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.

Anticipating buyers remorse - Volca Modular or O Coast?

Hi all, I’m having a whale of a time beginning to integrate my small hardware set up into my app based soundscaping, using Neutron & MC202 analog monosynths, Korg SQ10 step sequencer, and a Zoom G1X multifx to create audio loops, and my Keystep to capture MIDI, all taken as loops into AUM. The emphasis is on, erm , ‘experimental’ sounds for extended dark ambient mood pieces rather than conventional song structures or EDM beats. I don’t have the budget to go modular, but I’m very interested in dipping a toe into West Coast approaches, to complement my conventional synths. The O Coast is as expensive as I could ever justify just to make wacky noises - would I be better off with the Volca modular, or will I regret not spending nigh on four times as much on the O Coast?

Comments

  • edited September 2019

    I picked up a Volca Modular and I’ve had a love/hate relationship with it. I love the sounds it can make, and I love patching with it, but unless you have something that it can sync to it’s basically a closed box. I’ve considered selling it a few times and I’ve been convinced to hang onto it since it DOES sound really unique, but if it’s your only Volca you might have a hard time integrating it into your setup.

    Edit: my brain wasn’t working super great when I wrote this. You can jump through a hoop or two to get it working with your Keystep, and if you want to use the on-board sequencer you can sync AUM with SyncKontrol. I think that the SQ-10’s trigger is 10v instead of 5v like the Volca wants to see, so you might burn it out over time (or you might be fine — I’m not sure how sensitive the trigger in is).

    The 0-Coast is lovely, but it’s got one foot in subtractive synthesis as well. The Volca is basically pure west coast and less than half the price. I think you’ll like it.

  • 0Coast is one of my desert island synths. With delay and reverb, it's fucking fantastic.

  • Have you looked at Aparillo by Sugarbytes? the FX presets are a good start to create some lovely evolving soundscapes. Well worth a look if that's what you're into https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/aparillo/id1439914019

  • O Coast is a much better sounding synth by all accounts than the Volca. People that own them love them. The oscillators and waveshaping have a big sound. To the degree that it is subtractive it is still more Buchla than Moog (I say that as a good thing).

  • Might want to hold onto your coins until we get more info on this: https://www.gearnews.com/erica-synths-adopts-buchla-voicecard-preset-management-for-pico-system-iii/

    Seems like it will be raising the bar quite a bit on how much west coast bang 400-500$ can get.

  • I believe the 0-Coast would be the better option. Eurorack is a slippery slope, but I can honestly say so are Volcas with their inexpensive pricing.

  • 0-coast was pretty fun for sure, but ultimately I have a better time using Ripplemaker since it has the built in sequencer and I can work on multiple patches at the same time (ie, presets). If you HAVE to have hardware, then the 0-Coast would definitely be my vote.

    EDIT, the Behringer Neutron has been on sale for $225 at a lot of places this week, hard to beat that for the price.

  • @ohwell said:
    Might want to hold onto your coins until we get more info on this: https://www.gearnews.com/erica-synths-adopts-buchla-voicecard-preset-management-for-pico-system-iii/

    Seems like it will be raising the bar quite a bit on how much west coast bang 400-500$ can get.

    Wow, looks fascinating. I'm been playing with Music Easel emulation by Arturia recently and finally coming around to West Coast.

    I have 0 coast as well because I wanted to experience West Coast / modular for lower upfront cost. Need to do more with it but I do like it.

  • I don't know if you're set on going hardware for your modular "experiements" but if you don't have it you might try Ripplemaker by Bram Bos. People in the know say it reminds them of the O Coast.

  • To me 0C is still the best sounding, most flexible, small format synth available.
    Volta seems fun, but I didn’t like its sound.

  • Or you could avoid the remorse by buying neither and paying of a bit extra on your credit cards which would make you feel all warm and virtuous (for about 5 mins).

  • I love my 0-Coast! Sonically it's much more versatile and creative than anything I've heard from the Volca.

    I think the Volca is pretty cool, and sounds good, but imho it's somewhat limited in its range of sounds. The 0-Coast really is a pint-sized modular themepark... As @slicetwo said: add some reverb and delay and it's easy to get lost in its weird waves and warbles.

  • You just want to be banned don't you? Save money? Not buy new gear? Blasphemy!

  • o-coast is awesome!

  • Fwiw, none of the software emulations of O-Coast or Buchla have managed to capture some of the in-your-faceness of the Buchla/MakeNoise waveshaping IMO.

  • Hi all, thanks for the thoughts. I’ll check out Aparillo, and the link to the Erica synths thing. (And I have Brambos brilliant Ripplemaker, which is what took me down this rabbit hole in the first place! ;) ) The truth is, I do virtually everything in app on iPad these days, at least until I have a knob twiddling session, and then I suddenly remember how much fun it is to actually tweak and shape something in that physical way. I have yet to crack setting up templates for my control surface (Launch control XL) for all my apps in a way that feels immediate and muscle-memory enough to compensate. Hmm. Food for thought...

  • I am a newbie to semi modular or modular, and the volca was my first dive in. It is weirder than I thought in a good way. You can make really horrible noise and drones that I just laugh when I get a sweet spot as its very intricate. Sometimes I patch all those wires only to get a terrible ratty noise haha Its great. The sequencer is insane too as their are sub division patch points that still freak me out. The reverb aka space out is oddly patchable too, its a bit strong on the whole mix but it can turn it into a cloud which is fabulous.

    PS: audulus is the best. They even have an 0 coast emulator basically sorta. Not exact but the interface looks similar too. Thats worth a shot and if you love it then grab a NO coast box. Cheers and have fun!

  • I’d say a 0-coast. People seem to think it’s a good pair with the Neutron. Strikes me that would be so.

  • edited September 2019

    @brambos said:
    I love my 0-Coast! Sonically it's much more versatile and creative than anything I've heard from the Volca.

    I think the Volca is pretty cool, and sounds good, but imho it's somewhat limited in its range of sounds. The 0-Coast really is a pint-sized modular themepark... As @slicetwo said: add some reverb and delay and it's easy to get lost in its weird waves and warbles.

    Ripplemaker is almost like having a 0Coast on my iPad. Any plans on making it mooooore 0Coast-y? ;) I love that app.

Sign In or Register to comment.