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.

Beta testers wanted: AUv3 MIDI to CV/Gate converter

This is one for the Eurorack and semi-modular analog synthesizer people.

CoVariant is an audio unit that takes MIDI note and controller data and converts it to CV/Gate; it also features a pair of software generated envelope generators. It’s designed to work with hosts that support multiple output busses, such as the latest version of AUM, but it’s also fully usable in more basic hosts such as Cubasis 2 where running multiple instances of the AU can give the same results.

To use it you’ll need a class compliant DC coupled audio interface: the Expert Sleepers ES-8, ES-9 and ES-3 are suitable, as are most MOTU and PreSonus interfaces. There’s a detailed list at https://sweetwater.com/sweetcare/articles/which-audio-interfaces-are-dc-coupled/

The help file for the AU is available at: recurcv.com/help/CoVariantHelp.pdf

If you’re interested then please could you either post in this thread or send me a message and I’ll give you a TestFlight link.

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Comments

  • I would sign up right away but don't have ES9 yet. No stock yet in US.

  • I`d like to test it with my analogs, NOT ESs but must work with the RME phones output. Also what to test the Iconnect Audio4

  • I'm quite curious to see if this would work with VCVRack over an ICA4+. Can I please have a testflight code ?

  • @gonekrazy3000 said:
    I'm quite curious to see if this would work with VCVRack over an ICA4+. Can I please have a testflight code ?

    I've sent you the link, but I'm not sure if this will work since I can't find any information about whether the ICA4+ is DC coupled or not. If it isn't then you'll find that the voltages it outputs won't remain constant - they'll fade to zero over a short period (a couple of seconds maximum) - so it won't be able to control an analog synthesizer.

    Also please note that you'll need some suitable cables. There's a detailed explanation in the help file I linked to, but basically you'll need either a couple of stereo splitter cables or "floating ring" cables. Please do not try to use mono jacks in balanced TRS sockets since they short the ring to the shield. For normal audio use this doesn't matter, but if the interface is being used to output constant DC voltages there could be the potential for damage.

  • @AlanC3 said:

    @gonekrazy3000 said:
    I'm quite curious to see if this would work with VCVRack over an ICA4+. Can I please have a testflight code ?

    I've sent you the link, but I'm not sure if this will work since I can't find any information about whether the ICA4+ is DC coupled or not. If it isn't then you'll find that the voltages it outputs won't remain constant - they'll fade to zero over a short period (a couple of seconds maximum) - so it won't be able to control an analog synthesizer.

    Also please note that you'll need some suitable cables. There's a detailed explanation in the help file I linked to, but basically you'll need either a couple of stereo splitter cables or "floating ring" cables. Please do not try to use mono jacks in balanced TRS sockets since they short the ring to the shield. For normal audio use this doesn't matter, but if the interface is being used to output constant DC voltages there could be the potential for damage.

    Oh. I actually meant I was going to send audio directly from my iPad to vcvrack without any conversion at all whatsoever via virtual cables. I already do this pretty consistently between ableton using its cv-tools into Vcvrack. Even between my desktop running ableton to my laptop running Vcvrack. It’s basically sending virtual CV over usb :) so no actual cables at all. Just audio from device to device with no Conversion.

  • @gonekrazy3000 said:
    Oh. I actually meant I was going to send audio directly from my iPad to vcvrack without any conversion at all whatsoever via virtual cables. I already do this pretty consistently between ableton using its cv-tools into Vcvrack. Even between my desktop running ableton to my laptop running Vcvrack. It’s basically sending virtual CV over usb :) so no actual cables at all. Just audio from device to device with no Conversion.

    So, in effect, the whole setup is virtual? Instead of sending the outputs from Ableton's CV Tools to a hardware interface and using that to drive an analog synth, you're routing it into VCVRack and that's interpreting it as though the signal was coming from the inputs of a hardware interface?

    This is something I hadn't anticipated... :o

    It might work. If VCVRack behaves just like an analog synth then the fact it's virtual won't matter. The question is why do it this way, though? I'm not familiar with VCVRack, but doesn't it have some decent MIDI to virtual CV conversion capabilities of its own?

  • edited February 2020

    @AlanC3 said:

    @gonekrazy3000 said:
    Oh. I actually meant I was going to send audio directly from my iPad to vcvrack without any conversion at all whatsoever via virtual cables. I already do this pretty consistently between ableton using its cv-tools into Vcvrack. Even between my desktop running ableton to my laptop running Vcvrack. It’s basically sending virtual CV over usb :) so no actual cables at all. Just audio from device to device with no Conversion.

    So, in effect, the whole setup is virtual? Instead of sending the outputs from Ableton's CV Tools to a hardware interface and using that to drive an analog synth, you're routing it into VCVRack and that's interpreting it as though the signal was coming from the inputs of a hardware interface?

    This is something I hadn't anticipated... :o

    It might work. If VCVRack behaves just like an analog synth then the fact it's virtual won't matter. The question is why do it this way, though? I'm not familiar with VCVRack, but doesn't it have some decent MIDI to virtual CV conversion capabilities of its own?

