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.

Song Of The Month Club - August 2019

What is the Song of the Month Club?

It's a place where musicians come to give and receive feedback on their work. Anyone is welcome, whatever their level of ability.

The spirit of the club is to contribute: if you submit a song for others to comment on, you should also have the courtesy to listen to everyone else's contributions and give as much feedback as possible. Posting a track and not listening and commenting on others is not cool.

The purpose of feedback is to be honest. Essentially you should give your truthful impressions of the song, whether good or bad. Negative feedback, if done in the right spirit and with courtesy, can be the most useful and can help the artist to grow and improve and correct their mistakes.

All submissions are welcome, don't hesitate if you want to contribute. We like all kinds of music and we are particularly fond of vocals (but of course we still love a great instrumental). If you are thinking of experimenting with vocals this is a good place to get started.

We ask that you only post one song per month in this thread - if you're lucky enough to be able to produce more, then please just submit your strongest material

And finally, iOS is not a requirement for posting here. If you've recorded your song using nothing but a ukulele and a Fostex 4 track, that's fine.

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Comments

  • edited August 2019

    My entry this month, Nanostudio 2 and Auria, lyrics in the spoiler:

    I can help you with your burden
    And you can lift me when I’m down
    In this world nothing is certain
    If you don’t swim you’re gonna drown
    If you want me to stay
    You just have to say
    You just have to say

    Just say
    And I’ll stay
    Cos you know we don't belong
    To yesterday, to yesterday

    When you told me you were certain
    That once lost you can’t be found
    Well it turns out when you’re hurting
    That you might just come around
    If you want me to stay
    You just have to say
    You just have to say

    Just say
    And I’ll stay
    Cos you know we don't belong
    To yesterday, to yesterday

  • I liked this a lot, however found myself wishing the lyrics had been included with the post. My old ears need some help 😬

  • @baldguru said:
    I liked this a lot, however found myself wishing the lyrics had been included with the post. My old ears need some help 😬

    Thanks - I've now added the lyrics in a spoiler just above the SC link in the original post.

  • @richardyot I think you have most recognizable signature sound in this forum. The production is good as usual. I think you have found a way of singing that fits your voice and vocal range it goes well together with your melodies. Well done!

  • Hi all!
    This one is created with group the loop and drum jam.
    Real instruments are ukulele, ukulele bass and melodica.
    Unlike my other creations I tried to finish this one as fast as possible so I didn’t bother to spend time on mixing.
    I’m not super happy with the vocals but it’s live and I think it’s good enough since the instruments are far from perfect either. It’s easy to focus for perfection when you work with midi and a piano roll. When you play real instruments that’s impossible unless you’re a pro. I had lots of fun doing this one, more fun than I would have if I aimed for perfection.

  • @fattigman said:
    Hi all!
    This one is created with group the loop and drum jam.
    Real instruments are ukulele, ukulele bass and melodica.
    Unlike my other creations I tried to finish this one as fast as possible so I didn’t bother to spend time on mixing.
    I’m not super happy with the vocals but it’s live and I think it’s good enough since the instruments are far from perfect either. It’s easy to focus for perfection when you work with midi and a piano roll. When you play real instruments that’s impossible unless you’re a pro. I had lots of fun doing this one, more fun than I would have if I aimed for perfection.

    Considering the conditions this was recorded in the sound quality is amazing, it genuinely sounds as if it could have been recorded in a studio, not in your kitchen with your son climbing on your back :)

    On my big floorstanding speakers that uke bass sounds wonderful, really full and warm. IMO the production sounds great and your singing is excellent - you're a great natural singer and I always enjoy your vocal performances.

    The uke playing is great as well, and the setup with the looping app and live performance are great fun to watch. The whole thing, with the relaxed vibe in the kitchen with the kids (presumably your daughter is on camera duty) is all highly enjoyable, and the musicality of your performance is really good.

  • Our last two country ballads were a bit too rock n roll so we thought we would try gospel this time

  • @richardyot thank you for the kind words. Yes it is my daughter behind the camera, she prefers to be behind rather than in front of the camera.

  • @Kitusai said:
    A contribution with a saturday night lonesome fellow

    Lyrics in the spoiler:

    So I'm sitting here, in denial
    And I'll be drunk in a little while
    They can't hurt you if you give up the fight
    Yeah on a lonesome saturday night

    I counted all my blessings, the tally was none
    But I'm still planning on having some fun
    So turn up the music and turn down the light
    Yeah on a lonesome saturday night

    A shadow in the twilight, a ghost in the night
    I'll play a happy tune that is sure to delight
    Talk to my people if you want an invite
    Yeah on a lonesome saturday night

  • @orchardman said:
    Our last two country ballads were a bit too rock n roll so we thought we would try gospel this time

    Very nice organ intro, which really sets the tone, and it's a pretty ballad with some great production - the chorus gets a nice lift with the heavier drums and additional guitars and layers of vocals, and the overall performances are very good. Good melodies and instrumental breaks.

