IOS MusicAppBlog

Started by Elantric, December 06, 2013, 11:08:25 AM

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Elantric

While not specifically aimed at iOS musicians, the obvious news highlight this week was Apple's Keynote event to launch the new iPhone 7. I posted some personal thoughts on the latest addition of the iconic iPhone yesterday on the blog and, in many respects, this launch was very much in the Apple mould; slick, unrelentingly positive, and, in lots of ways, interchangeable with almost any iPhone launch from the last few years....

That's not necessarily a criticism nor a bad thing because, as ever, much of what was announced is most certainly welcome both for general iPhone usage and for iOS music makers. Yes, we get a significant hike in CPU performance, better battery life, better graphics performance, stereo speakers (yay! a first for the iPhone) and a base model featuring 32GB or storage rather than 16GB.

However, all of that positive stuff has, to a large extent, been overshadowed by a hardware change that has nothing to do with the technical grunt of the phone or its super-slick appearance; the loss of the analog headphone jack. Despite the media fuss, I suspect for the general iPhone users, this might be a bit of a 'so what?' sort of thing and they will soon adapt their behaviour so that they are not trying to both charge their phone while also listening to their Lightning-based headphones (doh!)

Part of Apple's reasoning for this change was about ditching an ancient form of technology in favour of a newer one....  and I can get that concept....  but the jack socket is not something that's going to disappear from the lives of musicians any time soon regardless of Apple's best intentions. However, the other reason Apple gave was the need to reclaim space within the iPhone 7's housing for new elements of the design...  and that the old-fashioned jack socket just took up too much space. I can kind of get that too....  The rest of the iPhone's contents is cutting edge stuff and a jack socket is from the stone age by comparison.

However, I'd swallow these reasons a little more comfortably if the UK£9.99/US$12.99 (or whatever the price is) Lightning to headphone jack cable that you can now buy included a 'piggy-back' Lightning socket on the headphone jack end (or such a cable was at least available as a slightly more expensive option). Then the whole 'listen while charging' problem becomes a non-issue.

There is one further (and obvious) question that follows from this change to the iPhone hardware spec; will Apple make the same change to the next generation of the iPad? Perhaps the 'make space' argument is less critical in the bigger device? Or perhaps not....? Having seen the insides of an iPad Pro, it is not exactly a vacant lot waiting to be build within.... and for the smaller iPad units, that's even more so. Given that many of us iOS music makers go down the iPad route for the ease of use, this is perhaps going to be the first question we want answered when the inevitable iPad launch keynote arrives in the next month or so....

Anyway, if you have some personal thoughts on the headphone jack issue, then feel free to drop me a line....  I'd be very interested to hear your take on this change.

Until next time, have a great week...  and, however you plug in your headphones, get some music made.....

Best wishes,

John

http://www.musicappblog.com/

John Walden
The Music App Blog

Elantric

So have you pushed the button on iOS10 yet? Yes, this week has seen Apple roll out this year's update to our favourite (well, most of the time....) OS as the shiny new iOS10 arrives via the App Store to replace (still retaining some of its sheen) iOS9. Of course, only if you want it too....

For the general iOS user – those using an iPhone or iPad for things like web browsing, email, FaceTime, FaceBook, listening to their music or....  well, in the case of the iPhone, actually making phone calls - providing your hardware is capable of supporting the update, then most folks will just go for it and, frankly, have little to worry about other than getting used to and operational differences. And for iOS10, which despite Apple's 'big up' of the changes, is going to feel like a modest evolution rather than a brand new world, there is perhaps little to be too stressed about.

Of course, as a group, iOS musicians are perhaps a more cautious bunch... and with good reason. While we are perhaps not the only niche iOS user group that can occasionally push their systems to breaking point with multiple apps, in previous annual rounds (were you around for the iOS7 to iOS8 update?) we have had some less than pleasant experiences.

As I've mentioned on the blog this week, in the interests of research (OK, I just can't resist), I installed the iOS10 update on both my iPhone 6S and iPad Pro as soon as they became available. And – breathes a big sigh of relief – it went rather well. Indeed, with the exception of one or two very minor quirks, my experience so far has been a pretty uneventful one.

Thankfully, there are a number of developers that are already rolling out minor iOS10 updates and this has included the Audiobus team. The notes with that update suggested that Audiobus themselves are suitably reassured by the transition to 10....  And that's welcome news.

I've been working through some of my favourite iOS music apps over the last day or so. These have included Cubasis (where the only problem seems to be a rather odd graphic issue with the start-up splash screen), Thor, iSEM, AUM, DrumPerfect Pro, Patterning, Sector, iM1, Gadget, SynthMaster Player, Module, SampleTank, Animoog, iMini, Model 15, Oscilab, and, one of my latest favourites, Poison-202. And, so far at least, so good. Auria users are, apparently, having some issues with the IAA support but work on a fix is in progress and will hopefully be pushed through the Apple approval process fairly promptly.

So, if you are pondering the update, then I think the general impression I'm seeing – and reflected in my own experience – is that there is little to be too concerned about. That does not, of course, put any compulsion on anyone to update straight away. The latest release of iOS9 is still working just as before and, if you are in the middle of a specific project and things are working well, then staying put is still a perfectly valid and sensible choice.

Temptation is, however, hard to resist (doh!) and, as many iOS musicians also have a good dose of hi-tech-addiction (otherwise we probably would not be using the format in the first place), we do tend to find the update button hard to avoid. Anyway, I can't speak for others but, if I had to sum up my own reaction to the transition from iOS9 to iOS10 then, in the words of Douglas Adams, it would be 'mostly harmless'. Although if your own experience differs, then plase do get in touch and I'll happily share and bumps in the road with the blog's readership.....

Anyway, until next week, whichever version of iOS you happen to be using, here's hoping that you can get some music made.

With very best wishes,

John

John Walden
The Music App Blog

Elantric


Apple's headphone jack move aside, we have had a pretty quiet time in terms of iOS music tech over the last few weeks. This last week or so, however, has been a little different and there have been a number of notable new releases and updates to existing favourites. And, in terms of updates in particular, it's been some of the popular iOS DAW/sequencers that have received some attention.

For example, both Meteor Multitrack and n-Track Studio have received updates within the last few days. I've been away from Music App Blog HQ over the last week but I do hope to catch up with both of these at some stage next week. However, perhaps the most high-profile update of the week was also a DAW/sequencer when Steinberg moved Cubasis to v.2.0.

Feel free to disagree – everyone does, of course, make different music and in different ways – but for my money at least, Steinberg have always got is just about spot on with Cubasis. The feature set and UI strike me as a great balance between core features and ease of use...  and appropriately scaled as an application to work well on the available iOS hardware. That hardware does, however, keep improving and, as a consequence, Stenberg have continued to add – slowly and surely – to the Cubasis feature set.

As I posted yesterday having had a brief explore through the new features, Cubasis 2 does brings some excellent new additions. Top of the list are new time-stretch/tempo-matching and new pitch shifting options....  but there is a whole lot more besides. And, in addition, the update is free to all existing users.... Steinberg could easily have argued this was a genuine 'update' and, I think, legitimately charged a suitable (if modest) update fee....

They didn't do that....  and, indeed, they have also put the app on a 50% sale pricing for a limited time. If you have not already purchased a copy of Cubasis, this is the best price it has been offered at....  now might be a good time to give in to temptation :-)

Anyway, while we sometimes have cause to be disappointed with how some developers handle the whole updates vs upgrades vs new versions situation (although not too many occasions when we can really complain about being taken for a bit of a ride considering just how inexpensive iOS apps are), we should also acknowledge when a company – big or small – treats its customer base well. And, while I'm happy to acknowledge that I'm a confirmed Steinberg fan, on this occasion, I think that's exactly what they have done....  Hats off to them....

Having been away from HQ for a week or so – and not able to work on bloggy stuff quite so easily – I'll try to do some catching up next week. This will include some significant updates I've missed this week but also a couple of reviews I need to get too....  Top of that list are Addictive Pro and fluXpad. I can't wait to get stuck in :-)

Until next time, have a great week...  and, whichever iOS DAW/sequencer you might use, get some music made.....

Best wishes,

John

http://www.musicappblog.com/


​John Walden
The Music App Blog

Elantric

Apple's decision to remove the standard headphone jack from the iPhone 7 was undoubtedly the most talked about 'feature' of the new hardware when it was launched a few weeks ago, particularly amongst iOS musicians. I have to admit to being a bit ambivalent about the change. I use the headphone jack on both my iPad Pro and iPhone 6 on a regular basis but only really as a convenience (a quick bit of monitoring via ear buds) rather than for more 'audio-critical' listening....   If I really want to hear what's going on with my latest iOS music project then I'll plug in a dedicated audio interface of some description via the Lightning connector and (hopefully) benefit from better audio reproduction.

