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.

AUM MIDI CLOCK IN

Anyone else would like this? Any possibility of this being added? Been asking for this since forever.

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Comments

  • I think since Ableton developed Link, most every app developer just implements Link and forgets about everything else as far as MIDI clock goes.

    @j_liljedahl thoughts? Any reason AUM can’t take MIDI clock in?

    I do know there is an app, midi link sync that can take in midi and translate it to Ableton Link.

  • direct midi clock in would be a godsend. I've been using the Midi Link Sync workaround but it often loses connection and is just one more app running in the background to worry about.

  • My work around is to route MIDI in through AU from reggae Drummer and have AUM follow that. I used this to have hardware as the master clock not sure if this will work for you.

  • wimwim
    edited April 2020

    @TheAudioDabbler said:
    I do know there is an app, midi link sync that can take in midi and translate it to Ableton Link.

    There's another almost unknown app called Audiobus 3 that can do the same and with some really nice extra features. The name of the developer escapes me at the moment. Maybe someone else remembers of this program and can comment?

  • @palms said:
    direct midi clock in would be a godsend. I've been using the Midi Link Sync workaround but it often loses connection and is just one more app running in the background to worry about.

    The developer has been steadfastly against doing midi clock slaving since the beginning, and I'm pretty sure re-confirmed that not too long ago.

    AUM inside Audiobus 3 is rock solid for these kind of issues in my experience.

  • Yeah, I just ran into this today again and I really need it.

    BIG +1 for MIDI IN

  • @wim said:

    @palms said:
    direct midi clock in would be a godsend. I've been using the Midi Link Sync workaround but it often loses connection and is just one more app running in the background to worry about.

    The developer has been steadfastly against doing midi clock slaving since the beginning, and I'm pretty sure re-confirmed that not too long ago.

    AUM inside Audiobus 3 is rock solid for these kind of issues in my experience.

    AB3 sync hasn't worked for me. it's only stable when AB3 is in the foreground. As soon as I switch to AUM, the clock goes out of sync. midi link sync works better, but still has some weirdness.

  • @wim said:

    @palms said:
    direct midi clock in would be a godsend. I've been using the Midi Link Sync workaround but it often loses connection and is just one more app running in the background to worry about.

    The developer has been steadfastly against doing midi clock slaving since the beginning, and I'm pretty sure re-confirmed that not too long ago.

    AUM inside Audiobus 3 is rock solid for these kind of issues in my experience.

    Actually my latest confession is that I would like to look into MIDI clock slaving for AUM, but I don't know when and if it will work good enough to be release-worthy.

  • @j_liljedahl
    Thanks for responding. I don't think it needs to be said how much of a Swiss army knife AUM has become, not only alongside other apps but also, as in my case, with hardware.
    I genuinely hope it's figured out; it would be a massively welcomed and long awaited feature.
    Keep up the good work.

    Cheers

  • edited April 2020

    Very few apps have a MIDI clock in ... even on the desktop! I don’t think it’s a good enough source (resolution and the way it’s transmitted ie - stability ) to actually clock anything... particularly when you bring digital audio into the mix, which all DAW’s do.

    Hardware device to device tempo settings and song position are fine and that’s what MIDI clock was designed for... as soon as you add it to a software environment with non real-time serial operating systems ( Mac, iOS and Windows ) plus a host of hardware variables ... ugh ... no developer wants to take that on!

    Of the apps that do have Clock In, my experience with getting them to even ‘think’ they are following a clock has been dismal.. let alone getting one to actually keep time!

    Abelton Sync seems to be the best... although think having apps runnin inside hosts as AU 3 might be the answer in the end.

  • midi clock in would be fantastic. i’ve been trying to sync with Cubase on my desktop, and this would help tons!

  • I‘d also love to have a reliable midi clock in.

  • @ltf3 said:
    Very few apps have a MIDI clock in ... even on the desktop! I don’t think it’s a good enough source (resolution and the way it’s transmitted ie - stability ) to actually clock anything... particularly when you bring digital audio into the mix, which all DAW’s do.

    Not sure what you are trying to say but most HOST apps do have midi sync in. I'm referring to sync IN to AUM and I'm not using sync out to another app. I want AUM to sync to hardware's MIDI.

    Hardware device to device tempo settings and song position are fine and that’s what MIDI clock was designed for... as soon as you add it to a software environment with non real-time serial operating systems ( Mac, iOS and Windows ) plus a host of hardware variables ... ugh ... no developer wants to take that on!

    Of the apps that do have Clock In, my experience with getting them to even ‘think’ they are following a clock has been dismal.. let alone getting one to actually keep time!

    Oh, ok. Well not in my experience using a mix of hardware and software that include a Keystep and/or Monostation for transport control and lead either/or/combination of BM3/AB3/Patterning2/Ableton Live. They all sync accurately.

    Abelton Sync seems to be the best... although think having apps runnin inside hosts as AU 3 might be the answer in the end.

    Not applicable when you want hardware to lead.

