Just looking at it, I'd seriously consider ditching most of the studio apps I have in my iPad, other than Meteor and Aurora. It will depend on how much I use it.
As someone who grew up with Jeskola Buzz I totally get the modular system, so I'm looking forward to giving this a run.
I'm torn. It seems like it's really well executed, and the modular environment is very exciting, but those IAP's are way too expensive for what you get for the money. I would prefer a higher price to begin with.
Round Eye. The name of my first new session. As I open up the device browser and slowly start to scroll I gaze upon all that is and what could be. I start to read descriptions. My mind churning as I start to put together possibilities in my mind before I even reach the last word. "This is going to be something great" I hear, a voice familiar to those with highly active internal monologue. I start to add it all up. The routings become clear. The thought of what might be has become. The stage is set. Time to play. ---------------
This thing is pretty cool. I love the store. I love the whole store concept. I already am thinking of ways they could add anything. Patches,loop sets,whole instruments. They could put out a orchestral device that deals with those sounds. The possibilities are endless and will only be limited by the devs. I can see myself checking this store on a regular basis to see what new devices I can add. I am a gear junkie and this is a near perfect way to quench my need to by gear virtually. I am really digging this. I have not yet sampled any of the sounds so I can't really go into my views on those but as I read,you can always just add your own stuff anyway.
I also want to thank the devs for adding WIST. I don't own two iOS devices but if I did I would be very pleased to be able to use that feature now with apps other then one with the name KORG. I don't know why this API isn't being used by other developers. It could be a simpler way to add a virtual "clock sync" without having to code full core midi. That way you could get some sync going whilst figuring out the spaghetti mess that process has. I can see WIST being a very powerful feature in this app. A full modular synth studio/mobile DJ rig with WIST, forget about it.
The one thing that I did say to myself though and I hope this won't be taken the wrong way but I said to myself: "this is what jasuto wants to be". Now I don't know what thendev has in store for jasuto studio.....but the bar has been set as far a modular studio apps go.(GUI) I am sure he has taken notice and his wheels are probably turning as we speak. Other than that boys, it's been real. I now get to wind down from my day,check my emails,and hopefully I can find some time in the next couple of days to dig into her. Oh,it's almost the weekend huh? Perfect. Later. freesoul
@freesoulvw : no this is not what jasuto wants to be. Jasuto is much closer to max in spirit. This is much closer to reason (or as others have pointed out, audiotool) in spirit.
@anon: it's clear that the correct price for this was probably more like 15-20$. The 5$ introductory price + IAPs is probably another approach to getting at that price point. The strategy probably backfired for some customers, but knowing that this app with the IAPs is comparable to a lot of 20$ apps, it doesn't bug me too much.
Well. I bought it because of Palm Sounds featureing and hype about it.
Sadly the app SUCKS.
Insanely expensive IAP (I like the idea of IAP but come on!) 8 euro for a mixer with solo? 8 euro for simple delay? no shuffle/swing no recorded sequence editing? no compressor/eq? how much for upcomeing compressor fx? 15euro? maybe 30euro for mixer with eq? what about midi/audiocopy? how to make multisampled instruments? Im starting to hate my ipad...
I,m liking it too but would be interested in some feed back on the in app purchases .more nice sounds would be good for the synths.I haven't used a modular system before but I have found it(30 mins use) simple to use.just add module to table and connect to output. Templates help loads.has heeps of potential. I have my eyes on the cross fader app as I think this could widen it's use loads but if the effects are as limited as the existing filter then I think they are a bit expensive-should be 59p.but really enjoying it
It is fun, I agree. Bit of a shame that you can only load your own samples into the drum pad device, and not into the keyboard or the tone matrix. The ability to load samples into those would greatly increase the depth of this!
The crossfader was the first thing I wanted as well. I was thinking how cool it would be to cross fade two "synth" mods or even two drum samplers. I'm gonna have to get it and experiment with some crazy routings. I would want the delay too to add crazy repeats to all the cross fades. So much fun.