There are already 3rd party solutions for iPhone 7 users that allow them to connect both headphones and charge their new devices at the same time without too much hassle so it's not that there are not suitable (and relatively inexpensive) solutions to be found for the loss of the jack socket. However, whether by design (because they had an idea of what Apple intended) or by lucky accident, for iOS guitarists, IK Multimedia's new iRig HD 2 might also provide a bit of a headphone jack update for iPhone 7 users – or, indeed, for any iOS hardware.

The highlight of my iOS music tech week, therefore, was the iRig HD2 review unit from IKM that arrived in my post box. While it has been available for pre-order for a few weeks, release units are, apparently, now shipping. I will, of course, do a full review of the device next week on the blog but it does look interesting from a number of fronts. In the context of the headphone jack saga, IKM's statement that the 1/8" headphone jack – which has it's own volume control on the iRig hardware – features a high-resolution headphone amp that provides an optimised audio signal for full range playback and monitoring is quite an intriguing one.

Apple's standard headphone jack has, to this point, always been convenient and works well enough....  but it is a bit of consumer electronics rather than an audiophile triumph. At a stretch, I've used it to send my iPad's audio output to a set of studio monitors or even a small PA, but it is not in the same league audio quality wise as even a half-decent dedicated audio interface. I'm therefore going to be very interested in seeing whether IKM's statement about the headphone output on the new iRig HD 2 actually translates into an obviously better audio performance.

The iRig HD 2 is aimed primarily at guitar players (that's me!) and the new hardware also has other intriguing features I'm looking forward to trying. These include a 1/4" jack for direct connection to your amplifier with a switch that allows that output to be fed as a 'processed' signal (post any apps running such as a guitar amp sim) or 'dry'. This could open up all sorts of interesting options for those wanting to use their iOS guitar rig 'on the road' in a live performance context.

Anyway, as much as IKM have felt the wrath of iOS musicians at some points over the last 4 years or so, they have also embraced iOS is a very enthusiastic fashion and, on some fronts, responded positively to the criticism they have received. For guitar players, I have to say that the iRig HD 2 does, on paper, look quite promising. Watch the blog next week for a full workout....

Until next time, have a great week...  and get some music made.....

Best wishes,

John

http://www.musicappblog.com/

John Walden
The Music App Blog

Elantric

In addition to my iOS-based setup, I run a respectably specified desktop music production system in my own personal/project studio. I've enough music tech years on the clock to remember when multi-track hard disk audio recording first came to the desktop. It was, for a few years, a bit of a mess; the computers were not really fast enough to cope with the data throughput requirements, the audio interfaces were unpredictable and had buggy drivers and the DAW/sequencer software, while great for MIDI (it had been doing that quite well for years), took some considerable time to adapt to what musicians need for audio production.

Fast forward 20 years and my current desktop system, while still an environment within which change and innovation can be part of the everyday workflow if I choose it to be, is powerful, sophisticated, slick and, on the whole, very stable. It does more than I really need (and has done for several years) and, providing I've got the creative ideas in the first place, is a great environment in which to realise them.

As an alternative music production platform, iOS is still relatively immature. Yes, it has a few years on the clock and, yes, there has undoubtedly been tremendous progress made; what we can do now in 2016 is many times better/more powerful/more sophisticated than what was possible in 2012 (when I started the Music App Blog). But...  and I think it is still a fairly significant but.... in terms of reaching the age of maturity/stability that we currently see in desktop music production, iOS has some distance to go.

That's not to say the platform doesn't have its absolute gems – it does, and there are music apps on my iPad that I think are worth buying an iPad for on their own simply because they are better at their specific task than the desktop equivalent. Heck, there are also apps that simply don't have a desktop equivalent....

However, I think there are signs that maybe we are starting to see the transition from 'stroppy teenager' into 'blossoming young (and perhaps not fully mature) adulthood' in our iOS music tech. Technologies such as Ableton Link (a great success) and Audio Units (a slow burner this one but it is a start along the road) are signs that things are moving in the right direction.

And I'm prompted to discuss the topic this week because, in a small way, reviewing IK Multimedia's new iRig HD 2 showed me another one; a piece of mainstream dedicated iOS music technology hardware where the design clearly showed a growing understanding of the musicians who are using the technology and their practical needs. I'm talking, of course, about the 'Amp Out' feature the HD 2 includes and, while this is something you could have easily kludged together a solution for before, IKM deserve a pat on the back for designing it 'in' from the start. Another sign – albeit a small one – that suggests we are starting to see some 'grown up' things starting to happen. Keep watching.....  we are – slowly – getting there :-)

Studio news
Thanks to the various long-term subscribers who have been asking for updates on my own studio build over the last few weeks. As I've commented in the newsletter before, I finished the major work on this back in January and, while a studio is never really 'finished' (GAS is always a problem), I have been able to get on with some music creation in my new space over the last few months.

Indeed, that has been going well and, as well as having completed a few production music releases for libraries/publishers I've written for before, I've also managed to snag a couple of new clients that seem keen for me to cough up some tunes. Fingers crossed those pan out (it was, after all, the reason for building the studio in the first place)....  but quite how I'm going to create more hours in each day to juggle blog stuff, magazine writing and some additional music production, I haven't quite worked out yet. Suggestions in an email please if you know how to bend the space/time continuum....  :-)

Until next time, have a great week...  and find some time to get some music made.....

Best wishes,

John

http://www.musicappblog.com/


​John Walden
The Music App Blog

Elantric



It's been quite a busy and interesting week in the iOS music tech world this week. We have seen a good crop of favourite iOS music apps going through the update process and, more from a personal perspective, I've also got around to a couple of app reviews (new and nearly new apps!) with some interesting things to look at.

You can check the 'News' section of the blog for the full details on many of these but, with one addition I'll get to in a minute, my favourite updates of the week were undoubtedly to Turnado and DM2. I use both of these apps on a regular basis and it's great to see Turnado get Ableton Link support while DM2 just keeps getting better with every release.

However, that one addition I mention is a bit of a corker; Auria Pro has been updated and the highlight new feature is AU support. Now, as regular readers here will know, my main DAW/sequencer squeeze is actually Cubasis. This is for a variety of reasons including my use of Cubase for many years on the desktop. However, that doesn't stop me being in awe of what WaveMachine Labs have created in Auria Pro; it is, by some distance, the most fully-featured iOS DAW/sequencer available. That power feature set does perhaps come with a bit of a price – the app requires a top-notch iPad if you are going to fully exploit its potential – but it is as close as we currently have to the desktop DAW/sequencer world.

While it was great to see MIDI support added to Auria when Auria Pro was first released – it was, after all, something we had been waiting for for some time – by the time Pro appeared, there was already another bit of iOS tech that users were hoping to see added; Audio Units. We have had to wait a little longer for that than some might of liked but, in fact, I think WaveMachine Lab's timing actually hints at something about the AU format that many of us have suspected (and developers will have known first-hand) for some time; when Apple first introduced AU into iOS9, it was possibly a bit on the fragile and/or limited side.

Some developers bit the bullet anyway and I think we should be grateful for their willingness to push forwards. However, I think we should also understand why others have held back, especially considering the economics of the App Store and how difficult it can be for developers to make a significant return via the 'free update' process. Thankfully, the last few months has seen Apple revamp the AU protocol (to v.3) within iOS and that has, I think, made life somewhat easier for developers....  hence the willingness of the likes of WaveMachine Labs to take on the format.

Auria Pro is perhaps the last of the really popular DAW/sequencers to get AU support. I think the addition is a big deal. And, hopefully, not just for Auria Pro....  Let's hope this is a sign of growing confidence from developers in the format. It's still not without its challenges for developers (for example, how to squeeze an interface as complex as a Thor or SampleTank or Model 15 into the compact AU 'sub-window' currently provided by most AU hosts) but fingers crossed more developers get the confidence in the format to give it a spin....  and, as users, I think we need to stay patient and show a bit of love to the developers concerned as they take on the challenge.

Oh, and talking of SampleTank, if you are quick off the mark, you can pick it up at a ridiculously low SALE price at present....  Even if only for occasional use, this is a genuine bargain so do check it out if you don't currently own a copy.

Until next time, have a great week...  and, whether it's via AU apps or not, get some music made.....

Best wishes,

John

http://www.musicappblog.com/


​John Walden
The Music App Blog

Elantric

So, is it finally starting to happen? Last week's theme of the newsletter was all about Auria Pro getting updated to include support for Apple's AUv3 plugin format and, having spent a little more time with Auria this week, the AU integrations seems pretty solid. However, if I had to pick a 'headline' theme from this week's iOS news, then it would again be AU that topped the pile. So, while it has been with us for over a year, and has always offered potential, are we now beginning to see AU starting to deliver?

Three apps perhaps suggest that might be the case. First, we saw an update to the relatively new Poison-202 synth from JimAudio and that added AU support to the app. This is a very capable synth with plenty of programming options and, while I suspect the design was very much started with AU in mind, it demonstrates that you can squeeze a fairly complex synth engine into the compact AU panel allowed by most iOS AU hosts and still keep things useable.

