Modstep update ! 27/02/17

Hansson

Awesomeness. Now has anyome found anything new hidden/changed// undocumented features or something ?

AndyPlankton

@Littlewoodg said:

@cian said:
I wish people would stop accusing this app of being abandoned.

+1, it's weird. I don't really get the "instability" one either. Seems to come from people that don't actually have the app, or use it....I say that because I use it live without issue

I think instability can occur if you swap in and out a lot of au's (while trying to find a sound perhaps) and if one of those swaps was to an AU that is not particularly well behaved....it is always the host that gets the blame.

AndyPlankton

@gonekrazy3000 said:

@cian said:

@Littlewoodg said:

I don't really get the "instability" one either. Seems to come from people that don't actually have the app, or use it....I say that because I use it live without issue

Are you using AU hosting? If that's stable as well, that would rock. I like AUM, but hosting stuff in it for sketches kills my flow.

its extremely stable now with the new version. to the point where i start sketching in modstep alone now. but i do still send audio out to aum for external effects. Aum can actually get upto 8 audio streams from modstep so you could keep the aus in modstep while adding effects and panning externally later.

I am still hosting in AUM, but that is because I am also using outboard gear and I can swap a track from an AU to a hardware synth just by changing the midi IO routing. I can also record the whole thing in AUM including the audio coming from the hardware.

Redo1

@JohnnyGoodyear said:
Bring on the dancing horses....

james baxter?

gonekrazy3000

@AndyPlankton said:

@gonekrazy3000 said:

@cian said:

@Littlewoodg said:

I don't really get the "instability" one either. Seems to come from people that don't actually have the app, or use it....I say that because I use it live without issue

Are you using AU hosting? If that's stable as well, that would rock. I like AUM, but hosting stuff in it for sketches kills my flow.

its extremely stable now with the new version. to the point where i start sketching in modstep alone now. but i do still send audio out to aum for external effects. Aum can actually get upto 8 audio streams from modstep so you could keep the aus in modstep while adding effects and panning externally later.

I am still hosting in AUM, but that is because I am also using outboard gear and I can swap a track from an AU to a hardware synth just by changing the midi IO routing. I can also record the whole thing in AUM including the audio coming from the hardware.

oh dont get me wrong. i only use aus when im sans any external gear. back in my studio if i start a project i usually have ableton driving everything. i just use my ipad as a sound module. i print all the midi i have in modstep and move it into ableton projects for more complex editing. or. i print the midi in gadget and do a midi export and project export so that i have both sweet audio files and midi to move into ableton.

depends on my mood really. if intend on doing more complex edits i still use modstep purely for midi only.

johnfromberkeley

@Artmuzz said:
developer's support on Modstep is terrible.

I'd have to disagree with this. I think the developer has a lot of hard problems to solve. There have been 8 updates over the last 14 months, an average of more than one update every two months.

Now, if you want to argue about the merits of Modstep itself, fine. But the developer has remained pretty active, in the face of quite a bit of criticism.

I appreciate @cblomert's ambition, and Modstep is improving with each release.

JohnnyGoodyear

@johnfromberkeley said:

@Artmuzz said:
developer's support on Modstep is terrible.

I'd have to disagree with this. I think the developer has a lot of hard problems to solve. There have been 8 updates over the last 14 months, an average of more than one update every two months.

Now, if you want to argue about the merits of Modstep itself, fine. But the developer has remained pretty active, in the face of quite a bit of criticism.

I appreciate @cblomert's ambition, and Modstep is improving with each release.

Well said.

As indicated, am going to give this a dive-in this next week or so, with updates/versions in mind what is the most sensible Tute to start with at this point? @cblomert? @Anyone?

AndyPlankton

@johnfromberkeley said:

@Artmuzz said:
developer's support on Modstep is terrible.

I'd have to disagree with this. I think the developer has a lot of hard problems to solve. There have been 8 updates over the last 14 months, an average of more than one update every two months.

Now, if you want to argue about the merits of Modstep itself, fine. But the developer has remained pretty active, in the face of quite a bit of criticism.

I appreciate @cblomert's ambition, and Modstep is improving with each release.

+1,000,000

Artmuzz

@johnfromberkeley said:

@Artmuzz said:
developer's support on Modstep is terrible.

I'd have to disagree with this. I think the developer has a lot of hard problems to solve. There have been 8 updates over the last 14 months, an average of more than one update every two months.

Now, if you want to argue about the merits of Modstep itself, fine. But the developer has remained pretty active, in the face of quite a bit of criticism.

I appreciate @cblomert's ambition, and Modstep is improving with each release.