    @wim said:
    There's another almost unknown app called Audiobus 3 that can do the same and with some really nice extra features. The name of the developer escapes me at the moment. Maybe someone else remembers of this program and can comment?

    Lol, nah it doesn't work as well syncing to AUM. My experience is exactly like @palms

    @palms said:
    AB3 sync hasn't worked for me. it's only stable when AB3 is in the foreground. As soon as I switch to AUM, the clock goes out of sync. midi link sync works better, but still has some weirdness.

  • @j_liljedahl said:
    Actually my latest confession is that I would like to look into MIDI clock slaving for AUM, but I don't know when and if it will work good enough to be release-worthy.

    Wonderful! This feature would really be a boon for us users who work with hardware sequencers. Aum is the perfect tool for such a setup, and midi slaving is really the only thing missing as far as connectivity.

    I'm in the beta pool, so I'd happily test it out if/when you decide to start working on it. Thanks for all that you do. Aum is truly an indispensable and inspiring tool.

  • @ltf3 said:
    Very few apps have a MIDI clock in ... even on the desktop! I don’t think it’s a good enough source (resolution and the way it’s transmitted ie - stability ) to actually clock anything... particularly when you bring digital audio into the mix, which all DAW’s do.

    Hardware device to device tempo settings and song position are fine and that’s what MIDI clock was designed for... as soon as you add it to a software environment with non real-time serial operating systems ( Mac, iOS and Windows ) plus a host of hardware variables ... ugh ... no developer wants to take that on!

    Of the apps that do have Clock In, my experience with getting them to even ‘think’ they are following a clock has been dismal.. let alone getting one to actually keep time!

    Abelton Sync seems to be the best... although think having apps runnin inside hosts as AU 3 might be the answer in the end.

    Exactly this!

  • So i guess IOS just cant really be used with hardware when you need stable midi sync ?

  • edited June 2020

    @j_liljedahl said:

    @ltf3 said:
    Very few apps have a MIDI clock in ... even on the desktop! I don’t think it’s a good enough source (resolution and the way it’s transmitted ie - stability ) to actually clock anything... particularly when you bring digital audio into the mix, which all DAW’s do.

    Hardware device to device tempo settings and song position are fine and that’s what MIDI clock was designed for... as soon as you add it to a software environment with non real-time serial operating systems ( Mac, iOS and Windows ) plus a host of hardware variables ... ugh ... no developer wants to take that on!

    Of the apps that do have Clock In, my experience with getting them to even ‘think’ they are following a clock has been dismal.. let alone getting one to actually keep time!

    Abelton Sync seems to be the best... although think having apps runnin inside hosts as AU 3 might be the answer in the end.

    Exactly this!

    @sovietpop said:
    So i guess IOS just cant really be used with hardware when you need stable midi sync ?

    Of course it can! But the knowledge how to implement it well seems to be rare amongst iOS developers.
    Good examples for apps that follow external MIDI clock precisely:
    Audiobus 3 (with positive and negative latency correction)
    Loopy HD (will also time stretch audio when the bpm changes)
    Groove Rider (with positive and negative latency correction, still my reference for MIDI Clock)
    Beatmaker 3 (no latency correction but it slaves to clock better than Ableton Live)
    KORG Gadget (no latency correction either).

    This much I know: Proper slaving to MIDI clock requires a high-priority, precision timer just as much as Ableton LINK and some intelligent clock smoothing to make the incoming MIDI clock usable.

    We have apps that do this reliably since the iPad 1 on iOS 4.3 CoreMIDI (MoDrum, FunkBox, Genome MIDI, Samplr with hardware clock, and a few others).

  • I asked for midi clock in for AUM long ago & still wish it was implemented - this is constantly a major irritation & I don't care for workarounds, should not be necessary. I have found myself more & more not using the ipad in my workflow & just moving over to hardware - not because i want to but mainly because of the lack of midi clock in on so many apps. I think it should be a standard option, same for being able to select midi channel on many other apps where it is not an option. I still love the sound creation potential of the ipad but I have fallen out of love with it when trying to sync up apps with external hardware.

  • There is definitely a sync breakdown between developers.

  • @Lurcher said:
    I asked for midi clock in for AUM long ago & still wish it was implemented - this is constantly a major irritation & I don't care for workarounds, should not be necessary. I have found myself more & more not using the ipad in my workflow & just moving over to hardware - not because i want to but mainly because of the lack of midi clock in on so many apps. I think it should be a standard option, same for being able to select midi channel on many other apps where it is not an option. I still love the sound creation potential of the ipad but I have fallen out of love with it when trying to sync up apps with external hardware.

    Yeah, it’s actually a major issue for me too. Yes there are “workarounds” but not very good ones TBH. Ableton Link is a poor substitute for midi clock. Especially when we’re talking about having external hardware in the mix. AUM is so awesome. The lack of sync IN can be heartbreaking at times. Hopefully this gets resolved someday because there are indeed some apps that have midi clock IN and it works.