Second, we had Klevgränd Produktion's brand new Tines electric piano app arrive on the App Store. No, this is not the most powerful e-piano tool you well ever play, but it sounds good, is a doddle to use, has plenty of character and, yep, is AU compatible. But not only that; while it offers a stand-alone mode, there is no Audiobus or IAA support.

Third, and reviewed today on the blog, we have Bram Bos' new iOS FM synth app; Phasemaker. Now, FM synthesis is not everyone's cup of tea but Phasemaker is a particularly good example of the genre, offers a deep programming experience in a compact, but very useable UI. Oh, and yes, it's delivered in a stand-alone and AU format only; no Audiobus or IAA.

That these long-standing (as much as anything is long-standing under iOS) inter-app protocols are missing from these latter two new apps might be disappointing and/or frustrating to some iOS musicians with established workflows build around Audiobus or IAA. However, it is great to see developers finally taking the AU format to heart and, personally, I think this might well mark the start of a real trend; for new app releases at least, AU may well have just become a higher priority in the development and design process than either Audiobus or IAA.

Quite what that might mean for these two older (and, in their own way, much cherished) technologies, I'm not sure.... and whether some and/or all of our long-established favourite iOS virtual instruments – created when Audiobus and IAA were all we had – will, eventually, add AU support, I don't think any of us can predict. However, I, for one, really hope they do. AU is finally starting to deliver on it's promise and I think that's great....  but it would be a shame if, for one reason or another, some of the established 'classic' iOS music apps don't get crossed over into the brave new AU world....

Whatever form Audiobus might take as and when it reaches v.3, I suspect it will have to involve AU in some form. And IAA? Well, I think it will, over time, simply disappear. AU is beginning to undermine the position of, and need for, both of these technologies... in their current forms at least.

So, with that thought in mind, what would be the one app that you yourself use, and that is currently not available in the AU format, about which you would have your fingers crossed that AU is coming? Messages in an email please :-)

For me? Well, I'll give you one to get started? Dear Props; can we please have an AU version of Thor?

Until next time, have a great week...  and, whether its via AU apps or not, get some music made.....

Best wishes,

John

http://www.musicappblog.com/

John Walden
The Music App Blog

Elantric

With one exception (which I'll get to in a minute), there hasn't been masses of 'stuff' going on in terms of iOS music app updates this week....  However, there have still been a number of talking points to keep us busy over a pint in the pub (or a coffee while on TwitFace or whatever social media platforms crank your particular handle)....

Going Live
First, that exception....  Triqtraq, Patterning and Blocs Wave all introduced support for a new – and quite interesting – feature this week; Ableton Live Sets export. If you are 'iOS only', and don't own or use a desktop/laptop based music production environment, then maybe this is not a big deal. However, there are many iOS musicians who use the platform as a sort of 'musical scratch pad' and who will often develop ideas on their iPad/iPhone and then move those ideas over to a desktop system for further development (me included). And, if that's you, then this is quite an intriguing development.

OK, so you might not currently be an Ableton Live user but, as you can download a 'lite' version of Live for free via both Triqtraq and Patterning, Ableton are certainly making it easy to give it a try. And, once you have exported some ideas from any of the iOS apps listed above, it is now very easy to get them into Live for further work. I think this is a very interesting strategy from Ableton – both from a workflow and a marketing perspective – and it will be equally interesting to see if other iOS music apps also add the feature.

Oh, and I wish I had a UK£1 for every time someone has asked me 'is Ableton Live coming to iOS?'. I'm not sure if this development gets us any closer to an answer but it does demonstrate how seriously Ableton take the iOS platform....

By the book
Are you, like me, sad enough to have sat through Apple's keynote event yesterday? OK, so I'm a fan and, while I'm more than willing to list all sorts of things that annoy me about the Apple brand, the positive side of the products – the things they do do, rather than the things they don't – I always find impressive.

Yesterday's Keynote was, in the main, focussed on a long-overdue update to the MacBook Pro range. However, this is also about the time of year that we generally get any new iPad announcements. Well, if you have been waiting for some news prior to a decision about a possible iPad upgrade, then you are no further forward than you were....  the iPad was not discussed at all at this week's event.

So, stick or twist? With a pretty much annual upgrade cycle for the iPad to this point, it's kind of difficult to know what to do....  If you follow the usual sources of the Apple rumour mill, then perhaps we might have to wait until March next year? Given past practice, however, it's unlikely that Apple are going to make any sort of official announcement to that effect though....  I can understand the commercial reasons for them staying tight-lipped but it doesn't really help customers planning for what is, of course, a significant expenditure and wanting to ensure they get the best bang for their buck.

Scary sales
Halloween might not be a 'thing' where you live but, as the App Store is – despite its territory-based sub-stores – a front for a global marketplace, it's difficult not to be aware that Halloween is happening in many parts of the world over the coming weekend. And, if it's a 'holiday/celebration' weekend, then that can also mean a sale J

As I've posted via the News section of the site this week, iOS music app developers are fond of a sale or three and, while we still have Black Friday/Cyber Monday and the Christmas/New Year sales to look forward to, there are a number of developers – IK Multimedia, TonApp AS, Kymatica and Holderness Media for example – who are currently providing some bargains. Anyway, if you are still building up your iOS music app collection, then check out the link above to see what might be on (special) offer. There are some crackers....

Until next time, have a great week...  maybe grab a bargain...  and get some music made.....

Best wishes,

John

http://www.musicappblog.com/


​John Walden
The Music App Blog

Elantric

Musicians who use iOS technology in their workflow come in all shapes and sizes but, if there is a sub-set of the community that is perhaps both bigger than most (in terms of numbers) and particularly geeky about it (in a good way), then it is those with a passion for iOS synth apps. And they have good reason to be happy about their lot in the land of iOS music making; there is an abundance of brilliant iOS synths that can easily match their desktop (and even hardware) equivalents, all available at prices that are, frankly, rather too good to be true (or even sustainable, but that's a different conversation).

So it's perhaps not surprising that a new iOS synth from one of our favourite developers causes a bit of a stir when launched. Enter, stage left, Korg's new ARP ODYSSEi, the latest iOS synth app to get your credit card tingling.

As I posted on launch day, the ARP ODYSSEi is a software emulation of the original ARP Odyssey hardware synth from the 1970s, a synth that Korg themselves re-launched on the world in a hardware re-issue just a couple of years ago. The re-issued hardware will set you back around UK£700 (US$800ish?)...  the app is launched with a special price of just UK£14.99/US$19.99 (30% off what will be the eventual price and for a limited time only).

I'll post a full review of the app next week when I've had time for a proper dig in....  but, in terms of the synthesis engine and the sounds, this is impressive stuff. Korg's iOS music app collection is full or top-notch titles and ARP ODYSSEi looks like it fits in very nicely indeed. Don't quibble about the price; this is a heck of a lot of synth for a very (VERY!) modest price. Whether you 'need' another iOS synth app is...  well....  a different question :-)

Up-to-date...  or not
As a subscriber to the email newsletter, you will, at some point, have had access to the '25 apps to get you started' free guide that I produce for the Music App Blog. In fact it includes mentions of far more than 25 apps but, if you are just starting out on your iOS music making journey, I hope there are some useful pointers to some of the very best music apps the App Store currently has to offer in a number of different categories.

Anyway, the guide has been through a number of updates since I first produced it back in 2013 and I finished the latest iteration – the 4th edition – this week. New subscribers will, of course, be pointed at the new version when they sign up for the newsletter....   but if there are any existing subscribers who would like a copy, then just drop me a line in reply to this email. I'll collect all the requests over the next few days and then send out a group email with the new guide attached.

Keeping the guide up-to-date is, of course, quite a challenge, as iOS music tech changes very quickly. Having published the revised version on Wednesday, one app mentioned in the guide – VirSyn's AudioReverb – got updated today with a significant new feature that I mentioned as 'absent' in the guide. Hats off to VirSyn for adding Audio Units support...  but I guess I'll have to go back to editing the guide again sooner than I expected :-)

Happy Birthday to us!
Finally, a quick note to say that this week marks the 3rd anniversary of the Music App Blog email newsletter. Aside from the Xmas/New Year holiday period, when I take a break and give you a break, that is pretty much 150 newsletters written over that time.

If you were in at the very start....  then well done for sticking with me :-) And if you have just signed up....  well, thanks to you as well. The list now has nearly 3000 members. It's kind of fun to think of these weekly messages disappearing to all parts of the globe every week....  and while I can't promise to respond to everyone who sends me a message in return (the blog generates an amazing amount of email), it's very rewarding to hear your comments to my iOS music musings and also to receive useful suggestions re content for the blog. So, thanks again to all of you for subscribing....  here's to the next set of 50(ish) messages :-)

Until next time, have a great week... and get some music made.....