The reason I mentioned terrible support is because I filled in an enquiry about the preset problem with the AU plugins on the Modstep website but didn't get any reply back from the developer. I have had excellent support back from other developers when I had problems but unfortunately not with the Modstep developer. Suffice to say the AU plugin preset problem has been fixed with the new update.

lukesleepwalker

@Littlewoodg said:
+1, it's weird. I don't really get the "instability" one either. Seems to come from people that don't actually have the app, or use it....I say that because I use it live without issue

I have the app and use it. And I have found the AU issues spring up at the most inopportune times in live situations (I've only used in rehearsal). I'm willing to give it another go if others who have had issues find that the AU issues seem to be abating.

jefflovv

Disable auto save is now my favorite feature

[Deleted User]

I have not got any of the usual AU issues so far, but it's early days testing it out. So far fingers crossed

[Deleted User]

I haven't had it long or used it much, but no real issues, and any updates at all are appreciated these days.

Seems like a decent sort of dev to me, and glad I grabbed it - must knuckle down and learn it properly now.

crony

@jefflovv said:
Disable auto save is now my favorite feature

Ok...I can't find the option...Help

ecamburn

@gonekrazy3000 said:
its extremely stable now with the new version. to the point where i start sketching in modstep alone now. but i do still send audio out to aum for external effects. Aum can actually get upto 8 audio streams from modstep so you could keep the aus in modstep while adding effects and panning externally later.

Do you mean hardware effects? Because MS hosts iaa and au effects per channel. Just "discovered" this this morning. Like you, I use AUM to capture audio, but I think that's a workflow layer I can remove.

Ableton export would be nice.

[Deleted User]

The user and all related content has been deleted.

gonekrazy3000

@ecamburn said:

@gonekrazy3000 said:
its extremely stable now with the new version. to the point where i start sketching in modstep alone now. but i do still send audio out to aum for external effects. Aum can actually get upto 8 audio streams from modstep so you could keep the aus in modstep while adding effects and panning externally later.

Do you mean hardware effects? Because MS hosts iaa and au effects per channel. Just "discovered" this this morning. Like you, I use AUM to capture audio, but I think that's a workflow layer I can remove.

Ableton export would be nice.

thing is i usually bus my effects. something that modstep cannot do. like have 2 lead synths layered but i effect them together. my workflow atleast is just having the raw material in modstep but more complex audio routing via aum. and as you mentioned Aum is better for recording since it perfectly slices stuff when link is on into bars that can easily be imported into ableton live. also. routing via aum lets me record both "dry" and "effected" versions of all my stems. sometimes later on in ableton i just use the dry version and effect with my vst plugins.

papertiger

@crony said:

@jefflovv said:
Disable auto save is now my favorite feature

Ok...I can't find the option...Help

Clickon ""Autosave" icon on the far right, next to "Modstep Sessions" box (where the "Create Folder," etc. functions are)

cian

What I really want is 'undo'.

ExAsperis99

@gonekrazy3000 said:

@ecamburn said:

@gonekrazy3000 said:

Aum is better for recording since it perfectly slices stuff when link is on into bars

beg your pardon?

crony

@papertiger said:

@crony said:

@jefflovv said:
Disable auto save is now my favorite feature

Ok...I can't find the option...Help

Clickon ""Autosave" icon on the far right, next to "Modstep Sessions" box (where the "Create Folder," etc. functions are)

Mouahaha, I'm so dumb...Thanks...Didn't realize I have to "unclick" it...

Littlewoodg

@5pinlink said:

@Littlewoodg said:

@cian said:
I wish people would stop accusing this app of being abandoned.

+1, it's weird. I don't really get the "instability" one either. Seems to come from people that don't actually have the app, or use it....I say that because I use it live without issue

These two comments are very closed minded, are you assuming that people are lying about instability ?
Modstep has serious issues with a bunch of AUs, Brams are particularly bad, and yes i have contacted him and he confirmed it was Modstep not his plugins, it also has issues with IAA.
Just because you do not have issues does not mean others are not having issues, the world of software is very open ended, various hardware, various plugins and so on, did you know that timing is all over the place with Modsteps built in sampler with some sample rates, probably not because you didn't use those sample rates, the list goes on and on and on.
Nobody is saying that the developer is terrible, just pointing out the facts about the app as it is right now (Previous to this release anyway, not enough time testing to give a report yet)

The recode sounds like it could be just the thing, a shame it needs doing already in such a young app, but if they get it right it will be well worth it, could be the number one sequencer with a consistent UI and a few more features.

I was responding in part to your initial post here that even if the AU probs were fixed, the app still could not be taken seriously, which seems - as you put it - to be very close-minded.

