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.

AU full screen apps vs scrolling/tabs?

Why do some developers design there AU apps to involve scrolling and tabs while others manage to use almost a full screen view which is similar to their standalone mode?

I find it much more pleasurable to use the almost full screen, rather than scrolling/tabbing, which can can be a work flow killer.

Hoping if others feel the same, developers may reconsider their AU design.

Your thoughts?

Comments

  • edited October 2019

    I guess scrolling UI doesn't require any work for dev - they just convert their standalone app to AU dumping it almost as-is.

    Full screen UI may require some customization, remove/reorganize some elements to fit within the host as the host app may take up some screen real estate from its toolbars, etc.

    Tabs / half screen may involve more work and early design considerations from the beginning for re-use of UI sections.

    Not all hosts may support full screen so apps should support both full screen/scrolling and tabs. Cubasis did not have full screen mode up until recently.

    SynthMaster One does full screen and tabs UI nicely and due to its early optimal design, it was just a matter of coming up with a Page navigation system to its various sections for its upcoming iPhone UI - while retaining ALL its features from the iPad version that, in turn, was ported from the desktop app as-is and so, a desktop app on an iPhone!

    Pure Synth Platinum does scrolling UI which can be made full screen by reducing its controls and fonts to normal size instead of extra big size as they are now. It scrolls just a bit at the bottom which can be squeezed with a little trivial cosmetic work to fit everything on one screen without scrolling (but apparently, they are not going to make those changes).

  • edited October 2019

    Yeah I guess since ios au music apps are still relatively new, devs are exploring what works best.

    Here are some examples: (note I am by no means bashing any of these developers, I LOVE all their work and will continue to use, support and purchase their products)

    Full screen AU- Sugarbytes ‘Factory’, Beepstreet ‘Sunrizer’.

    Tabs/Scrolling AU- Apesoft ‘Mood’, Iceworks ‘Redshrike’.

  • It took me a while to realize that DigiStix needed to be scrolled, at least in the app, but I think also as AU. I was missing a ton of features in the default view.

  • Like it's mentioned above, some host may not support full screen mode.
    Also, full screen wasn't supported for about a year after AU was launched.
    But most importantly imo it's about being designed to be AU vs. port of existing tool.
    With the first one it's a straightforward decision depending on complexity/various screen size compatibility etc.
    With the second one there are way more restrictions.
    AU is still growing, so smaller bumps are to be expected, but from now on - IAA depreciated - I would expect to see a much cleaner picture overall.

  • I love the way cubasis handles the half screen/full screen view.The small window handling is so good that i still prefer this in most cases over the full screen mode.

  • I hope Im seeing this right and not just wishful thinking; looks like Iceworks synths may get a redesigned UI when used as an AU. Less scrolling, fuller screen, a workflow dream come true! 😃

    https://twitter.com/icegearmusic

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