2019
01/02
Audiobus 3 Midi Learn
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Send live audio or MIDI from one Audiobus-compatible app or Audio Unit to another: add effects on top of your favourite synth, use your favourite step sequencer to drive the whole lot, and record it all in your favourite DAW, sampler or looper. Plug in a MIDI keyboard, run it through an arpeggiator or a key quantizer, and record the result in your DAW, or drive several different sound generators with a keyboard splitter. And control it all with a MIDI controller. The possibilities are endless.

Introducing MIDI Learn! Control every aspect of your Audiobus session from a MIDI controller: Load presets, adjust levels, start and stop or adjust the tempo, switch apps, interact with Connection Panel buttons, adjust Audio Unit parameters and switch Audio Unit Presets, and more.

With the Audiobus MIDI Learn In-App Purchase, aside from supporting Audiobus’ development, you will gain powers untold. Look ma, no hands!

Enjoying Audiobus? App Store reviews really help!

Then save your setup in a preset to be restored with one touch later on.

With a completely new MIDI routing system, support for Apple’s new Audio Unit Extensions standard, a new built-in mixer, MIDI learn, and huge new workflow improvements, Audiobus 3 represents a big step forward for mobile music making.

More info here https://audiob.us/

2018
05/31
Modulin Synth With Audiobus Support
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Modulin is the world’s most customizable synthesizer. It allows for unique personal expression while providing a wide spectrum of visual feedback. The playful colored strings are visually appealing while providing the user with fluent modulation of Modulin’s LFO. The LFO replicates the vibrato effect heard throughout an orchestra or choir. The LFO can be set to four different wave types: Sinuous, Triangle, Sawtooth, and Square. It also can be set to a wide variety of frequency ranges. Modulin’s oscillator can also be set to these four waveforms, but its pitch is controlled by the strings and a tuning knob. A simple low-pass filter allows you to cut off the unnecessary frequencies. The glide rate knob on Modulin creates a fluent portamento effect and allows for some pretty cool instrument replications. A slider located in the middle of the effects view can be dragged to reveal different effects and extra sound makers. Modulin includes reverb, delay, and chorus. It also contains a separate white noise module. Modulin simulates paraphonicness by allowing for a second VCO multiplied to form a gap of up to 2 octaves. Below all the knobs, an ADSR control allows you to manipulate the attack, decay, sustain, and release of your sounds.

4May 31, 2018
Modulin got a few UI tweaks and 10 more presets. Also, the name appearing in Inter-App Audio has been changed from “Sender” to “Modulin”.

3May 28, 2018
Audiobus and Inter-App Audio support have​ been added.

Modulin truly is the complete package for channeling your inner-composer. It can even record and store your works of art. A record button allows you to lay down a beat and overwrite it with complex melodies. The tracks button allows you to manage your tracks as you add them.

New to synthesis? No problem. Modulin has an explore section that takes you through every component in an analog synthesizer, describing what it does alongside a diagram of how signals flow through it.

Master of all things musical? Modulin’s got you covered again. You can change the root note, octave, and type of scale that Modulin uses. If you feel really confident, you could even turn off the note names in the settings and try to memorize where everything is.

With over 40 presets and other preset packages to buy, you will never run out of new and unique sounds. Even if you do, you can create your own and save it for later or share it with friends by the swipe of your finger.

Fat fingers? Don’t worry. With Modulin’s design, you can plug in an external MIDI keyboard and play it however you like. You can even map certain knobs on Modulin to knobs on your keyboard. It’s magic.

The more you explore Modulin, the more fun it becomes. You can personalize it by adding your own custom color or amp up the expression through the pressure sensitivity setting.

FEATURES
・Comes with over 40 presets (More available through Modulin’s store)
・Easily share presets and recordings with friends
・MIDI CC mapping
・Amazing digital synth sounds
・Multi track recordings
・Synthesis exploration area
・22 Scales (With the ability to add your own)
・Save custom presets
・Favoritize presets for quick and easy access
・Built-in metronome for playing in time
・Customizable color
・Toggling of note labels
・Fun flexible strings and an oscilloscope in the upper corner give a great level of feedback
・Effortless and intuitive design

SUPPORTS
・All 64-bit iOS devices
・External MIDI controllers
・Bluetooth MIDI controller
・Audiobus and Inter-App Audio
・Share custom preset files over AirDrop, Mail, or other 3rd party applications
・3D Touch LFO Modulation

Get Modulin

2017
09/07
iPad Music Production Introduction
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So you’re a musician and you just got an iPad. At this point you probably want to know how to get started with iPad music production but don’t know where to start. The following quick start guide will give you the basics to get started without overwhelming you with the thousands of different apps available. I’m breaking it down into four simple items considering you CAN do everything within the box (pad) so to speak therefor I will not get into midi controllers and audio interfaces as that is taking things to another level and will be good for an additional topic of discussion.

