The iPad is a perfect 'sound source' for sampling on the computer.
    Coming from a Tracker-Background hooking up the iPad with a Lightning-Cable to the Mac and running Renoise is like woot! (Back in the days I always wanted to own a Wavestation. Now I have that and so much more on my iPad).

    Since I suck at playing live the Korg nanoKEY Studio is more than enough and brings back the 'computer key style' action I'm so accustomed to from the C64/Amiga days hahaha....

  • @Samu said:

    The iPad is a perfect 'sound source' for sampling on the computer.

    Absolutely. It may sound a little weird but sometimes I really enjoy sampling ( or recording ) from the iPad directly into my DAW projects. Somehow it's more fun than just using plugins, more inspiring. "Hardware light" ;)

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