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.

Keeping it SIMPLE with kids… GarageBand or Gadget

Those of us that teach music to kids know that most kids do best focusing on a single instrument at first. Sure, there are some kids who are either adept enough, or hard-working enough, to master multiple instruments, but most start out with a single instrument.

With that in mind, I’m trying to decide whether garageband or gadget is the best “first instrument.“ I like garageband for the instruments, basic features, linear songwriting, and “rounded out“ nature. I like gadget because it seems a little bit quicker, and the variety of the gadgets.

Which would you choose first?

Well I respect garageband, I personally don’t use it. But I am leaning towards garageband with regards to kids.

By the way, I plan on using both of these apps, I just want to sequence them. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter that much.

«1

Comments

  • GarageBand. Hands down. Gadget has great sounds but is really set up for EDM. GarageBand has a broader palette of instruments. It's smart instruments are really good. LiveLoops are amazing and it doesn't force you to write in short chunks.

    There is a great iBook for GB that used Pharrel's Happy.

    I think GB invites one to explore a broader variety of music styles and approaches than Gadget.

    Said as someone who generally uses Gadget more. But has a kid that has put GB to good use.

  • I'd probably go with the one that has the best and most complete set of training videos.
    "Teach a man to fish..." Then wait to see if old school playing, assembling or prepared loops or generating
    music (step-based sequencing) gets the most effort.

    I suspect GarageBand has more training content and folks that use it really seem to love it. Apple does know how to code for the needs of basic users but doesn't listen to the bleeding edge types.

  • GarageBand without any hesitation!
    Just hoping it will evolve a bit soonish.

  • i think for kids, for teaching, will be Gadget a LOT better... GarageBand has totally cluttered chaotic unintuitive UI, mixture of custom graphics and default iOS menus..Gadget is lot more unified, simple, straightforward, easy to understand, almost every feature is maximum two taps away from current location...

    i would vote definitely for Gadget as "introduction" platform...

  • @dendy said:
    i think for kids, for teaching, will be Gadget a LOT better... GarageBand has totally cluttered chaotic unintuitive UI, mixture of custom graphics and default iOS menus..Gadget is lot more unified, simple, straightforward, easy to understand, almost every feature is maximum two taps away from current location...

    i would vote definitely for Gadget as "introduction" platform...

    I'm gonna agree with dendy here, the garage is a mess, just like mine hahaha
    It is free tho, so you could start there with no lose, but imo gadget is much easier to wrap your head around and has the most initiative workflow I've seen, limited to gadgets has its percs as well.
    Garage band makes me not want to make music honestly

  • My vote is for GarageBand. It’s free. Very accessible with the autodrummer, Apple loop library, etc to get lessons going quickly but also to build momentum. Kids have short attention spans and GB offers the ability to build songs or grooves painlessly.

    I teach kids also and use GB and the free Synth One courtesy of @analog_matt and the fine folks at AudioKit to teach kids how to create/record songs. It’s easy to break groups into teams and assign parts or sections. There’s also free content provided by Apple available for teachers.

    Finally, the progression from beginner to advanced is seemless as GB for Mac and ultimately Logic offer pro tools that expand what was learned in Gb on iPhone or iPad.

  • @WillieNegus said:
    My vote is for GarageBand. It’s free. Very accessible with the autodrummer, Apple loop library, etc to get lessons going quickly but also to build momentum. Kids have short attention spans and GB offers the ability to build songs or grooves painlessly.

    I teach kids also and use GB and the free Synth One courtesy of @analog_matt and the fine folks at AudioKit to teach kids how to create/record songs. It’s easy to break groups into teams and assign parts or sections. There’s also free content provided by Apple available for teachers.

    Finally, the progression from beginner to advanced is seemless as GB for Mac and ultimately Logic offer pro tools that expand what was learned in Gb on iPhone or iPad.

    I think first iOS standalone synth might be Primer, SunrizerXS, or Magellan. Or Viking.

  • @dendy said:
    i think for kids, for teaching, will be Gadget a LOT better... GarageBand has totally cluttered chaotic unintuitive UI, mixture of custom graphics and default iOS menus..Gadget is lot more unified, simple, straightforward, easy to understand, almost every feature is maximum two taps away from current location...

    i would vote definitely for Gadget as "introduction" platform...

    Do you have kids? Kids really take to GB. A musician friend has taught quite a few classes introducing kids (2nd-6th grade) to songwriting and music production and they really take to Garage Band.

    I think kids find it a lot more intuitive and less fiddly than adults who already do music production.

    The smart instruments are really good and give kids a chance to explore making music with things other than guitar interfaces.

  • edited July 2019

    Show them both, make sure they learn how to use both and then let the kids decide!
    Did that with my niche and she stuck with Gadget because the unicorn she had pixelartpainted in the piano roll looked better in Gadget :D

  • I have two kids, aged 7 and 3. GarageBand hands down. I haven’t bothered showing them Gadget because I know there will be a ton of questions. Neither has ever asked any questions about GarageBand.

    When (if) the time comes they are looking for something more advanced my next stop would be Gadget since everything is mostly on one screen.

  • The arguments for Gadget are great, but I do think I’m going to start with GB.

  • edited July 2019

    I'd go Garageband. It's free. It has a nice palette of sounds already available and free downloadable expansions. Apple uses it during their Apple Store seminars. Great way to teach theory and other musical fundamentals.

    Another factor is the fact that most parents may not be able to afford even the cheapest iPad and will more likely buy their children an iPod as their first Apple product. Gadget's UI is a bit of a pain to use on such a small screen. Garageband's UI is easier to use on the iPod.

