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.

Korg Gadget 2 Released

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Comments

  • As a bass player, I am beyond thrilled that they added a free bass amp gadget. It sounds freaking great too!

    This update is everything I could have asked for, I use Gadget all the time for rock / jazz style messing around and it's super hard for me to create beats from scratch so everything they added was perfect for me. Thank you Korg :) <3

  • edited March 2019

    @ambrosiajam I must agree. I absolutely love the update. Apart from few minor gripes I have with the GUI I think it's a blast!

    It includes two of my most sought after features - tempo per scene and midi out. Not to mention iMS-20 with it's external input. That distortion puts a :smile: on my face every time I hear it.

  • @branis said:
    @ambrosiajam I must agree. I absolutely love the update. Apart from few minor gripes I have with the GUI I think it's a blast!

    It includes two of most sought after features - tempo per scene and midi out. Not to mention iMS-20 with it's external input. That distortion puts a :smile: on my face every time I hear it.

    and KORG says to us that it is just beginning because it's not KG 4.0 but 2.0 ;)

  • Anyone know how to have a Gladstone drum track where only the snare has reverb? Is this possible? I don’t like the Bass drum effected with reverb.

  • @Tones4Christ said:
    Anyone know how to have a Gladstone drum track where only the snare has reverb? Is this possible? I don’t like the Bass drum effected with reverb.

    Make 2 drum tracks, one with just the snare, and one with the rest of the beat ?

  • edited March 2019

    Having lots of fun driving Gadget 2 using NS2, Sequencer with external midi tracks gives a lot more flexibility then Gadgets Sequencer. Then using CC parameters to automate between both apps.

    I then tried Bleass Pro which again is a different approach but the chord features of Bleass outputting to Gadget piano and poly synths via midi is way cool for us non musician types without keyboard skills to get something quick going.

    Only grabbed Bleass Pro today but for this feature only its worth it for chord midi out. Hope @bleassapp can put this chord feature into a AU unit would be great inside AUM.

  • @Tones4Christ said:
    Anyone know how to have a Gladstone drum track where only the snare has reverb? Is this possible? I don’t like the Bass drum effected with reverb.

    If by reverb you mean the room sound - you can dial it back with "amb send" knob for each voice.

  • @Jumpercollins said:
    Having lots of fun driving Gadget 2 using NS2, Sequencer with external midi tracks gives a lot more flexibility then Gadgets Sequencer.

    Just tried this, recording the result through AUM into Audioshare. Very satisfying; thanks for the idea.

  • edited March 2019

    @dysamoria said:
    I am a designer (well, used to be), and I fully agree. Ever since Apple released iOS 7 in 2013, every damned developer has been following in Apple’s lead on making everything flat and “minimal” and LOW CONTRAST. I’ve been bitching about it for years because it’s a definite step backwards in UI design. Well trained designers at the time of iOS 7’s release explained it all for everyone to see, but you know how people hate experts... This flat fad has to stop. It’s not just a lack of bevels (controls should always have definite regions, not be simplistic line graphics or text); it’s the weird obsession with low contrast. You’ll see the followers of this fad call it “clean”. Like that means anything. It’s a bit like the constant abuse of the word “warm”.

    Flat and clean is good for digital interfaces. Overly-skeuomorphic interfaces easily get in the way and digital interfaces easily get confusing. To oversimplify, it's a trade off of familiar (skeuomorphic) vs. efficiency. Line graphics etc. on a screen are often better than silly, "knobs" that shine in some fake light source that people have to figure out how to "twist" without actually being able to grab them, for example. However, anything can go too far. It's possible to have amazingly usable skeuomorphic designs on a screen (rare) and it's definitely possible to have horrible digital (aka flat, etc.) designs on a screen, which isn't rare because good design is hard). It's easy to go too far, and it's easy to have a poor design, regardless of the style of design. Very generally speaking, the most usable for screens is somewhere toward the middle, on the side of digital.

