Tablet apps

Your samples of an actual 808 are worth 12 folders of mine that are $800 of VST's faking the 808. Thanks for those Lamp.

I do make a ton of loops of ITB though, it's the fastest way to use all the samples/VST/FX I have so that's how it ends up GB's of stuff. But loops work good to get the sounds out/share because the chops will have 3-6 drum sounds.

The iPolysix is really nice. And Sunrizer is great too. Another one of those iOS synths that I would not bat an eye paying $100 for a VST of. Although some apps' quality almost exposes some of the false economy elements of the VST world in general.

Arturia iMini

I bought it when it was released, and it's sound is raw and funky, I don't describe things like that too much. I dont know much about synth engines but this app, in my opinion, is better than Animoog's and Magellan.
It's worth checking out. It has Audiobus and that other tabletop shit. haha.

10 bucks, too.

Hey guys If you like making music (or noise) on the ipad, and you like the design freedom that modular synthesizers have to offer, then I highly recommend Audulus.

My understanding of sound synthesis has increased by several magnitudes by pairing this app with the SOS synth secrets articles. I'm currently synthesizing my own drums using additive synthesis within Audulus. 15 bucks well spent. Also, it's currently 30 percent off at $9.99.

Yeah Audulus is deep. No doubt Ocular it really is like learning a real modular. May be awhile before I'm making useable patches like I can on more accessible synths, but it is a very well made app. They have a desktop version too in the Mac App Store.

@Metatron72: Make an account at the forums if you haven't already. You can download user patches and pick them apart to see what they've done. Some of those people over there are like mad scientists with this, from making additional filter and effects sub-patches, to creating an automated self-playing song/ patch thing. When you get a better grip on it, check out the math expression node. Doors will open

@Lampdog: Neither was I for a long while. But because of using Audulus and studying the concepts behind modular synthesis, I can approach the keyboard synths with complete confidence in what I'm doing rather than being "lost in space" as I like to call it. Audulus is not only an instrument, but also an essential learning tool for sound design as well. IMHO of course.

@SILIS101: I agree, iMini should be in everyone's collection. It def has a better UI than Magellan and a slightly better sound to it to boot. Not to degrade Magellan, it has it's place, but if I had to choose I would get iMini first. The factory patches are top notch and probably the best I've heard in an iOS keyboard synth. Comparing it to Animoog however is apples to oranges. With everything being apples and Animoog as the lone orange. All three are excellent synths and worth picking up.

Thanks Ocular, I will head over there. I certainly could use some more templates and examples to work backwards from. I generally learn well that way, but it's especially necessary in this case. I use Diva, Zebra and Absynth along with some other semi-modular synths on desktop, but Audulus is the rawness as far as emulating full blown modular racks so it's been a much steeper curve.

Magellan is a fantastic representation of a good digital synth, the iMini/Arturia TAE engine does do a nice virtual analog sound. And I'm still impressed with just how nice the oscillators in Animoog are. They are quite suggestive of actual Moog analog oscillators general tone and character.

A piece of glass full of $5-$15 synths as good as VST's and physical boards costing many hundreds of dollars, you gotta love it.

So Apple announced yesterday at WWDC that iOS 7 is going to incorporate inter-app audio directly into the OS. The devs for Sunrizer tweeted that it will allow AU plug-in hosting. This is going to change everything about iOS music making.

Lampdog wrote:Sounds like Apple wanted in on the audiobus movement, disrupt and take over type steez.

Disrupt and take over is Apple's modern steez really. But certainly with 2GB RAM iOS devices and even better iOS cpu's around the bend, it's perfect timing to get AU and other desktop amenities in there and likely be able to do much better in not having you iOS stuff as removed from you main stuff.

An insightful short article on discchord

Yeah I don't know wtf to think anymore. I'm being cautiously optimistic about all this.
My speculative thoughts range from possible lower audio and midi latency and increased stability to app prices skyrocketing and oh god all my projects and apps are now broken.

Interesting nonetheless

^
That neatly sums up every concern I have of the possibilities of us getting sliced a bit on the other edge of sword.

I find the seemingly 6-10ms RTL you can get now as quite useable. But the synergy that will occur if AU is in there and the closer pairing with desktop that offers does make you wonder if the current more roundabout methods die a quick death.

Apple has proven they will accelerate that death just because they feel it, (help invent Firewire, go out of your way to kill it market wise for example, just to sell new $50 plugs, popular standard be damned).

I need a more concerned looking popcorn emoticon I think.