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
Thanks, I was wondering if this was a problem unique to Icegear
Makes no difference either way.
Hello @johnfromberkeley ... I've just tried using Mersenne in Xequence and had no problems. Please make sure that "Background Audio" is enabled in Mersenne's settings, this is a toggle many apps have and it is easy to forget to enable it. Then just set the Xequence instrument's MIDI Destination to Mersenne, this should work without issues.
EDIT: What you select in "MIDI input ports" doesn't matter. Xequence doesn't have an output port so it doesn't get listed there either. That's nothing to worry about
If I press play in Xequence, AUM does not start playing. Did I miss something?
@Ploe, yes, Ableton Link only recently (a few weeks ago) started supporting sync of play / stop... that is not implemented yet in Xequence... however, it's on the todo list
Nothing esoteric, (nor even religious) at all
It’s in fact a typical finger drumming (pads etc) practice. Just trigger a note on a single drumpad with one finger , then trigger a second note on the same drumpad with a second finger without lifting the first finger. Those kind of overlapping note triggers should have differently timed note on messages (and a single note off message when the last finger is released), when recorded in a sequencer. Beatmaker in this case records double notes but without respecting the timing of the note on messages (the notes are recorded with the same start, as if they where quantized), so you hear only one note triggered when the double notes are played back afterwards. This is really a bug for a drumpad midi sequencer. I hope they will be able to fix this soon. I tried to draw attention to this @mathieugarcia on the Intua forum.
New to Xequencer, see a lot of potential. For me, its immediately more effective as a hardware controller. IAP is a fair business model but gets frustrating when basic stuff isnt covered. Great to see the dev on this forum! Keep it up, really unique, well designed tools are needed on iOS.
Hello Scratcher and welcome to Xequence
If you have any suggestions or issues just post them here or contact us directly via the website. Hope you're having fun with the app, or rather, being productive (it's not so much about "fun" after all...)
The looping features, design, sequencer etc are all great. PolyHymnia is awesome, could exist as a separate product, gives StepArpPoly competition. Took me hrs to find the check box in the lower right corner to close the piano roll editor, iPad UI can be so particular. Right now I'm trying it with my hardware rig, so far so good. Would like to see the modulation easier to assign and access, (functionally like Modsteps performance sequencer page). UI nesting is pretty shallow though. Unlike your competitors, yours works on iPhone, which is in many ways my favorite music device. Like others have said, if you can host AU/IAA, you'll pull me away from Modstep & AUM. Even if you could just host AUM as a plugin, minimizing the app flipping. Being productive with e-music is inherantly challenging (esp on iOS), but clever flexible design can makes it fun, like a good video game.
@SevenSystems Have you considered adding Audiobus 3 support so that Audiobus can host Xequence? It could have no Audio output, like how Quantum is hosted in Audiobus. But the benefits are the easy switching between Xequence and the synth apps, plus you get FREE Link start/stop if the hosted app supports Link and the latest Audiobus.
If you could do the same for AUM hosting, that would be great. But for some reason I get the impression that Audiobus is easier to add than IAA, and if that is the case, just having the Audiobus support would be fantastic.
And if neither are really options because of some particulars in the coding of Xequence, then that is all good as well. I can just wait for the updated Link support that you mentioned is on the list already. I know you already have lots of things you want to add to Xequence, so this is more of a suggestion than a request.
This would be a sweet addition - I agree that being able to quick switch between AUM and Xequence would be great.
Not to mention the ability to use the MidiFlow filters.
Plus, you'd probably get a bunch of people talking about your app in a huge thread on the Audiobus forums.
Thanks again for the feedback! I took note of the "close the pianoroll editor" issue, I'll probably add a "You can exit the pianoroll editor again by tapping the checkmark button" hint.
There's really two options on the table: 1) Add Audiobus 3 support 2) Add AUv3 hosting directly to Xequence. To be quite honest, I prefer 2), as it would streamline the experience the most, and would open up Xequence to become a full DAW if audio tracks are also added (which would be very realistic once AU hosting and the corresponding infrastructure, mixer etc. are in place). Of course, once 2) is done, 1) still makes sense and can be done as well. Full disclosure: the feature survey we did recently also strongly supports 2) (it actually came out first place!)
@aaronpc, I think I got it!
@SevenSystems That sounds amazing. Thanks for providing that peek at your plans for Xequence. I think I may have missed the poll, but I probably would have voted for direct AUv3 support as well.
The order of complexity between adding AudioBus support through the SDK and adding stable AUv3 support has got to be off the charts. Good luck my friend!
@SevenSystems
1) The issue with closing the Piano roll editor
Can be solved by the most simple thing ever:
Just write "close" or "exit" on the button instead of a graphical symbol.
This is, as things should be!
2) AudioBus or AU host
Now, adding an AU host to Xequence makes it a new, different thing.
And something that I am not sure about.
There are enough AU hosts already.
I use Xequence as sequencer, in the same way that I use / used modstep as sequencer - I just don't use any other feature of modstep.
And AudioBus would allow to put lots of things in between Xequence and any MIDI receiver, which wood be fantastic!
To make it short: I think that AudioBus is by far the more valuable addition to Xequence.
But from what you wrote, I need to accept that you see those things different.
Sad thing.
Also, as others said, this does not seem to be an easy task to get done properly and stable.
And, for what do I need an AU host, when it cannot also host IAA Apps?
So, you would need to add IAA as well, I think.