Best wishes,

John

http://www.musicappblog.com/

John Walden
The Music App Blog

Elantric

There are all sorts of tried and tested ways to enhance a mix and to make it 'pop' out the speakers in a way that catches the listener's ears. Of course, it really does help if the musical ideas themselves are just undeniably great but, whatever the actual artistic merits of the material, with your mix engineer or producer hat on, it's also cool to do what you can to present that material in the best way possible.

As a creative and technical process, mixing contains all sorts of challenges and all sorts of tools. Indeed, with our super-powerful DAW/sequencers and a huge array of plugins, your average bedroom producer now has more choices than the likes of a George Martin or Trever Horn or Mutt Lange or Jim Steinman or Brian Wilson (or...  well, add your own 'who's who?' of producers going back 15 years or more) had access to when they created some of the classic recordings/mixes of their respective times. The format of the tools may have changed, and there are interesting discussions to be had re the merits of analog vs digital and hardware vs software but, whatever way you come down in those discussions, your average software studio is a very powerful platform.

So, if you want your mix to catch the ear, how do you do it? Good question...   and if you think you have the fool-proof answer, then feel free to drop me a line and share the secret :-) It helps to start with a solid mix and, to a large extent, after the basic arrangement of instruments themselves, perhaps the key elements here are levels and tonality; volume faders, EQ and compression are, therefore, perhaps the most important tools of the trade.

Beyond that, we can get into reverb and delay...  and then into more 'creative' effects (particularly if you work within electronic music styles). However, one of the options that sort of sits between a 'spatial' effect such as reverb and a more 'creative' effect such as a filter sweep is the stereo enhancer. Yes, it can be used to manipulate the spatial image but it can also be a creative effect to make an individual instrument really pop out of the mix in some way.

And why am I raising this topic today? Well, because we have a new stereo effects processor launched on the App Store; Haaze from Klevgränd Produktion. Haaze is an interesting little app and, in a typically understated Klevgränd way, offers two different types of stereo image processing. And once you try it, it is both very effective and very addictive :-)

I'm a big fan of Holderness Media's Stereo Designer app which does a similar job but in a somewhat different way and with a slightly (very slightly) more complex set of controls. I've always said I've love to have Stereo Designer on my desktop system (and I still would) but Haaze launched today with Windows and OSX versions as well as iOS....  and it is very modestly priced on all platforms. What's more, the iOS version is an AU app....

Stereo enhancement is a process that can easily be pushed a little too far (and the results when the audio is replayed via a mono system such as a portable radio need to be checked so you can avoid the potential problems) but, if you have a mono part that you want to make 'bigger', or a stereo part that you want to push to the edges of the stereo image where it will stand out more clearly even without a change in volume, then it is a very useful option. I've only spent a little time with Haaze so far but it seems to do an excellent job in both these roles....  Applied to a mono acoustic guitar, for example, it can really bring a sense of stereo spread – and 'ear candy' – to the sound; what was a bit dull can suddenly be the stand-out element of the mix.

OK, the effect will quickly get tired if you apply it to everything....  but used on one or two mix elements, it can really make things shine. I can't promise Haaze will instantly mean your mixes will be transformed into a top-ten ready status but it is certainly a very useful tool and/or trick to have to hand when you want to add a little fairy dust into an already slid mix. Haaze is well worth checking out for the week-end :-)

Until next time, have a great week, get some music made, and experiment with a bit of width :-)

Best wishes,

John

http://www.musicappblog.com/

John Walden
The Music App Blog

Elantric

I mentioned the launch Haaze from Klevgränd Produktion
http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=I8IFk&m=3fluHcz_yVYAUcC&b=bTCwYaGUlYOYt5pOFWRbEg
in last week's newsletter and I got around to doing a full review of the app on the blog earlier this week. Like Holderness Media's Stereo Designer app,

http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=I8IFk&m=3fluHcz_yVYAUcC&b=EZoEyKyYh_6BMRomEX4wzQ

Haaze is a processor you can use to adjust the stereo image of an audio signal, either to give a mono signal a sense of stereo or to enhance the stereo image of an existing stereo track.

Reviewing Haaze was an interesting experience – it's a cool little app for a pocket money price – but it was the comparison with Stereo Designer that really got me thinking. And it reminded me of issue I came up against in a Sound On Sound article
http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=I8IFk&m=3fluHcz_yVYAUcC&b=IWvgqJ0sZl.EQi41W_L09Q
I worked on a couple on months ago and that, in short, boils down to a question about 'simple' software vs 'complex' software.

In a music technology context, what I'm getting at here is just how many controls does your average audio processor app (or plugin) need in order to allow the user to get to the sound (effect) they are after? Haaze adopts a 'less is more' UI approach with a very simple control set that takes almost no time to learn. When you call the app up to do its thing, the odds are you will be able to dial in the settings you need in a few seconds. In contrast, while Stereo Designer is far from the most complex control set you will ever come across, it does give the user more options to explore....  but the flip side is that it can mean more time getting to the settings you require.

In the SOS piece mentioned above, the same issue was apparent in a number of different plugin compressors and led me to comment that, while I couldn't really hear the difference between a 'stock' Cubase compressor and a more expensive 3rd party 'boutique' compressor plugin, the later, with its very simple user interface designed to emulate a classic hardware compressor (the LA-2A), was incredibly easy to use. Indeed, like Haaze, the control set was so simple that almost any user – experienced or otherwise – would find it difficult to dial in a bad sound.

The general point here is an obvious one; when it comes to controls in your 'virtual' studio equipment, can you have too much of a good thing? Yes, it's great to be able to dig in and really fine-tune settings of a delay or compressor or EQ but, if some companies can make really great sounding processors, but supply them with a greatly simplified control set, do the workflow advantages out-weigh the apparent lack of control?

Well, I think for less experienced musicians and/or recording addicts, working with these more simplified UIs has a lot to be said for it. Too many choices (too many controls) can often lead to a bit of paralysis by analysis and, if you spend too long tweaking each compressor or EQ (or stereo enhancer), then whatever creative flow inspired the session in the first place can easily slip away. And if you are simply not sure what all the controls do and how they interact, taking your sound backwards is a distinct possibility.

Now, we have some very powerful – and feature-rich – music software available for iOS (plenty of deep synths for example) but, compared to the desktop, perhaps one of the upsides of the platform for newer music makers is that there are also some super-simple and very streamlined apps out there. They often do the same job as something more complex, but offer the user maybe 80% of the 'experience' but with only 20% of the features/control set.

Haaze is a great example of this and, in fact, Klevgränd Produktion are something of a special case under iOS in this regard; all their apps adopt this 'less is more' philosophy but deliver big-time in terms of results. And the other upside of this design approach for iOS musicians is that apps with simple but effective control sets translate very well to the AU plugin format given the relatively modest (unless you are working on a larger iPad Pro) screen real-estate most of us generally work with. All Klevgränd Produktion's apps work great via AU.

I've no desire to turn the clock back on music app development. We have some brilliant software available to us that is competitive with what's available in the desktop world....  but I hope music app developers don't lose sight of the ethos that has been part of the 'app' experience from day one; apps that are simple, do one job, but do it well, can be a thing of great beauty. Designing something that is both simple but effective is a difficult thing to do.... but the benefits to the user can be significant.

Until next time, have a great week and, however simple or complex the software you use, get some music made :-)

Best wishes,

John

http://www.musicappblog.com/

John Walden
The Music App Blog

admin

#162
OK, so with one exception, things have been pretty quiet on the blog this week....  but that's because, at this time of the year, the one exception is pretty much dominating the news and the general internet ad space....  Black Friday is 'it' this week.

While it most certainly started as an American thing, Black Friday (and Cyber Monday) has really spread its wings over the last few years; the odds are that, if you are online, wherever you are on our rock floating in space, you are being inundated with Black Friday offers....

I'll leave you to contemplate your own thoughts on whether mass consumerism is a good thing or not.... but, if you are an iOS-based music maker, as over the last couple of years, Black Friday is certainly bringing some app-sized bargains to tempt you with. For the more experienced collector of iOS music apps, you might have to hunt quite hard to find a little gem or two that you can finally get around to picking up at a discount. However, if you are still in the process of building your iOS music app collection, this is a heck of a good time to invest is some real bargains.

I'm trying (and most probably failing!) to keep the list of Black Friday iOS music app bargains up to date on the site as additional apps get discounted....  so keep checking back over the weekend if you are in the mood for a bargain or three. There are some massive savings to be had with discounts up to 50% (and more in some cases) on many apps.
http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=I8IFk&m=3iTmP0cC0BYAUcC&b=ryHopSgOY919Lz8NO6d9KQ
There are a few that would really catch my eye if I was new to the iOS music app world. For example, Steinberg's Cubasis at 50% off is a heck of a deal, while Audionamy's DM2 drum synth/machine is incredible value at just UK£1.49/US$1.99. It's also great to see apps such as AUM and Sector discounted while Moog Music's Animoog and Model 15 are both iOS synth monsters available at bargain prices during the sale period. Oh, and don't forget iSEM from Arturia; cheap as chips and with AU support.