    Off the top of my head, I generally appreciate interfaces like those by Audio Damage, Imaginando, etc. more than those like the Moog Model D. And, yes, I am a designer and user researcher with a very long history in mobile B) However, I am not a doctor and do not play one on TV.

  • edited March 2019

    @ambrosiajam said:
    As a bass player, I am beyond thrilled that they added a free bass amp gadget. It sounds freaking great too!

    This update is everything I could have asked for, I use Gadget all the time for rock / jazz style messing around and it's super hard for me to create beats from scratch so everything they added was perfect for me. Thank you Korg :) <3

    Yeah, agreed. I'm primarily a guitar player, and my way to record guitar into any DAW would be with my Line 6 HX Stomp (Helix) handling everything and capturing it as line level audio. I didn't play much with Rosario (the guitar one) - I did a few quick tracks with it, and while I have access to much more powerful modeling options, Rosario was a nice addition, particularly given that guitar parts might just be used for ambiance/fills in a lot of electronic-style Gadget projects.

    But having a DI bass option is even better because you can just lay down a simple bass line and then re-amp it later by changing the presets and settings. Actually, with the combination of Rosario, Durban, Gladstone (drums), and of course Zurich for audio tracks, Gadget is sneakily becoming a viable option for guitar-oriented backing tracks or simpler projects. The one caveat to that, I would say, is that Gadget's approach to composition is still very much "loop"-oriented and tied creating musical "scenes" that run for a set number of bars. It's still possible to record guitar projects on Gadget, but not as practical as a standard DAW.

    BUT, with the addition of Taipei & MIDI Out, I'm really loving the idea of Gadget as a sequencer and backing track DJ. The automated drum generator, which I noticed first in Recife, but assume also works with Gladstone, is outstanding. Possibly even better than similar features from GarageBand and DrumJam. That's a big help to guitar or synth players who know how to arrange songs, but maybe don't have the background with percussion or drum machines to create those tracks from scratch. Loving it!

  • I’m digging the new update, especially the ability to use iPoly Six and iMS20, the midi out is cool too...but, what I really keep hoping for is that they’d ad the “erase note” function back to the sequencer that was in the initial release. I really miss that one simple part of the workflow.

  • wimwim
    edited March 2019

    My theory about the over-the-top lack of contrast in some apps is that the designers are mostly working on desktops with emulation, rather than on the devices themselves when they make these decisions. They also probably have state of the art monitors. If it’s a programmer doing the GUI design as well, staring at text all day, they are more sensitive than others about contrast.

    Though it irritates me, I can manage with the crappy visibility of text on knobs. There are plenty of other clues what is what, and I remember positionally more than by labels anyway. But when something like a grid is practically impossible to see, that drives me nuts! And, I get the impression they just think people who don’t see things as well as they do are nuts. Or they consider themselves the trained expert and aren’t about to ruin their beautiful composition for the plebes.

    Stagelight is another example of this. Grid is practically invisible. Argh.

  • @StormJH1 said:

    @ambrosiajam said:
    As a bass player, I am beyond thrilled that they added a free bass amp gadget. It sounds freaking great too!

    This update is everything I could have asked for, I use Gadget all the time for rock / jazz style messing around and it's super hard for me to create beats from scratch so everything they added was perfect for me. Thank you Korg :) <3

    Yeah, agreed. I'm primarily a guitar player, and my way to record guitar into any DAW would be with my Line 6 HX Stomp (Helix) handling everything and capturing it as line level audio. I didn't play much with Rosario (the guitar one) - I did a few quick tracks with it, and while I have access to much more powerful modeling options, Rosario was a nice addition, particularly given that guitar parts might just be used for ambiance/fills in a lot of electronic-style Gadget projects.

    But having a DI bass option is even better because you can just lay down a simple bass line and then re-amp it later by changing the presets and settings. Actually, with the combination of Rosario, Durban, Gladstone (drums), and of course Zurich for audio tracks, Gadget is sneakily becoming a viable option for guitar-oriented backing tracks or simpler projects. The one caveat to that, I would say, is that Gadget's approach to composition is still very much "loop"-oriented and tied creating musical "scenes" that run for a set number of bars. It's still possible to record guitar projects on Gadget, but not as practical as a standard DAW.