I’d like to start by telling you a little about my self. I’m a composer with over 20 years in the music industry. I got my start producing royalty free loops for software companies (currently producing for Retronyms and Mixcraft) which led to a career in production music. Production music is music typically used for TV, film advertising, and video games otherwise known as sync. I got my first iPad for music production back in 2010 which is when I started this blog. At the time I was creating loop content for an iOS app that is no longer with us. The app was called Looptastic. Since then producing music on an iPad has become just as real as producing music on a desktop and laptop. iPads now have fast powerful processors and there are literally thousands of cool music creation apps out there. So with that said I would like to help you get started.

I know what you’re thinking. Where do I start? Well you might be following a popular blog such as my own and you’re probably aware of the many apps out there which is overwhelming I know. Don’t worry I’m here to break producing music on an iPad down to the core essentials. It’s really that simple.

1) Choosing your DAW – For those who are totally new to music production in general a DAW (digital audio workstation) is often times the central hub of your workflow. The DAW allows you to record, multi-track, sequence, arrange, and mix your music. Seems simple enough right? Well there are several options out there so you will want to spend a few hours researching the different DAWs available. Some DAWs are very open in regards to integration of other apps like Beatmaker 3, Cubasis and Auria for example where as some are a closed one stop shop type situation like Korg Gadget. I’ll get into that a bit later as you might want to look into getting both Korg Gadget AND an open DAW because Korg Gadget is really awesome. Most DAWs feature things like IAA (inter app audio), AU3 (audio unit 3), and Audiobus support as well as MIDI (musically integrated digital interface/instrument). MIDI is the language that allows synthesizers and drum machines to communicate with each other. It is also note information sent from those instruments as well as a few other things. I suggest googling MIDI if you want to know more about it. Eventually you will know everything about MIDI but honestly you can still write a wicked song with just the basics. Inter App Audio is a feature designed by Apple and it allows you to integrate apps from different sources and developers into your DAW much like a VST except you can ONLY integrate one instance of that app in a project unlike Audio Unit (also by Apple) which allows you to load multiple instances of an app within your project (DAW) similar to what we know as VST technology in the desktop world. Again if you are totally new and these terms confuse you PLEASE don’t hesitate to message me and google them. We will get you on the right path. I’m going to leave it at that because like I said I don’t want you to feel overwhelmed. These are the core essentials of what to look for in a DAW. To summarize does this DAW support IAA, AU, and MIDI.  SOOOOO to simplify things I want you to look and see if you got Apple Garageband with your iPad for free. You probably did. Garageband is a great place to practice and get your feet wet without having to spend any money or time researching other apps. You can do a lot with Garageband but it does have it’s limitations and you might want to expand your iPad production suite by investing in a totally different app like Auria, Cubasis, FL Studio Mobile, or Caustic to name a few. Will you also need to sync to hardware or other apps? If so there is a thing called MIDI sync (MIDI Clock) which until recently was the best way to sync BUT there is now a thing called Ableton Link which most DAWs support. Choosing the right DAW is really a matter of preference after you decide what is important to you. I used Cubasis because I use Cubase on my desktop DAW but I also have AUM and Audiobus at the center as well. Contact me http://ipadloops.com/about-ipad-loops/

2) Choosing a virtual mixing/routing app. iPad music production is quite unique because well you get a touch screen but it’s also unique because now you can have an additional hub to your workflow something to work beside your DAW. I’m referring to apps that act as extended routing and mixing. There are two popular apps for this at the moment and they are Audiobus 3 and AUM. These apps do similar things but they also have some features which are different from one another. Most iPad music producers own and use both apps!

