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.

We're going to interview @Michael, Creator of Audiobus (and, this Forum). Post your questions here

Michael Tyson is one of the single most important people in the iOS Music world.

He changed history:

  • Before Audiobus, music apps could not communicate with each other. Audiobus was the precursor to technologies such as IAA, AUv3, etc.

  • He brought iOS music into the public forefront via platforms like the Tonight Show. His apps like Loopy were featured on national TV shows, bringing a new audience of musicians to iOS.

  • He created and maintained developer tools like The Amazing Audio Engine, allowing countless music apps to be created

  • His code is still used by AudioKit today, allowing even more developers to add advanced music functionality to apps

  • Gave the community a voice and central hub to exchange ideas via this forum.

The Audiobus forum is the single greatest group of iOS musicians on the planet.
It would not exist without Michael. Now is your chance to ask him anything.

He's graciously agreed to take questions from the forum. Please post your questions in this thread. And, hopefully, we'll get to ask some in the video interview.

(Obviously, let's keep this big picture. No nit-picky questions about features/bugs/etc)

Looking forward to your ideas. Thanks!

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Comments

  • edited July 2018

    Hi, @Michael. Heaps of praise on you for what you have given to all of us! My question is, when do you see a seamless integration of instruments, effects, daws, etc. happening? Maybe the analogy of the early TV sets and my dad always behind the set, fiddling with vertical, horizontal holds, or "parameters" back in the fifties and where flat screens are today is apt. Where on that timeline are we? How many years till AB is no longer necessary for connectivity, or will that never happen?

    And, if I may, any hints as to what you have up your sleeve next? Thanks!

  • edited July 2018

    @Michael Audiobus 3.1 shows a continued evolution of the app. In what areas would you like to see Apple help improve iOS music making development and how would this help AB evolve further?

  • @Michael What are your opinions on subscription apps? Do you think they're entirely evil? Do you think it is a good business model? Or do you think it's good only when cloud storage and/or a constantly updated content library is offered in the subscription price?

    I'd never subscribe to just an app, but I do subscribe to Auxy given its constantly-updated content library feature.

  • @Michael How do you switch off ? and apart from enjoying fatherhood, what do you like to do away from iOS development ?

    Oh, and Who's your favourite forum member ? JOKE :D :D :D

  • First I need to say, “Michael Tyson is one of the single most important people in the IOS Music world” is so true, if not an understatement!

    @Michael, I am always greatly dissapointed when I find that an app has AudioBus capability, but the developer hasn’t added State Saving. What is up with that? Why do they neglect it? Is it so difficult? Is there anything that can be done to get better adoption? I think I can understand why they wouldn’t “get” how important AB3 midi can be, but state saving? That seems like a no-brainer for anyone who has declined to go the AUv3 route.

  • edited July 2018

    My question is are:

    "Which will occur first Loopy Masterpiece or Audio Clips in Modstep?"

    also

    "Since we saw a preview of the second one on InstaGram... there is any Schedule Release Time (or deadline) on Loopy Masterpice?"

    and finally

    "Any of those will implement Baby mode as some kind of autopilot inspired in those artists who get childrens and need a third hand?"

    ;)

  • What's your favorite part of running the forum? Least favorite part?

  • The 'state' of Loopy Masterpiece something I'm interested in too!

    What is being done 'influence' Apple?

    Ie. Will we ever see a tools such as 'sunflower' on iOS that will let us record 'System Output' without restrictions?
    Would be awesome to use 'System Output' as the source for loop-back recording.
    (This can already be done on the desktop so I don't buy the 'excuses' about content-restriction etc. etc.).

    Another 'brainstorm idea' would be transparent App<->App file-transfer between AB enabled apps making life for all of us a bit easier. (One way would be for AB to act as a 'file hub' similar to AudioShare but with super transparent file-transfers).

  • @Michael What is your iOS music making workflow?

    And thank you!

  • edited July 2018

    Hi Michael & Matt :)

    My Question is:

    Do you think music production on ios has a mid - long term future? Or more precisely, do you think Apple will continue to design & produce hardware that will be suitable to develop for, going into the future?

  • As i joined the AudioBus forum, there where Michael and Sebastian.

    For a long time, I had the impression that Sebastian was the programmer of AudioBus - for no apparent reason, may just have been a misunderstanding by me.

    Still, I would like more about that history of AudioBus and it's creators and who had which role, and so on.

    Just curious and trying get my universe right :)

  • One question What ever happened to Loopy masterpiece edition? haha

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  • edited July 2018

    Can we get a photo of the proud father and the kid? Or a cameo?

  • On the Forum we see constant demands to add AUv3 to every App. As a programmer, how hard is that request for the smaller developer that may not have strong skills in that method of programming to documented Application Programming Interfaces (API)?

    Apple's requires a 360MB limit on RAM use. How is that controlled? If the App attempts to "malloc" more memory does the request get denied or does it just "abort" the App?

    If you haven't dug into AUv3 that might be a clue that it's not an area a programmer would enter without a "gun to the head" from a Product Manager that's just listening to users and has no idea how hard it will be to make a stable product with this new set of requirements bolted on the side.

    Does AUv3 make the Apple IOS market a lot less attractive or will it just drive App prices higher to pay for the risks and overhead? Google's Android seems like the wild west compared to Apple but that's often where the little guy can make a buck. Can you speak for the "little guy"... does Android look good to you as a growth market for your efforts?

  • What's Fallon's phone number?

  • Apart from visiting your kid in college what would you like to be doing in twenty years?

  • In regards to community building of musicians that are into technology; the forum is great but it seems like some other platform(s) may be on the horizon. Any insights/ideas/wishes/interest in this?

  • What are some of your favourite musical acts or inspirations?

  • What apps are you currently enjoying?

  • Is there strong constraints not to integrate program change as a standard in AB/IAA/AUv3 apps ?
    Is Samplebot a "reboot" to get something done before the mind blowing Masterpiece ? :)

  • I may be a bit confused on the makeup of the team, but were you involved in Soundprism? And if so is there any future there? I think Soundprism is a concept that could be greatly expanded with amazing results

  • What was your inspiration/motivation for developing Loopy. Were you the sole developer and was it your first app?

  • Why do birds suddenly appear every time you are near?

  • @TheVimFuego said:
    Why do birds suddenly appear every time you are near?

    Our first AB forum stalker?

  • How many people did you imagine would be using audiobus before releasing it?

  • Will you be updating the Audiobus t-shirts with the latest logo? :smile:

  • @Michael I owe Audiobus for getting me into iOS music so your work has had a big influence on my creativity and enabled me to learn more about the mechanics of synthesis and electronic audio production in general. Thank you.

    My question is about how you feel about Audiobus' place next to apps like AUM and apeMatrix etc. In recent times I've struggled to apply the specific benefits of each as it's not good for stability to be switching project files with them knotted together, at least not for live work, which is my main goal now. Would you consider a merger app with Kymatica etc? Or would technology such as Audiobus Remote be available to licence to other apps? Do you consider the other developers as allies or competitors?

    Congratulations on AB3.1 by the way, I'll be exploring its new features in due course.

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  • Wow. These are really great questions. Thanks for posting. 🙏

    Keep 'em coming!

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