I could, of course, keep going....  but, providing you have a little loose change retrieved from down the back of the sofa, then just head over to the list and take a look for yourself.
http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=I8IFk&m=3iTmP0cC0BYAUcC&b=ryHopSgOY919Lz8NO6d9KQ

However, if you know you are susceptible to temptation – even though you already own more iOS music apps that you could possibly learn to use in a single lifetime – well....  perhaps you should just disconnect the internet, close the door, and spend your weekend making some sweet music with the stuff you already own.... :-)

Until next time, have a great week and, whether you are bargain hunting or not, get some music made :-)

Best wishes,

John

http://www.musicappblog.com/

John Walden
The Music App Blog

Elantric

I hope you have survived the Black Friday/Cyber Monday iOS music app sale frenzy O.K? For experienced iOS musicians who already have more apps than they can count, there might have been less to tempt you into an app splurge but, if you are just starting out, this mega-sale period is always a time to pick up some great bargains providing, of course, that you have a little bit of cash to splash in the first place.

In terms of new releases and updates, the week leading up to the Black Friday period was always going to be a bit quiet. However, now the feeding frenzy is over, developers are perhaps ready to drop us some new stuff without fear of it getting buried under the sale stampede. As such, we have seen at least three very interesting new apps appear in the last couple of days; iWaveStation, Drum Session and Redshrike.

Perhaps the one that's really caught the headlines is Korg's iWaveStation. With the initial buzz about their ARP ODYSSEi app only just dying down, Korg have hit us with yet another iOS emulation of a hardware classic and, in this case, it is one of their own hardware units that is being recreated in software.

When it was first released back in the early 1990s, the original WaveStation was both novel (in terms of its approach to building sound) and hugely popular. Korg have, of course, had a desktop software emulation for some time but to see it arrive in an iOS format – and at such a modest price – is pretty impressive. My experience of the original hardware is limited but I have to say the app has already impressed me in terms of the range and style of sounds it can produce. And, yes, it can also be used in Gadget. If Korg eventually do go down the AU route with their iOS synth apps, then I'm sure they will attract an even bigger audience. This is impressive stuff.

iceWorks Redshrike is also synth app and, while it is an impressive synth engine in its own right, it is perhaps aimed at the opposite end of the iOS music app market place in some respects. This is not a 'mega-synth' but, instead, it's a synth designed specifically for an iPhone.... and it sounds pretty good to me. I think iceWorks have pulled off a neat trick here as there must be lots of iPhone-owning musicians that (yet anyway) are not iPad owners. Redshrike is really going to appeal to that market....  but, again, if it had AU support, it would make for a very nice instrument on the iPad within your favourite DAW/sequencer. Fingers crossed....

Released just today is Drum Session, a collaboration between Derek Buddemayer and Blue Mangoo. If I've understood correctly, the design idea behind the app is based upon something like Toontrack's EZ Drummer and, while I'm sure Derek would be the first to admit that Drum Session is not a fully-formed 'EZ Drummer for iOS' just yet, it does have some of that software's key components in terms of decent acoustic drum sounds, an impressive collection of preset MIDI patterns and easy song construction. As yet, there isn't much the user can do in terms of customising the sound and/or mix of the actual drum kits but, again, with 30 preset kits on offer, there is a good choice. It's already a promising start and it will be interesting to see where the development partners might take it next....

Anyway, I'll do my best to get full reviews of all three apps on the blog during next week (other things permitting; I have a family member who is not very well at present and might well get called away from home for a few days) but, if you can't wait that long to find out a little more, then follow the links above for more information on each of these new releases.

Until next time, have a great week and, whether its with apps old or new, get some music made J

Best wishes,

John

http://www.musicappblog.com/

John Walden
The Music App Blog

Elantric

I prefer to avoid bringing politics into the blog or the weekly newsletter but, if you are connected regularly to the internet – and if you use any of the standard social media or news outlets – it will not have escaped you that the world is a pretty weird place right now. No, I'm not about to get into the rights and wrongs of Brexit here in Europe or Trump in the USA (other than to say I've no truck with any kind of attitudes that involve racism) but those political situations have demonstrated just how divided (for all sorts of complex reasons) many of our so-called 'advanced' societies actually are.

Which is why, this week, it has been something of a highlight that at least one sector of society – the community of iOS musicians – has rallied around and come together to support a friend in some need. If you follow the Audiobus forums or are a member of the iPad Musician group on Facebook, or you have perhaps viewed Jakob Haq's YouTube video, you will already be aware that Doug Woods – founder of TheSoundTestRoom YouTube channel – is currently suffering from some serious health problems. If you have not seen Jakob's video about his close friend then do follow the link above....

Doug is a bit of a legend amongst the iOS musician hardcore. In his own inimitable style – quirky, charming, occasionally chaotic (I'm sure he would admit that), but full of fun, unending enthusiasm and, having done these videos over a span of 5 years or so, an impressive knowledge of the iOS music technology world – Doug has made a very significant contribution to the iOS musician community. His videos will, I'm sure, have informed and entertained many of the Music App Blog's own readers and newsletter subscribers and many more besides.

Unlike Jakob, I don't know Doug particularly well (we have exchanged the occasional email or twitter message) but I do know he has suffered from poor health generally over the last few years. Right now, things certainly do appear to have taken a significant turn for the worse...  so much so that he is unable to work. And while the YouTube channel brings in some small change each month (believe me, iOS music blogging is not a significant source of income for anyone), he and his wife Jo are in serious financial difficulties....

Anyway, simply put, if Doug's work has, in the past, helped or entertained you, and you are in a position to help, then do consider returning him a favour, putting your hand in your pocket, and sending a contribution. As Jakob explains in his video, there are various ways this can be done but, if you have a PayPal account, then you can simply send a 'friend' payment to TheSoundTestRoom's email address at:-

thesoundtestroom@gmail.com

I appreciate that not everyone will be able to help directly and, if you cannot...  well, send Doug a message wishing him and Jo well. I know he will appreciate it and, while the rest of the world is doing its very best to turn into a s**t-storm, at least here in the iOS musician community we can demonstrate that the human race is not completely beyond redemption.

Until next time, have a great week, share some love, and get some music made.

Best wishes,

John

http://www.musicappblog.com/

John Walden
The Music App Blog

Elantric

I'll start this week with a 'thank you' to all those who made a contribution – financial or simply moral support – to the various requests for help made on behalf of Doug Woods of TheSoundTestRoom. In particular, I think we should all take our hats off to Jessie Yonac and the various developers who got on-board with his 'buy an app for Doug' event on Monday of this week. That was beyond generous and, if my understanding is correct, raised approaching US$2000 to help Doug and Jo help get through their current difficulties.

Money is not, of course, a replacement for good health, and I'm sure we all hope Doug can resolve his current health issues, but all the contributions made by the iOS music community will, I'm sure, have helped reduce the compounding stress caused by choosing between eating or paying bills. Many of us will have experienced what that can feel like....  it is not a sensation to saviour....  so, again, 'thank you' for showing the power that a bit of community spirit can provide.

Plugin baby
And talking of power, how do you approach the whole issue of powering your iPad (or iPhone) when you also have a number of other devices – and audio interface or a MIDI keyboard, for example – hanging off your Lightning port? For many of us, this probably means a powered USB hub of some sort but, for all the sleek styling of Apple's hardware and the swish good looks of many bits of music technology hardware, the practicalities of hooking this stuff together generally leaves you with a mess of cables and 'wall-wart' power supplies. The end result is not something that's likely to feature in one of Apple's slick advertising campaigns any time soon....

When it comes to hooking up a MIDI keyboard, I've often resorted to using Apple's various Camera Connection Kit (CCK) adapters or, once Lightning appeared, the Lightning to USB adapter. All of which is fine in theory but, for me at least, has two specific downsides. First, I can't charge my iPad at the same time (OK for noodling but not great in a 'performance' context where running out of juice would be a touch embarrassing) and, second, neither of these solutions actually chucks out much power to the peripherals.

In my case, one of those peripherals is a (now discontinued) Alesis QX25 keyboard. Long-standing readers might recall my search for the 'ideal' MIDI keyboard to use with my iPad and, with one notable exception, for me at least, the QX25 ticked all the boxes; full-size keys, real mod/pitch wheels, eight rotary controllers and four drum trigger pads. The one catch – and it has always been an irritation one – is that the keyboard requires quite a lot of power to run....  and, while sometimes the iPad seems capable of doing it just fine, more often that not, I get the dreaded 'not enough power' message....  and then I have to plug in a DIY battery pack to the keyboard's power socket; looks horrible and is a bit flaky itself.

However, nudged by an email from regular Music App Blog reader Graham Hanks (thanks Graham), I finally got around to purchasing one of Apple's newish 'Lightning to USB3' adapters (I know, UK£39/US$49 I think; ouch!). Despite the cost, I'm glad I did. The device plugs into your Lightning port at one end and then offers both a further Lightning connector and a USB3 port at the other. I can hook up my Lightning-based charger to the former and my Alesis to the later...  and (woo hoo!) my iPad gets changed and my Alesis can now draw enough power to run from the iPad. What was my own 'ideal' MIDI keyboard with a serious flaw no longer has a serious flaw; Apple's new adaptor has saved me having to look for a new keyboard :-)  It's a shame that Alesis no longer make this model though as I'd now happily recommend it to others....

