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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Audiobus is the app that makes the rest of your setup better.

Video demo of Polythemus AU midi app Out Now!!

This app was designed to turn mono synths (including hardware ones) into polyphonic ones, but then the voice allocation can also be 'played'.

Here is my first video demonstrating a multi-timbral iVCS3.

Currently only AUM supports multiple output channels from midi effects, but both apeMatrix & Audiobus have this in development.

The app will be available shortly (when Apple understand that AU has to have a host!).

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Comments

  • Should point out this is just one use of Polythemus - if you own external mono/poly synths & only one usb midi device you can use Midi Channel override to trigger them.

    I was playing the AUM keyboard in the video too - not the easiest to use but it does give feedback!

  • Can’t wait to play with it!

  • I enjoy the music!

  • Great stuff another winner.

  • Looking Forward to this!

    Will this be able to distribute the notes of a chord so that each voice is allocated to a different MIDI channel/output based on pitch?

    For example, if I play a series of triads and I'd like the Lowest note of the 3 sent to Ch.1, middle to Ch.2 and highest to Ch.3 dynamically as I change chords, Will this work out ?

    Hope that makes sense.

  • @iamspoon said:
    Looking Forward to this!

    Will this be able to distribute the notes of a chord so that each voice is allocated to a different MIDI channel/output based on pitch?

    For example, if I play a series of triads and I'd like the Lowest note of the 3 sent to Ch.1, middle to Ch.2 and highest to Ch.3 dynamically as I change chords, Will this work out ?

    Hope that makes sense.

    What you describe is more of a key layer. However I think you can achieve it by simple routing the first three voices to one synth (call it your bass) etc. So Polythemus does notes to voice (keep lowest) but you can choose how you layer each of those voices (either individual synths like in my video or same synth by just feeding it more voices).

  • edited March 2019

    I’ve been waiting for an app that can do this for three years! Specifically the round robin midi channel cycling functionality. Such a bummer they didn’t accept it the first time through. Looking forward to playing my multi-mono devices such as the Nord Drum 2/3P and Digitakt. I suppose some pretty out there stuff could happen with the Octatrack, too. Love the different voice allocation modes. I’m sure I’ll find some happy accidents and playing styles with them. Congrats on the app, @midiSequencer

  • @handed said:
    I’ve been waiting for an app that can do this for three years! Specifically the round robin midi channel cycling functionality. Such a bummer they didn’t accept it the first time through. Looking forward to playing my multi-mono devices such as the Nord Drum 2/3P and Digitakt. I suppose some pretty out there stuff could happen with the Octatrack, too. Love the different voice allocation modes. I’m sure I’ll find some happy accidents and playing styles with them. Congrats on the app, @midiSequencer

    let me know if you need different allocation logic i’m sure there is more possible!

  • edited March 2019

    @midiSequencer said:

    @iamspoon said:
    Looking Forward to this!

    Will this be able to distribute the notes of a chord so that each voice is allocated to a different MIDI channel/output based on pitch?

    For example, if I play a series of triads and I'd like the Lowest note of the 3 sent to Ch.1, middle to Ch.2 and highest to Ch.3 dynamically as I change chords, Will this work out ?

    Hope that makes sense.

    What you describe is more of a key layer. However I think you can achieve it by simple routing the first three voices to one synth (call it your bass) etc. So Polythemus does notes to voice (keep lowest) but you can choose how you layer each of those voices (either individual synths like in my video or same synth by just feeding it more voices).

    Thanks for the reply. I’m not sure I understand how that would work from your description but I reckon it might make more sense to me in practice = )
    I thought I might need to use a few instances set to a single voice with settings to filter them to highest/lowest/etc..

    Perhaps there’s a voice allocation mode that could parse MIDI input and allocate voices based on relative pitch somehow? (For example, lowest note = voice 1, next lowest note = voice 2 , etc.)

    I also wondered if you had considered adding transpose controls per voice similar to how you can currently set volumes?
    I think this would be pretty useful and have some creative potential with several of the voice modes.

    I hope that’s useful input! Really looking forward to this o:)

  • This is briiliant @midiSequencer

    A further mode that would make guitar, harp, zither strum effects possible would be the chance to add small delays to higher voices. Effectively a strummer. Bang some block chords in via chord pads and this could be hugely rewarding.

  • edited March 2019

    @Jocphone said:
    This is briiliant @midiSequencer

    A further mode that would make guitar, harp, zither strum effects possible would be the chance to add small delays to higher voices. Effectively a strummer. Bang some block chords in via chord pads and this could be hugely rewarding.

    Agree, it is brilliant. I think @midiSequencer has a MIDI delay that gets close (not completely) to what you are mentioning.

    https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/midi-echo-au/id1422324067

    About the video, can anybody tell me what the MIDI "tabs" at both sides of the screen in AUM? Is that like the midi tab in Audiobus? - sorry the off-topic - I can move this question to another threat if necessary.

  • @iamspoon said:

    I also wondered if you had considered adding transpose controls per voice similar to how you can currently set volumes?

    Wouldn't you set this in the synth for corresponding voice rather than put extra complexity in this plugin? @midiSequencer

  • @iamspoon all good ideas!> @tiantong said:

    @Jocphone said:
    This is briiliant @midiSequencer

    A further mode that would make guitar, harp, zither strum effects possible would be the chance to add small delays to higher voices. Effectively a strummer. Bang some block chords in via chord pads and this could be hugely rewarding.

    Agree, it is brilliant. I think @midiSequencer has a MIDI delay that gets close (not completely) to what you are mentioning.

    https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/midi-echo-au/id1422324067

    About the video, can anybody tell me what the MIDI "tabs" at both sides of the screen in AUM? Is that like the midi tab in Audiobus? - sorry the off-topic - I can move this question to another threat if necessary.

