Loopy Pro: Create music, your way.
What is Loopy Pro? — Loopy Pro is a powerful, flexible, and intuitive live looper, sampler, clip launcher and DAW for iPhone and iPad. At its core, it allows you to record and layer sounds in real-time to create complex musical arrangements. But it doesn’t stop there—Loopy Pro offers advanced tools to customize your workflow, build dynamic performance setups, and create a seamless connection between instruments, effects, and external gear.
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Download on the App StoreLoopy Pro is your all-in-one musical toolkit. Try it for free today.
Comments
Go> @matte said:
Good point
Videos for showing tricks, how to's, tips, interaction with other apps / midi etc - and also what something sounds like.
A good reference manual for sorting stuff out.
Unfortunately most IOS manuals are pretty crappy brochures / feature lists.
A smart Dev does both
In my experience videos only really work for informative purposes if they are concise and 3-5 minutes per topic. A manual is a must either way as it’s something easily searchable you can access offline. I’m guilty of doing long video reviews, but every time I’ve done paid training videos, it definitely works best when it’s something short and concise that people can easily look up for those “ wait how do I do this?” questions. Longer videos are nice for your core audience, but do little to attract new followers/fans if that’s your thing.
I like the topic title because it says "Good manuals".
As good as instructional videos can be, they cannot replace a detailed manual.
A detailed manual is a must for any app that goes beyond a 2-digit +/- counter.
Another point is that the manual must be readable off-line.
You can take it with your iPad (can't do that with youtube videos unless you're at a location with fast enough internet access), you can browse to any chapter immediately, you can search it (and Readdle Documents will show the context around each match so you can find information fast) and you're not stuck to the order, the depth and the speed of the instructor explaining what she/he thinks is appropriate.
Videos explaining how to make the best out of an app, picking the most important highlights, giving either a quick introduction or showing off new ideas and workflow tricks, creating a song etc. can be a great complement that I actually often prefer to watch in video format if it's not longer than a few minutes.
I also like videos that just show some descriptive text while the motion picture starts right off.
Who needs blown-up intros or people talking and talking bedore they get to the point?
This!
Seriously, where's the spirit animal emoji?
Videos are important but I what I want to say is that - basic things shouldn't be shown because you can learn these often by just playing about. More technical vids - connecting such and such or using such and such a certain way to achieve a result is desireable. So I like videos that don't show the easy stuff just for the sake of making a video etc etc. If people buy programs - most of them can be fairly logical if you spend 10-15 minutes playing about. Other software that may involve coding etc that's different. If some additonal skill is used, then nothing should be assumed.
Video is interesting/complicated/connection related/testing etc and manual for the basics that dont really need a video
@MdM : I worked in a music store selling keyboards and trust me, “Spending 15 just playing about” and actually being able to suss out how something works is a talent within itself.. I remember one keyboard rep in particular being like that. 10 minutes and he’d have it all figured out .. Not everyone is like that.. I’m sure not.. It seems like you are.
The importance of video is it shows how to be creative with software.
The ultimate starting point.
A good manual, like the one for Layr.
Or an actual video that is formatted like a manual.
The sloppy, fumbling YouTube videos are a waste of time, and they never dive in to how you actually do any thing technical or practical.
Granted there are some good guys doing YouTube videos, but I don't watch them to see if I want an app... Normally I can't make it thru the ummms and watching fingers do circles trying to decide where to go lol, drives me nuts..
So I say a good manual, but only because the lack of professional, practical videos.... But I would prefer a good video to see what the app can actually do, not a small over view of the basics.
Well as others have probably said, it's a false dichotomy. Videos are great but are primarily good for inspiration. In the case of a programmed progression of teaching they can be good for introducing the features in vivo too but video is a pretty unsuited medium for reference works. It's hard to find anything that compares to a detailed and comprehensive and properly-indexed written manual, preferably printed on (or printable on) paper. That latter part is important too - although print seems like a serial medium, it really isn't if you look at how people handle reference books.
Maybe we’re twins separated at birth?
While I’m firmly a manual over video person, what I do not like are manuals that are simply a description of what each knob and menu does without any revelation of how they’re used. There should be at least some context that sheds light on the intent of the control, and preferably a brief example of its application.
For brief but complete and very useful information, @brambos manuals are some of the best (Rozeta being the exception).
Yes, the dichotomy thing. Does anyone really want to watch a video that mechanically goes through app features like a user manual? Companies that put out videos in place of a manual are cutting corners or don't have the resources. One is not a complete replacement for the other. To me a good video is really also entertainment. It has the personality of the maker, they tend to share at least something personal, and seeing someone using the software to actually do something goes beyond what a manual generally provides. If you already know the subject, or just really aren't interested in watching that kind of video, then it's something to avoid.
Videos are also great for beginners. Many people hate reading manuals, or they have a hard time taking that dry information and applying it. When a viewer gets frustrated because the video is too slow-paced for them, they probably just weren't the target audience to begin with.
It depends on it...
Basically I welcome every written manual, preferably as an offline PDF manual.