Anyway, I'm going to explore what else this adapter might be able to offer over the next few days and, if that coughs up anything interesting, then I'll write up a full report for the blog.....

Until next time, have a great week and, amongst your preparations for the holiday period,  get some music made.

Best wishes,

John

http://www.musicappblog.com/

John Walden
The Music App Blog

Elantric

Well, it's that time of year again....  the seasonal holiday period is looming (well, in those parts of the World where Christmas is a thing) and the end of the year is in sight. I'm not quite sure how history will reflect of 2016. We lost some amazing creative people (musicians included), saw some natural and man-made horrors and, for what I think many would agree were complex underlying reasons, the UK and USA experienced some political events that have been unsettling beyond their own borders and that do little to demonstrate goodwill amongst all men (or women)....

But, if we need a more light-hearted distraction from the 'big stuff' life can throw at us, then iOS music technology has done its very best over the last 12 months to help. Unlike is some previous years, I think we have avoided any significant disasters during 2016. New and shiny iOS10 arrived without making too many wrinkles in the carpet and, on the whole, while we have perhaps seen evolution rather than revolution this year, that's no bad thing given the pace of change over the last few years. Perhaps my only unfulfilled wish is that the AU format – while most certainly making considerable progress – has not (yet) been fully embraced by the development community. That's one for the 2017 New Year wish-list....

With some family timed lined up for the next 10 days or so, a couple of seasonal pots aside, this will be the last email newsletter of 2016....   so let me take the opportunity to say 'thank you' for being a subscriber and a regular reader over at the website. I hope that, in some small way, what I do with the blog has helped you along your own iOS music technology journey....   Here's hoping you also get a relaxing break at some stage over the seasonal holiday period and that your well-deserved downtime is filled with something musical.

See you in 2017....  when, just a couple of weeks in, the usual winter NAMM show will kick off the music tech cycle for another year and bring all sorts of new goodies to tempt us....   I can't wait :-)

Oh, and don't forget that it is not too late to pick up an iOS music app bargain or three for your own seasonal gift. Just head on over to the 'ON SALE' post and see what takes your fancy :-)

Until next time, have a great break and get some music made.

Best wishes,

John

http://www.musicappblog.com/

Elantric

Well, the new year is upon us..... This is a time of year that does get folks thinking, whether that's reflecting on the year just gone or anticipating the year to come....  and maybe forming a few New Year's resolutions to focus the mind on things to be done in the next 12 months. I've always had a bit of a love/hate relationship with New Year (my mum, bless her, hates it, so I think that has shaped my own, slightly conflicted, take on the event) but I do like the sense of re-appraisal it can bring so I've a few resolutions lined for myself, including some musical ones....  I'll come back to those below.

On the theme of looking back and looking forward, as this is the first newsletter of 2017, if you haven't yet checked out a couple of posts that I put up over the holiday break, then do have a dip into my personal suggestions for the 'top 10 iOS music apps of 2016'
http://musicappblog.com/top-10-ios-music-apps-of-2016/


and wishlist items for iOS music in 2017.
http://musicappblog.com/ios-music-in-2017/


Kymatica's brilliant AUM was my personal choice of 'app of the year' for 2016....   and, perhaps equally obvious, what I really want is 'more AU' for 2017. Anyway, while I don't claim any divine wisdom on either front, feel free to check out the two articles and then chip in with your own thoughts via the comments... it's always great to get the perspective offered by readers whose musical backgrounds and workflows are different from my own.

So, what about those resolutions for the New Year? Well, lots of the usual (eat more healthily, take more exercise, spend less time working, etc.) but, for me, also some musical things. Making more music is top of the list and, while some of that might be personal stuff, with my project studio room now fully functional and bedded in, I no longer have any excuse not to get more productive in terms of 'money music' (in my case, library/production music). Equally, I've been promising myself to improve both my singing and drumming by working on some basic practice routines for both. When December 2017 rolls around, do feel free to check up on my progress....  it would be nice to be held to account :-)

I've also been thinking about things I would like to do for the blog. Some of that is so I can streamline my time a little bit to make room for the things mentioned above (!) but I'm also keen to offer some different types of content over and above the app (and occasional hardware) reviews that form the mainstay of what I currently do.

I have a whole list of ideas here (in particular, some more tutorial-type content) but this is most certainly a topic I'd welcome some feedback upon. So, if you can spare a minute to drop me an email back, feel free to offer a thought or two about the sorts of things you might like to see addressed via the site. I don't promise to respond to all such requests....  but it would be both interesting and very helpful to me to get a sense of what the readership might like to see :-)

Anyway, I hope to hear from some of you soon....  and, until next time, may your resolutions last longer than your iPad's battery life, and enjoy getting some music made.

Best wishes,

John

http://www.musicappblog.com/

John Walden
The Music App Blog

Elantric




Well, that was quite an interesting week from an iOS music tech perspective....  There were a number of routine app updates (always welcome) but the highlights for me where looking at two new apps; Bram Bos' Troublemaker and Sensual Sax from Embertone/Blue Mangoo. In their own ways, both of these have something special to offer and, along with a couple of updates that deliver AU to some existing apps, both also arrive with AU support included. Is this – finally – an indication that the AU tide is starting to turn a bit faster?

Troublemaker is – quite simply – awesome. If you have any interest in electronic/synth-based music production, I think this is an app that you could happily find a home for. Bram's work showed some considerable promise with Ruismaker, Ruismaker FM and Phasemaker but, with Troublemaker, I think he has really hit his stride. It is obviously 'inspired by' the classic Roland TB-303 hardware but – and I think in this case it is a good thing – it is far from just being a TB-303 clone.

Troublemaker captures the essence of that sound but it does more besides and it is another iOS music app that strikes a brilliant balance between just enough features to make it interesting but also being easy to get to grips with. In standalone mode it also includes a simple, but brilliant, step sequencer for creating (and offering easy export of) phrases. Oh, and the AU format works a treat.... If I only tried one new app this week, then this would be it.

Which might be a bit harsh on Sensual Sax. OK, so this is perhaps a little more 'niche' in terms of its musical genre. Slow, legato, sensual, sax solos are its speciality and, while you might argue it is a bit of a one-trick pony, it really does that trick very well. There are some interesting – and perhaps innovative? - things going on under the hood with this app in terms of the sampling and how the sample playback engine works and that bode well for future iOS virtual instrument apps that are sample-based. And, yes, AU support is included although some Auria Pro users have reported an issue here. Han Andersen from Blue Mangoo tells me they are, however, aware of the issue and will have a fix ready in a few days.

Korg to kill it again?
We are all used to seeing music software ported from the desktop onto iOS and there are some great examples of this. Equally, I'm sure we can all think of a few desktop items we might still like to see this happen with (Ableton Live, Kontakt or Melodyne re-packaged for iOS anyone?).

What's less common – and therefore more remarkable when it happens – is software going in the other direction; products originally developed for iOS moving to the desktop. To date, perhaps the most high-profile example has been Positive Grid's BIAS line. Porting BIAS Amp and BIAS FX to the desktop was a brave move and, for a while, I think might have stretched PG a bit thin. However, it's difficult to argue that they haven't pulled it off with some real style now. And, with the hardware version of BIAS Amp – the BIAS Head – they have been getting rave reviews and very positive comparisons with top-end hardware devices such as the Kemper Profiling Amplifier.

Yesterday Korg announced another 'iOS to desktop' port that I think is worth being excited about. Gadget is coming soon to a desktop (OK, just OSX at present) near you. Gadget has been a huge success on iOS and to see Korg take the significant step of introducing it in a desktop format – in a market where there are some massive, and well-established competitors – is a pretty bold move. It says something about just how well Gadget has been received that Korg think it will find an audience in the music technology (desktop) mainstream.

The announcement also had some interesting details. Two new gadgets are going to be introduced and, in some form, one of these at least will allow Gadget to support audio recording. Yay! That's something Korg have been promising since Gadget was first introduced. Will that feature come to iOS? That's not 100% clear but I'd be surprised if not.

Second, on the desktop, all the individual 'gadgets' within Gadget will also be available as AU/VST plugins to use individually within a suitable DAW/sequencer (if you don't wish to use Gadget itself). That will get great on the desktop.... but does it hint that (a) we might see AU support under iOS for Gadget or (b) that 'gadgets' will also eventually appear as individual AU apps under iOS? Again, I'm speculating here...  but both would be great to see at some point.

Finally, Korg have made it clear that Gadget projects will be able to move between the two platforms; start your project on an iPad, develop it on your Mac, and then take it on the road back on your iPad to work on while away from home....  If this is as seamless as it sounds then it would make for a great workflow.