All these folks are crying so loud. I see things for what they are and for $5 entrance fee with the option to go full on IAP that's cool by me. I have wanted aurora studio hd since it dropped and I can't afford to pay $40 upfront. If they would offer it as $5 with options then in could at least get started.
We get bogged down into all these "it should have this it should have that" but it generally takes a moment to learn how to use powerful apps to their full potential. Before bashing an app on what it has(or doesn't) and what you have to buy(or don't)we still get a powerful tool for the paltry sum of a latte and we get to spend time learning and creating with a whole new system. Take a step back(un saddle yourself from Silver)and get the Hi-Ho on the road to sound cloud. Put your songs up that you made with Tabletop and if you want I will listen and give feedback. Then you can take that and see if you "need" all the added options an IAP can bring.
Enjoy it folks. Have fun. This is music. Like all things in life. Take what you are given and don't take it for granted. This is a great time we living in and all these iPad/iOS apps are way more powerful then what we had less then 10 years ago on our mobile platforms. Hell,look at android. They don't even get a thimbles full of the same opportunity we get so take these opportunities and roll with them.
I've just played around with this for the last couple of hours and the idea clearly has merit however....the sounds are limited and fairly basic. These can me tarted up using the modular system but the IAP's are very expensive in comparison to the cost of the App. Resampling to the drum pads has been implemented, which is nice but with no audio copy you can't take you sample to an audio editor to get the start point right or make basic adjustments. Resampling would be better through the mixer with sends using interesting effects chains but that mixer, the delay, the chorus, and the cross fader are all expensive IAP's. There's also no distortion or shapers to dramatically alter the character of the sound. I'd also hoped for an implementation of the samplers from Doppler Pad but that technology's not included.
The modular environment, resampling and automation go along way but there's still a lot missing. Will be interesting to see where this goes.
After playing with Tabletop for a couple of hours, and although I really like the concept and the approach, I feel this is really too much of a toy rather than a serious bit of kit (black patch leads on a black background? Come on people!)
But then I thought the same for Reason (which this is no doubt copying?), and look at that? Reason's gone from strength to strength.
Is the modularity here for routing audio only, or are you able to route controls too? For example, is it possible to control the filter module with sequencer/lfo/audio frequency etc?
The app is pretty, but the prices for modules should IMO really be much lower if they want mass IAP sales.
routing is audio only, although I must say knob/slider automation works beautifully.
As I mentioned earlier, I think he high IAP cost is recouping the true cost of the program, which is much more than the 5$ asking price. Whether this is a good marketing strategy is questionable, but I understand that the reason the delay is a ridiculously high 5$ is that the program is a ridiculously low 5$.
Keep in mind that apple pockets 30% of the IAP money, so they're only getting about 3$ for every 5$ iAP...
the all in one thing doesn't work on the ipad now, it doesn't have the cpu to do all you want @ the same time, meaning if the app is trying to do the daw thing, it sounds shitty.
Do all IAP's require connection to a wi-fi or 3G network in order to work after purchase? I purchased Sylo synth, and upgraded to the Pro version through IAP, the problem is however, whenever I want to use it and am not connected to a wi-fi hotspot, it will not start. I was wondering if they are all like this, or if there is a difference between the 'upgrade' thing and the 'extra content' thing.
@icepulse no i'm thinking more along the lines of how people write music on the mpc.
as keith pointed out, technically there is a sequencer, it just doesn't look like the piano roll/16 step sequencer that tmothy might have been looking for.
It's a very impressive start. I would like to see more dynamics stuff - compressor, bitcrusher, various distortions...
Also, it'd be nice to have a more fluid resampling workflow, like being able to resample to a pad directly somehow without cluttering up the local file directory (this goes for most apps actually... I really dislike having a giant directory of temporary files for resampling).
For a resource-limited device, fluid resampling workflow can really open up doors and I've yet to see any studio app exploit that possibility well. Nanostudio comes close with the offline effects processing capability, but still requires rending to a file to resample the entire mix and doesn't allow for offline processing of selected regions of a sample...
