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.
DAW or not DAW - list of concrete features
I tried to write down what i would expect from something that is called a „Digital Audio Workstation“ (DAW), trying to find a definition and requirements:
- [ ] Host IAA Apps and effects
- [ ] Host AU Apps and effects
#
- [ ] Record MIDI
- [ ] Edit MIDI
- [ ] Arrange and handle MIDI Patterns / Clips
- [ ] MIDI Tracks on a timeline
- [ ] Import and Export MIDI files
- [ ] Live MIDI In and Out
- [ ] Freezing MIDI to Audio
- [ ] MIDI Learn
- [ ] Support for all types of MIDI messages
- [ ] MIDI feedback to controllers (knobs, faders, ...)
#
- [ ] Record Audio
- [ ] Edit Audio, incl. Timestretch
- [ ] Arrange and handle Audio Patterns / Clips
- [ ] Audio Tracks on a timeline
- [ ] Import and Export Audio files and mixdown
- [ ] Mix audio tracks
- [ ] Master audio tracks
- [ ] Support a wide range of Sample Rates and Bit Rates for Audio
[ ] Support for Bluetooth devices / controllers
[ ] Grouping / Subgrouping tracks for mixing / mastering (no hard requirement)
- [ ] Tempo Track, Time Signature Track (no hard requirement)
#
- [ ] Record Automation
- [ ] Edit Automation
#
- [ ] MIDI-Sync Master (at best also slave)
- [ ] IAA-Sync Master
- [ ] Ableton Link
I thought about things like „triggering MIDI or audio patterns“, but left this out.
What is missing?
Comments
Good start.
The ability to sub-group channels is a pretty important feature imho, especially for compressing drums.
Also freezing/bouncing to audio - and preset management
Edited above, but in other words.
Did not understand preset management.
What exactly are you referring to?
Route/print audio or MIDI from track to track.
You mean, recording MIDI from some track into another track?
And the same for audio.
Not sure that i saw that already.
Which DAW can do this on iOS?
By preset management, I meant being able to load and save plugin states (synth presets, EQ settings, etc) and perhaps even whole effect stacks.
Preset support for plugins on iOS is a little patchy at the moment - which is why the best developers build it into their own plugin UIs
OT: That's a good list to make Music for Work = Produce Finished Goods.
I think many are making a form of Live Playing or just Playing as an activity
and they drop many of the stop/freeze/convert/final mix steps of the production line
and use DAP's = Digital Audion Playgrounds. I guess a similar list for a great DAP might make
a good thread.
It's so instructive when you watch a master craftsman demonstrate a Live Session and
how the tools are used for that experience. There's a knowledge of User Interface that involves Buttons, Knobs, Sliders, Pads, keyboard controllers, mixers, loopers, Apps and Live instrumental audio all centered around the iPad for power, flexibility, low cost and
(wait for it) "travel-ability". Low a low-cost Akai Force which is probably the current best
Hardware DAP.
I respect work but I'd rather be playing. Having someone pay you to play is as good as it gets. The fact that's it Live is usually the attraction. Any obvious recording is "Karaoke" to the masses. Looping at least shows that you made the recording just a few seconds ago.
Can of worms? New thread? a-DAP't or get back to work. Demo a Live session with a real DAW and it can be called a DAWP. Who let the DAWP's out?
I'd say, stretching audio. I use it all the time in Cubasis...
I think it’s defined in Edit feature
Full midi implementation . Midi learn for everything, including views, actions ....
And midi feedback for some controllers.
Please try to be more concrete
What is a „full MIDI implementation“?
Or do you mean „MIDI Learn“ with this?
Going to add „MIDI Learn“ above ...
Also, i don‘t understand what you mean with „MIDI feedback“.
Do we have this already in an iOS DAW?
Added it above.
With full midi implementation, I mean midi learn But could be used beside solo,mute,sends, transport , for changing the view (Mixer, track, edit, scene) or editing (insert marker, nudge, normalize, change length etc...)
Also all midi messages should be supported , including relative midi CC, N/RPNs....
With midi feedback I mean that the DAW should send to a controller, information about the mixer status (channels that might be in mute,solo state, the sends and level status etc)
Useful for controllers with leds ...
MIDI feedback for controllers
There's two way communication between the DAW app and the hardware controller so that if you update a MIDI controlled parameter in the DAW it’s reflected in the hardware MIDI controller and vice versa (e.g. via a screen on the MIDI hardware). For example, some controllers have endless rotary knobs and the two way communication feedback allows you to know where the parameter is on the hardware versus non-feedback MIDI control where you only know once you adjust the controller again. With non-endless knobs, the position of the knob gives an indication of where the parameter is.
