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.

The Piano Poll - part 2 (with new samples)

tjatja
edited June 2018 in General App Discussion

This is meant as continuation of https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/20334/the-piano-poll using a new MIDI file with greater dynamics and also a greater range of Apps:

The Pianos

We have:

  • iSymphonic Grand

  • ThumbJam Grand Piano

  • ThumbJam Upright Piano

  • bs-16i Bright Grand

  • Piano in 162

  • iGrand Piano FREE

  • SampleTank Pro Grand Piano 2

  • SampleTank Pro Classic Piano 1
  • SampleTank Pro Grand Piano 1

  • SampleTank Grand Piano 3

  • SampleTank Grand Piano Warm

  • SampleTank Miroslav 2 Grand

  • SampleTank Imperial Grand Classic

  • Cubasis Micro Sonic Live Grand

  • Cubasis Micro Sonic Mellow Grand
  • Cubasis Micro Sonic Bright Piano
  • Cubasis Micro Sonic Acoustic Piano

  • Cubasis Minisampler Upright Piani

  • Cubasis Minisampler Grand S90

  • Cubasis Micro Sonic Piano Pickup

  • AuriaPro Salamander C5

  • AuriaPro C7 Grand
  • AuriaPro Classic Grand
  • AuriaPro Dreamwave Piano
  • AuriaPro Italian Grand
  • AuriaPro Stereo Grand

  • Beathawk Acoustic Grand

  • Ravenscroft 275 Concert

  • Ravenscroft 275 Classic
  • Ravenscroft 275 Classic without Reverb

  • Ivory Concert Grand

  • Ivory Dynamic Grand
  • Ivory Grand Piano
  • Ivory Solo Piano

and ONE sample is double, to confuse you :-D

The samples

Dropbox

You can download all samples from dropbox:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/4mbd7e3bdvvkfde/AACfFWAFsQTALNTuR4eYtFAZa?dl=0
(with dl set to 0)

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/4mbd7e3bdvvkfde/AACfFWAFsQTALNTuR4eYtFAZa?dl=1
(with dl set to 1)

You can download them all together as one zip file in the menu in the upper right, if you prefer!

Reduced list of samples

If 41 Pianos is just too much,

you can, for example, concentrate on samples 17 that belong to one patch from every App or from every purchase of every App.

I tried to concentrate von "Grand Piano", "Classical Piano" or "Concert Piano", if possible:

01, 03, 05, 08, 12, 16, 18, 19, 22, 25, 27, 28, 29, 31, 32, 40, 41

To make that more simple, i create a second folder with those 17 samples:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/sn8gnrxapc1i6dt/AABYp6JPPadk8i_jQf4dmP7ga?dl=0

SoundCloud

The SoundCloud Playlist:

The MIDI file

The Cubasis project file including the MIDI

https://www.dropbox.com/s/x9dw7ab6pzkfsgw/PianoPoll 2.cbp?dl=0
(with dl set to 0)

https://www.dropbox.com/s/x9dw7ab6pzkfsgw/PianoPoll 2.cbp?dl=1
(with dl set to 1)

And the same for the MIDI file itself, if you prefer this:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/mhxpkdqu3n3cgmf/mobilemail - Grieg piano concerto_1_edit.mid?dl=0
(with dl set to 0)

https://www.dropbox.com/s/mhxpkdqu3n3cgmf/mobilemail - Grieg piano concerto_1_edit.mid?dl=1
(with dl set to 1)

The Poll

https://doodle.com/poll/8z6ep6kb9v9gyust

«1345

Comments

  • edited May 2018

    you can upload lossless to Soundcloud, but you have to enable the 'download track' option in rights/permissions to get that same file back to listeners.
    The SC Player always uses their special 128kbit streaming format, which just 'softens' slightly, unless you feed it squashed material with 0dB/fs peaks. I never uses the .wav or aiff version.

  • tjatja
    edited June 2018

    Thanks, @Telefunky
    We will see how to handle that.

  • I beg you to do the following, @CrazySynthMan @nick @Jmcmillan

    Download the above Cubasis project and load it in Cubasis.

    1) Change the instrument of the track to your favorite App and some patch / setting and try to play. Preferably, remove reverb and such things, or create more than one track.

    2) Freeze this track, using 44.1 and 16 bit (this may be tricky, needing live mixdown or the compatible setting in Cubasis)

    3) Double click the resulting audio track

    No NOT use "Normalize" for now ... it is better to check this when we have all audio files.

    4) Use "Save to Media" (or possibly use Mixtdown) to create the WAV file

    Use a name that describes concretely, which App and setting / patch you used.

