Pros and Cons
Playing the piano with iOS apps is a great idea, as the range of piano apps, synthesizers, and effects has reached a truly professional level. But how do you get your keyboard, controller, apps, and external audio to work together? More than just an audio mixer, Kymatica AUM offers a professional solution.
If your goal is simply to play piano with an app, Kymatica AUM goes far beyond that. It’s a full-featured digital mixer with highly flexible options for mixing, routing, organizing, and processing audio signals, including EQs, dynamics processors, reverb, delay, chorus, and more.
With a huge selection of audio units and music apps, AUM turns iOS into a serious platform for mobile music production.
But how do you organize all that variety to make it usable for live performance? That’s where AUM comes in. The app provides all the essential tools: an audio mixer, MIDI routing, storage options, a recorder/player function, MIDI clock control, plug-in interfaces, and more.
To call AUM an “audio mixer” is a bit of an understatement considering its extensive functionality. MIDI controllers can be integrated just as flexibly as pattern sequencers—like the brilliant Fugue Machine or Clavia Nord Beat apps, to name just a few examples.
The AUM mixing interface is completely customizable to suit individual needs. You only activate as many channels and audio or MIDI buses as necessary, making it easy to mix a live setup, organize split/layer combinations, or use AUM as a virtual multi-effects rack. Whether you’re working with external MIDI devices, internal sound apps, USB master keyboards, or DAW controllers, AUM brings it all together.
The iPad has proven to be a reliable device for music apps, making it a strong choice for live performances. This is where AUM truly shines, as it allows you to integrate pads, synths, organs, and piano sounds, all available as high-quality virtual instruments.
Notable examples include Korg’s Gadget, Module Pro, and synths like Korg iM1 and iPolysix. High-quality piano apps such as Modartt Pianoteq and e-Instruments Pure Piano are also worth mentioning. Even top-tier reverb effects from Eventide are available for relatively little money.
With AUM, it is incredibly intuitive to control volume levels, switch sound layers with mute/solo functions, combine multiple sounds via audio busses, assign effects, and adjust them in real-time with faders and knobs.
In its simplest form, you can create an audio channel and load a piano app such as Pianoteq or Pure Piano. Once a MIDI connection is established, the app becomes playable via a connected master keyboard. To set this up, open the Routing tab, tap the corresponding field in the matrix to activate a node, and a thin line will appear indicating the connection.
The MIDI routing matrix displays available MIDI sources at the top. These can include devices connected via USB/Camera Connection Kit or Bluetooth. On the right side of the matrix, MIDI destinations are listed from top to bottom, including all applications activated in the mixer as well as the MIDI outputs of a connected USB interface.
This is one of AUM’s great strengths: It provides a well-organized overview that makes it easy to seamlessly integrate both internal and external sound sources.
Latency becomes a key factor when integrating external devices into the AUM mix, at least for audio. A multichannel audio interface makes this possible.
Kymatica AUM supports low-latency operation, making it possible to route external devices through the AUM mix in real-time. A buffer size of 128 samples is a reasonable starting point—lower values are possible and can further reduce latency, but they also increase the load on the iPad’s processing power. Finding the right balance requires some experimentation.
For more complex setups, AUM proves to be an ingenious tool. It allows you to create audio mix busses just as flexibly as MIDI busses—ideal for grouping instruments or effects for easier control.
One practical application is combining multi-effects with your own audio apps. Similarly, instruments can be mixed via an audio bus, such as grouping all pad sounds under a single volume controller. This makes it much easier to keep track of the MIDI controller faders.
The bus system makes it easy to turn an iPad into a highly flexible multi-effects unit—and at a relatively low cost, since most audio apps are quite affordable. Even adding high-end Eventide reverbs to a simple piano app can already make a remarkable difference. The result? Stunning sound quality!
AUM offers exceptional flexibility and allows even complex audio and MIDI routing, with the bus system providing valuable support. The ability to combine MIDI via MIDI busses is particularly useful and makes AUM a versatile MIDI controller app.
When integrating AUM with other equipment, it’s important to note that it does not sync to an external MIDI clock. Instead, AUM always functions as the master clock, sending timing information to apps and external devices as needed. You can configure which outputs should transmit the MIDI clock signal.
With its open routing architecture and bus system, Kymatica AUM turns iOS devices into a highly customizable audio workstation, providing the flexibility needed for live performance setups.
Naturally, AUM is ideal for synchronizing multiple audio apps and external devices such as MIDI controllers, stage pianos, and synthesizers. You can also save settings and recall them quickly—just what you need for live performances.
However, as setups become more complex, additional hardware is required. This means planning for appropriately equipped audio and MIDI interfaces that connect to the iPad via the Camera Connection Kit or USB-C hubs. And don’t forget about a reliable power supply (USB-C power adapter).
Kymatica AUM is an invaluable tool for integrating multiple audio apps—whether instruments or effects—into a cohesive setup. It combines stage pianos, MIDI controllers, synthesizers, virtual instruments, and effects into a single interface, all ready to play with just one click. With excellent sound quality, intuitive operation, and rock-solid stability, AUM is a reliable solution for live performances.
Platform: iPhone & iPad (with a fast processor)
System requirements: iOS 11 or later
Price: Approx. €23 (available on the App Store)
Manufacturer: Kymatica
Pros and Cons
Jörg Sunderkötter
Stage pianos, MIDI controllers, synthesizers, virtual instruments, and effects—all in one interface and ready to play with a single click. AUM makes it possible, while also providing excellent sound quality and intuitive handling.
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