    I do think it's a little too long though, I would definitely shave a minute or two off.

  • @richardyot said:
    My entry this month, Nanostudio 2 and Auria, lyrics in the spoiler:

    I can help you with your burden
    And you can lift me when I’m down
    In this world nothing is certain
    If you don’t swim you’re gonna drown
    If you want me to stay
    You just have to say
    You just have to say

    Just say
    And I’ll stay
    Cos you know we don't belong
    To yesterday, to yesterday

    When you told me you were certain
    That once lost you can’t be found
    Well it turns out when you’re hurting
    That you might just come around
    If you want me to stay
    You just have to say
    You just have to say

    Just say
    And I’ll stay
    Cos you know we don't belong
    To yesterday, to yesterday

    Good song. Loved the introduction and the bass line especially the bit after the first chorus. You seem to have really found your sound.

  • @fattigman said:
    Hi all!
    This one is created with group the loop and drum jam.
    Real instruments are ukulele, ukulele bass and melodica.
    Unlike my other creations I tried to finish this one as fast as possible so I didn’t bother to spend time on mixing.
    I’m not super happy with the vocals but it’s live and I think it’s good enough since the instruments are far from perfect either. It’s easy to focus for perfection when you work with midi and a piano roll. When you play real instruments that’s impossible unless you’re a pro. I had lots of fun doing this one, more fun than I would have if I aimed for perfection.

    Loved this. Really great summer vibe about it. Great song really well produced and a sweet video to top it off.

  • @Kitusai said:
    A contribution with a saturday night lonesome fellow
    https://soundcloud.com/kitusai/richardyot-kitusai-lonesome-saturday-night

    Loved this one too. Nice jazzy late night feel maybe after a few too many whiskeys. Some cool guitar playing and a really great vocal from @richardyot.

  • @orchardman thanks for the listen(s) and the feedback. It looks like August is going to be a quiet month around here, maybe everyone is on holiday, so I think it’s just going to be the four of us rattling around this big old thread this month.

  • @richardyot said:
    @orchardman thanks for the listen(s) and the feedback. It looks like August is going to be a quiet month around here, maybe everyone is on holiday, so I think it’s just going to be the four of us rattling around this big old thread this month.

    Yes it’s been a bit quiet the last couple of months. It’s a shame because the standard of songs is really high and a great little community has built up around the club which has really helped my production skills over the years. Hopefully we will get a few more submissions when people get back from their holidays.

  • Howdy folks. This is the first song I’ve posted on the forum, it’s part of an album I’m trying to wrap up at the moment. The full title is Heavy Steps Outside Your Door. The songs were all written with thematic intent, maybe not all theme songs necessarily, but these one in particular I wrote as if it were the theme for a show like Luke Cage or the Wire.

    My goal is to get a collection of 30 or so tracks that can easily be broken into stems and loops to be used for commercials of tv shows. Not expecting much, but I’ve got some friends in the industry and managed to sell a couple songs when I was stil a touring mousician. If I was smart I would have stuck with that, but no I had to stubbornly pursue playing in a live band, to the detriment of my finances and health.

    This one was made primarily in iMaschine, and then I bounced the subgroups to Cubasis. I actually had a difficult time finishing tracks with Cubasis, in addition to the lack of busses, I find it to be a bit of a pain to use for editing and always seem to accidentally erase or move something. I know Auria Pro is the preferred daw for mixing in iOS, but it’s so similar to using a desktop program that at a certain point it just made more sense to mix the more complex songs in Logic.

    This track is an outlier and actually ended up with a version mixed in Cubasis and “mastered “ with Grand Finale and one that I imported into Maschine 2 on desktop and finished in Logic using Izotope Ozone. Surprisingly, I ended up liking the iOS version better. It has a cohesive quality that the more professional mix lacked. Was considering posting a comparison if anyone is interested.

  • edited August 2019

    I haven't posted in a while. Nothing's really congealed, but here's a longish ditty - not very produced and sounds spectacularly brittle over computer speakers - so use something else.
    (While you're at it point me towards mixing tutorials that show how to get a better mix on shitty speakers)

    Made with auDSPr , Discord4, Shaper, FAC chorus, DAW Cassette, Modley, Korverpressor and Degrader, as well as Ruismaker Noir, E L S A, DRC and Speak Unit.