    I'm also unsure if battery drain is still an issue with Gadget. Since iPods are lower-end Apple products, the battery capacity may not be as powerful. I'm guessing Garageband would probably be less taxing on the battery.

  • edited July 2019

    GB 100%

  • edited July 2019

    @mistkerl said:
    GB 100%

    No wait.. hmm... GB is very toyish, which is cool. But Gadget has also it’s advantages, and it’s quite simple to use imho. Both are great. Go with Gadget cause of the chord and scale function. It’s more intuitive i think.. forget about my first post :)) Gadget all day.

  • wimwim
    edited July 2019

    GarageBand for teaching about music.

    Gadget if the idea of teaching about synthesis is the goal. With GarageBand you get instruments that shield you from the workings of synthesis. Gadget has a pallet representing a wide variety of synthesis types.

    But I’m guessing that’s more for the kids that get interested and want to take it to the next level, for which you could also introduce plugins into GarageBand.

    So yeh. GarageBand.

  • edited July 2019

    @wim said:
    GarageBand for teaching about music.

    Gadget if the idea of teaching about synthesis is the goal.

    Now me, if I were to teach children synthesis, I'd probably go for Nanostudio 2 over Gadget. Obsidian contains a fair few synthesis methods (except for AM, RM, and Additive), has a deep modulation section, multiple filter types, a legit sampler, etc. NS2 will also be perfect for teaching music production once audio tracks are added given it contains all the internal effects one would need for proper mixdowns.

    Then again, NS2 is not compatible with iPhones/iPods just yet.

  • Hell, those kids are probably smarter than all of us. Hand ‘em AUM and a dozen plugins and get outta the way. I bet they’ll smoke all of us in a couple of hours.

  • @wim said:
    Hell, those kids are probably smarter than all of us. Hand ‘em AUM and a dozen plugins and get outta the way. I bet they’ll smoke all of us in a couple of hours.

    That's very true, lol.

  • edited July 2019

    What about Caustic? It is very visual and easy to understand

    It runs on older device.

  • edited July 2019

    FWIW, my son who is 9 instantly understood GarageBand. He made loops, recorded piano and guitar and recorded a full track. He then clipped what he wanted and made a Ring Tone for his iPad.

    GarageBand is my vote from my personal experience.

    Plus the fact you can change your voice to sound like a robot or chipmunk is priceless. He’s also using GarageBand to make sounds and songs for his Scratch projects on the MIT.edu site.

    We home school the boys so are always setting them up to learn from experience and to master what they learn.

  • Garageband too.
    far simpler more conventional with audio tracks.
    auv3 compatibility as all DAW have plugins so it’s important to learn how to use them.

  • @espiegel123 said:
    GarageBand. Hands down. Gadget has great sounds but is really set up for EDM. GarageBand has a broader palette of instruments. It's smart instruments are really good. LiveLoops are amazing and it doesn't force you to write in short chunks.

    There is a great iBook for GB that used Pharrel's Happy.

    I think GB invites one to explore a broader variety of music styles and approaches than Gadget.

    +1

  • Well, if people are freely chucking in suggestions which are not either of the two that constitute the original question and therefore are in violation of any sane idea of a valid reply, then I might as well join in and suggest Rotor.

    (Without the physical twisty turny bits of course)

  • If they like it all they need is some iOS device that supports the latest version, or an account that has downloaded GarageBand in the past and they can just get it for free on any device. Gadget is all kinds of money and that will provide a barrier if they decide to try it outside of your environment. You better stick with something that will be easy for them to get.

  • edited July 2019

    GB is completely free, full of nice features and is capable for a lot of styles of music
    I can’t imagine a better App to start with music, especially for kids! 👍

  • edited July 2019

    @wim said:
    GarageBand for teaching about music.

    Gadget if the idea of teaching about synthesis is the goal. With GarageBand you get instruments that shield you from the workings of synthesis. Gadget has a pallet representing a wide variety of synthesis types.

    But I’m guessing that’s more for the kids that get interested and want to take it to the next level, for which you could also introduce plugins into GarageBand.

    So yeh. GarageBand.

    Agree. The question is about a kid. GB is a fun app for kids, beginners and laymen and its linear layout is simple to follow. And Apple made it so easy to use it. Because GB is an open system, they could use AUs too. A complex app could discourage and frustrate them - altogether!

    Just using an app is not adequate. One needs to learn it A-Z and beyond to get good at using it and shine in it. Learning on YouTube is a disaster because the tutorials are scattered all over the place and may not cover everything. You need a structured course from start to finish. I did this course which is very exhaustive for $10 and Paul did a thorough job as an instructor -

    https://www.udemy.com/introducing-garageband-for-ipad/

    More courses on GB -

    https://www.udemy.com/courses/search/?q=garageband ios

    No courses found on Gadget on Udemy.

  • edited July 2019

    @u0421793 said:
    Well, if people are freely chucking in suggestions which are not either of the two that constitute the original question and therefore are in violation of any sane idea of a valid reply, then I might as well join in and suggest Rotor.

    (Without the physical twisty turny bits of course)

    You're right!
    ROTOR might be the one giving kids the most instant fun o:)

    Still, I'm convinced that the kids should decide, not their parents.

  • GadgetBand for sure!

  • GarageBand, no question. Kids love it.

    Free is also more important for a lot of kids and families than you might think.

  • edited July 2019

    @wim said:
    Hell, those kids are probably smarter than all of us. Hand ‘em AUM and a dozen plugins and get outta the way. I bet they’ll smoke all of us in a couple of hours.

    Excellent point, kid's brain is capable of self-learnimg incredible things... tey will probably sooner or later learn ANY app :-))

Sign In or Register to comment.