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.

OT: Windows Multi-touch laptop experiences? (Compared “musically” to iPad/iPad Pro as of 2019)

edited August 2019 in Other

What are your Windows Multi-touch laptop experiences, with both hardware and the software? (Compared to iPad/iPad Pro as of 2019). (TLDR/Spoiler alert: get both! lol).

(Did an site search for this topic, didn’t see any recents. Please point out any relevant threads or links).

For those lucky dogs who have used both iPad and a Windows laptop (especially with multi-touch enabled music software such as Bitwig) for soft synths, beat creation, music production, and general noise making... how do they (VERY generally and roughly) compare? NOT looking for an undisputed world champion because it’s comparing Apples and oranges 🍎🧐🍊 with iOS and the Windows OS, of course. Just looking for observations, insights and experiences. What Windows music software is optimized for multi-touch? Is that an important feature for you? What brands of laptops provide something relatively close to the “iPad-ish” music experience that we all know and love? The more details, the better. Name names!

I have an iPad Air 2, and am looking to eventually go “Pro”, lol. (Ipad Pro, that is). But the Windows touchscreen laptops are VERY cool and affordable, with an almost unlimited potential for the software possible. Will probably get both eventually... but not sure which will be first.

Molten Music reviews might be a good way to kick things off...

Comments

  • edited August 2019

    I have a Lenovo Yoga 730 Intel Core i7 - 12GB RAM.

    The multitouch works fine. But it is just that most software is not optimized for it. Was tempted by Bitwig for that, but already know my way around Ableton. I guess it is not an important feature for me. I suspect it would work fine with a pen, but it is easy to do a lot of my work on the iPad and transfer over.

    Probably silly, but I partly like a touch screen laptop because the screens are tougher than the others. As important to me is the track pad, which is very nice on the Yoga.

    "Musically"
    I have not compared this to an iPad Pro, but compared to a 2018 iPad Standard, the power of the thing is just not even close. I am still loving the iPad for portability, working on the subway... sketching stuff out, making samples. But I'm exporting to Ableton from Gadget because:

    Similar usage in Modstep with some AU3s...Ruismakers for drums, some sampled drums, a bass synth, a lead or a pad, and I'm hitting 50% CPU on the iPad.

    Take those Ruismaker sounds (granted sampled into Ableton - though they were the least of the CPU offenders), the other samples. Add a bass synth, a lead or a pad on the Yoga, most of which are slightly improved sound quality, 5 or 10% CPU. Add a couple effects on every track, 10-15%.

    And that wasn't even why I have moved more to the laptop for the more final products, it was inconsistency of midi ccs working, arps, having to re-enable midi controllers every time.

    Still, iPad is the best portable sketchpad I've ever had...sure beats writing sheet music with a pen! lol I did that up until just a few years ago.

  • But PC software is soooooo expensive......

  • @Multicellular
    Thanks for the reply. That’s exactly the kind of stuff i wanted to hear about. True, an i7 laptop will probably outperform an iPad. Didn’t consider the fact about touchscreen laptops having tougher screens. But like you imply, for what it can do... you can’t out-iPad an iPad.! 😊

  • This thread got into some of this chatter as well...

    https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/comment/662866#Comment_662866

  • @BiancaNeve said:
    But PC software is soooooo expensive......

    Yea, there’s that. I’m definitely spoiled by $5-$10 apps on iOS that would cost big bucks on desktop. Horses for courses, and some are expensive racehorses.

  • @AudioGus said:
    This thread got into some of this chatter as well...

    https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/comment/662866#Comment_662866

    Thanks! Hadn’t seen that... 👍

  • @haulin_notes said:

    @BiancaNeve said:
    But PC software is soooooo expensive......

    Yea, there’s that. I’m definitely spoiled by $5-$10 apps on iOS that would cost big bucks on desktop. Horses for courses, and some are expensive racehorses.

    Some interesting stuff to look at, price wise: I’ve spent at least as much on Gadget 2 (with all the trimmings, and I mean all, I’m a completist) as I spent on Bitwig 3. And Bitwig can certainly be considered an all in one piece of soft (given all the synths and content included). And the cost of a nice touch screen windows machine is roughly the cost of my current 10.5.

    Another thing to consider, there are tons of free VST available for Windows, synths, drum machines, FX etc etc. all of which can be hosted and accessed via touch when hosted in a touch optimized DAW like Bitwig. And Bitwig isn’t the only touch optimized daw. There’s 2 cross platform ones I know of, MultiTrackStudio, and Stagelight. (Both can share complete projects back and forth between iOS and your laptop) And FL Studio is another heavy weight that’s I would say 95% touch optimized.

  • @Littlewoodg said:

    @haulin_notes said:

    @BiancaNeve said:
    But PC software is soooooo expensive......

    Yea, there’s that. I’m definitely spoiled by $5-$10 apps on iOS that would cost big bucks on desktop. Horses for courses, and some are expensive racehorses.

    Some interesting stuff to look at, price wise: I’ve spent at least as much on Gadget 2 (with all the trimmings, and I mean all, I’m a completist) as I spent on Bitwig 3. And Bitwig can certainly be considered an all in one piece of soft (given all the synths and content included). And the cost of a nice touch screen windows machine is roughly the cost of my current 10.5.