  • @j_liljedahl said:

    @ltf3 said:
    Very few apps have a MIDI clock in ... even on the desktop! I don’t think it’s a good enough source (resolution and the way it’s transmitted ie - stability ) to actually clock anything... particularly when you bring digital audio into the mix, which all DAW’s do.

    Hardware device to device tempo settings and song position are fine and that’s what MIDI clock was designed for... as soon as you add it to a software environment with non real-time serial operating systems ( Mac, iOS and Windows ) plus a host of hardware variables ... ugh ... no developer wants to take that on!

    Of the apps that do have Clock In, my experience with getting them to even ‘think’ they are following a clock has been dismal.. let alone getting one to actually keep time!

    Abelton Sync seems to be the best... although think having apps runnin inside hosts as AU 3 might be the answer in the end.

    Exactly this!

    Can you please propose a workable solution then?

    Of course, many people use hardware synths and sequencers with AUM. So I should run my sequencer off of AUM's clock, even though the Pyramid has an extremely stable clock? And people with ERM multiclocks for example that would like to use AUM in their setup. How is that to work if they'd like synced fx and such?

    I've tried everything I can think of. Midi link sync is the best workaround thus far, but not exactly ideal and it has randomly disconnected on me at inopportune moments.

    Apologies, I truly don't understand the headache of developing for non real-time OS, so I know I probably sound like a whiny kid.. Simply pointing out that there may be more demand for it than you realize, especially with the growing number of modular environments available as Auv3 and midi and cv interfaces such as the ES9 that work with iOS to bridge hardware/software.

    If midi link sync can do it, I do hope something similar can be possible within AUM. Don't give up! :'(

    Hell, make it an IAP. I'd certainly pay for clock in. Tax the hardware peeps :)

  • edited June 2020

    How to set up Beatmaker 3 to receive MIDI clock.
    I have the same setup and I can confirm it also works when creating sequences inside BM3 to run in sync with the Digitakt over MIDI clock.
    If BM3 can do it, there's no reason why it couldn't be added to AUM.
    Video starts at 8:30
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNGqKDatT9M&t=8m30s

  • @rs2000 said:
    How to set up Beatmaker 3 to receive MIDI clock.
    I have the same setup and I can confirm it also works when creating sequences inside BM3 to run in sync with the Digitakt over MIDI clock.
    If BM3 can do it, there's no reason why it couldn't be added to AUM.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNGqKDatT9M&t=8m30s

    Maaaaaaaannnnn. BM3 would be the sh*t if it didn't randomly choke TF up. It does fairly well syncing to my hardware. But as with everything BM3, the fault with BM3 keeping it from being perfect is...
    ...
    ...
    ...
    ...
    its BM3. Lol

  • @DatGood Which plugins are the most likely to choke up BM3?

  • @rs2000 said:
    @DatGood Which plugins are the most likely to choke up BM3?

    I've never really checked in detail but the instruments I use are Model D and/or Zeeon. I almost always use a combination of FX (mostly on sends) which include AudioDamage EOS + Dubstation, and FAC Chorus. Master channel with GotoEQ, Kompressor Roughrider. I try to avoid FX on individual channels as much as I can, but if I do I try to use BM3's native FX. 3 to 5 tracks, iPad 6 (2018).

  • @DatGood said:

    @rs2000 said:
    @DatGood Which plugins are the most likely to choke up BM3?

    I've never really checked in detail but the instruments I use are Model D and/or Zeeon. I almost always use a combination of FX (mostly on sends) which include AudioDamage EOS + Dubstation, and FAC Chorus. Master channel with GotoEQ, Kompressor Roughrider. I try to avoid FX on individual channels as much as I can, but if I do I try to use BM3's native FX. 3 to 5 tracks, iPad 6 (2018).

    I'll try that, thanks! Got the same model iPad and by coincidence, these plugins too (except GotoEQ).

  • edited June 2020

    I've bought Aum assuming it would be able to sync to midi clock since this app is very popular among musician, my mistake.
    My Elektrons are box running software too and i dont have problems. Maybe its IOS .. i dont know.

    Anyway lots of good apps on IOS but even in 2020 it's still hard to incorporate an IOS device with Hardwares. So the Ipad remain a good sketch pad but nothing more for my use case.

    I mean Drambo could have replaced my Elektron Octatrack ... its that good but ... midi sync need to be solid.

    Lets hope its going to change in the future because there lots of good ios apps to make music :)

  • @sovietpop It's not iOS, it's certain apps.

  • I advise you to try Apematrix, very large routing capabilities on board. and of course working midi in.

  • I've tried Apematrix. It's interesting, but aside from offering midi clock, it's just not suited to my workflow. Same goes for AB3.

    AUM is a thing of beauty. Near perfect! but damn, it would be so much easier to integrate with a hardware setup if it had Clock IN.

    @j_liljedahl ? if you could weigh in on a functional workaround it would be greatly appreciated.

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