    BUT, with the addition of Taipei & MIDI Out, I'm really loving the idea of Gadget as a sequencer and backing track DJ. The automated drum generator, which I noticed first in Recife, but assume also works with Gladstone, is outstanding. Possibly even better than similar features from GarageBand and DrumJam. That's a big help to guitar or synth players who know how to arrange songs, but maybe don't have the background with percussion or drum machines to create those tracks from scratch. Loving it!

    Tell me more about this “automated drum generator “ 🙂 I’ve never heard of this before...unless you are referring to the new drum button in the upper left corner.

  • @Uberding said:
    A new image of Otorii has been released from @ Hiro_H10th.

    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D09A8FHUcAEBjzW?format=jpg&name=large

    Arrrrggggg! I hate the 4x3 layout! Why didn't they make it 3x4 like on the MPC 500?!

    Lol

  • edited March 2019

    @wim said:
    My theory about the over-the-top lack of contrast in some apps is that the designers are mostly working on desktops with emulation, rather than on the devices themselves when they make these decisions. They also probably have state of the art monitors. If it’s a programmer doing the GUI design as well, staring at text all day, they are more sensitive than others about contrast.

    Though it irritates me, I can manage with the crappy visibility of text on knobs. There are plenty of other clues what is what, and I remember positionally more than by labels anyway. But when something like a grid is practically impossible to see, that drives me nuts! And, I get the impression they just think people who don’t see things as well as they do are nuts. Or they consider themselves the trained expert and aren’t about to ruin their beautiful composition for the plebes.

    One of the reasons as a web/UI designer I make sure I do most of my initial work on the most popular cheap kit (not just because I’m tight), and have plenty of old gear to test on, is that I see what most of my target audience will be seeing. Before a website goes live I’ve got a whole host of operating systems, browsers and devices on the go.

    As for the Korg UI - if it was on a website the grid would fail UK accessibility legislation, as the low contrast makes it difficult for some to see, therefore excluding them from using the product as fully as others without a visual impairment.

    Comments such as ‘I don’t mind it’, ‘it’s a matter of taste’ or ‘I can see it fine’ don’t cut the mustard when it’s an accessibility issue.

    As a web designer I have to take all this stuff into consideration (particularly as some of my clients are disability groups). Not sure how or if it applies to apps, but personally I’d wouldn’t want to exclude anyone from enjoying my product, due to some lousy colour choices. It’s a simple fix after all.

  • @MonzoPro said:

    @wim said:
    My theory about the over-the-top lack of contrast in some apps is that the designers are mostly working on desktops with emulation, rather than on the devices themselves when they make these decisions. They also probably have state of the art monitors. If it’s a programmer doing the GUI design as well, staring at text all day, they are more sensitive than others about contrast.

    Though it irritates me, I can manage with the crappy visibility of text on knobs. There are plenty of other clues what is what, and I remember positionally more than by labels anyway. But when something like a grid is practically impossible to see, that drives me nuts! And, I get the impression they just think people who don’t see things as well as they do are nuts. Or they consider themselves the trained expert and aren’t about to ruin their beautiful composition for the plebes.

    One of the reasons as a web/UI designer I make sure I do most of my initial work on the most popular cheap kit (not just because I’m tight), and have plenty of old gear to test on, is that I see what most of my target audience will be seeing. Before a website goes live I’ve got a whole host of operating systems, browsers and devices on the go.

    As for the Korg UI - if it was on a website the grid would fail UK accessibility legislation, as the low contrast makes it difficult for some to see, therefore excluding them from using the product as fully as others without a visual impairment.

    Comments such as ‘I don’t mind it’, ‘it’s a matter of taste’ or ‘I can see it fine’ don’t cut the mustard when it’s an accessibility issue.