    Yes. It’s entirely virtual. And Vcvrack does indeed interpret it as cv coming from a hardware interface. As to why I do it this way, At least from my experience there is a loss of resolution with automation when you use midi=>CV. In Ableton I actually have other max4live plugins that can generate Cv to create smoother automation while still being controlled by Ableton as the master sequencer. Another example of this is isotonik’s Modulat (formerly called Signal). Which basically turns ableton into an entirely modular monster. You can check it out here:-
    https://isotonikstudios.com/product/modulat/

  • Installed the beta. Can’t open it, it goes black and to the background. 10,5 pro 2018, ios12.4

  • edited February 2020

    @Synthi said:
    Installed the beta. Can’t open it, it goes black and to the background. 10,5 pro 2018, ios12.4

    Right at the moment I've not got any crash reports back from Apple so it's a bit difficult for me to say what's happening.

    Is this the app or the audio unit?

    If you open the app it should just show you the help file. The audio unit should appear on the list of available AU's in whatever host you're using. Can you get either of those to work, or is it totally dead?

    Edit: I've just tried downloading it through TestFlight myself and both the app and AU are working OK on iOS 13, plus I developed it (and have tested it) to be compatible with iOS 11.4 and up so it should work with 12.4. Maybe try deleting it and reinstalling it?

  • edited February 2020

    @gonekrazy3000 said:
    Yes. It’s entirely virtual. And Vcvrack does indeed interpret it as cv coming from a hardware interface.

    I don't see any reason why it shouldn't work, and I'd certainly be very interested to hear if it does. :)

    You'd still need to run the calibration to get everything in tune, but after you've done that once it'd never change so you could save the result as a preset and reload it each time you started a new project/document/whatever.

  • edited February 2020

    @AlanC3 said:

    @Synthi said:
    Installed the beta. Can’t open it, it goes black and to the background. 10,5 pro 2018, ios12.4

    Right at the moment I've not got any crash reports back from Apple so it's a bit difficult for me to say what's happening.

    Is this the app or the audio unit?

    If you open the app it should just show you the help file. The audio unit should appear on the list of available AU's in whatever host you're using. Can you get either of those to work, or is it totally dead?

    Its the app, the help file is not show.
    BUT the AUv3 works!

    ps. Not sure if its a bug but the AU interface is not resizing in AUM
    edit2: also the selected buttons are almost invisible... just a lighter shade of grey

  • @Synthi said:
    Its the app, the help file is not show.
    BUT the AUv3 works!

    ps. Not sure if its a bug but the AU interface is not resizing in AUM
    edit2: also the selected buttons are almost invisible... just a lighter shade of grey

    Someone else is also reporting the crash on iOS 12. I've just managed to get hold of a device running 12.4.1 and can confirm it. The odd thing is that it's specific to iOS 12: it runs fine on iOS 11 and iOS 13. Hopefully I'll be able to find the cause and get a new version out soon.

    The UI is sized to fit the standard iPad AU dimensions. If the view is smaller than this then you can scroll it by dragging on the black background. I chose to do it this way rather than having it resize because some of the controls got difficult to use as the interface shrank to fit smaller sizes.

    The interface should be black / white / dark grey / light grey as shown in the help file (link in my original post, plus it's in the app... but you haven't had the chance to see it because of the crash; sorry about that). Perhaps it'd be better if I coloured it to make the distinction between deselected and selected clearer.

  • There's an updated version available that fixes the app crash on iOS 12 (an apparently well-known problem with displaying PDF files that only exists in iOS 12.2/3/4), plus it also contains some improvements to pitch bend and controller smoothing.

  • working fine here! (iOS12)

    For the interface, I saw it n AUv3, yes a cleared indication of what is selected is very welcome!

  • edited February 2020

    Hello, this is really cool, and the envelopes work really well, I really like that you have range on everything, it saves a lot of attenuators. Routing it out from es-9 to two dreadbox whiteline osc, envelope and Modulation to filter. Tested it with Rosetta lfo and it works, more tests tomorrow.

  • To whoever has been sending me feedback through TestFlight:

    The summary for the app shows you've been sending me screenshots, but nothing is showing up when I try to access them and I've not been getting any notifications. It seems I'm not alone with this judging from the number of comments on Apple's developer forums...

    For the moment it'd probably be best if you could PM me through this forum.

  • Since nothing serious beyond the iOS 12 PDF bug has turned up and the app has now been approved, I'm putting it up for sale today.

  • Congrats! Looking forward to it.

  • And the demo video just got taken out by a copyright claim because I played about 30 seconds of Kitaro's Silk Road theme as an example of four instances running in Cubasis... :o

  • Ah well. Guess I'll have to go Switched-On Bach or Scarlatti or something. They can't hit me with a copyright for music from the 18th century. :D

  • just testing stuff, so cool to be able to do this from my iPad anywhere.

  • A new beta version is available through TestFlight: if you tested the previous version then the link should still be valid, otherwise if you’d like to try it out then please send me a PM or post in this thread and I’ll send you the link.

    It contains two new AU’s: Clock and Trigger.

    Clock generates clock and run/stop or reset signals.