Anyway, with Korg set to release full details this time next week when the annual winter NAMM show kicks off, we will not have to wait too long to find out more. If this is the only significant iOS music tech news that NAMM brings then that would be pretty good....  However, I suspect there will be plenty of other announcements made that us iOS musicians might be interested in. Keep you eyes peeled and Ill try to cover the highlights via the blog :-)

Finally, a quick 'thank you' to all those subscribers who emailed me during the last week in response to my question in last week's newsletter about the sorts of things you might like to see covered in the blog. There were too many for me to reply to all of them individually (!) and, frankly, too many suggestions for me to ever be able to deliver on all of them (even if I had the expertise to do so) but also a few recurring themes and some excellent ideas. This will bit a bit of a slow burner issue for me over the coming year but I'll keep you posted as I make any progress.

Anyway, here's hoping you survived Friday 13th OK and that your coming week is full of opportunities to get some music made.

Best wishes,

John

http://www.musicappblog.com/

John Walden
The Music App Blog

Elantric

Magic bullets....  it doesn't matter what aspect of your life it might be connected with, I'm sure there are times when all of us are looking for 'that special something' that's going to fix something that's broken or provide the solution that makes a difficult task easy to accomplish. Except, of course, in the vast majority of cases, said magic bullet isn't magic after all....

Like most music technology geeks, this is a trap I find myself falling into on a regular basis. Occasionally, a piece of kit (software or hardware) really does amaze and I have to drag my jaw from off the floor so I can start to grin madly. Equally, some of the time, new stuff is just plain good; it helps, does a decent job, and moves the workflow along in a useful, but incremental, fashion. And, of course, sometimes, something looks genuinely promising but, in the end, perhaps doesn't quite 'fit' your specific needs and gets set aside.

I was set thinking about this concept afresh last week while travelling and having to fit in some genuine mobile music making using just my iPad and available apps. My iPad is, frankly, over-populated. It contains more apps than I could ever hope to master, regardless of the fact that many of them are brilliant. And even amongst the brilliant ones, there are some I perhaps wouldn't use regularly because they are not really a good fit for my own approach to making music or the style of music I create.

So, while on the road, I did find myself revisiting my selection of 'core apps' that I first posted about on the blog back in May last year as part of the 'less is more' mini-series. The consequence was a bit of a re-think, driven in part by the fact that I now find myself using my iPad-based music system as much for idea creation as actual recording and in part because, 9 months or so down the line, there have been some great new releases.

Anyway, I posted a further 'less is more' article yesterday with a personal selection of just 16 apps (1 page of a folder on my iPad screen) that perhaps bring my 'core set' up-to-date and better reflects the dual functions my system performs for me. I love lots of the other iOS music apps that are stored on my iPad and I can, of course, open them up any time I like...  but if I had to put together a 'desert island app collection' for my own music making, then, right now, this 16 would be it. If, over the course of the next 12 months, these were the only apps I learned to fully exploit, I suspect I'd not find too many creative obstacles I couldn't overcome.

Like the original posts, this fresh selection has already generated some interesting comments from the site's readership. Two things are obvious even from the replies so far. First, the whole 'less is more' concept is one that resonates with lots of people (that is, we all know we own too many apps and, that despite knowing magic bullets are few and far between, we still buy more). Second, everyone's personal 'core app' selection is unique.

This last point is, for me, one of the things that is rather wonderful about the App Store and what iOS can do for musicians. The iOS platform is, on the whole, quite an accessible environment for developers; multi-nationals and 'indies' can compete side by side. And the beauty of this is that we see a diverse range of music making tools - some conventional and some wonderfully not – that we can all pick and mix from to find our own, unique, creative workflow. And the relatively modest cost of individual apps encourages (and allows) us to experiment with an app (or three!) and, if it doesn't quite fit, set it to one side without feeling too guilty. That's not something that's so easy to do with desktop software at desktop prices.

So what apps would be in your 'core set'? Just how few could you actually manage with if you ended up on that desert island with your iPad and a solar battery charger? Go read the post, see how my list compares to your own, and leave a comment.... I'm sure others would be interested in seeing and hearing exactly why 'one size doesn't fit all' and just how flexible and imaginative iOS music apps allow us to be in customising your own musical creation process.

Finally, many thanks to all those readers to sent messages while I was away last week attending a family funeral. While it had its sad moments, if there is such a thing as a 'happy' funeral, then this was it....   It was a lovely way to celebrate a long and healthy life that had been well lived. Your messages were, however, very much appreciated.....

That's it for now.... Here's hoping you manage to negotiate your own personalised music making workflow droning the next week, whether that includes one app or 100. Until next time....  be happy, and get some music made.

Best wishes,

John

http://www.musicappblog.com/

John Walden
The Music App Blog

Elantric


It's been an interesting week for those obsessed (me? obsessed?) with iOS DAW/sequencer technology. We have seen routine updates to Auria Pro and Meteor, for example, and Korg have released further news about Gadget, including that the new audio recording feature – turning the app into a DAW/sequencer I guess – so we know it is going to arrive for iOS at the end of the month.

I also did a full review of a relative newcomer to iOS in the DAW/sequencer category; Audio Evolution Mobile Studio. This is actually an iOS port from a Windows/Android application that's been around for some time so there is a pedigree there. And, while the app does still have a few remaining gremlins (mostly to do with how 3rd party apps are handled), developer Davy Wentzler is clearly on the case and an update today (and a further one currently with Apple) has already improved this aspect of the software. Which is good because, at its heart, AEMS is actually rather nicely put together.

One further interesting aspect to the app is the pricing model Davy has adopted. The base app is a free download (so you can try the basic features before you buy). A modestly priced 'Pro' IAP (UK£5.99/US$5.99) then unlocks the trial limitation on track counts....  and you can than take (or leave) from the various other IAPs that offer virtual instruments and effects... or, of course, use your other IAA or AU plugins. If you just go with the Pro IAP, this is actually quite a lot of DAW/sequencer framework for your money.....

Which kind of (again) brings us back to app pricing. UK£5.99/US$5.99 for a DAW/sequencer engine is, frankly, just a bit bonkers. No, AEMS might not offer a feature set to match Auria Pro or a desktop DAW/sequencer, but it offers plenty of features for the budding iOS recording artist to get a decent job done. And, yet again, with Gadget for OSX pricing announced (US$199 will be the limited time launch price and US$299 the eventual full price), it is another stark reminder that (a) iOS music software is generally very (VERY) inexpensive and (b) trying to understand the difference between desktop pricing models and iOS pricing models, and explain it with any semblance of real logic, is pretty much impossible.

I'm not really one for giving out unsolicited advice...  but, tongue firmly in cheek, on this issue, I'm happy to do so; don't worry about it. Just accept the price difference and be content that, for us iOS-based musicians, pretty much everything you buy in terms of mainstream iOS music apps on the App Store is a bargain...  Enjoy the fact and, perhaps, just keep it to yourself. If we make too much noise about it (even if only to complain about high prices on the desktop), then someone might do something about it....  and it might not be the 'something' that we like :-)

Oh, and if you want an iOS bargain or two for the week-end, then do check out the new releases of Baervaag and NoLimits; two very cool new AU-format apps and both very competitively priced. Full reviews to follow next week :-)

Until then, here's hoping you have few opening whatever DAWs you happen to choose, be happy, and get some music made.

Best wishes,

John

http://www.musicappblog.com/

John Walden
The Music App Blog

Elantric

I think I can finally be confident that it's not just my imagination or wishful thinking....  Yes, the AU plugin format is at last beginning to make a serious impact under iOS. OK, so it is the best part of 18 months since Apple first implemented AU under iOS but, as the core code for the format has had at least two significant polish/refine stages since then, under iOS10, we are now seeing really positive progress.

Over the last few weeks we have seen a number of new and revised AU offerings. Updates to apps that were already AU-compatible include zMors EQ, Poison-202, ReSlice, various Klevgränd apps, Troublemaker and Envelope Reverb, for example. Equally, we have also seen a new (for iOS) DAW/sequencer in Audio Evolution Mobile Studio arrive with AU hosting already in place...  oh, and other AU hosts such as midiSTEPs and Auria Pro have also been updated.

We have also seen some new AU arrivals. NoLimits from DDMF, for example, an excellent, boutique-style, limiter app with a smooth sound and budget price. Or Baervaag, a neat new FM synth app from Klevgränd.

We have also seen some existing apps add AU for the first time. It is, for example, great to see the 'flora' apps series – compact budget audio effects apps – start to get AU support. These apps were always ideal candidates given their compact interfaces. However, perhaps the most impressive of these recent 'new to AU' apps is VirSyn's Addictive Pro synth. This is up there amongst the elite of iOS 'power' synths and yet VirSyn have managed to fit it rather elegantly into the AU format without losing any features or power. It clearly can be done if a developer is prepared to invest the resources in making it happen.

