KVR Audio

Sound Mechanics · Post by **Sound Mechanics** » Sat Oct 08, 2011 8:36 am

I have just bought an iPad for the family and want to create some music with it....but I cannot understand how different different apps like synths, drum machines can be combined in one project. The Gorillaz used a list of apps but how did they put it together?

swartzfeger · Post by **swartzfeger** » Sat Oct 08, 2011 9:24 am

Hemmick Reef wrote:I have just bought an iPad for the family and want to create some music with it....but I cannot understand how different different apps like synths, drum machines can be combined in one project. The Gorillaz used a list of apps but how did they put it together?

Well, I'm going to reply without really offering many answers, as I'm basically in the same boat as you are.

First, research apps that support audio copy/paste. If you have two apps that support copy/paste, you could ostensibly create a part in one app, and paste it into another.

An approach that I took that hasn't yielded much success so far is to use a primary app as my DAW, such as GarageBand or Beatmaker 2.

Beatmaker 2 seems to be a better solution initially as it has a decent sequencer/piano roll editor, it's easy to create quick beats/drum tracks and has a multi-sampler (3 samples).

I've read that people can hit record with Beatmaker 2, let it run in the background, fire up another app, play a part and have it record in Beatmaker 2. I've yet to have that work. Even with apps that supposedly support background audio it hasn't worked for me.

Here are the (major) apps I have so far and love them all for various reasons:

Garageband
Beatmaker 2
SampleWiz
Alchemy
Sunrizer
ThumbJam
Mixtikl
Looptastic HD
studio.HD

I've had little to no luck in getting the apps to 'play nice' with other apps on my iPad.

One part of iOS 4 that's frustratingly clunky is the document sharing via iTunes, and I think iOS 5 is going to go a long ways to correcting that.

I've had great success creating stuff in a single app, such as mixtikl, exporting out, and importing files into Logic 9 or Garageband on my Macbook Pro.

Basically, I want to reach the point of getting Alchemy, SampleWiz or Sunrizer to play nice with either Garageband or Beatmaker 2. Those 3 synths are awesome, and GB and BM are pretty capable (albeit limited) DAWs. So far, no luck. If Meteor or Nanostudio played nice, I'd probably move my workflow over to one of those apps in a heartbeat.

I'd really be interested in hearing of anyone's successful workflows.

Dewaine · Post by **Dewaine** » Sat Oct 08, 2011 3:42 pm

The workflow as it is now, is chunky and tedious. There is no way around it, unless you use only the instrument provided in your sequencer of choice. BeatMaker2 has a sampler, and if you have a decent sample library, you can use those samples and so in theory have an unlimited sound source. That is by far the easiest way. Same with NanoStudio, you just use the included "Eden" synth, and it is easy.

To use other synths, is another world..... Get a good synth like Sunrizer, Additive Synth, iSyn Poly, or any others that support audio copy/paste. Lets say you have a project started in BM2, and its 120 bpm. Set up the synth at 120 bpm, and record the synth using its own method. In other words, close BM2 and just use the synth to record itself. When you have a take you like, "copy" the take. Close out the synth and open BM2. Paste the recording in and it will then fit the timing (at least in theory) of your project. The methods of recording vary from synth to synth, and the methods of pasting vary from sequencer to sequencer. So read the manuals

Yes, this method is a major PITA, but it does work.

Another method is for apps that run in the background. This is better because you can actually hear what you are trying to play along with in real time. BM2 is the only sequencer that does this at this time, as far as I know... but I could be wrong....... Get a beat going in BM2. Lets say you want to add a synth line using Sunrizer. Set up loop point in BM2 so it plays the part you want to jam and record with over and over. Hit the "button" on my iPad to minimize BM2. Switch to Sunrizer. If you did it right you should be looking at the Sunrizer screen, but still hearing the BM2 loop playing. You DO NOT record straight into BM2, instead you will record into the synth itself just as above. So listen to a good time to jump into your loop, and start recording. When you are done you are going to copy/paste just like above.... except you were able to actually hear BM2 as you played.

IMHO all of this is going to change in the next year or so. Already we are seeing apps using "virtual" midi (I like Genome Sequencer with Sunrizer) and I think more and more apps will support it. There is also news that Apple is working on a "Audio Units" standard for iOS, AU's are in essence VSTi's for Mac's. But for now the sometimes painful methods above are the way it is.

Gorillaz of course just made little snips of audio with the iPad and mixed it all at a studio. There is no way they did the complete album, and production, and post-production on an iPad. All the SOUNDS and BEATS were done on an iPad, but that is only part of the story.....

Hope I was able to help.

Sound Mechanics · Post by **Sound Mechanics** » Sat Oct 08, 2011 4:47 pm

Thanks very much to the last two posters.

That has answered several questions

Locus M · Post by **Locus M** » Sun Oct 09, 2011 8:45 pm

I'll spice it up with an overview over your options:

If your apps have the following features, here is what you can do with them:

1. Copy and paste. You can start making a loop in the app and then paste it to BM2 (or any other app with paste)

2. Copy and paste with background audio (e.g. synth X): You can start making a loop in the synth export it to BM2 and make new loop in the app while having Bm2 play the first loop in the background.

3. With an arp in addition(e.g. Nlog synth, minisynth pro) and background audio, you can play and export more tight phrases to BM2.

4. With a step seq in addition (e.g. addictive syn, iSyn poly, Argon), you can make fast arpeggios, busy basslines, leads ect. and paste them in one take.

5. With virtual midi: you can sync and experiment with several apps playing together before recording them individually and exporting them to beatmaker 2 (e.g. MoDrum, Bassline, Nlog Pro, Sunrizer, controlled by the Genome midi sequenser). To make optimal use of the posibilities, you should go for apps with one or more of the features above

All the Best

Trahast · Post by **Trahast** » Sun Oct 09, 2011 9:22 pm

I'm also looking into this. Haven't got very far, but I've come across a couple of videos from the makers of the NlogSynth Pro that I found interesting.

NLogSynth Pro and SoundPrism

NLogSynth Pro and WIST

Also, Smite Matter is an artist working exclusively in the iOS domain, and he has a blog that might be worth a visit.

http://smitematter.blogspot.com/

Cheers,

Trahast

BMoore · Post by **BMoore** » Sun Oct 09, 2011 9:57 pm

And vitrual midi is coming in the next Beatmaker 2 update.

Sound Mechanics · Post by **Sound Mechanics** » Mon Oct 10, 2011 8:11 am

Insaniac wrote:And vitrual midi is coming in the next Beatmaker 2 update.

What is virtual midi?

IncarnateX · Post by **IncarnateX** » Mon Oct 10, 2011 9:18 am

Hemmick Reef wrote:
Insaniac wrote:And vitrual midi is coming in the next Beatmaker 2 update.
What is virtual midi?

Apps with virtual midi and background audio can run at the same time by virtue of an internal midi system.You can for instance use the genome midi sequenser to control several apps at the same time, for instance MoDrum, Bassline, Nlog midi, Sunriser or Arctic Keys. The apps can recieve sync and note messages on each their midi channel.

For an overview of apps that support virtual midi, go to this site

http://www.idesignsound.com/apps/ios-au ... tual-midi/

Cheers

Can someone explain how to combine different apps to make music please?