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.

APHELIAN is finally out!!

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Comments

  • @skiphunt said:
    This isn’t important, but I’m curious... in the demo videos the trailing flame/smoke graphics from the orbit spheres in the stargate look different than the diamond/gems coming off the same spheres in the released app.

    @JuanB did the graphics get changed before release? Or, is there another setting to change the characteristics of the animated graphics?

    same question here.

  • edited January 2019

    @skiphunt said:
    This isn’t important, but I’m curious... in the demo videos the trailing flame/smoke graphics from the orbit spheres in the stargate look different than the diamond/gems coming off the same spheres in the released app.

    @JuanB did the graphics get changed before release? Or, is there another setting to change the characteristics of the animated graphics?

    Click the eye ball looking thing on the left, click on visualization


  • yes, thanks, i knew about that. I think we were talking about the trails and graphics in the view where you have the turntable timelines in all 4 corners where you can modify the 3d view.

  • edited January 2019

    About the note trails in the visualizer...
    I assume you’ve tried the icon that’s shaped like an “eye” on the Scene page? That has all the settings for visuals. Also, i think different color schemes, tempos, and angles will make the trails change appearance.
    ———
    For advertising this app, how about this? “Musicians are going APE for Aphelian!”
    Too subtle? 🍌🦍😄

  • I don't believe the version released has the smokey looking note trailes from the moving spheres, and the spheres aren't quite as bright as they are in the videos. I believe it only produces a water droplet looking effect when the notes play.

    I am on a gen 1 ipad pro 12.9.

  • @Breezee said:
    I don't believe the version released has the smokey looking note trailes from the moving spheres, and the spheres aren't quite as bright as they are in the videos. I believe it only produces a water droplet looking effect when the notes play.

    I am on a gen 1 ipad pro 12.9.

    I think you are talking about this “smokey” thing...you have to be in the right view to do 3d shaping

  • Yeah the graphics are definitely a bit different. There's a glow effect and some more blurry trails etc in the video. Looks like they went for a more solid vector approach in the final version.

  • https://youtube.com/watch?time_continue=101&v=ITn8ArEoOh4this video at 1:41 is what I am talking about. I think this is a different view that wasn't released. It probably degrades performance significantly. It doesn't interfere with what you can do with the app, which is impressive, but it's just a cool looking feature that I wish was there.

  • Does Aphelian support scene changes via assignable MIDI CCs?

    Also: Is there a manual with a list of assignable MIDI parameters?

    Such a cool app!!

  • edited January 2019

    @cuscolima @reasOne @haulin_notes The 3D shaded shapes that look like gems/cones/diamonds are what's seen in the released version. As I mentioned in my original post/question... in the demo videos, the 3D shaded shapes are more like glowing flame and smoke. They are different in the demo videos than those in the released version.

    I'm guessing they went for the more vector-shaped graphics due to the smokey/flame graphics may take up more cpu power to render than vector shapes. But, I asked because there may be a setting somewhere that turns on different characteristics of the graphics... like the ones in the demo videos.

    By the way, I'm perfectly fine with vector graphics as it is now... especially if it means less cpu required. But the ones in the demo videos look cool too. :)

  • @audiblevideo said:

    @espiegel123 said:
    Two questions:

    • can Aphelian's synths be used as midi instruments via AU or AB3 or IAA?

    • in song mode is there a way to skip to the next scene?

    You can host Aphelian in AB or AUM etc so yes the synths are available as an IAA instance.
    In song mode I don’t think so. Got to check.

    Have you been able to send midi notes from another app or keyboard to Aphelion’s synths? I’ve had no luck. Tried both fro AUM’s keyboard and KB-1.

  • edited January 2019

    @skiphunt said:
    No real complaints or requests at this point. Only weirdness I’ve experienced is when I’ve got different orbits assigned to different midi channels... sometimes I’ll have to turn midi off/on a few times to get it to go where it’s supposed to. I think that was while being hosted though.

    Hi!
    I found out that midi works better if MIDI refresh rate (the rate of the midi CC messages) is set at a lower rate than the defaults 6ms (which is very low). At 23ms update rate, it works better.!

  • @haulin_notes said:
    Excellent! Glad to hear that. Thanks for all the efforts.

    Until then, could you briefly explain the difference between Notes, Notes Flow, and Flow on the sequencer page? I can hear the difference, but am not sure exactly what is going on with “Flow”. Sorry if it was mentioned before, if so please point me to it. Thanks!