We all know the advantages that, in principle, AU plugins can bring. Placed within a single AU host, all your apps – virtual instruments and virtual effects – get saved, and then restored, intact with your project. Equally, CPU power permitting, you can run multiple instances of any of these apps within a single project. The workflow and creative benefits are obvious.

And now, if you so choose, you can acquire a pretty sizeable collection of AU-ready instruments and effects and host them in a number of different AU hosts. There are enough synths to get some serious EDM done and enough audio processing options to make more than just a basic mix. OK, a few more sample-based virtual instruments would be good to see....   but we are, finally, getting there. To all those developers out there who have taken a punt with the format....  thank you! Here's hoping this is a trend that continues over the coming months.

Oh, and on a non-AU front, if you want an iOS bargain for this weekend, then do check out KRFT from Studio Amplify. The app has been out for a couple of weeks but was updated this week to include full iPad support. I suspect it is one for the EDM fans but it is an interesting concept; sort of an ultra-slim all-in-one electronic music production app but with a twist in that it includes a performance front-end that you can design for yourself. Full review to follow next week but the special introductory pricing only lasts over this weekend....  :-)

Until then, whether you choose Audiobus, IAA or AU, be happy, and get some music made.

Best wishes,

John

http://www.musicappblog.com/

John Walden
The Music App Blog

Elantric

If any of you have ever run a website or blog for any length of time, then you will appreciate that it can be an interesting ride, especially if you are a 'one person does it all' operation as I am with the Music App Blog. I'm the web designer (hhmmm...  not great at that), tech guy (hmmm.... not sure I'm great at that either), content provider (OK, I'll give myself that one), budget manager (er....  what budget?) and sales/promotion department (no, I'm not a naturally-born sales person).....  It is, however, a lot of fun to do and, over the five years or so (where did that go?) of running the Music App Blog, I've leaned a lot about all these 'management' issues alongside what I've also learned about iOS music technology.

One element of running the site that has become a regular part of my weekly routine has been penning these Friday newsletter emails. It's one of the things I've grown to enjoy most about running the site and, whether it's identifying a theme for the passing week, highlighting a new release or two, or simply exploring a bit of iOS music tech gossip, it's kind of fun to share a few thoughts every Friday to a volunteer audience (well, you did sign up after all).

And, this week, the email newsletter subscription list reached a bit of a milestone; 3000 subscribers. OK, in the wider scheme of things, perhaps 3000 isn't such a big number. While I'm sure not everyone reads every newsletter, it is kind of humbling to think that that many individuals from around the globe (and there are subscribers from every corner of the planet it seems) are happy to invite me in once a week for a chat.

I do get something in return from this though; lots of email correspondence about iOS music technology and, whether that's questions, suggestions, or sharing of experiences with particular apps or bits of hardware, it's always interesting – and helpful – for me to read your own take on things (keep them coming). I don't always get the chance to reply to every email (sorry about that; I'd never write any new content for the blog itself if I did reply to every email that comes in) but do be sure that they all get read.....

So, this week – for me at least – it's you that are my personal 'news'. A whopping 3000 'thank you' messages for subscribing to the newsletter and being part of the blog's readership. It really is appreciated.

Of course, one 'incentive' for signing up for the newsletter (aside from a read on a Friday evening) is that you get entered into all the giveaways that I'm able to run via the blog and, right now, there are three going on at the same time...  for Ops, NoLimits and midiSTEPs.... Subscribers are, of course, automatically entered for these so keep your fingers crossed... you have to be in it to win it as they say.....  The generosity of the development community in making these giveaways possible also deserves a big 'thank you'.

Oh, and heads-up for next week as, if Korg stick to their plan, then the OSX version of Gadget – with audio recording – should become available. Fingers crossed the iOS update arrives at the same time or shortly afterwards. I'll keep you posted.....

Until then, have a great week, be happy, and get some music made.

Best wishes,

John

http://www.musicappblog.com/

Elantric

It's been a relatively quiet iOS music technology week this week. What could have been the big news – the update to Korg's Gadget and Gadget for OXS – and that was due on the 28th, failed to materialise as Korg have pushed the release date back until the end of March. Slipping launch dates are, of course, nothing new....  but Gadget users (myself included) will just have to wait a bit longer to get out hands on the new audio recording options that are promised.

So, with a little bit of 'quiet time', aside from doing my best to hit some musical deadlines, I did have time to deal with some blog-based email. Interestingly, this week, that included two separate emails asking me to share some views on mobile music technology. One of these was for a student from the ACM in the UK ('hi' Curtis) and the other was from a music tech journalist – Matthais Sauer – who writes for Tastenwelt magazine in Germany, and who is a big iOS/mobile music fan.

Both Curtis and Matthais were essentially thinking about the same issue; where does iOS music technology currently 'sit' in the wider music technology world? As a fan of iOS as a platform, but someone who also depends upon a desktop-based music system to put food on the table, it's a question I've often found myself thinking about (and I'm sure many of you have also).

Depending upon just how geeking you want to get, this could be quite a discussion – so perhaps not one for a weekly newsletter format – and it is one I'd like to get into at some point soon. I'm particularly interested in how/when the wider music tech community might find themselves embracing mobile music tech more wholeheartedly. I also think there is an interesting debate to be had about the relative pros and cons of mobile vs laptop/desktop and how those pros and cons might be changing over time.

At one level, this whole discussion, while interesting for the music tech geeks (me included), is kind of beside the point....  which ought to be about the music you are creating rather than the merits of the technology you are using to create it. However, at another level, it's interesting because technology very obviously shapes the music we do create (just listen to some 80s electronic music and it's clear that the 'features' of the drum machines, sequencers and synths of the time strongly influenced the somewhat 'robotic' nature of the finished songs).

Anyway, I can feel a blog post or two on the topic coming on at some stage.... and, as I'm sure I'm not the only one who has ever given this topic some thought (there are 3000+ of you out there who might also have mulled this over at some stage), then I'd be really interested in your own thoughts....

So, if you have a minute, then drop me line....  and I'd be specifically interested to hear about what advantages you think iOS/mobile music tech bring to your own music creation process. I'm sure the collective wisdom of the site's readership will help me shape my own thoughts as and when I start to put those posts together....

Anyway, hears hoping to hear from you soon and, technology aside, have a great week, be happy, and get some music made.

Best wishes,

John

PS If you haven't noticed already, Troublemaker is currently on a 50% sale. If you don't yet own this app, now is the time to put that right...  but be quick as I'm not sure just how long the sale might last :-)

http://www.musicappblog.com/

John Walden
The Music App Blog

Elantric

This has been an interesting iOS music tech week with a whole raft of updates to some of our well-established favourites. Feel free to check out the News section on the blog for the full details but the update list includes Sunrizer (a very welcome surprise), Modstep, iDensity, DFX, ReSlice, Troublemaker, BIAS Pedal, Quantiloop, Metagrid, all the Holderness Media apps, Phlox Phaser and Tiger-lily Tremolo and Patterning....   phew, that's quite a list.

However, I don't think there is much doubt about the app that's attracting the most attention this week and it's a new release; Layr from Living Memory Software. This is the developer behind the interesting Ostinator looper app and, while Ostinator is good in its own right, it is perhaps (a) aimed more at the guitar player and (b) relatively modest in scope. I'm not sure anyone using Ostinator might have predicted that Living Memory's next app would be what appears, on paper at least, to be an absolute synth monster.

OK, so we already have way more iOS synths than any of us are going to master in a single lifetime and, whatever your level of synth mastery, there are great choices for everyone. So do you need to pay attention to yet another iOS synth app? Well, 'need'....  probably not...  but, if like me, you find it hard to resist the lure of the latest and greatest iOS music app releases, then I think Layr is going to be more than your will power might be capable of handling; as outlined in my post today about the app's launch, Layr looks and sounds awesome.

Layr's synth engine looks very capable, the UI is modern and pretty slick but perhaps the key selling point is that you can 'layer' multiple sounds built on the synth engine to either build a mega patch or to behave as a multi-timbral sound source. Layr can, therefore, be the power-house synth in your project or provide multiple different sounds to deliver all the sound elements of your track.....  That's quite a tempting proposition for anyone interested in electronic music making. Oh, and it's universal with what looks like great support whatever iOS device format you are using....  providing, of course, it's a more recent iPhone, iPad or iPad mini. Audiobus, IAA and MIDI support are included but, on launch anyway, not AU as yet. Let's hope that is something that's planned as it would be impressive to see such a powerful tool operate in a plugin format....

All this power does come at a price though and Layr is launched at UK£19.99/US$19.99. I've not had a chance to fully explore as yet but my initial impression is that this pricing, while taking it beyond the 'casual purchase' price bracket on the App Store, is an absolute snip in software synth terms. Anyway, a full review will follow early next week....  and you can read it on the blog then if you haven't already succumbed to temptation and are too busy exploring for yourself :-)

Until then, have a great week, be happy, and whatever synths you chose to use, get some music made.

Best wishes,

John

http://www.musicappblog.com/

John Walden
The Music App Blog