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.

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manually set improvised tempo with a midi loop or sequence

Hi, I am trying to figure out a way to manually set the tempo with a midi loop or sequence. Could you please help?

When I start playing almost any app/instrument (whether its drums, synths, etc), it often feels most natural for me to jam without a preset tempo until I find a riff that I like, and then loop it, manually setting the tempo by hitting the record button to start and stop the loop (as opposed to playing to a metronome or tapping out a tempo in advance).

However, when I have been playing with different iOS apps ( including instruments, sequencers, and loopers), I have been running into a wall- once I start jamming and find a riff that i like and want to loop, I’m haven’t been able to record it at my own tempo. The only way that I can record a loop or sequence is to use the preset tempo (or tap out the tempo, which breaks the flow of playing the instrument). I want the ability to press record when I am starting a loop and then press record again to end the loop, so that I have complete control over how long the measure is and how fast the tempo is.

I’ve found that I can achieve this in Ableton Live by turning the global quantization off in session mode or by using a looper device and setting it up to set the tempo, but I haven’t yet found a good solution for the iPad. The only solution that I’ve found so far is to route the instruments into Loopy and then go into Loopy and reset to a new session that also resets the ableton link tempo. This works great because it allows me to manually use Loopy’s record buttons, but it has two problems:

  1. It records the loop in audio and I would much prefer to record the loop in midi so that I can edit it after. Would be sweet to be able able to use it with midi sequencers, etc, once the tempo has been set manually.

  2. It requires me to do some extra routing, sending everything into Audiobus and Loopy, and also requires me to navigate back to loopy and reset the session whenever I want to start a loop at a new tempo.

I think that a simpler and more midi-centric set up would be better. Ideally, I want to be able to use this workflow to manually set the tempo in every app that I use, probably using a split screen mode or a little menu on the side of the screen like the loopy one when routed through audiobus. Ideally, I’d also be able to use a preset BPM (by entering it in or tapping it out) in the same app (or in another audio unit in a host) so that I have the ability to use a preset tempo or an improvised tempo without needing to change workflows.

It would probably be best If it all worked within an audio unit compatible host. That way, I could use one host or audio unit to capture the original loop/sequence at my own improvised tempo, and still be able to use other Au3 compatible sequencers (like step poly arp) for preset tempos (or when the tempo has already been set by the first loop).

Are there any particular instruments/apps that are particularly well suited for this type of workflow? Are there any sequencers, hosts or loopers that have this functionality?

What do you recommend that can work this way?

Comments

  • edited July 2018

    Just a note about ableton, version 10 has a new feature called capture. You don’t need to press anything ableton is always recording midi and when you like something you played just click the midi button and ableton will loop your jam in the tempo you just played! Exactly what you are asking for on a PC/Mac.

    As for iOS I do not have such a solution for you.

  • edited July 2018

    Thanks, sounds awesome! I didn't realize that capture worked that way, will def check that out! I don't think that's exactly what I meant though- Ableton's capture is always recording and doesn't require me to press record to start the loop. This would be great on ios as well obviously, but I'm looking for something simpler- just the ability to manually start and stop the loop with the record button- just like loopy works after I have reset the ableton link tempo.

    Also, just thought of another feature that I would like the ios workflow to have: the ability to edit the start and end points of the midi loop after recording it. This could come in handy, for example, if i record a nice riff but accidentally press the record button to end the clip a little too soon or too fast- if that happens, this feature would allow me to simply drag the end of the clip in or out a bit so that i can give it a little more or less space at the end of the loop. This feature is also in ableton, but is there any ios app/solution that also provides this function (in addition to the other functions described above)?

  • Can somebody please offer advice? This feature seems so simple, would be incredibly helpful, and i figure this has to be available somewhere.

    I was playing around with Xequence and it seems like it kinds of works if i turn quantization off, but haven’t yet figured out how to make it actually loop- i can create an origInal loop with piano input at my own tempo, but when i click play it doesnt repeat it, it just plays it once then keeps moving down the timeline in silence.

    Maybe modstep? Or one of the many other looper and sequencer applications like infinite looper, quantum, etc?

  • If you know how long you want your loop to be, just draw in a clip that length, in the right section of the timeline. While that empty clip is selected, turn on looping, using the selection option. This will create an active loop region. You can delete the empty clip. The loop region stays active until you disable it with the loop button again.

    This be for Xequence, obviously.

  • @dan151 said:
    Can somebody please offer advice? This feature seems so simple, would be incredibly helpful, and i figure this has to be available somewhere.