    • It’ll generate a beat clock or 24/48 ppqn clock for Roland/Korg or compatible DIN Sync devices.
    • When generating a beat clock it can divide and/or multiply the tempo, swing the beat and either generate a typical 50% square wave clock or a sequence of triggers with variable duration.
    • On the control side, it’ll generate a run/stop signal (on while the sequence is running) or reset trigger pulses when the transport starts, stops, or both.
    • The first clock can be skipped to prevent a sequencer advancing one step immediately after a reset, or can be delayed after the run/stop or reset to allow a sequencer time to respond.
    • It can generate V-Trig or S-Trig outputs, and the duration of the reset pulses can be set.

    Trigger generates gate or trigger signals in response to MIDI note messages and also outputs a control voltage associated with the trigger which can be taken from the note velocity, aftertouch, or any MIDI controller.

    • It can be set to respond to a specific note or any note on the selected MIDI channel.
    • When generating a trigger the duration of the pulse can be set.
    • The minimum time between successive triggers can be increased for devices that don’t respond to the default 1ms interval.
    • The control output can be set to change in a stepped fashion with the changes occurring at the same time as the trigger pulses, or continuously as the selected MIDI controller changes.
    • It can generate V-Trig or S-Trig outputs.

    Known shortcomings of the beta:

    • There’s no documentation for the new AU’s (documentation for the main AU is displayed by the containing app).
    • Clock's DIN Sync modes haven't been tested against a hardware device.
    • There may be some inconsistent behaviour when Clock starts: if it’s started part way through a bar then it’s meant to wait for the start of the next bar so the sequencer it’s controlling will start in sync with the host app.
    • Clock's sync with the host is still being developed. It's currently purely time based and so may not be perfectly accurate with respect to the host. The decision to implement it this way was down to some hosts providing inaccurate timing information to the AU, resulting in high levels of jitter. At the moment it can drift by around 2.5ms over 3 minutes, but I'm currently experimenting with a new version that reduces this to around 1ms over 30 minutes.

    Hosts:

    • Cubasis 2's MIDI appears to lag significantly behind the transport state information it sends to the AU, so the signals output by Clock will be around 17-25ms ahead of those output by Trigger (or any other AU). You can use the offset control to correct this.
  • Cool, will test it. So cool to be able to send this from sequencers in AUM. Thank you

  • edited April 2020

    Hey this is exactly what I was hoping you’d add!

    I’m curious what voltage the clock is sending out. I only had a few minutes to test, but at first I couldn’t get Pamela’s New Workout to respond to the clock in. But reducing the “Range” setting to something like .25 seemed to work fine.

  • edited April 2020

    @compactmachine said:
    I’m curious what voltage the clock is sending out. I only had a few minutes to test, but at first I could’ve get Pamela’s New Workout to respond to the clock in. But reducing the “Range” setting to something like .25 seemed to work fine.

    The voltage depends on the interface you're using; by default it'll be the maximum the interface will produce. As you said, it can be changed using the Range parameter. As an example, an ES-8 has a maximum output of 10V, so that's what you'll get with the Range set to 1.0. Reduce Range to 0.5 and you'll get half the maximum, so 5V.

    Unfortunately I've just found a really nasty bug in Clock: if you change the tempo while it's running it'll briefly produce a very rapid series of clock pulses and then either go completely out of sync or stop. I've got a fix that will work in AUM - and which should also work in any other host that provides valid beat position data - but which unfortunately won't work in Cubasis 2. I'll try and get an update out tomorrow, and then see if I can find an alternative method to generate an accurate clock in Cubasis

  • There's an updated version available that fixes the Clock tempo change problem.

    This one won't run successfully in Cubasis 2 because it needs a host that provides accurate beat position data. Hopefully I can find a work-around for this...

  • What I hope will be the final beta of 1.1.0 (that includes the Clock and Trigger AU's as well as the original MIDI to CV/Gate converter) is available via TestFlight. If anyone else would like to give it a try then either post in this thread or PM me and I'll send you the TestFlight link.

  • Hello, hope everything is well. I’ve been playing around with the clock module a bit, and it’s working great, so instant to send a main clock from AUM, luv it.
    One thing that I’ve discovered lately, is that AUM takes for granted on my es-9 that output channel 9 is left, and 10 is right, 11 left and 12 right,,, and so on, and I think it works similar on the es-8.
    So if I want to add two clocks, I can’t put them on 9 and 10, I have to put them on 9 and 11 output.
    Just an idea, I may be wrong, but it would be great if it would be possible to switch in clock, and in covariant in general what goes left or right channel, so your completely free to rout how you like. It’s more a flaw in AUM than covariant, but in general it many would solve any routingissues in any daw.

    Luv covariant really, it’s the fastest way to rout midi to cv.
    Here’s me just testing and playing with clocks, here you can see that I have to output on 9 and 11. One is sending normal clock beat to marbles in my rack, the other is sending beat divided by 20, to a s&h that grabs cv from marbles and trigger the background pad. Covariant is great and fantastically simple to use. Marbles is playing cvs-l, and also sending a s&h to wavefold, a bit of ring modulation and fm also. The pad is behringer 121 filter (sounds great) modulated by zadar.

    Br Hans

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