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
Hi everyone! I just wanted to thank Seven Systems and all of you for creating this forum... and I'll tell you why! Thanks to Jordan Rudess' videos on YouTube I bought my first apps ever, being a hard bitten hardware man. This led to finding Korg Gadget and then, ultimately, Xequence. I have, in fifty years of playing, mostly played acoustic pianos with small forays into Prophet land (600 in the 80s) and four track tape territory. I currently live in Istanbul and am apart from my acoustic grand. I recently purchased a Roland FA07 and love it (breath).
Here's my point: absolutely nowhere did I find a forum where the developer regularly appeared, answered questions and took users advice! Yamaha, Korg and Roland are not "present" in the forums (rarely anyway) in the forums I have visited (though I did find a great connection at Roland US but had to beg help since I am inTurkey). But in this forum the developer invites guys out for drinks!
Perhaps app developers are more in touch with their user audience than big corporations. If so then they those big shots should take a big lesson from this forum on how to generate interest and sales.
Virtual music production is totally new to me, so maybe this is not so unusual. But to know there is a place where people discuss something like Xequence and have the creators' ears at the table and with real time responsiveness is mind blowing for someone like me. And I cannot imagine anyone doing this job better than the gentleman or lady from Seven Systems who interfaces with you all.
I bought Gadget because of the sequencer, but being kind of old school, the linear nature of Xequence is much more appealing.
Frankly, for me, the loop and phrase paradigm inspires a certain type of music only. At least all the samples in Gadget reinforce that opinion for me. A linear format, for jazz or "classical" music, is much preferable for every type of music, I believe. Please tell me if I am mistaken on this!
So now I am off to finish reading this endless thread and then purchase Xequence, and what convinced me to follow this route was Seven Systems and all your insights into the process. I am a total beginner in this stuff and I cannot tell you how much having access to your collective knowledge means to me! Maybe some day I can even make a contribution!
Hats off to you all and especially to Seven Systems for creating something truly 21st century! Mike
@LinearLineman thanks very much for the kind words, and I also have to say that having this kind of direct communication with so many customers at once is of course extremely helpful in defining the direction (and bugs!) in a software project. I contemplated opening a specific Xequence forum on a separate website, but obviously people would first have to find it, register, etc., which would probably deter many people. So Xequence is still humbly "piggybacking" on the Audiobus forum
Still hoping that this is OK, and appreciate it a lot.
And concerning the 21st century comment, that's funny! I always thought many users would consider Xequence totally "backwards", because it actually sticks to many paradigms which are considered "outdated" by many (linear sequencer; discoverable UI ("every feature has a button", no reliance on gestures), pure MIDI, etc... maybe it manages to combine stone age and modernity in a "magical" way
@LinearLineman I agree, this is a very special scene for having a connection to the developers. You made a good choice with Xequence. It’s a classy app.
@SevenSystems speaking of little critters, I think I might have found one. It seems to have something to do with selecting the pencil edit icon and then clicking the main body of the screen when in Instrument view (before you get into the notes arranger view). I can get it to crash every time I repeatedly click but not sure exactly what is triggering it. The app gives me an ‘It seems we crashed’ error message when I start it back up.
iPad Pro 10.5 iOS 11.3
Thanks very much for the report -- there have been 1 or 2 other reports of a similar crash, but nobody was ever able to tell me how to reproduce it. Could you possibly send me a video of it crashing? (ideally filmed physically with a second device), that would help tremendously. You can PM me the details... thanks!
Xequence is 21st century BECAUSE it does not abandon the past. Every philosophy, system of government, art form, imo, that does not keep the best of the past is limited and ultimately unworkable over time. Moore's law, I am sorry to say, does not apply to wisdom. In choosing linearity, Seven Systems embraces all western concepts of music, including phrase and loopism. Only jazz musicians would groove on a system that insisted on syncopation as the underlying paradigm. It's just not big enough! Same with the loop and phrase. Could Beethoven thrive in such an environment? Or the next groundbreaking genius?
Meanwhile I have downloaded Xequence and discovered both my iPad 4 iOS 10.3 and iPad 2 iOS 9.3 are not responding to their multitasking protocol! Gestures are on, Spotlight off, but I am in the land of swiping futility! Appreciate any advice on this difficulty. Thanks!
@LinearLineman “Moore’s Law does not apply to Wisdom”. Framed and nailed to the wall! Amazing
Regarding the multitasking: if you mean split view multitasking — that’s not currently supported by Xequence unfortunately... however, I’m not aware of many audio apps that do. If there were more, it would of course make sense to add it. Kind of a hen and egg problem...
No, not split view, just having synth apps launched in order to use Xequence. Guess I will head to the Apple Store in Istanbul....