Its funny how many people see the ipad as an underpowered device, and how its normal it can't do everything, yet the ipad is more powerful than a Pentium3 computer which could run DAW software like Cubase with plugins and multiple tracks, or Reason and many others over 10 years ago.
@2anon: of course it's relative. But on the pentium chips, personally, I did a lot of sound sculpting through repeated processing in soundforge, which is pretty much the same thing as resampling anyway...
But I hear ya, I would like to see all my favorite programs from 2004 released in ios form as well...
"Do all IAP's require connection to a wi-fi or 3G network in order to work after purchase? "
Tabletop IAP's will work without network after purchase. We definitely wanted people to have access to their gear on the go!
Regarding sequencing: There are several takes on sequencing in the app: The Gridlok is focused on being playable, the M8rx features pattern-based step sequencing, and the Triggerator is a live-playable loop sequencer that currently acts as the master controller.
We're interested in pursuing all of these concepts as we move forward. But what I personally get excited about is this notion: The Triggerator itself is modular. Notice that the transport swaps out with additional Triggerator-specific features when you add it. This means we can create entirely different master controllers in the future with totally different features and properties!
In thanks for the success of the launch and to respond to some comments about IAPs we are extending the launch promotion to include deals on the effects:
Just looking at it, I'd seriously consider ditching most of the studio apps I have in my iPad, other than Meteor and Aurora. It will depend on how much I use it.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who grew up with Jeskola Buzz I totally get the modular system, so I'm looking forward to giving this a run.
Paying a couple of extra bucks for a simple delay or mixer just sucks! It is a rip off.
ReplyDeleteI'm torn. It seems like it's really well executed, and the modular environment is very exciting, but those IAP's are way too expensive for what you get for the money. I would prefer a higher price to begin with.
ReplyDeleteRound Eye. The name of my first new session. As I open up the device browser and slowly start to scroll I gaze upon all that is and what could be. I start to read descriptions. My mind churning as I start to put together possibilities in my mind before I even reach the last word. "This is going to be something great" I hear, a voice familiar to those with highly active internal monologue. I start to add it all up. The routings become clear. The thought of what might be has become. The stage is set. Time to play.
ReplyDelete---------------
This thing is pretty cool. I love the store. I love the whole store concept. I already am thinking of ways they could add anything. Patches,loop sets,whole instruments. They could put out a orchestral device that deals with those sounds. The possibilities are endless and will only be limited by the devs. I can see myself checking this store on a regular basis to see what new devices I can add. I am a gear junkie and this is a near perfect way to quench my need to by gear virtually. I am really digging this. I have not yet sampled any of the sounds so I can't really go into my views on those but as I read,you can always just add your own stuff anyway.
I also want to thank the devs for adding WIST. I don't own two iOS devices but if I did I would be very pleased to be able to use that feature now with apps other then one with the name KORG. I don't know why this API isn't being used by other developers. It could be a simpler way to add a virtual "clock sync" without having to code full core midi. That way you could get some sync going whilst figuring out the spaghetti mess that process has. I can see WIST being a very powerful feature in this app. A full modular synth studio/mobile DJ rig with WIST, forget about it.
The one thing that I did say to myself though and I hope this won't be taken the wrong way but I said to myself: "this is what jasuto wants to be". Now I don't know what thendev has in store for jasuto studio.....but the bar has been set as far a modular studio apps go.(GUI) I am sure he has taken notice and his wheels are probably turning as we speak. Other than that boys, it's been real. I now get to wind down from my day,check my emails,and hopefully I can find some time in the next couple of days to dig into her. Oh,it's almost the weekend huh? Perfect. Later. freesoul
@freesoulvw : no this is not what jasuto wants to be. Jasuto is much closer to max in spirit. This is much closer to reason (or as others have pointed out, audiotool) in spirit.
ReplyDelete@anon: it's clear that the correct price for this was probably more like 15-20$. The 5$ introductory price + IAPs is probably another approach to getting at that price point. The strategy probably backfired for some customers, but knowing that this app with the IAPs is comparable to a lot of 20$ apps, it doesn't bug me too much.
Well. I bought it because of Palm Sounds featureing and hype about it.