    Yes my MidiEcho AU would achieve the strum effect @Jocphone is requesting.

    I’m showing the beta version of AUM which allows you to pick audio or midi as a channel type. Midi effects sit nicely in this new type

  • @Jocphone said:

    @iamspoon said:

    I also wondered if you had considered adding transpose controls per voice similar to how you can currently set volumes?

    Wouldn't you set this in the synth for corresponding voice rather than put extra complexity in this plugin? @midiSequencer

    You could do if that synth had its own voice allocation for chords that allowed it to play completely different patches or synths.
    I show iVCS3 as its can be made polyphonic/layered by using this app.
    If I chose something like Moog Model D thats polyphonic already but again only for one patch.

  • @midiSequencer said:
    @iamspoon all good ideas!> @tiantong said:

    @Jocphone said:
    This is briiliant @midiSequencer

    A further mode that would make guitar, harp, zither strum effects possible would be the chance to add small delays to higher voices. Effectively a strummer. Bang some block chords in via chord pads and this could be hugely rewarding.

    Agree, it is brilliant. I think @midiSequencer has a MIDI delay that gets close (not completely) to what you are mentioning.

    https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/midi-echo-au/id1422324067

    About the video, can anybody tell me what the MIDI "tabs" at both sides of the screen in AUM? Is that like the midi tab in Audiobus? - sorry the off-topic - I can move this question to another threat if necessary.

    Yes my MidiEcho AU would achieve the strum effect @Jocphone is requesting.

    I’m showing the beta version of AUM which allows you to pick audio or midi as a channel type. Midi effects sit nicely in this new type

    So that would delay e.g. all 4 separate voices by a gradually increasing amount?

  • @Jocphone just add MidiEcho to each of the Polythemus outputs you want to delay & use the delay/mute buttons to select the ‘tap’.
    I think this would work

  • @midiSequencer said:
    @Jocphone just add MidiEcho to each of the Polythemus outputs you want to delay & use the delay/mute buttons to select the ‘tap’.
    I think this would work

    Hi, yes that sounds like would be ok, if a little more work.

    Would the note-offs be delayed as well though? That might work for some types of instrument but for guitar type articulation you may want to stop all the sounds at the same time.

    I appreciate if this is too specific for the type of tool this is intended to be.

  • @Jocphone midiEcho applies the delay to both the note on when it occurs and the note off independantly. In this way you can end up hearing an exact repeat of your input - Just like an audio delay.

  • Thanks @midiSequencer sounds like I could go in and add all this stuff and tweak the delays so it would feel like a strummed instrument with all the notes ending simultaneously, but not something I would probably want to do all that often.

    Never mind, it's not the intention of your plugin. I will doubtless buy it for the round robin anyway.

  • Tony - you're definitely doing things NO ONE else on iOS is doing. This looks fairly incredible - can't wait to get my hands on this and mess around!

  • @midiSequencer said:
    This app was designed to turn mono synths (including hardware ones) into polyphonic ones, but then the voice allocation can also be 'played'.

    Here is my first video demonstrating a multi-timbral iVCS3.

    Currently only AUM supports multiple output channels from midi effects, but both apeMatrix & Audiobus have this in development.

    The app will be available shortly (when Apple understand that AU has to have a host!).

    This looks awesome and will fit the bill perfectly for the topic in my other thread about poly->mono!

    This, plus your midi delay, is going to be so awesome (because quite often midi delay will cause "stacked" notes that can freak the shit out of a lot of mono synths... missing note offs, hung notes, etc.).

  • @Daveypoo said:
    Tony - you're definitely doing things NO ONE else on iOS is doing. This looks fairly incredible - can't wait to get my hands on this and mess around!

    Exactly! While I could totally appreciate the guy's genius when I would use Midisequencer, and then Quantum, they are a bit "overloaded" in terms of features for ME to just jump in an play with. BUT this idea of breaking out cool bits he had into individual modules, is way easier for me to digest what I'm doing and bringing in just what I need (to abuse mostly) when I need it in AUM.

    It really does start getting the brain to re-wire itself when you start thinking about ios music in a modular fashion.

  • @MonkeyDrummer said:

    @Daveypoo said:
    Tony - you're definitely doing things NO ONE else on iOS is doing. This looks fairly incredible - can't wait to get my hands on this and mess around!

    Exactly! While I could totally appreciate the guy's genius when I would use Midisequencer, and then Quantum, they are a bit "overloaded" in terms of features for ME to just jump in an play with. BUT this idea of breaking out cool bits he had into individual modules, is way easier for me to digest what I'm doing and bringing in just what I need (to abuse mostly) when I need it in AUM.

    It really does start getting the brain to re-wire itself when you start thinking about ios music in a modular fashion.

    Took me awhile - but I'm firmly in AU only land now! As you say the modular approach is best :)

  • @Daveypoo said:
    Tony - you're definitely doing things NO ONE else on iOS is doing. This looks fairly incredible - can't wait to get my hands on this and mess around!

    Its been in review with Apple for the last couple of hours (they don't seem to work weekends) so hopefully this time it passes!

  • I'd still appreciate it if you could do a bit more work on your input/knobs... They are still way too schizophrenic. :)

  • @midiSequencer said:

    @Daveypoo said:
    Tony - you're definitely doing things NO ONE else on iOS is doing. This looks fairly incredible - can't wait to get my hands on this and mess around!

    Its been in review with Apple for the last couple of hours (they don't seem to work weekends) so hopefully this time it passes!

    Fingers crossed - bated breath and all that over here.

  • No doubt will drop overnight in UK always nice to wake up to fine a new app waiting to be explored.

  • Oh my late evening rather than morning surprise then!

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