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 StoreAudiobus is the app that makes the rest of your setup better.
DIGISTIX and the fear that I've spent more on things that don't do what I want
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Just bought digistix today, does a lot of good things, but looking at the millions of parameters exposed to AUM, I was hoping to find a 'pattern select' one. Preferably of the 'next pattern' / 'previous pattern' kind, so I could do my live looping thing in semi-structured way. Hitting a midi control to advance to the next pattern in the song when I was ready. But I think Digistix will only play a whole song from start to finish, not in the flexible way I want.
My first purchase was Soft Drummer, and I also have Future Drummer now. Both do these thing pretty damn well but I'm stuck with their samples unless I want to send midi to something else which just seems to messy for live hosting in AUM. Also I want an AUv3 so the preset is saved with the song.
Then last week I bought DrumPerfect Pro because I saw it had midi controls for advancing patterns, only to find out that is only in the IAA, not in the AU. Plus it's a resource hog. And complicated AF.
I also have EG Pulse, but I don't seem to get along with it that well. I like to have some randomisation, and more than 16 steps in a pattern. I'm also not sure it would do that pattern switching thing.
Does anyone know if I'm wrong about Digistix, maybe it can do the pattern switching, quantised of course, and I'll be happy at last. But I haven't found out how yet. Or any other suggestions.
Comments
AFAIK you're right about DigiStix.
One workaround is to arrange your pattern progression in a song, assign "Song mode" parameter, leave it "off" so patterns are looping and enable it when you're about to switch pattern (then back off until the next switch - or you can use it as momentary switch and hold until switch).
Other suggestion would be Octachron - pretty good sequencer, pattern switching via midi with probability/randomisation.
Well, I hate to be that guy.. but Drambo has midi learn of pattern select. They can be mapped to CCs and even notes. Pattern switching / chaining can be automated by directing midi messages or midi sequences at Drambo. There will be a midi loopback feature in a future update which will allow midi from Drambo to be directed back at itself, which opens up insane possibilities.
Sorry I can’t comment on Digistix.
+1 on Drambo
Both as drum module or performance sequencer.
Rozeta modules have 8 pattern slots you can manually change with midi notes.
If you need more patterns, I suppose you could use the AUM preset load feature, and create as many groups of 8 as you need as presets.
So I just upped a quick demonstration for you.
I show step entry, automated pattern chaining, and manual pattern switching via midi. You'll see patterns 1-3 are mapped to C2, D2, E2 - which I sequence on a 2nd instance of Drambo, but could be any other sequencer / CC / external controller.
Well that was pretty impressive, thanks heaps for that demo! Sounded very cool too. It felt like with Drambo I'd have to build a thing before I could use it to do the actual thing I wanted to do. So I'd kind of forgotten about ever getting it. Might have to revisit that at some point.
Some interesting suggestions there, thanks.
I did figure I could actually have 3 instances of Digistix running, with different patterns, for less overhead that 1 instance of Drumperfect pro. They could run and just be un/muted when required. So that's an option too. But automating the song mode parameter is worth a try.
This works brilliantly, thanks!
Oh damn, then I gave the wrong impression I was going for haha. Wanted to show that it could be quite simple and basic if you wanted it to be. Actually each of those 6 tracks was basically just 1 module - a sampler - loaded with kick/snare/hats/perc..not much setup time. I added a few modulations like sample & hold on the hats and snare, and a cv sequencer on the metal hit's pitch just to make things more interesting, but it’s totally optional. What I really love about the app is that it can be as simple or complex as you want it to be. And tying back to your thread title - has the flexibility to almost always do what I want it to, so no more wild goose chases!
But I digress, as it appears you've found your answer already. Maybe someday you'll go to the Dark side
@SimonSomeone https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/koala-sampler/id1449584007
Koala sampler $4 / £4
@SimonSomeone
It wasn't really your video that made me think that, that was my default impression after it came out and all the tinkerers were busy building all sorts of things. I really liked your video. Maybe D day is coming...
Maybe you could use Drumperfect Pro Player AU, and sequence AUM midi commands to advance the preset pattern it’s playing? Just noticed DP player uses AUM recognized presets.
I’ve only loaded the player AU for the first time today, and haven’t spent much time in the main app yet, so not too familiar with it yet.
Thanks, I gave that a try but it pauses to load the new song, at least some of the time. Also I doubt whether I'll every really use it, as one instance on my 2018 iPad Pro uses 40-45 % DSP, whereas in digistix it's 15-20%.