You are right of course that software is an open-ended deal, with many many possible use cases that require many variations of interoperability. My experience is different than yours it seems. Modstep is for me the only host that works with many of my favorite IAA instruments, that do not work anywhere else...and my AU issues are limited to Ruis FM

My experience here on the forum, which I've admittedly and unfortunately become reactive to, is that apps get "reviewed" by users that aren't users, but people that simply repeat what they've heard. Usually repeating sweeping and damning things, for example "instability".

Instability for me does not mean a host doesn't load an AUx instrument. It also doesn't mean that the UI is daunting or "counterintuitive" (as if that's an objective measure). Instability means the software crashes.

Processaurus

Thanks for the update! I'll check it out again. Has the bug with external keyboards not recording (notes appear for an instant in the clip, then disappear) been addressed?

gonekrazy3000

@ExAsperis99 said:

@gonekrazy3000 said:

@ecamburn said:

@gonekrazy3000 said:

Aum is better for recording since it perfectly slices stuff when link is on into bars

beg your pardon?

It starts and stops recording in time with link. so lets saw you click stop recording at 3.3 bars. it will actually stop recording after completing the 4th bar making it a perfect 4 bar loop. this makes it really good for recording loops you can directly dump into ableton or blocs.

crony

Modstep does also that, that's why I bought it in the first place...

wim

I would rather have quiet developers that quietly and consistently improve their offerings than communicative ones that don't get much done or lose interest altogether. I've seen all the crap these guys have taken from people around here at times - ranging from someone positively outraged that they didn't get a response within a few hours on a weekend, to just plain nasty name calling and insults.

This ain't a Mercedes dealership. It's freaking iOS, with tiny price expectations, and no income generation from updates. These guys obviously work hard, and for very little return. thanks @Nerk_ and @cblomert for all your efforts. Many of us appreciate it very much!

ExAsperis99

@gonekrazy3000 said:

@ExAsperis99 said:

@gonekrazy3000 said:

@ecamburn said:

@gonekrazy3000 said:

Aum is better for recording since it perfectly slices stuff when link is on into bars

beg your pardon?

It starts and stops recording in time with link. so lets saw you click stop recording at 3.3 bars. it will actually stop recording after completing the 4th bar making it a perfect 4 bar loop. this makes it really good for recording loops you can directly dump into ableton or blocs.

I never ever noticed this.
So just when you've got, say, an Elastic Drums loop going, and your noodling along with TC-11...you push record and it starts on the 1, and then you push pause later...and it finishes whatever bar it's on? WOW.

Will

Disable Auto Save! Thank you for this feature!

@cblomert said:
We think we can solve the remaining mysteries surrounding the UX

Glad to hear this and good luck with it. Hope you guys have a chance to do some live user walk through testing. You ask a set of users with varying experience levels to perform certain tasks while they "think out loud" and then note the places they get stuck. It's always an amazing and illuminating experience.

skiphunt

I've only had Modstep since the holiday sales. I avoided it for a long time because I thought the learning curve would be too steep based on many of the threads.

I have not mastered this app yet, not even close. But, I have found the app interface intuitive enough that I have yet to even watch a single tutorial. Yet, I'm getting all kinds of great use out of it already.

Actually, I've only just now had to refer to the manual for something I couldn't figure out on my own, and it was clear within minutes.

I'm not a "musician" nor a power user driving a bunch of higher end hardware, but for my use of controlling iOS synths and effects, I've been pleasantly surprised at just how freakin useful Modstep is, even for a novice like myself. Though, I too (like @JohnnyGoodyear) would very much welcome a good tutorial so that I can build on a solid foundation. Modstep is clearly a powerful composition tool that I'd like to invest more time in getting to know better.

My own initial experience with the AUs was stable enough, but noticeably flaky. This latest build seems rock solid in comparison.

The only hurdle I'm currently trying to get over, is how to use the DM2 templates to actually control DM2 loaded within Modstep. I've tried a half dozen times since I bought the app and have failed every time. Confident it's 100% new user ignorance though.

hellquist

@ExAsperis99 said:

@gonekrazy3000 said:

@ExAsperis99 said:

@gonekrazy3000 said:

@ecamburn said:

@gonekrazy3000 said:

Aum is better for recording since it perfectly slices stuff when link is on into bars

beg your pardon?

It starts and stops recording in time with link. so lets saw you click stop recording at 3.3 bars. it will actually stop recording after completing the 4th bar making it a perfect 4 bar loop. this makes it really good for recording loops you can directly dump into ableton or blocs.

I never ever noticed this.
So just when you've got, say, an Elastic Drums loop going, and your noodling along with TC-11...you push record and it starts on the 1, and then you push pause later...and it finishes whatever bar it's on? WOW.

Yes. And both AUM and ModStep does this (though you'd probably never need both of them to do it at the same time). Cool eh?