Otherwise, I would still prefer to hosts things in AudioBus, AUM or Cubasis, as both is possible there.
My 2 cent
@SevenSystems
And let's not forget, that there are still many things that Xequence would need:
Proper MIDI file input and output with singled out tracks or getting them all together.
Varying time signature in the same song.
Proper tools for song construction, using Verse, Chorus, Bridge and other parts - that can be looped individually and handled as unit.
A way to send one track to multiple instruments.
And and option to be able to draw directly into an part, without first needing to toggle the draw button (as option in the settings)
I am sure, there is more stuff missing.
Maybe do a new "Xequence Host" App for your plans of an AU host, instead of burdening the original Xequence with such things?
Please consider this.
Just evolve Xequence itself as the best possible Piano Roll Sequencer imaginable - make it perfect as exactly that. Would be better
@SevenSystems Have you considered making Xequence a MIDI AU that can be hosted inside any AU host? This would be much like the way Bram Bos Rozeta plug-ins work, as MIDI sources for other instruments within the host.
@tja thanks for your input... putting the word "EXIT" on the "Close pianoroll" button is not really an option, as you can see:
(no space left!). Toolbar buttons really need to be kept icons only due to space considerations.
Then regarding AU: yes, there are a few AU hosts already (not very many though. On iPhone, I think there's exactly one (AUM)). But having to switch between apps is such a huge burden on productivity that to me, having it all happen in one single app is really the way to go. And that app should then have as many essential features as possible, I totally agree. Xequence development started not even a year ago, it was hard enough to get where we're at in that timeframe, but of course it'll keep going!
About the MIDI file input/output: you can already single out a particular track by selecting the parts of that track only (tap one part, then Select -> Track), and enabling "Selected parts only" in the export dialog... not sure if that's what you meant?
I'll take note of the other suggestions, and some of them are already on the roadmap!
@soundshaper: considered yes, but the basic concept behind Xequence prefers it being the host or the "central" app. So, adding support for AU plugins would fit that metaphor better...
Can't make everyone happy, but with the quite limited development resources at hand (essentially one single developer), I have to stick with what gives the best return on investment (musically!).
@SevenSystems I just comment on one thing:
Comparing the size of the font used for the notes on the left side (Piano Roll) I can see that there is plenty of space to use the word "Exit" instead of the hook symbol on that button!
I was going to show that with a graphic, but both my ProCreate and AffinityPhoto skills have left me for today, could not create a layer for a crop of "C#3" and "C2" and glue them together over that button. But there is enough space!
It's not a hook symbol. I'm not a big fan of obscure icons, but I recognized this as the very common checkmark symbol that means "Accept and Exit."
@lovadamusic "hook" is the word Germans use for "checkmark", so that was just a language issue (tja is German).
@tja: OK, but next you'll say that the "4 filled and hollow rectangles" icon could also be replaced with the word "Select", if small enough
Just kidding...
Ah, thanks. Though we all use the word "Exit." I guess that's an argument for icons, a universal language that none of us understand - at least until we read the manual to find out what the thing means.
@lovadamusic I tried my best to make them "universally understandable" but I admit with things like "Selection", it's not that easy... I'm sure you thought there's an integrated chess app when you first saw that icon
Just make everything in faux Russian like Kosmonaut! Everybody loves that one, must be why!
In my opinion, you’re taxing your limited resources trying to make your app duplicate functionality that already exists. Even if AUM is the only AU host on an iPhone, it’s AUM. Everybody loves AUM, and with two and a half years invested into setting up and getting used to AUM workflows by the time you roll out AU hosting, plus future development by Jonatan, who is going to be looking to jump ship? You might think of Xequence as being the central host app, but that doesn’t mean we will.
I think you’re missing the big gap that needs to be filled in iOS music:
An elegant universal sequencer with song mode to drive AUM and Audiobus. A place to play and save the midi for entire songs. With state-saving, I could open an Audiobus session with Xequence and AUM and have everything I needed to create, without having to keep track of the settings and saves in multiple apps.
When @tja said:
That’s the best advice you could get. You’re on your way to developing one of the best iOS sequencers. I highly recommend you don’t veer.
Listen:
@soundshaper:
@tja:
@wim:
Everybody:
Hi there, i bought the "light"-version a while ago and i like xequence really..but i mostly purchased it to import midi-files (kind of 4 bar loops) to send the midi to individual plugins and apps..somewhere there was stated that it will be possible in the future to import midi-files into the existing project (like beatmaker 2 did for example).. are there any news on that... i dont see a need to upgrade if this is not coming, i really think of deleting the app. i mean , thats "the" feature of a "midi"-sequencer.another thing what is really annoying, that there are no subfolders accepted in the xequence folder..my midi-files for example are categorized in sub folders, but xequence doesnt see subfolders.
I was now reading some posts above, and from what i read now, it feels like you want to compete with cubasis etc... why that ? xequence for me was ment to be the midi-sequencer and i really dont see the point , why adding auv3 etc... just make it Audiobus 3 compatible and let audiobus do the audiowork first... you can take your time to evolve it later into something "big" .. all this new fancy stuff isnt that fancy if the basics dont work well.. then i can use cubasis ...
@SevenSystems Any tips on how best to use Polyhymnia on Drum track? Cheers.
If this has already been covered in a post, a link would be great. Thanks.
@SevenSystems That's what I said too.
Make Xequence the best sequencer first! It's not there yet! Don't let it incomplete.
But I fear we are loosing Xequence