Located under the many colored tents of the caravanserai... just
Kidding... it's in an ultra modern mall.
Does the Hot Topic sell jetpacks?
Are you sure background audio is enabled in each of the apps you're trying to use? It should be in the settings of the app, or in the entry for that app in the iOS settings.
This isn't going to be a problem of your device or of iOS. It's going to be something not set right in your setup.
If you don't have AUM you should get it. AudioBus too. These apps will simplify your life and greatly expand what you can do with your apps coupled to Xequence.
Thanks, win, I'll look into it, but it is a bit overwhelming for an ancient Hippie. As far as jet packs... have you looked at the political scene in Turkey lately? Hooray for the USA, El Presidente notwithstanding!
Hi Wim, I looked into Audiobus and was a bit puzzled... many bad reviews with the good.... and, I finally figured out that my iPad likes to be stroked with five fingers! Now I have opened several apps at the same time as Xequence and they magically appear on the Xequence screen!! This seems so seamless. Please explain what Audiobus or Aum does to improve this. Thanks so much!
@LinearLineman -- if you only run synth apps and Xequence, there's two problems: 1) you can only use one instance of each synth (for example, you cannot run multiple Poison-202 with different presets at the same time, and 2) you cannot access the mixed audio output of all apps, for example for recording or mastering.
The easiest way to fix both of these problems is to host all your sound generators (synths) in AUM, and then point Xequence at the individual AUM channels instead of directly at the apps. There's a chapter in the Xequence manual on how to set this up, it's rather straightforward.
That would be a big post - so much ground to cover. I won't try to answer it fully here except to say that if all you want to do is make some noise, and your apps can run in the background, then you don't really need AUM or AudioBus. As @SevenSystems says though, a lot can be added by loading your apps up in AUM. It makes things like routing the MIDI to them, controlling their relative volume, and recording easier. AudioBus does this as well, plus adds much easier starting and stopping of apps, switching between apps (via a little side-bar instead of swiping around all over the place), etc. As for negative reviews of AudioBus - forget them! They're mostly either from people butt-hurt that the upgrade from AudiBus 2 to AudioBus 3 wasn't free, or that don't understand its purpose. AudioBus and AUM are both rock solid iOS music making essentials.
That said, there is no rush to get either and just have them sitting around. I suggest waiting until you come up with a problem or limitation and get told specifically here that either or both are the solution. When you have an actual problem to solve with them, it'll be easier to understand what they do.
As for the political situation where you are - I only know enough to know that staying indoors and quietly making music sounds like a smart thing to do.
Typically, with multiple apps running in concert, as parallel channels/tracks of audio and MIDI, you're trying to set it up like it would be in a DAW. Xequence is the Piano Roll part of your DAW that triggers your multiple instruments. There are other important functions a DAW provides that you probably want... like controlling the audio mix of the multiple channels (volume and pan), inserting effects on a channel, MIDI processing and other sequencers running, bussing and having a stereo mix to monitor and possibly record. A "host" like AUM or Audiobus is like the framework of a DAW where you assemble your instruments and effects under one roof, so to speak, to sync, control, mix, monitor, and record everything, including the set up so you don't have to manually set the whole thing up every time you want to work on that project. When you go modular rather than using an all-in-one app like Garageband, Cubasis, Gadget, Auria, etc, etc.., AUM and Audiobus are your best friends. When you get more into it, you can actually use both at the same time.
As wim said, forget the app reviews. You'll get a much better review of apps here, where people are generally more knowledgeable, and where criticisms have to stand up to scrutiny.
Wow, you folks are all truly amazing! Thanks so much for taking all the time to explain what has to be the basics for you all. I'll try to keep my questions to a minimum, but it is great to know that you are there.
That being said, next question: where do I go to hear some of your music? And how do I share mine? I did my first composite sitting in the doctor's office (it was a very long wait!) and it (the experience) was amazing! As a jazz player I am rooted in improvisation and it was like the musical environment was improvising along with me. I did it all in gadget, cause I haven't figured Xequence out yet (like how to get the keyboard controller to sound!) but I know I'll get it together eventually.
How do you make the Xequence keyboard sound? It's so basic it isn't in the manual!
Regarding all your sage advice about Aum and Audiobus.... I can really see what you're talking about, especially mixer operations like track volume and the preset limitations that can be overcome. On some of the gadgets I could not find an output level at all! But I imagine on Xequence that is not a problem.