 

 

3) File management – Apple did a great job of making the iPad file system unreachable so this really cool app came along and it’s called Audioshare. Audioshare is ESSENTIAL to all iPad music production studios. Why? It will help you record, manage, share, and organize your project files and samples. Go ahead and just buy it now you’ll thank me later

4) Your virtual sound palette – This is where things can get hairy. There are literally thousands of synths, drum machines, and instruments out there. Most of them are IAA instruments which means you can easily integrate them into your studio and SOME are also AU3 audio units which is even better. Those are two terms that will really mean a lot when choosing your sound palette. DAWs like Garageband and Cubasis come with a vast selection of virtual synths and drums so I suggest you start there. You will easily get buried in a sea of virtual instruments when you decide to step outside of your DAW for more sounds and inspiration which is actually a lot of fun but it’s only fun when you already have had time to wrap your head around the basics so don’t worry just take is slow. Try writing a song first with the sounds from your DAW then when you get comfortable dive into the sea of sound and choose your weapons of music construction wisely as they can really start to add up in regards to financial investments.

So there you have it. My intro to iPad music production in a nutshell. There is a lot more to it BUT this will get you started no doubt as these are the basic core essentials. Eventually when you get comfortable you will want to improve your workflow so it could take a bit of a little here and a little there. Don’t think about that yet. Remember it’s not the tools it’s what you do with them you can get the job done with these 4 essential items!

Recommended apps:

DAW BeatMaker 3 – INTUA

DAW Auria Pro – Mobile Music Production – WaveMachine Labs, Inc.

DAW Cubasis 2 – Mobile Music Creation System – Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH

DAW GarageBand – Apple

Vrouting/Vmixing AUM – Audio Mixer – Kymatica (Jonatan Liljedahl)

Vrouting/Vmixing Audiobus 3 – Audiobus Pty Ltd

File management AudioShare – audio document manager – Kymatica (Jonatan Liljedahl)

My artist spotlight on Retronyms:

http://blog.retronyms.com/2017/04/artist-spotlight-dj-puzzle.html

My guest spot on SonicTalk:

2017
08/18
Inexpensive Real Time Harmonizer App
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Zen Musical Harmonizer ZMH-1 is a vocal/instrument harmonizer app. ZMH-1 has four different ways to interact with harmony (one at a time).

**Playable Harmonizer–Play different chord buttons (Major, Major 6, Major 7, minor, minor 6, minor 7) to transform your one note into harmony in real time.

**Pseudo-Smart Harmonizer–Reads your monophonic input signal (guitar, voice, etc.) and generates the correct harmony notes based on the chosen key.

**Shifter–Shift your signal with a choice of intervals.

**Octave–Makes your signal sound huge with up-to-five octaves per single note played or sung.

ZMH-1 is ready to be used in the studio and on stage. Use it with “real” music gear or alongside your other iOS music creation apps.

What’s New in Version 1.0.3
**Now in Stereo
**New Graphics
**Support For Landscape Orientation (Portrait Orientation No Longer Available)
**Each Channel Now Gets A Respective Pan Knob
**New Icon
**New Help Manual
**Supports iOS 10

It supports:

**Audiobus (Third-Party App)
**Inter-App Audio
**Landscape Orientation
**Stereo
**Pan Knob For Each Channel
**Volume For Each Channel

Get Zen Harmonizer

2017
08/13
Cornflower Lightweight Compressor AU3
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Cornflower Compressor is a simple stereo dynamics compressor with variable knee and ratio for gooey pumps and swells.

Built upon the tenet of simplicity, the flora project presents great sounding, lightweight audio effects using Inter-App Audio and Audiobus technologies to allow you to get the sound you want, without sacrificing processing power.

More information about the flora project can be found at http://www.flora-creative.com/

NB: Cornflower Compressor requires either Audiobus, Inter-App Audio or AUV3 capable applications in order to operate. See http://audiob.us for more information.

Get Cornflower Compressor

compressor preview from Timothy J. Barraclough on Vimeo.

  • iPad Loops is an iOS music production blog dedicated to exposing the best iPad apps musicians, producers, and Djs. This is not a database of every app. It is, however, one of useful recommendations from someone with many years in music production. I try to update it on a daily basis (ok sometimes every two days) and I do my best to post useful apps only. My name is Jason Donnelly (Dj Puzzle). You might know me from my royalty free loop packs and sound design. Some of the apps that contain my sounds are Synth One, EG Segments, Hammerhead, Retronyms AudioCopy, Audio Evolution Mobile, LP-5, iPRO.DJSAMPLER, Looptastic. My work is published by Roland, Antares, Magix, Soundtrack Loops, Sample Logic, Acoustica, Loopmasters and many more. Subscribe to our RSS feed below to get updated when new apps are posted.
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