    Another thing to consider, there are tons of free VST available for Windows, synths, drum machines, FX etc etc. all of which can be hosted and accessed via touch when hosted in a touch optimized DAW like Bitwig. And Bitwig isn’t the only touch optimized daw. There’s 2 cross platform ones I know of, MultiTrackStudio, and Stagelight. (Both can share complete projects back and forth between iOS and your laptop) And FL Studio is another heavy weight that’s I would say 95% touch optimized.

    Ya. With the guys I collaborate with, we in fact have gone to Ableton plus 100% otherwise free plugins. Or at least, free and the ones that come with Computer Music magazine. I have a good deal of other paid pc plugins, but it really isnt very limiting. I frankly buy stuff sometimes just because I want to support innovators.

  • It's a desktop, use a mouse, or stick with the iPad, realistically those are your two choices.
    Within ten seconds of starting any music software on my surface I have plugged a mouse in.

  • Ideal would be accurate emulation of IOS on PC and Mac, by Parallels or other. Then run all IOS apps in own window , alongside desktop programs.

  • @Littlewoodg said:

    @haulin_notes said:

    @BiancaNeve said:
    But PC software is soooooo expensive......

    Yea, there’s that. I’m definitely spoiled by $5-$10 apps on iOS that would cost big bucks on desktop. Horses for courses, and some are expensive racehorses.

    Some interesting stuff to look at, price wise: I’ve spent at least as much on Gadget 2 (with all the trimmings, and I mean all, I’m a completist) as I spent on Bitwig 3. And Bitwig can certainly be considered an all in one piece of soft (given all the synths and content included). And the cost of a nice touch screen windows machine is roughly the cost of my current 10.5.

    Another thing to consider, there are tons of free VST available for Windows, synths, drum machines, FX etc etc. all of which can be hosted and accessed via touch when hosted in a touch optimized DAW like Bitwig. And Bitwig isn’t the only touch optimized daw. There’s 2 cross platform ones I know of, MultiTrackStudio, and Stagelight. (Both can share complete projects back and forth between iOS and your laptop) And FL Studio is another heavy weight that’s I would say 95% touch optimized.

    That’s a good point about VSTs becoming touch-friendly when in a touchscreen optimized DAW. That is a growing list of such DAWs. Add Studio One to that group.

  • @Turntablist said:
    It's a desktop, use a mouse, or stick with the iPad, realistically those are your two choices.
    Within ten seconds of starting any music software on my surface I have plugged a mouse in.

    May i ask if you use bitwig? If so, do you find it doesn't work well using touch interface? Personally Im looking into bitwig on surface pro as a possible future option.

  • Before switching over completely to IPad, I tried using surface pro for music production.
    I really love the idea of going mobile.
    I tried a couple of DaW demos, but couldn’t find one with an onscreen keyboard I could play like I would on iOS.
    The only one that came close was bit wig, but didn’t like the interface that much.
    I was looking for something similar to Cubasis, so I tried Magix music maker, the keyboard was a bit of a nightmare to play.
    Then I decided to go fully iOS and never looked back.
    The only time I use Logic on my MacBook is for uni assignment purposes, even in this case, most of the music is made on my iPad and I just transfer the stems and finish of in logic.
    I just love the idea of making music anywhere without having to take a midi controller with me.
    The only set back with iOS music, is that you have to find walk arounds for some limitations.

  • edited August 2019


    Apparently Tracktions CEO said they have a DAw version already workin on the iPad, but chose not to release it because the iPad is limited.this article is from November 2014.
    I wonder what he might think now with the new iPad is and Auv3.

  • I bought a Surface Book laptop to play with Maschine Mk3 (and now Ableton) and I have to say I love it (works well with Premiere also) and only wish I could play all the 1000 apps I have on it as well :) Which is why, in the end (for me) it's always about the software....but exporting directly (Gadget etc) to Ableton is pretty.

  • Somehow I have a good feeling that sooner or later we'll see something at least partially based on parts of Tracktion on iOS13/iPadOS...

  • Bring on Tracktion. And Logic Pro, Native Instruments, Izotope,etc. Maybe Fabfilter and Eventide bringing their awesome programs to iOS signals an imminent damn burst of software porting.

    Waiting... any second now... do i hear water running? Oh, I forgot to jiggle the handle.😆

  • @Multicellular said:
    I have a Lenovo Yoga 730 Intel Core i7 - 12GB RAM.

    The multitouch works fine. But it is just that most software is not optimized for it.

    that's exactly the point of failure...
    I have a Dell i3 tablet, but my main Windoze apps are 'classic' ones with mouse control.
    Operating those by touch emulation is (frankly) a pita. It goes as far as hit coordinates in modal dialog boxes are mapped into unreachable areas, so you have to switch to the keyboard to close them.
    Coordinates are translated in plain form without context sensitive areas and of course the tip of a finger will hide what's around it's location.
    That said, all those freebies won't come with much joy along them... ;)

    Subjective sidenote: it's not the amount of plugins that matters, but their quality.
    There's few in the VST world that triggered a 'must have' with me. In fact only the Valhalla Reverbs and Zynaptiq Zap (a suite of 'spectral' processing plugins) get regular use here.
    I'm considering Relab's reverb suite in future, but that's about it.
    Plain suspect: with recent update of iVCS3's filter the XILS VST version doesn't make a significant difference anymore, and the iPad's touch operation wins hands down.

  • edited August 2019

    Surface Pro user here , once I bought a type cover I always use it.
    True apps currently optimized for touch are Caustic and Stagelight.
    There are more apps, but I am talking about NOT having a mouse/keyboard at all.

Sign In or Register to comment.