So, they are in my future.... Maybe tonight! It's hard to resist that buy button! After laying out over two grand for a Roland FA07, headphones and Mackie MR4s it's hard to believe I could set up a portable recording studio with a dozen instruments, a couple thousand voices and a used iPad 4 with lightning connector for under $300!! And that includes $35 worth of Jordan Rudess' chotchkes that are basically throwaways because I didn't know better (sorry, Jordan, you're a great player, but your apps...). Well, that is staggering for a guy who spent $1000 in 1980 dollars for a Tascam 4 track (and no Dolby!). So we are all blessed by this incredible virtual synthesis, imho, which wasn't even possible a few years ago.
By the way, I am tremendously happy with the Roland. For the price I think it is the best of all of them. It is fascinating to me, however, that the music I make with virtual technology is so different than the music I make in the real world... If you can call playing a computer with keys real.
Thanks again to Wim, Mr. Music and SevenSystems for your generosity. Being a non Turkish speaking expat I am a little starved for American personality and just hearing your sane and prototypical personalities coming through the ether is a godsend for me! I promise my questions will dwindle in a few weeks and I, too, will revert to my sane and prototypical New York persona, thanks to you! Best! Mike
@LinearLineman
In Gadget, make sure you have advanced Midi selected.
Next, hit the double arrow in the upper right corner to expand the instrument section. For the track(s) you want to control, select Gadget as the midi port and channel 1 as the midi channel.
In Xequence, make an instrument on the instrument page. For the instrument output, select Gadget, and for midi channel select channel 1 to match the channel setting in Gadget. You can have more than one Gadget set to midi channel 1 and they will all play from the Xequence KB.
So, when I export a midi file, the suffix/file type is saved with the name.seq which none of my ios apps like cubasis or gadget or bm3 know how to open. Am I missing something, or what good does it do to export if this is the case?
Make sure you use the “Export Midi File” button and not the “Save as” button. I just exported a midi file successfully, with the correct .mid extension.
Yes, I double-checked on that and it's showing as the correct extension now, but when trying to open the file in Cubasis it doesn't do anything. I am on first gen Ipad Pro 12.9. Perhaps I am doing something wrong. But I can open non-xequence midi files with no problems. Its also crashing my ipad if I try and export anything other than "only the selected part". I think I am going to use something else, xequence seems to be not for me. Any suggestions?
@Breezee: Could you send the project (.xeq) that fails to export / crashes so I can take a look? I’m sure it’s an easy fix. I can PM you with the details.
Thank you Cracklepot! It worked like a charm. Without the assistance of you and your compatriots I surely would just give up on this musical adventure. I hope there will be other neophytes who read this thread and profit from it as much as I do!
Now, how do I hear your music and post mine, if you would be so kind?
@CracklePot thanks for the amazing tutorial. Though I have to admit, it is almost a verbatim 1:1 copy from the manual, including the screenshots
(I know you did it from scratch. Just kidding)
where would you like me to send it. it won't let me attach it to this post.
Nah, I am a copy/paste ninja!
Hoping if I help field some of the easier questions, you could have more time focusing on the hard stuff (I am talking further development here).
No problem. I like helping the new to iOS crew.
Most people post tracks to Soundcloud or YouTube. If you are interested in a cool, easy to use music to video generating type of app, check out Wizibel. You can quickly generate some simple video for your music if you go the YouTube route.
I need to finish some tracks and start posting them. I have spent most of my time dabbling, experimenting, learning, and having stuff blow up in my face. Time to get productive, me feels.
it is attached now in a zip file
Thanks, Cracklepot. I have never posted anything so there's another project for me!
Meanwhile, I have successfully recorded three discrete tracks, one from Darwin and two from iM1. All the colors are lighting up, but when I press play only the 1st and 3rd are playing. There are note values posted for the second iM1 track, but they simply do not play, though tracks 1and 3 are fine. Any suggestions?
SevenSystems: even though I am clawing my way forward with great help from forum members, each small victory is rewarded by how Xequence looks as I progress and it's elegant logic (once you know how!). the master class videos are informative but the very basic elements are skipped (hence "master") Any suggestions on how to acquire the basics so I can stop bothering these fine fellows on the forum? And thanks again for a beautiful creation.... even as it drives me nuts!
It seems like you may be launching iM1 as stand alone. I believe you would need to load 3 Darwin Gadgets, which is how iM1 appears and is named in Gadget.
I am not clear on what you can do exactly with the Gadgets that allow you to connect the Korg standalone synths, as I don’t have any of those. I assume you would need to assign different midi channels to each instance of Darwin in order to use 3 separate presets or voices/timbres.
Xequence has an excellent written manual and a huge demo project that hooks up to Gadget (Alpha Demo). Check those out if you haven’t. They cover the basics very well.
You seem to be learning this stuff fairly easily. Just keep going, and very soon you will feel comfortable with all this iOS madness.
You should create a template so the user can just jump right in.
I watched the Audio Dabbler video and found this app to be complicated