  • @orchardman said:
    Our last two country ballads were a bit too rock n roll so we thought we would try gospel this time

    Very nice song, love the organs, what app did you use? I like the vocals and harmonies too. The percussions helped to build up intensity at the end, I would like some more intensity but I guess this is how it should be in this style of music. Over all a very well made production :star: :smile:

  • @Thardus said:

    Howdy folks. This is the first song I’ve posted on the forum, it’s part of an album I’m trying to wrap up at the moment. The full title is Heavy Steps Outside Your Door. The songs were all written with thematic intent, maybe not all theme songs necessarily, but these one in particular I wrote as if it were the theme for a show like Luke Cage or the Wire.

    My goal is to get a collection of 30 or so tracks that can easily be broken into stems and loops to be used for commercials of tv shows. Not expecting much, but I’ve got some friends in the industry and managed to sell a couple songs when I was stil a touring mousician. If I was smart I would have stuck with that, but no I had to stubbornly pursue playing in a live band, to the detriment of my finances and health.

    This one was made primarily in iMaschine, and then I bounced the subgroups to Cubasis. I actually had a difficult time finishing tracks with Cubasis, in addition to the lack of busses, I find it to be a bit of a pain to use for editing and always seem to accidentally erase or move something. I know Auria Pro is the preferred daw for mixing in iOS, but it’s so similar to using a desktop program that at a certain point it just made more sense to mix the more complex songs in Logic.

    This track is an outlier and actually ended up with a version mixed in Cubasis and “mastered “ with Grand Finale and one that I imported into Maschine 2 on desktop and finished in Logic using Izotope Ozone. Surprisingly, I ended up liking the iOS version better. It has a cohesive quality that the more professional mix lacked. Was considering posting a comparison if anyone is interested.

    The main theme is very good, menacing and suspenseful sounding and I can definitely imagine it being used in a soundtrack. The horns counter-melody is also really good and keeps the vibe while adding some variation to the theme.

    Obviously if this was part of a soundtrack then the arrangement and editing would be dictated by the visuals and story, but as a stand-alone piece I think it needs to be edited down to be shorter: there's really only one musical idea here, so 5 minutes is too long because once you've heard the theme and the variation with the horns, you've got the idea - so I would either cut it down to 3 minutes, or add some change of direction to keep the listener's attention.

    But like I say, as a soundtrack piece it's great as is, this feedback only relates to how it's presented as a stand-alone piece. Bear in mind also that potential buyers are never going to listen to a five-minute track (especially if it's just riffing on one idea), they will skip once they've got the gist, so a more concise presentation might be worth considering.

  • @audiblevideo said:
    I haven't posted in a while. Nothing's really congealed, but here's a longish ditty - not very produced and sounds spectacularly brittle over computer speakers - so use something else.
    (While you're at it point me towards mixing tutorials that show how to get a better mix on shitty speakers)

    Made with auDSPr , Discord4, Shaper, FAC chorus, DAW Cassette, Modley, Korverpressor and Degrader, as well as Ruismaker Noir, E L S A, DRC and Speak Unit.

    It's a bit atonal for me - I like a lot of the sound design and I also like to incorporate some crunchy lo-fi elements into my own tracks, but for me personally these kind of sounds work best if they are contrasted with some other more musical elements - a haunting melody floating over the top for example, so that there is something for the ear to enjoy and latch onto amidst the bangs and whirrs, and some contrast between the varying elements.

  • @richardyot said:
    @orchardman thanks for the listen(s) and the feedback. It looks like August is going to be a quiet month around here, maybe everyone is on holiday, so I think it’s just going to be the four of us rattling around this big old thread this month.

    Hi Richard.. Gonna be a bit quiet from me for a little while mate.. This is my busiest time of the year (Day job)... Plus, it’s getting I’m getting more busier with music , with working with other Artist (Labels & Remixing)... Haven’t sent nothing on Soundcloud for a year, that’s why I was posting some YouTube stuff instead mate..... Never thought I would be in this position with much making music for Labels & Artists..... It’s quite bewildering really..... Quite tough learning curve too.. Still, see what I can do, if I can?... :/

  • @richardyot said:

    It's a bit atonal for me - I like a lot of the sound design and I also like to incorporate some crunchy lo-fi elements into my own tracks, but for me personally these kind of sounds work best if they are contrasted with some other more musical elements - a haunting melody floating over the top for example, so that there is something for the ear to enjoy and latch onto amidst the bangs and whirrs, and some contrast between the varying elements.