    Hi!
    The options "Notes, Notes Flow, and Flow" defines the way that the app process the frequency of the events. The frequency is always based on the map placed behind the shape of the orbit, but:

    When the "NOTE" mode is selected, the frequency of the event is based in the section located at the START of the event, and it is MAINTAINED along the event duration.

    In the "NOTE FLOW" mode, the frequency is updated continuously along the event duration (if the event spans more than one map section, the frequency is updated at every section that is crossed). The mode is more noticeable with long events.

    In the "FLOW" mode the frequency is updated continuously, but not quantized to a specific note. I this case the notes act just as reference points, but the actual frequency is a fraction based on the distance to those points (similar to a high glissando value)

    Hope it helps!

    (BTW, i bought Oscilab a while ago but didn’t give it a full chance. Now thanks to Aphelian, tried again and I’m starting to “get it”.)😊

    :)

  • @mungbeans said:
    Is this app actually an implementation of alchemists search for the Philosopher's Stone?

    If you can figure out what on earth (or should that be what on the planets) is going on, even after watching the tutorial videos, you acquire the knowledge to transmute base metals into gold?

    ;) You got me.

    Kepler and another philosophers of the middle ages (like Jacob Boehme), worked with geometry diagrams and music references a lot. When we were building the shape catalog, I checked out a lot of those works, and some of them make their way into the app... B)

  • @Dchild said:
    @JuanB is it possible to change the speed of each of the 4 orbits.

    Yes! by changing their duration in beats (more beats=slower, less beats=faster)

  • @Carnbot said:
    Hope we still get time divisions for the orbits but this works well, except it's more difficult to get very long notes this way.

    Hi!
    What are you referring with "get time divisions for the orbits"?
    Now you define the orbit in beats, and then the time division for the events in the event view. Something more is missing?

  • @espiegel123 said:

    • can Aphelian's synths be used as midi instruments via AU or AB3 or IAA?

    Currently there is no MIDI IN (Aphelian can be used in AB3 and IAA, but all the events are generated inside the app). AU3 is in the front of the to-do list, but we are thinking about integrate it as a AU3 MIDI controller. We think of Aphelian as a sequencer/arpeggiator. The internal synth is a way to provide a groovebox out of the box. We are planning to provide MIDI IN as a way to control the arpeggiator, not the synth itself.

    Not by MIDI, I just meant being able to play the next scene by tapping on its name or something. I was checking out the demo songs and hoped that tapping on scene in the list would play the scene.

    You are referring to a SEEK within the song. This is almost done and should come out in one of the next releases.

  • @skiphunt said:
    Another little cool thing is that when you're on the page that has all 4 orbits on it... if you tap and drag each orbit to a corner, it sounds like the sound is coming from that corner.

    @JuanB What would REALLY be cool is if when you're on the other page where you can manipulate all of the orbits in 3D space... and you rotate the orbit's axis in 3D space, you would hear that same directional spatial effect. And, maybe even record the gestural motions of rotating them in 3D space.

    :) i like the idea of using 3D audio positioning (imagine the head on the center of the scene, looked from above, and pointing the upper menu), and the planets rotating around. This could be done in the future.

    We thinked about porting this engine to VR and do it completely in 3D too... but it should be another app :)

  • @skiphunt said:

    @JuanB did the graphics get changed before release? Or, is there another setting to change the characteristics of the animated graphics?

    Yes, the old ones are going to came back, but just for the "FLOW" mode (the follow the movement of the planet).
    The new ones can be read more easily and represents better the generation of the notes.

  • edited January 2019

    @cuscolima said:
    Sure. In AUM you can see the list of the available parameters (midi ctrl -> chan2 -> parameters)
    Then just do a midi learn on the parameter you want to automatize and that’s it. Note the CC2 on chanel 1

    Thanks for the explanation!
    One more thing: you can use the THEACH in Aphelian to stop the others CC from the same channel, enabling an effective use of the "LEARN" of the outer synth (in other words, it works like a SOLO in a mixer). If you send many CC at the same time, the remote synth couldn't know what CC it should "LEARN".

  • @Breezee said:
    https://youtube.com/watch?time_continue=101&v=ITn8ArEoOh4this video at 1:41 is what I am talking about. I think this is a different view that wasn't released. It probably degrades performance significantly. It doesn't interfere with what you can do with the app, which is impressive, but it's just a cool looking feature that I wish was there.