ReplyDeleteSadly the app SUCKS.
Insanely expensive IAP (I like the idea of IAP but come on!)
8 euro for a mixer with solo?
8 euro for simple delay?
no shuffle/swing
no recorded sequence editing?
no compressor/eq?
how much for upcomeing compressor fx? 15euro?
maybe 30euro for mixer with eq?
what about midi/audiocopy?
how to make multisampled instruments?
Im starting to hate my ipad...
I,m liking it too but would be interested in some feed back on the in app purchases .more nice sounds would be good for the synths.I haven't used a modular system before but I have found it(30 mins use) simple to use.just add module to table and connect to output. Templates help loads.has heeps of potential. I have my eyes on the cross fader app as I think this could widen it's use loads but if the effects are as limited as the existing filter then I think they are a bit expensive-should be 59p.but really enjoying it
ReplyDeleteCongas
It is fun, I agree.
ReplyDeleteBit of a shame that you can only load your own samples into the drum pad device, and not into the keyboard or the tone matrix. The ability to load samples into those would greatly increase the depth of this!
If only sunvox looked like this
ReplyDeleteThe crossfader was the first thing I wanted as well. I was thinking how cool it would be to cross fade two "synth" mods or even two drum samplers. I'm gonna have to get it and experiment with some crazy routings. I would want the delay too to add crazy repeats to all the cross fades. So much fun.
ReplyDeleteAll these folks are crying so loud. I see things for what they are and for $5 entrance fee with the option to go full on IAP that's cool by me. I have wanted aurora studio hd since it dropped and I can't afford to pay $40 upfront. If they would offer it as $5 with options then in could at least get started.
We get bogged down into all these "it should have this it should have that" but it generally takes a moment to learn how to use powerful apps to their full potential. Before bashing an app on what it has(or doesn't) and what you have to buy(or don't)we still get a powerful tool for the paltry sum of a latte and we get to spend time learning and creating with a whole new system. Take a step back(un saddle yourself from Silver)and get the Hi-Ho on the road to sound cloud. Put your songs up that you made with Tabletop and if you want I will listen and give feedback. Then you can take that and see if you "need" all the added options an IAP can bring.
Enjoy it folks. Have fun. This is music. Like all things in life. Take what you are given and don't take it for granted. This is a great time we living in and all these iPad/iOS apps are way more powerful then what we had less then 10 years ago on our mobile platforms. Hell,look at android. They don't even get a thimbles full of the same opportunity we get so take these opportunities and roll with them.
Make music,not noise.
I've just played around with this for the last couple of hours and the idea clearly has merit however....the sounds are limited and fairly basic. These can me tarted up using the modular system but the IAP's are very expensive in comparison to the cost of the App. Resampling to the drum pads has been implemented, which is nice but with no audio copy you can't take you sample to an audio editor to get the start point right or make basic adjustments. Resampling would be better through the mixer with sends using interesting effects chains but that mixer, the delay, the chorus, and the cross fader are all expensive IAP's. There's also no distortion or shapers to dramatically alter the character of the sound. I'd also hoped for an implementation of the samplers from Doppler Pad but that technology's not included.
ReplyDeleteThe modular environment, resampling and automation go along way but there's still a lot missing. Will be interesting to see where this goes.
Oh and it does look great...
After playing with Tabletop for a couple of hours, and although I really like the concept and the approach, I feel this is really too much of a toy rather than a serious bit of kit (black patch leads on a black background? Come on people!)
ReplyDeleteBut then I thought the same for Reason (which this is no doubt copying?), and look at that? Reason's gone from strength to strength.
Roll on Jasuto Studio!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhere is the sequencer? Damn, I think I have just wasted another 3 quid. Could of bought a pint of apples in my local with that...
ReplyDeleteNanostudio, will you have me back? She meant nothing to me, honest... I promise not to stray again.
@tmothy if you can play music, you don't need a sequencer...
ReplyDelete@TMothy73 the included Triggerator device is a sequencer
ReplyDeleteIs the modularity here for routing audio only, or are you able to route controls too? For example, is it possible to control the filter module with sequencer/lfo/audio frequency etc?
