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 not really that for me - I’m pretty proficient with Auria and recording in general. It’s more a CPU thing, plus a fear of spending days on a song and then losing it. I’ve had tracks become corrupted in both Auria and BM3, and lost days of work. Plus trying to work with MIDI on an Air 2 as well means I have to keep freezing and bouncing tracks. Though updates in Auria seemed to fix the issues I was having.
There’s a safety in creating loops and blocks on the iPad, and then sending them off to desktop to arrange.
I think this is my project for the xmas holiday - reconnect with my iOS DAWs, and try and find a proper home for my noodling.
There’s a lot of depth to Stagelight that I don’t see discussed here . You can’t do the following on any iOS Sampler besides BM3 a d maybe not even that, I dunno
That ROLI “Garage Band Song Kit “ is a nice setup for GB though. But Stagelight also has MPE onboard .
I think o e of the best features of GB is the plethora of videos that enable us to get around it’s limitations .
A good way to go further with GarageBand and its automation limitations:
using apeMatrix AU Send Receive, you can apply some volume automation on parallel reverbs or delays for example, and even add automation on both track sender and track receiver, to do some cross fading or signal alternance. You can send original track to several other tracks with different processing and volume automations. You can add for example some Perforator, Replicant 2 or Bit crusher on different tracks and play with volume automations. The original track will send signal pre fader, this is why you can do interesting things. This is possible when needed to merge those tracks to make more easily arrangeable parts. You can have interesting results too just by duplicating tracks with different processing and volume automation and/or parts arrrangment.
when you want to add LFO automations, just use synths/effects that allow for that, or use apeMatrix as IAA: it will be synced perfectly with GB, and all ApeM LFO power will be added to GB. So nice to use with Noir parameters for example, or in much more advanced routings. You can also use KRFT to control ApeM in real-time, for manual automations or LFO triggering from KRFT. This time you’ll need to use Midi Link Sync app to sync GB with ApeM and KRFT both Link enabled. Works like a charm really, think GB as a sampler. Gadget and KEW will also works greatly with GB via midi clock, you can add automations in there.
4pockets Filtermorph has an automation sequencer just being fixed in GB, merges perfectly now. When used with other effects it’s very useful to add life to GB tracks.
Sometimes I like to use Lurssen to add some dynamics automation to drums parts and that sounds really nicely. You have to export your track from GB to Lurssen, then import back in GB. This and GB additional subtle volume automation adds lot of life to the track.
I don’t use them a lot, but GB master DJ like FXs are automatable, you can use them on an individual track (solo enabled to hear what you do), merge that track and disable master FX automation track after that. It’s an additional tool.
And there is that well known trick with pan automation: duplicate your track, one panned left the other right, and create some volume automations on both tracks to do some cross fading resulting in pan automation.
This is not as perfect as Ableton enveloppe automations, but you have some possibilities to play with if you open GarageBand to AU/IAA external stuff.
Wow!
I was basing it on feature set only, assuming the same sort of iOS level of playflow but NS2 is a whole other thing. Sure it needs things yet like AUFX automation but... dayum... so good.
I did not get too far in Stagelight. Where is the video?
You can absolutely get your head around NS2 within minutes and the hours will fly by like playing in the park on a sunny day as a kid. It is so well designed that it just sticks. I never loaded it up and had that ‘ok now where is... uhhh, that thing...that uhh...’ like I did when learning BM3.
There are a couple little things like AUfx automation that are on the NS2 radar... but to even consider AUfx automation a ‘little thing’ I think is testament to just how awesome it is at what it does do. Had I heard ‘no AUFX automation’ on day one I would have thought ‘pffft, forget that’ but I would have missed out as again what it does do is on a whole other level.
Also, one of the things I love about NS2 is I am really learning to enjoy automating mixing parameters. Something that was relatively awkward and a bit unrewarding in other apps or even on desktop feels more like simple expressive performance and very musical in NS2... that Stereo Filter automation... damn, so good and simple but such a big part of what makes good things sound so good nowadays (I think 🤔)...
Hmmm, I think my 2017 ipad is more or less in the Air 2 range. With NS2 I can get around five AU synths (Synthmaster One, Zeeon, Model D, Egoist etc) (warning Aparillo seems a bit buggy right now, wah!), lots of FAC plugins, a few more aufx (Kleverb, Kosmonaut type etc) etc and a whole slew of Obsidian (not my fav synth as a humble preset tweaker but can do some ok things, probably need to get all the IAP to have a good cross section of stuff I like though... ... I imagine getting to know its sample abilities will be very rewarding) anyway and seemingly as much Slate (sample hits) as I want. The built in NS2 filters and FX are a very sensible balance of sound/performance for where we are today.
In the end my projects end up looking like about sixteen or less tracks with a couple tracks used for AUX, one with a reverb, another with some mutant washy thing that I send stuff to. Totaly not powerhousing it and hitting just around 65% CPU most times. The real limit these days seems to still be the iOS AU memory limits (?). Hardware/OS? Probably? dunno...
Anyway, very much back to the old daw days of ‘just the right tracks’ as it really hit home to me again that the basics are about finding those few parameters/sounds that resonate and express them. It gets me out of that ‘sounds OK = add another track’ hole so easy to get into. Now it is ‘sounds OK = noodel it/try something else/replace it/take a risk/automate stuff’ etc. simply because it is so easy and painless to just do this stuff now. So little clutter and cognitive snags.