    The "note trails" that bends with the planet movement, are coming back for the FLOW. The particle system/smokey effect as a feedback to activation (or the launch of a new note), could came back too... the idea was to add more options than "stargate/plain" over time

  • @cnsg_music said:
    Does Aphelian support scene changes via assignable MIDI CCs?

    Also: Is there a manual with a list of assignable MIDI parameters?

    Such a cool app!!

    :) Thanks
    Currently there is no MIDI input, just MID out.
    We are planing to add MIDI input to control the notes of the maps, load projects through Program change messages, and maybe change scenes with Program Change too.

  • @JuanB said:

    @Carnbot said:
    Hope we still get time divisions for the orbits but this works well, except it's more difficult to get very long notes this way.

    Hi!
    What are you referring with "get time divisions for the orbits"?
    Now you define the orbit in beats, and then the time division for the events in the event view. Something more is missing?

    Hi, I’d personally like to see separate time divisions for the orbits and the moons so you could have much slower orbits without having to add beats, which would give more control and options. :)

    Btw I’ve been getting midi weirdness which seems like a bug, when trying to teach midi to a synth, more ccs are being transmitted than is in the panels making it difficult to “learn” it. Not sure what’s happening here...

    Another request, ccs are transmitted only when notes are played, even in ‘always” mode, would be good to have a continuous option for the moons to transmit ccs even when notes aren’t being played. This will make it a much better controller for other apps. :)

  • @JuanB I just had to delete and reinstall Aphelian because it wouldn’t hold the key (generator section) for the scene. Everything kept defaulting to C major.

  • @Carnbot said:
    Only issue I see at the moment is when I hide the Audiobus sidebar it disappears completely. The sidebar also appears quite large on a 12.9 so might mean something is wrong in the AB implementation not sure. Maybe @Michael could shed a light on this.

    Beg pardon for the delay, @Carnbot. Interesting - is this just in Aphelian? Or all apps?

  • @JuanB said:

    @cnsg_music said:
    Does Aphelian support scene changes via assignable MIDI CCs?

    Also: Is there a manual with a list of assignable MIDI parameters?

    Such a cool app!!

    :) Thanks
    Currently there is no MIDI input, just MID out.
    We are planing to add MIDI input to control the notes of the maps, load projects through Program change messages, and maybe change scenes with Program Change too.

    Wow yes! Changing scenes thru midi would be so good!

  • @Michael said:

    @Carnbot said:
    Only issue I see at the moment is when I hide the Audiobus sidebar it disappears completely. The sidebar also appears quite large on a 12.9 so might mean something is wrong in the AB implementation not sure. Maybe @Michael could shed a light on this.

    Beg pardon for the delay, @Carnbot. Interesting - is this just in Aphelian? Or all apps?

    Hi, no worries :)
    No not all apps most are ok but Aphelian has that issue. When you hide it, you can’t get the little tab back and the side bar isn’t in the 12.9 resolution. Had a quick look at some other apps and it varies on the size thing but all others I’ve tested you can unhide it ok.

  • edited January 2019

    @JuanB

    Thanks for the explanation of Notes/Flow. That makes sense. 👍

    @JuanB said:

    @espiegel123 said:

    • can Aphelian's synths be used as midi instruments via AU or AB3 or IAA?

    Currently there is no MIDI IN (Aphelian can be used in AB3 and IAA, but all the events are generated inside the app). AU3 is in the front of the to-do list, but we are thinking about integrate it as a AU3 MIDI controller. We think of Aphelian as a sequencer/arpeggiator. The internal synth is a way to provide a groovebox out of the box. We are planning to provide MIDI IN as a way to control the arpeggiator, not the synth itself.

    If MIDI IN won’t/can’t be added to the synths (as they are understandably tied to the sequencers), if there was a separate app with 2, 3, or 4 layers of Aphelian’s synth, I for one would definitely be interested. The basic sound, modulation options, and functionality are great. Throw in a sub and a sample oscillator maybe, loopable envelopes, AUV3, LFOs to substitute for Orbits (if Orbits can’t be included), and whatever else you think, it would immediately be a top iOS “keyboard” synth. Just an idea!

  • edited January 2019

    @juanb: I hope you will consider MIDI in as an option to play the synth on a channel not being used by the groove. I have a few Aphelian grooves going with two or three voices and want to add a human-played line. And it would be nice to be able to have that line played with an Aphelian synth as there is a distinct character to them.

    Thanks!

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