    As a web designer I have to take all this stuff into consideration (particularly as some of my clients are disability groups). Not sure how or if it applies to apps, but personally I’d wouldn’t want to exclude anyone from enjoying my product, due to some lousy colour choices. It’s a simple fix after all.

    Developers seem to forget sometimes that we have settings...transparency and screen brightness in particular.

  • @Vibes71 said:

    @Seangarland said:
    Here is the response I received from KORG (Japan):
    ”Hello,
    Thank you for contacting us.
    Upgrade price is depends on when the user bought Gadget 1.
    (There is a grace period for those bought Gadget 1).
    You bought Gadget 1 on 2018/08/23, so the price is $99.
    Thank you for your understanding.
    Best regards,
    KORG app team”
    So apparently there are different tiers of upgrade pricing.

    @Seangarland Thanks for the feedback...

    I also contacted them to see if they'd be willing to offer an upgrade price of $49 to an existing, long-time customer as an exception. No go on that one, they're sticking firm on $99. Looks like i'll be on v.1 for awhile, at least until the next inevitable sale. I just can't see the value in upgrading right now, especially given that they haven't even announced what the 5th and 6th gadgets will even be.

  • edited March 2019

    For now it's information on the Nintendo Switch version
    The image of Ebina was also released.

  • edited March 2019

    Good point!
    Gadget seems to be pushed into toy zone more and more (which may fit the Japanese market well I guess) ... hope they'll soon offer more UI adjustments (color and brightness of different UI elements) to the user to improve usability.
    I'm glad I've kept v3.7.2 but iMS-20 would be a good reason to update, just as the current UI issues are a good reason not to.

  • Ebina looks anything but flat.

    Looking on the "bright" side, I like the new Gadget icon, and darker screens put less drain on the battery. Also, while I don't think the Gadget UI is remarkably flat, I do like how the flat "material" designs are easier on the eyes when I'm not trying to find a control.

  • @mojozart said:
    and darker screens put less drain on the battery.

    Only on latest iPhones with OLED screen

  • edited March 2019

    @MonzoPro said:

    @wim said:
    My theory about the over-the-top lack of contrast in some apps is that the designers are mostly working on desktops with emulation, rather than on the devices themselves when they make these decisions.

    This might also explain why the UI is so inscrutable on the iPhone. I have really good eyesight still but old age has made me need reading glasses in the evenings and in low light. I only need +1 so far but the rot is setting in.

    But Even with my glasses on I find it impossible to read many of the labels in Gadget on my iPhone 7. I just have to guess what the knobs do in iMS20!

    The rest of the iPhone UI is properly razor sharp with my glasses on, its just that Korg have made everything stupidly tiny.

    I can use GarageBand without reading glasses with no problems

  • I do wonder when we'll get the Ebina & Otorii Gadgets to play with. The event is tomorrow...

  • Cant find any information about midi program changes. I guess that is not included?

  • @Samu said:
    I do wonder when we'll get the Ebina & Otorii Gadgets to play with. The event is tomorrow...

    So, from the images it looks like Otorii is just a sample playing drum machine.

    But Ebina looks like it's more of a 'proper' synth, using various PCM samples as oscillators but allowing the user to mix, detune, filter, LFO etc...

  • Been travelling this week and picked up the Korg NanoKey Studio so made a quick track in Gadget 2 whilst on the train! So updates do give you inspiration.

  • If that background is animated I hope it’s not causing the same heat/battery drain as Lisbon.

  • @Jumpercollins said:
    Been travelling this week and picked up the Korg NanoKey Studio so made a quick track in Gadget 2 whilst on the train! So updates do give you inspiration.

    Stress free journey ? The track sounds like it was :)
    I have been considering the nanokey studio just to have a wireless option for a controller....how are you finding it...I had heard somewhere, cannot remember where, that the knobs output 0-127 but in steps of 2 ? Is this the case ?

  • If 'Ebina' is even remotely close to a full emulation of the Taito B System sound board we're in for an FM treat deluxe :)
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taito_B_System

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