Some functionality I would like:
MIDI
AUv3
Support Sample Instruments
File Storage
Tags
Audiobus 3 and IAA
Audio Format Support
Audio Editor
Scopes
DAW Configuration
Filters
Modular Language Support
Tutorials
You have the precision of a diamond cutter when you get out your tools.
(The same tools we all have but with less clarity in the resulting cuts).
BM3 is the only one I know can do it. Perhaps Auria can? I don't have it anymore.
What I was thinking of was being able to import the Ableton Live sets created by various iOS apps and have the DAW be able to import these in a useful way.
Your take would require an iOS version of Ableton which I believe many people would welcome too.
Auria Pro can now.
There are still some problems with AUv3 plugins, but these are apparently just about sorted out in beta.
I figured it could now. Seems like it's gained quite a few features since I last used it!
I am not sure. WAV would suffice for me, the conversion can be done with other Apps.
So is this really part of the definition for a DAW?
Right, that was missing, i think.
Okkkkkk
Already listed
Not needed for the definition of a DAW, i feel. Esp. as this is not yet a real standard?!?
I used the term pattern above, but will enhance this
Not realy understand. Also, a requirement for any DAW?
Do we have something like this already?
?
@InfoCheck You are completely overwhelming me ,
I short terms, what should I add above - for a proper definition of a DAW, not including "nice to haves" but "what is required"?
tempo track and time signature track - very basic festures in most desktop DAWs
but his basically makes Cubasis or Gadget "not DAW" )
Do all desktop DAWS have subgrouping?
I am not sure that this is a hard requirement for a DAW.
But same with tempo track and time signature track, still going to add for now.
Gadget has no timeline anyway, it is a Beat Box or something, or not?
(Edited above)
Thanks!
Cubase, Logic, Studio One, Reaper... it's pretty much essential thing.. i'm still wondering Steinberg didn't added it yet into Cubasis
What is required depends on what you want to do and how you want to do it. It also matters if you’re going to do all of the mixing and mastering your self as well as where you intend on distributing it.
I really don’t believe there is any such thing as a proper definition of a DAW outside of the context of a specific musician’s workflow and goals. This is a much more subjective question than even one like what is the perfect guitar or piano.
Fundamentally a DAW is a tool a musician uses to create music. I firmly believe the tool should serve the musician rather than having the musician conform to the requirements or limitations of the tool. Of course the musician may not always be able to have the tools they would like for any number of reasons nor should this prevent them from trying to create music although it can certainly limit what sorts of music they decide to create with a specific DAW. I think this helps to explain why not every DAW is like every other DAW nor is there any consensus on which DAW is the best.
My list is what I would like and certainly other people will not have the same preferences or needs in a DAW.
Yes, MIDI MPE is an official MIDI standard.
I like the idea of this, if DAW’s had import + export, would be a good way of sharing projects from iOS Daw to Daw which is often wanted too.
I think a universal iOS import/export for DAW apps would be a good idea especially if you could use the same files via a shared document space rather than have to make copies of them to use in various DAWs. You’d be able to leverage the unique features of a particular DAW so that you can freely work on your project in various DAWs accordingly. This would facilitate collaboration without filling up your iOS device and backing up project files would be more straightforward. In addition, DAW developers would be enabled to focus on a more coherent approach without needing to feel pressured to check all of the feature boxes in order to be relevant.
Perhaps the question @tja originally asked could be more appropriately asked at this level. What functions and features should be part of such a DAW import/export standard?
Clearly one of the big issues would be if there are DAW specific MIDI generated synth sounds or effects are specific to that DAW (e.g. Obsidian in Nanostudio 2) and only work inside that DAW. These parts of a project would need to be rendered to audio to be audible in another DAW. This would point to plug-ins as the way forward as they work in any DAW that supports the plug-in standard.
I for one would welcome AUv3 versions of Obsidian, the Korg apps, and Gadgets so that I can use them in my iOS DAWs of choice with state savings rather than being restricted to using them in their current format. Conceivably there could still be baked in synths for a DAW and the AUv3 version of the DAW could be a separate purchase or bundled with purchasing the DAW to facilitate being able to use multiple DAWs or enable someone to stay with a main DAW and not have to pay for AUv3 versions of its synths or effects. apeMatrix already has some AUv3 apps it comes with that are not for sale individually but can be used in other apps, especially Audiobus 3, to enhance their functionality.
GarageBand has a 'basic' UI for most of them and that would in most cases be 'enough'.
Don't know how hard it would be to make a basic wrapper that covered all of them?