    You will end in the "Audio" section of Cubasis, the cursor already set to the freshly created audio file

    5) Tap "Share" in the lower left corner, then "... More", then seek "Save to Dropbox" in the lower row.

    Save the file to your dropbox.

    6) Open the DropBox app, find the file and create a link to it.

    Please send me the link as PM in the forum.

    So far OK?

    I already have several tracks from 5 or 6 Apps.

  • It's on like donkey kong.

    I have already done my part and submitted the files.

  • @CrazySynthMan said:
    It's on like donkey kong.

    I have already done my part and submitted the files.

    Me too, but let's wait some time for the others, also maybe we get more contributions?

    Colossus is missing, I think.

    Two days?

  • @tja said:

    @CrazySynthMan said:
    It's on like donkey kong.

    I have already done my part and submitted the files.

    Me too, but let's wait some time for the others, also maybe we get more contributions?

    Colossus is missing, I think.

    Two days?

    Oh, of course! There's no rush!

    I didn't mean it like that.

    And getting more contributions will make the poll and listening test better and more complete.

    There's no rush at all. If it takes a week or more to get all contributions, that's fine too.

  • I don't own colossus, but surely there must be a bunch of people on this forum who do, so one of them should just get busy and bounce the file down, because the whole process will only take a few minutes time.

  • I have most of the Colossus Grands but I don't own Cubasis. I just bought Auria Pro at the 50% off price to give me a DAW. Would Auria frozen tracks of additional pianos I have help the project or is Cubasis required to play?

  • tjatja
    edited June 2018

    @McDtracy said:
    I have most of the Colossus Grands but I don't own Cubasis. I just bought Auria Pro at the 50% off price to give me a DAW. Would Auria frozen tracks of additional pianos I have help the project or is Cubasis required to play?

    No, Cubasis is no requirement - just download the MIDI file instead of the Cubasis project!

    I already have some Auria pianos, but the Colossus is missing - would appreciate to get it :smile:

    Or in general, give me whatever you like to see compared - and make sure the filenames are concrete enough (send them by PM in the forum).

    Thanks a bunch! :smiley:

  • tjatja
    edited June 2018

    So far, i have got those:

    Korg Module Ivory (4 Pianos)

    Ravenscroft (3 Pianos)

    Colossus (3 Pianos)

    iSymphonic (1 Pianos)

    Sample Tank (6 Pianos)

    Beathawk (1 Piano)

    Piano in 162 (played in Auria Pro)

    Auria Pro (6 Pianos)

    Cubasis (3 Pianos)

    ThumbJam (2 Pianos)

    Anything we are missing?

    Anyone the Brandenburg from SampleTank?
    Or the full iGrand?

  • I noticed, that the audio lengths are different, maybe because of different DAWs used.

    I think, i will cut all of them to the same length, even if this mean to cut off the tails.

  • tjatja
    edited June 2018

    Any idea which App to use to most easily cut multiple audio files to the same length?
    EDIT: I did that within Cubasis

  • In my case the extra tails are there to see when the piano can no longer be heard on the last note. They ring on for a long time with this midi performance.

  • @McDtracy said:
    In my case the extra tails are there to see when the piano can no longer be heard on the last note. They ring on for a long time with this midi performance.

    That's a good idea, but now I have cut them to the same length.
    We would have need this for all audio files - now it is too late, sorry

    I am going to upload

  • OK, i updated the first posting.

    It now contains:

    1. The list of all Pianos in the poll!
    2. The link to the dropbox folder which all 41 samples (you can also download them as one zip file)
    3. The Doodle poll itself, listing 42 choices (one left free for now)
    4. And as soon as the upload is finished, the link to the SoundCloud page
  • No> @tja said:

    @McDtracy said:
    In my case the extra tails are there to see when the piano can no longer be heard on the last note. They ring on for a long time with this midi performance.

    That's a good idea, but now I have cut them to the same length.
    We would have need this for all audio files - now it is too late, sorry

    I am going to upload

    Good I would like to compare the Colussus Pianos to my other favorites. All these pianos are superior to what you could buy in an affordable ROMpler a few years ago. The only way you can detect their flaws is to play one for an hour or so and see how the upper frequencies hold up to "ear strain". Many of them can become annoying and take you out of the experience whereas even a cheap acoustic upright would never any you with "electronic sounding" highs. That's what I listen for: suspension of disbelief while playing though good studio monitors and headphones. Does the sample take you to that "place" and let you stay there until you are ready to stop rather than stopping because it's just not the real deal.

