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.
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it's on the midi patchbay as the filter "funnel" icon at the bottom, tap that.
BeepStreet states on FB we are looking at 3 weeks for the Sunrizer AU release.
Just from watching videos, I think apeMatrix would drive me crazy were I to try using it - at least for now. There's a few usability issues (my day job is rearing its head), at least in appearances from someone who doesn't have the app.
1) The app assumes the negative rather than the positive, that is, it absolutely doesn't do things on behalf of the user. For example, when you add an instrument - especially the first one, my expectation would be that it's automatically wired up to work, NOT that I'd have to "wire" it to the output. AUM makes the right choice here in assuming that the reason you're adding it is to play it - but then giving you the option to route it, instead. Apps shouldn't go crazy making a ton of assumptions, but there seems to be a few basic ones that would save taps and annoyance.
2) If tapping a button displays a modal, such as the keyboard, then tapping the button again ought to dismiss the modal. It doesn't.
3) I can see that the 3 pages of matrix look 100% independent. That seems like a lot of extra work for most (?) people in that even the one MIDI keyboard hooked to the device has to be selected for each page. I'd expect that some basics are inherited and then can be changed as desired. And then give a way to "unlock" each page from one another. Or at least provide a way to lock them. Maybe long-press on each page icon.
4) Tapping a button on located at the bottom of the page would ideally NOT display a modal in the center of the page because than you have to readjust your eyes and fingers. It'd be much faster and easier if the button displayed a custom drop-down (eventually) rather than using the iOS standard so that usage can be contextual and localized to one area of the screen. This is in part a failing of Apple because displaying a modal in the middle of a phone screen isn't as penalizing (due to sheer physical size) as it is on an iPad (esp. Pro) yet Apple stupidly makes it standard behavior on the iPad as well as iPhone.
5) Adding something to the matrix seems to also display a modal. Every time. Ouch. Can there not be a sensible default and then that modal can be triggered after the fact?
6) [EDIT: maybe this one is a non-issue and is just a result of people doing demo videos?] I can see how if you're live jamming that if you add an instrument you wouldn't want it ON by default. However, I think that everything added should be ON by default - because even when ON, it isn't yet routed to the output. If everything is routed to the output, as #1 listed above, then... maybe it stays this way, where everything defaults OFF. What an annoyance for people when they aren't playing live, though, to have to always turn something on before they can use it even though they went through the effort to add it in the first place so they could hear it.
Don't get me wrong - I want apeMatrix. But I'm in a holding pattern for the time being, especially with other goodies coming out soon from other developers. It's definitely on me Get List, though.
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So basically, what you want is an option to toggle new instruments to to be automatically on. Hopefully, the devs will add that, when they fix the bugs and sort out stuff such as Rozetta modules being in the wrong place.
It’s still very early days for me, but thus far I am impressed with what has been done, and enthused for what could be its future. Not that I’m anticipating giving up the brilliant AUM, or AB. This app is a third way, and sometimes that way will be the better option.
Selecting this will do as you are asking I believe.
I fear ApeMatrix will give me a whole lot more delightful meandering jams that I would feel inclined to edit on PC to 'finish'...
...and I already have tons of those from over the years that have built up. I feel that I could maybe at best hit 50% iOS with it whereas my current old schoole timeline overdub aproach/utilisation of BM3 is getting me to 80% iOS...
Maybe vids will sway me though.
Here’s my findings on the first one. Keep in mind this is using the onscreen keyboard for both.
ApeMatrix:
AUM:
Maybe their are different ways, but ApeMatrix seems quicker unless I’ve missed something.
2nd point:
Yeah I hate that opening something needs you then to move your finger to close it. Would much prefer hitting the same button to close it (if that what you meant.
Not sure on the other points, so won’t comment lol
I think that’s what’s holding me back. Since I can do most of this via AUM already, I’m not sure I want to put time in learning another workflow UI.
Watching Doug’s vid, there seemed to be a lot of fiddling about to be done to set things up.
I can see the benefits from a performance perspective, but it’s replicating a lot of what I can already do.
Dunno, not tempted so far.
The lfo for every parameter make it crazy and this alone justifies the intro price. Any niggles will probably be sorted out fairly quickly.
Some of that was Doug, learning as he went along, and pressing okay instead of connects. The latter opens up an app as already switched on and ready to rock.
Then all you need to do is tap once more to route it to whatever effect you have loaded. As Fruitbat has already shown, this is less steps than AUM.
I’m also liking the ability to route multiple sources, a Doug briefly showed.
At the moment, I’m seeing apeMatrix as being a third way. Just as our main DAW is Auria Pro, but at times Cubasis or AUM is the better tool for a job.
It’s a great feature, but once you’ve had a load of fun modulating everything in sight, how much use will it actually be for serious music making? I can see filter sweeps, stuff like that is useful, but I can set that up in Rozeta already.
Not knocking the app, if I didn’t already have AUM and Rozeta it’d be an instabuy. But I do, so I have to play the devils banana here on the fence before I drop another tenner into the bottomless ios moneybox.
Ok, makes sense.
I’ve still got the new Icegear and Steppolyarp on my list, so I’m having to be careful with the pennies. Can’t afford them all.