Cheers for all that Gus, lots of useful feedback there.
Mixing automation is a big deal for me too, I struggle with it even with desktop DAW’s so good to hear this one has it covered.
Time to watch a few vids...
I’ve had issues with Aparillo in ApeMatrix - runs fine in AUM, I can run three or four easily, but just two crackle and freeze in AM.
Cool!
The Aparillo bug in question seems to be that some projects with it hang on save for a looong time. Normaly saving a project is instant but every now and then I get a loooong wait... then it saves... OK? But sometimes I load a project and Aparillo is at default... hmmm... I still risk it though but am hoping SugarBytes / NS2 figure it out. If I want smooth with no hickups moving forward I will probably just important Aparillo samples.
That
@AudioGus
Just discovered Auria can record MIDI data from Riffer - don’t think NS2 does this, so that’s a tick for Auria...and very useful for my stuff.
I am not making a case, i am stating that auria pro will wipe its ars with anything up there! All day, every day, in each and every way. It just takes dedication like anything with tons of features. Realtime track stretch is kinda dope, fabfilters and other professional inbuilt effects, lyra load sfz patches, 100mm faders in portrat mode for more accurate mixing, bussing, sidechain, hmmm none of the other apps on ipad can get close at current state! I dont need to quote somebody calling something a “game changer” it doesnt change any game...only how hard you can play on ios...if you want a total solution...right now its probably the only one.
Sampleverse does look cool, but you can also modulate samples in BM3 and NS2.
Also Auria is definitely the most fully-featured iOS DAW by a long way, but nonetheless Cubasis does outdo it in a couple of areas, namely AU MIDI and MPE, so it really it just depends on what you’re aiming to do. I think the other DAWs are behind in terms of raw features but appeal to specific workflows so there just isn’t really a “best” DAW, they can all complement each other. For example it makes perfect sense to compose in Cubasis or NS2 or BM3 or Stagelight and to mix and master in Auria. You can also compose in Auria as well, but it’s probably more fun to compose in NS2.
That’s the thing, there’s no one-fit-all solution. I was trying to edit MIDI notes in Auria earlier. You can’t stretch them to make them longer, only delete and redraw. Little things, workflow. It just took all the fun out of it, so I can see why people would compose in another DAW, and then bring it all together in Auria.
You can definitely stretch MIDI notes in Auria, AFAIK you just need to zoom in far enough to see the handle for stretching them out (a little arrow on the right hand side of the note) or you can also use the note lengths in the MIDI toolbar. I don’t have my iPad with me this weekend but I can post screenshots when I get back on Monday.
But yes Auria is one of those where you definitely have to read the manual to get the most out of it. NS2 in contrast you can just dive in.
I just think we’re lucky to have such choice on the platform - choice means it’s likely there will be something you click with. I prefer Cubasis but they are all great (ever maturing) options each with its own strengths. Don’t expect perfection, you won’t find it. Until 2019 maybe 😆
You can definitely change the duration of MIDI notes. Auria's MIDI editing conventions are different from many iOS MIDI apps. It is worth reading the manual. It has some great MIDI tools that others don't but which are easy to overlook.
I think its learning curve (which isn't all that steep) leads some to miss some of its MIDI features.
That’s exactly what I’m aiming to do. Stagelight into Auria . I think it’s cool how Sampleverse will map out the samples of a guitar chord string by string kinda like basic melodyne
I like all of them (except I don't know Stagelight yet), and GarageBand is pretty special on the iPad. My mindset is kinda like the old days of recording to a little Tascam Portastudio cassette recorder but now with incredible new capabilities. I know many people need all the tech, every kind of automation, routing, editing and sampling manipulation, etc.. but for just recording some music, GB is a nice enjoyable good sounding world of possibilities.
I’m hearing quality tunes being made in Auria, BM3, AUM, Gadget, Cubasis... I’ve used AEMS for a couple of tracks. Yep, GarageBand too although I hear less stuff posted made in GB but no doubt very popular worldwide. I’m sure the NS2 and Stagelight tunes will start to flow now they are out. Heck, I’m hearing a load of good stuff being made in SunVox too. And I’m probably missing a couple.
So I know this is a personal opinion thread but for anyone new to iOS who might be reading this, a battle of the iOS DAWs can’t be limited to just the four apps in the OP.
@gusgranite : could you post some links to SunVox tunes you dig?
just check this thread, a LOT of flow
https://www.blipinteractive.co.uk/community/index.php?p=/discussion/55/nanostudio-2-songs-megathread/p1
Here's where the developer posts submitted 'made with SunVox' tunes. Not all my style but I appreciate the sound and creativity. https://soundcloud.com/sunvox
Thanks. SunVox is such a powerful environment, and I am impressed with what one can do with it but also feel like I can never get big or "warm" sounds out of it that rival my favorite synths. I haven't explored it enough to tell if it is a limitation based on my knowledge/ability of how to use it, or if the engine is lacking a certain something that I look for. So, I look forward to checking out the SoundCloud channel to see if others achieve that sound that I can't find.