    I agree. Working towards that end. Any hints on keeping the computing equipment gone awry sound but taming it a bit? Filter, EQ? Just dialing back the loudness or fewer parts?

  • @richardyot said:
    My entry this month, Nanostudio 2 and Auria, lyrics in the spoiler:

    I can help you with your burden
    And you can lift me when I’m down
    In this world nothing is certain
    If you don’t swim you’re gonna drown
    If you want me to stay
    You just have to say
    You just have to say

    Just say
    And I’ll stay
    Cos you know we don't belong
    To yesterday, to yesterday

    When you told me you were certain
    That once lost you can’t be found
    Well it turns out when you’re hurting
    That you might just come around
    If you want me to stay
    You just have to say
    You just have to say

    Just say
    And I’ll stay
    Cos you know we don't belong
    To yesterday, to yesterday

    Cool FX use around the 1 min mark! Love your stuff for the feel of a well produced garage band ;)

  • @fattigman said:
    Hi all!
    This one is created with group the loop and drum jam.
    Real instruments are ukulele, ukulele bass and melodica.
    Unlike my other creations I tried to finish this one as fast as possible so I didn’t bother to spend time on mixing.
    I’m not super happy with the vocals but it’s live and I think it’s good enough since the instruments are far from perfect either. It’s easy to focus for perfection when you work with midi and a piano roll. When you play real instruments that’s impossible unless you’re a pro. I had lots of fun doing this one, more fun than I would have if I aimed for perfection.

    Great sound. Love your associate producer.

  • @orchardman said:
    Our last two country ballads were a bit too rock n roll so we thought we would try gospel this time

    Nice laid back feel good composition. I do feel that the vocals are too affected. They sound like mmmm - tin can-ish, which I feel distances them from the rest of the instrumentation too much.

  • @Thardus said:

    Howdy folks. This is the first song I’ve posted on the forum, it’s part of an album I’m trying to wrap up at the moment. The full title is Heavy Steps Outside Your Door. The songs were all written with thematic intent, maybe not all theme songs necessarily, but these one in particular I wrote as if it were the theme for a show like Luke Cage or the Wire.

    This track is an outlier and actually ended up with a version mixed in Cubasis and “mastered “ with Grand Finale and one that I imported into Maschine 2 on desktop and finished in Logic using Izotope Ozone. Surprisingly, I ended up liking the iOS version better. It has a cohesive quality that the more professional mix lacked. Was considering posting a comparison if anyone is interested.

    Love the drum groove, and the horns. I love horns. I would vary the horns a bit. Put in some short staccato BLERTS to emphasize the "Heavy of the steps" to compliment the dragging feel of being heavy. It'll be good with the drums.

  • @audiblevideo said:

    @richardyot said:

    It's a bit atonal for me - I like a lot of the sound design and I also like to incorporate some crunchy lo-fi elements into my own tracks, but for me personally these kind of sounds work best if they are contrasted with some other more musical elements - a haunting melody floating over the top for example, so that there is something for the ear to enjoy and latch onto amidst the bangs and whirrs, and some contrast between the varying elements.

    I agree. Working towards that end. Any hints on keeping the computing equipment gone awry sound but taming it a bit? Filter, EQ? Just dialing back the loudness or fewer parts?

    I think the EQ is fine, you might just need to adjust levels if you add some more melodic elements on top, so that the lo-fi noises are clanking away in the background.

  • edited August 2019

    Hi @richardyot I haven't entered anything into SOTMC for a long time. I turned to patch designing/sharing for a while after the SoundCloud debacle last year, but I think my SoundCloud 'problem' should have resolved itself by now, although I am still keeping all tracks set to private.

    So here is a link to a simple little chilled effort made and mixed in Korg Gadget recently. It was mainly for a personal experiment with incorporating foley recordings into a track. So most of the hats, drums and percs and flapping/swishing fx are one-shot samples I've prepared, made from iPad mic recording things like scrunching and tearing paper, tapping plastic tubs and bottles, striking my lighter etc and imported to Vancouver gadgets where they could be played back at varying pitches and effected further.

    Recife is only providing two different kick drums, a snare, an open hat and a ride (forwards & reversed). The rest of the drum/perc sounds are from my foley samples. Although there is also a little drum loop I made in Groovebox, exported to Audioshare and chopped up into smaller segments for reassembling as imports across a few trigger pads in Bilbao, just to enhance the main beat in the second half of the track.

  • @Spidericemidas unfortunately I can't see the track, it's almost certainly because it's set to private. Any chance you can make the track public, or share on Dropbox or the like?

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