Mr. Monzo,
I certainly understand where your coming from and I consider you one of the great people of this forum and have loads of respect for you. I started out with this app in the beta stage kind of like Doug and everyone else. It has a steep learning curve but once it clicks after a few hours, it becomes quite easy. I know this and AUM do similar things and in different ways. But after using this almost solely for the past few weeks, I find it simpler and quicker to do those similar thing. Then when you add in the ability to modulate or control any of the available parameters in an AU and most of the parameters inside apeMatrix, like being able to assign the Scrub Y of the built in keyboard to the Cutoff of an AU synth or an LFO to the Panning of a FX, I believe that makes this app totally different. I know the developer is currently working on fixing some of the new found issues and adding some new features. I don’t know if it will ever replace apps like AUM or AB but it will definitely enhance them.
Cheers
Dave
Just my opinion, but some things seem easier in ApeMatrix once you get the basics. Here’s a couple of lists to help with what I mean.
Loading an AU and playing on the inbuilt keyboard:
ApeMatrix-
AUM-
Sending two apps through one AU fx:
ApeMatrix-
Total 7 clicks
AUM-
Total 12 clicks
Don’t get me wrong, AUM is great. Some will definitely prefer it’s way of working, especially visually IMO.
ApeMatrix however can do some more complex routings with far less touches than AUM. Complex routings are IMO much easier in ApeMatrix once it’s logic clicks into brain.
Just posting this for info for you, not saying you should buy it
Thanks for the explanation Dave, appreciate it, and all the other details in this thread.
I feel like I’m outside, looking in through the window at everyone else inside having a great party. I’m sure I’ll crack eventually and join in the fun. Just need to weigh this up against SPA, which looks like it could also be a useful thing.
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Know the feeling, mate. I was lucky in having some iTunes credits for my birthday in late May, which got me the first two on your list, then fortune favoured me again this morning.
I guiltily went into my overdraft oops!
No that’s good info thanks, I’m wondering if some of the easier routing could cut down CPU usage too, which is a bit of an issue for me.
Happy to confirm that I’ve had no issues connecting and then routing midi from my Roli.
I’ve not really taken much notice of overheads yet, but I doubt there is much between the two on that score - well nothing that one heavy used app won’t wipe out lol
As a rule of thumb: anything that doesn't generate or modifiy audio should be negligible in terms of CPU load. Pumping MIDI around shouldn't even register on the radar. Mixing and routing audio is also typically very low CPU (because it can be optimized to the max using SIMD vector magic). It's the synths and effects that you need to keep an eye on.
Notable exception: for some mysterious reason Metal graphics also seem to eat into audio CPU performance - even though most of that ish should be offloaded to the GPU. I'm expecting Apple to fix that on iOS12 with its promised performance boost.
What do you think of the other two?
Thanks for the explanation. Sounds like the benefits are all in quick access via the UI with this one.
Look forward to the Metal update, it’ll be handy for those beefy Moogs.
I’m having a lot of fun with this and, after my initial 15 minutes of frustration, am finding it easier to use than AUM (which is also quite easy). Looking forward to individual stem recording at some point. Great jamming environment!
But not all in a row.
I guess it took me about an hour to figure out how everything worked (with gusgranite's help on one point!). The pin matrix works really well, giving you incredibly flexible routing, from simple sequential to tree like routing where audio can be taken out after any effect in the chain and mixed, or alternative effects chains set up, all with one button switching.
The other killer feature is how easy it is to set up modulation. That is worth the price of admission alone.
If your music making and/or audio exploration follows the lines of the current great article/post by BramBos then it's a must. If you are DAW based then YMMV.
Looking at the test I just did, it looks to have about the same CPU impact as AUM.
Loaded 4 instances of Moog 15 in apeMatrix with no crackle 5 instances started to crackle. Same with AUM
Loaded 3 instances of Model D in apeMatrix with no crackle 4 instances start to crackle. Same with AUM
Loaded 12 instances of BS-16i in apeMatrix with no crackle 13 instances started to crackle. Same with AUM
All routed to the internal keyboard of the app and played with the same presets simultaneously.
All done on iPad 10.5 Pro running iOS 11.4.
That's JUST what I was dreaming last night and came here this morning to look. I connected my Behringer UMC1820 to the iPad to see if anything changed in the apeMatrix matrix (echo echo echo) and it had not. I could see them in AUM of course but not in apeM. You could send different chains to Instr, A and B buses in apeM, but then I'd have to do a +1 for more buses too, to simplify what happens when you send them to AUM for hardware redirection. If I had 4 chains in apeM, I'd like to send each intact to AUM... Am I wrong, or is the only way to send audio OUT from apeM through the output (speakers) or the A & B buses? If that's true, just instr and two buses is going to be limiting. I'm still fiddling with connections, but to me, instrument + A + B is three sets. C and D would make 5. What are the chances.... please please please [grin].
Talked with Alessandro just a few hours ago about this very thing. I believe he is working on an idea to give us many more output buses.
I had asked about performance vs. AUM earlier, but it got buried with no replies.
This is useful info. I am also wondering how app/screen switching is performing vs. AUM.
Many people complain about the constant crackles when switching apps/screens in AUM, I thought more people would be interested if this App doesn’t suffer the same issues.
Since no one is mentioning crackles, I am assuming no one is experiencing them and haven’t realized it yet, being more focused on figuring out how to use this one.