ReplyDeleteThe app is pretty, but the prices for modules should IMO really be much lower if they want mass IAP sales.
routing is audio only, although I must say knob/slider automation works beautifully.
ReplyDeleteAs I mentioned earlier, I think he high IAP cost is recouping the true cost of the program, which is much more than the 5$ asking price. Whether this is a good marketing strategy is questionable, but I understand that the reason the delay is a ridiculously high 5$ is that the program is a ridiculously low 5$.
Keep in mind that apple pockets 30% of the IAP money, so they're only getting about 3$ for every 5$ iAP...
@anonymous
ReplyDelete"if you can play music, you don't need a sequencer..."
..."play music"?
Who the f**k do we look like? Bob Seger?
That's yesterday's attitude.
I like this app but... at the end... SunVox is still my modular favourite.
ReplyDeletethe all in one thing doesn't work on the ipad now, it doesn't have the cpu to do all you want @ the same time,
ReplyDeletemeaning if the app is trying to do the daw thing, it sounds shitty.
Do all IAP's require connection to a wi-fi or 3G network in order to work after purchase? I purchased Sylo synth, and upgraded to the Pro version through IAP, the problem is however, whenever I want to use it and am not connected to a wi-fi hotspot, it will not start. I was wondering if they are all like this, or if there is a difference between the 'upgrade' thing and the 'extra content' thing.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a toy and sounds like a toy.
ReplyDeleteBingo!
ReplyDelete@icepulse no i'm thinking more along the lines of how people write music on the mpc.
ReplyDeleteas keith pointed out, technically there is a sequencer, it just doesn't look like the piano roll/16 step sequencer that tmothy might have been looking for.
It's a very impressive start. I would like to see more dynamics stuff - compressor, bitcrusher, various distortions...
ReplyDeleteAlso, it'd be nice to have a more fluid resampling workflow, like being able to resample to a pad directly somehow without cluttering up the local file directory (this goes for most apps actually... I really dislike having a giant directory of temporary files for resampling).
For a resource-limited device, fluid resampling workflow can really open up doors and I've yet to see any studio app exploit that possibility well. Nanostudio comes close with the offline effects processing capability, but still requires rending to a file to resample the entire mix and doesn't allow for offline processing of selected regions of a sample...
Its funny how many people see the ipad as an underpowered device, and how its normal it can't do everything, yet the ipad is more powerful than a Pentium3 computer which could run DAW software like Cubase with plugins and multiple tracks, or Reason and many others over 10 years ago.
ReplyDelete@2anon: of course it's relative. But on the pentium chips, personally, I did a lot of sound sculpting through repeated processing in soundforge, which is pretty much the same thing as resampling anyway...
ReplyDeleteBut I hear ya, I would like to see all my favorite programs from 2004 released in ios form as well...
"Do all IAP's require connection to a wi-fi or 3G network in order to work after purchase? "
ReplyDeleteTabletop IAP's will work without network after purchase. We definitely wanted people to have access to their gear on the go!
Regarding sequencing: There are several takes on sequencing in the app: The Gridlok is focused on being playable, the M8rx features pattern-based step sequencing, and the Triggerator is a live-playable loop sequencer that currently acts as the master controller.
We're interested in pursuing all of these concepts as we move forward. But what I personally get excited about is this notion: The Triggerator itself is modular. Notice that the transport swaps out with additional Triggerator-specific features when you add it. This means we can create entirely different master controllers in the future with totally different features and properties!
Sounds great Jean-Paul!
ReplyDeleteLet's hope you can achieve that goal rather than getting stuck in too-a-complicated development like many others have fallen foul to. :)
oh please, pentium 3 was years ago, now i want spectral nonsense & convolution in realtime!
ReplyDeleteIn thanks for the success of the launch and to respond to some comments about IAPs we are extending the launch promotion to include deals on the effects:
ReplyDeletehttp://blog.retronyms.com/2011/08/all-effects-are-now-099-as-part-of.html
Please read the post to find out how we want to take care of the early adopters. :)