The question is how it was written.
Many manuals are written very technically and superficially. When there are dozens of cross-references, Many people often don't understand anything anymore. Many manuals are written far too complicated and incomprehensible for a beginner in the subject.
Have you ever read a camera manual for a Nikon D800 or an Olympus E-M1 written by their developers? This is really strong tobacco.
Yes, every single function is explained from A-Z, but these manuals does not teach you to use the cameras properly. And here's the problem. The manual confuses beginners more than it takes them further.
Often the manual can only be used as a reference work for experienced users. A manual written by technicians is often incomprehensible to the layman.
Only if a manual is well written and understandable it helps further.
A video made by an experienced user for users can help a lot. Here, attention is often drawn to the really important aspects without confusing them. The focus is also often on an optimal workflow.
A well-made video takes further than a poorly written manual. Unfortunately, really good manuals are very rare. But nice if there is a manual at all... 😎
I think you know what I was trying to say...
Edit / P.S.
I was really happy to see this video (80 minutes) about SynthScaper. It really helped me a lot to understand more about this complex app. Glad @MarkH made it...
Maybe. Have I mentioned that my meatspace name is Wi(ll) M.?
I don’t like watching instructional videos and prefer a well written manual. If the manual isn’t particularly well written, I’ll figure it out myself.
I wonder which are our actual parents.
I suspect my dad thought he got the short end of the deal.
@chandroji : Well said and that Video made me wanna buy Sythscaper
YouTube has an insane amount of great Garageband for iPad videos. Pete Johns has some amazing ones .
I would exchange all the video tutorials out there for a paper version. I find very few videos which contents can’t be vehiculated to paper. OTOH I have watched many videos that could be summarized in a couple of sentences, independently if the video was 5, 30 or 120 minutes long. And I really have no time to go through a half hour video to extrapolate those meaningful words.
I love pure workflow videos tho, explanations of what is being done are replaced by why something is being done. Like Jim pavlov rebuilding prodigy’s tunes.
Nonetheless many tuts are just out of focus. take for example compression tutorials: they tell you where the knobs are but they usually forget to spill the important bits such.
A good tut would be like this: I had this problem with the mix and using a compressor solved it because blablabla, and the result was achieved with the compressor working that much and just then tell the knobs position, since those settings are to be adjusted to the source material anyhow.
The same thing done in the “waste of time” fashion would sound like: so I put this very expensive compressor because it is the best, I set the knobs here and there after 10 minutes fiddling on video and these settings are good because you can hear it how the instrument is cutting thru and the tut is done. This to me is more of a prestige trick.
And as my father is used to say: writing down things makes the crap sink
I really like manuals. Learning anything in-depth from videos is not an enjoyable activity for me. Rewinding and so on if you miss anything. And really very few videos of this nature are done really palatably. With, for example, no brain-numbing music jigging away all the way through. But videos like Doug’s can be perfect for tasters and reviews.
@mschenkel.it unbelievably good comment
Videos by dj puzzle cause he cuts to the chase and knows what he is doing without rambling on unrehearsed
Also he shows the potential of the sounds of an app
And he gets into fine detail without much detail if that makes sense?
Most apps are geared towards edm and he is a producer
Manuals suck
Most apps are easy to navigate and figure out but some features may not be so obvious
no ones mentioned in app help? I found it a good way to bring the manual into context for Quantum. Videoes are harder for me to do than manuals.
Well produced video tutorials are amazing. Unfortunately there are very few people around who can do this for iOS in a focused way. Too many YouTubers fumble about, not really understanding how to use an app even though their video is labelled 'tutorial'. Sure, this has its charms as a piece of entertainment because it replicates the user experience nicely, but it's often not particularly useful when you're trying to learn stuff.
Good point. It's one thing that's particular to/possible with software that wouldn't work with, say, a car or a missle silo or a low-flow toilet. The idea of help when and where you need it is a hopeful one indeed.
Still doesn't beat a manual for me but perhaps I'm stuck in my old (AF) ways.
A good video is based on a well-written script. You can tell most don’t do this hence the many useless YT videos. Also, a good script would, in many cases be the equivalent of a manual.
In-app help is okay if it doesn’t take you out of what you’re working on. An example of a recent terrible implementation is Affinity Designer for iPad. You have to close what you’re working on, and then from the Home screen you can call up the manual. Next time you go back to the manual, it doesn’t remember where you were. You can’t adjust text size, so tough luck for anyone with poor eyesight. There is no PDF or online manual for the iOS version. People have apparently complained about this with Serif’s products for a long time, but they don’t change their ways. They do offer some nice tutorial videos, but they can’t cover everything for such a big program. The app is low-priced, so how much can we ask for?
It’s about getting what you pay for. Free online videos are another way consumers have been spoiled. I derive a huge amount of worth from YouTube but, of course, you have to wade through lots of stuff, some seriously bad, to find the gems. It’s FREE. Nobody’s forced to use the free resource, but often comments are made where the viewer appears confused about that.