    For the listener it comes down to the colors (bright vs dark) and the "space" created by the recordings or effects. And that's a personal choice. There is no BEST. Just a favorite. In a mix the whole argument changes based upon the mix and other instrumentation. Some people still love that Korg M1 piano because they music that hooked them had just that (aweful) sound.

  • @McDtracy Luckily, we have a Doodle poll that allows to select all you favorites :smile:
    I am not sure myself - going to hear them

  • I think I need to load all of the wav files into Logic Pro and just jump from one to another playing the "which one is better and why" game to converge on a top 5. It's quite likely that the piano with the best reverb will win. So, I might add effects to a lack luster piano to see if I can tweak EQ and Reverb to get close to my winner.

    So, far the last few pianos are my fav's. But I need to A-B them to other models to see if there's another gem in the lot.

  • NOTE: 07.wav is only the right channel of the recording. Maybe that can be re-submitted by the provider to get a fair hearing of the product in question.

  • edited June 2018

    When do we get Fazioli piano app to iOS... Any company out there that's intrested of this?

    I read an article about Benny Andersson from the famous 70-80s supergroup ABBA, that he has discovered Fazioli after more than 60 years in front of hundeds of keyboards and acoustic pianos and Grands...

    He visited a friends friend and there stood an Fazioli. After playing on it for just a few minutes he decided to invest $150000 to bring an Fazioli to his studio in Stockholm...

    He's latest album with just him, his music from 50 years and this Fazioli - fuckin' great album!!

    Benny Andersson - Piano...

  • @McDtracy said:
    NOTE: 07.wav is only the right channel of the recording. Maybe that can be re-submitted by the provider to get a fair hearing of the product in question.

    OH, you are right.
    Trying to fix that

  • tjatja
    edited June 2018

    I got a new "07.wav" and uploaded it to Dropbox, please check!

    I also uploaded the new version to SoundCloud, but i cannot find a way to modify the playlist.

    Google showed me a way to do this, you need to edit the new track, not the playlist ;-)
    I exchanged "07" on SoundCloud too.

  • I just voted, is there a way to know what pianos they are respectively?
    I'll PM you tja on what I like best in the entire list :)

  • edited June 2018

    Hi guys, very interesting post! I downloaded the wav files but I inmediately noticed that there’s heavy audio clipping in most of the files around the first 20 seconds. May I suggest that they are recorded again, otherwise those pianos will be in disadvantage over the properly recorded ones (i.e. files 03, 04, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 19 auch!...)

  • edited June 2018

    @Rodolfo said:
    Hi guys, very interesting post! I downloaded the wav files but I inmediately noticed that there’s heavy audio clipping in most of the files around the first 20 seconds. May I suggest that they are recorded again, otherwise those pianos will be in disadvantage over the properly recorded ones (i.e. files 03, 04, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 19 auch!...)

    I have the same feeling...
    Many of the first 5-6 pianofiles are cliping...

    But, number 10 must be the best piano in my taste: Steady bottom, nice high pitch and nice dynamics...
    Pretty easy also to hear witch two pianos that is Salamander SF2 ;-)

  • tjatja
    edited June 2018

    Just to make sure:

    03, 04, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 19 are OK or are not OK?

    Anyway, they were recorded as they came out.
    But as some of them where very silent, I used the normalization from AudioShare on all of them.
    But this did not change nothing on the louder samples, just on the more silent samples.

    Please give me an esp. bad sample and I will upload the version without normalization to compare.

  • I think, 03, 04, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 19 are esp. bad, right?

    Here is this file before and after normalization in AudioShare:

    There is no difference.
    This is what those Pianos sound like!

    But I cannot hear clipping, with my esp. bad ears.

  • tjatja
    edited June 2018

    I think, 19 was the worst, graphically:

    So, what I am saying is, that this effect (clipping?) did not come from the normalization.

    And neither I nor the other contributors did anything special:

    Just load the MIDI file into Cubasis or Auria, select an AU or IAA, choose some preset and freeze it - finish.

    I going to double check number 19 and recreate the Audio!

    EDIT: I redid 19 in both Cubasis and Auria and the result from Cubasis was bad and full of crackling and clippings! Maybe something similar happened earlier. Going to re-upload 19!

  • Sorry, my comment was not very clear. I meant that those files (03, 04, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 19) were clipping, clearly audible digital distorion.

  • edited June 2018

    The problem is not related to Audioshare normalization, it has to do with the original recording in Cubasis. The sound source volume (Sampletank, Colossus, Ravenscroft, whatever the app you’re using) must be adjusted properly so Cubasis is not clipping while playing (or recording/freezing) the track.

Sign In or Register to comment.