    I was playing around with Xequence and it seems like it kinds of works if i turn quantization off, but haven’t yet figured out how to make it actually loop- i can create an origInal loop with piano input at my own tempo, but when i click play it doesnt repeat it, it just plays it once then keeps moving down the timeline in silence.

    Maybe modstep? Or one of the many other looper and sequencer applications like infinite looper, quantum, etc?

    Take a look at modstep. I've tried to do what you're trying to do, and honestly, I never got to where I wanted to get. Modstep got me the closest, though.

  • @dan151 said:
    I was playing around with Xequence and it seems like it kinds of works if i turn quantization off, but haven’t yet figured out how to make it actually loop- i can create an origInal loop with piano input at my own tempo, but when i click play it doesnt repeat it, it just plays it once then keeps moving down the timeline in silence.

    You need either set a loop region in the timeline or set “loop on” for the clip. See pages 21-24 in the quick start guide for more info.

  • Thanks for the help everybody!

    @lukesleepwalker said:

    Take a look at modstep. I've tried to do what you're trying to do, and honestly, I never got to where I wanted to get. Modstep got me the closest, though.

    I have been watching videos of modstep and am considering it. Can you please explain what you did/do in modstep to approximate this and how/where it works or falls short?

    @CracklePot said:
    If you know how long you want your loop to be, just draw in a clip that length, in the right section of the timeline. While that empty clip is selected, turn on looping, using the selection option. This will create an active loop region. You can delete the empty clip. The loop region stays active until you disable it with the loop button again.

    This be for Xequence, obviously.

    I usually don’t know how long I want the clip to be except for the length of time that feels right as i play it. I like to use this method of looping as you described sometimes, but right now I want to loop in realitime while playing the midi keyboard, not drawing clips on the timeline.

    @wim said:

    You need either set a loop region in the timeline or set “loop on” for the clip. See pages 21-24 in the quick start guide for more info.

    I just read those pages of the manual and played with Xequence for the past 20 minutes and I’m feeling like it might not be the right tool for this, though it’s possible that its just because i still don’t understand all of what’s going on. I can set a loop on the timeline while in the ‘draw mode’ and that works well, but looking to do it in the keyboard mode right now. When i play a riff in the keyboard mode and loop it, it does seem to loop with start/end points of when i hit the record button, but i keep getting confused. Sometimes the loop button goes grey and won’t loop anything. Or sometimes I record a loop but i cant figure out where/how to delete it and start fresh- the loop created in the keyboard mode doesnt seem to go into the arrangement mode and I don’t see it anywhere.

    Where does the loop go and how can i delete it?

    Any other advice about this or good tutorials that show how to use this feature?

    Or maybe a different tool would be better?

  • In cubasis you can jam and record whatever you want regardless of tempo and length

  • edited July 2018

    Hmm interesting, i just watched a few vids about cubasis and seems promising. I see that you can turn quantization off and alot of cool features, but didn’t see anybody start and stop the loop by hitting the record button. Can record a midi loop by manually hitting record to start and end the loop at your own tempo? Also, Can you also record audio loops in this way?

  • edited July 2018

    @dan151 I’ve been in the same boat and struggling to find a solution for this (in my case the need comes from the long time habit of guitar looping to start a project and trying to replicate a similar workflow on iOS with the benefits of midi, tempo, etc.).
    So far I’ve found on thing that sort of works for me (although it seems your AB/loopy method is better; how do you set that up?). My process:

    • using Music Memos to record the original loop (I use a analog connection from iPad to iPhone to record into it)
    • Export from Music Memo into garageBand; it exports the optional auto-generated bass and drums as separate tracks (loop is only audio though; while bass and drums are midi)
    • iCloud sync to open GB project on iPad
    • Re-record the original loop in GB to get the midi while listening to the original audio loop in context
    • This process seems complex written out like this, but feels quite natural when I’m doing it

    Downside is that GB does not show me any tempo for the resulting project unless you then export to Logic on Mac (if anyone knows how to see tempo I’d be very grateful); although all further instruments abide by the tempo.

    Hoping that someone from the forums hivemind offers a better process :-)

    Edited for clarity

  • @bato hmm interesting. I just set route loopy thru audiobus and then go into loopy and start a new track and choose to reset ableton link tempo . I tried cubasis and its decent but not quite what i'm looking for, waiting for something thats really seemless i guess, until then just going to stick with ableton...

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