Xequence 2 is now available!

rezidue

@rezidue said:
@SevenSystems ran into a similar issue with state saving. Weird thing was that when I would load the preset I would launch xequence and see my arrangement briefly before it took me to the project management screen and then it would be gone. I thought maybe a stale refresh but it consistently happened. Even created a new project and saved it directly in xequence to make sure when I loaded the AB preset I wasn’t just seeing what was last loaded briefly. It still showed me the original arrangement that I had tried to save in AB. Of course, when I went to record it somehow stopped behaving this way. xequence now loads the keyboard for some reason first. I doubt any of this is helpful but it felt like xequence might be dumping the arrangement.

@SevenSystems any thoughts on this?

rs2000

@slicetwo said:

@rs2000 said:

@slicetwo said:
I was unable to get Xequence to work on standalone with any of my synths. I tried with Zeeon and Model D. I set the midi channels to match up and tried both the network session out and the synth's own output in Xequence. Neither produced sound in either synth. Maybe I had the settings wrong as I managed to route properly in AUM. Not sure what I'm missing.

Are you sure that background audio was enabled in Zeeon/Model D?

I'll check. If I have background processing off in the iPad's own settings, does that effect the synths? It certainly doesn't effect AUM or Audioshare.

Synths do have their own settings inside the app.
Using them in AUM or Audioshare is different because in that case, background audio will always be enabled.

SevenSystems

@gusgranite said:
@SevenSystems Will the DAW you are working on also include Xequence 2 features? Anything you can share on the roadmap? Thx.

It is in fact the other way around -- Xequence 2 is based on the DAW 🙂 during development, it became apparent that finishing that up will take much more time than anticipated, but the additions and optimizations for the sequencer were already great so it made sense to release it separately.

The DAW roadmap is not fully certain, but it already has a traditional mixer with 6 aux sends, 4 subgroups, unlimited insert effects per channel, and recursive routing (feedback between channels).

I can imagine adding AU hosting to it so that AUM or Audiobus are not required anymore and you can essentially stay inside one app, but let's not be too optimistic for now 🙂

SevenSystems

@Will0827 said:
@SevenSystems Thanks for your reply to my earlier question. Wanted to know if hosting AUV3 midi apps is/was something that is being considered.

Also unless a feature like this already exist, a chord track like in the studio one daw would be amazing, again unless it already exist.

MIDI AU hosting is currently unlikely, as that can already be achieved with Audiobus...

No chord track, but chord PADS are definitely something that is under consideration!

SevenSystems

@Carnbot said:

@SevenSystems said:

I can almost definitely say that there won't be an "all-out AUv3 version" of Xequence, it just doesn't fit Xequence's philosophy.

I can totally understand that
But just to clarify would "midi learn" include midi Program change message support for loading sessions?

This is what I'm needing in a standalone midi sequencer. It would then act like a hardware sequencer and you can design a flexible workflow without relying on Audiobus each time.

Yes, that's what I was referring to when I said that I'd like more user feedback first -- i.e. "What kinds of actions are sensible to include in MIDI control, and in what way". I'll open that discussion in a separate thread when I'm ready to tackle this 🙂

SevenSystems

@ExAsperis99 said:

@SevenSystems said:

@JohnnyGoodyear said:
Simpleton question:

If one is a simpleton and already has V1 but has yet to really make much headway would the panel think it best to stick with V1 or instead move straight to V2 because it is simpler in a way that a simpleton might more easily understand?

One thing that is simpler by default in Xequence 2 is the instrument and track management. Where in Xequence 1 you had to create and assign tracks for instruments manually (many users weren't comfortable with this), X2 will by default manage tracks completely automatically, so there's definitely less steps involved and less head-around-wrapping.

This is exactly what I was hoping for! My cautious/cheapskate, too-many-apps-already self loved Xeq with that exception. Sold.

Nice to hear! Yes I realized that this is quite a time saver and probably something that "everybody wants"... only to get a barrage of mails from pissed beta testers after the first beta "WHY CAN'T I ADD TRACKS MANUALLY OR CHANGE INSTRUMENTS?". 😳 so in the end, BOTH ways are now available so everyone's happy!

SevenSystems

@rezidue said:

@rezidue said:
@SevenSystems ran into a similar issue with state saving. Weird thing was that when I would load the preset I would launch xequence and see my arrangement briefly before it took me to the project management screen and then it would be gone. I thought maybe a stale refresh but it consistently happened. Even created a new project and saved it directly in xequence to make sure when I loaded the AB preset I wasn’t just seeing what was last loaded briefly. It still showed me the original arrangement that I had tried to save in AB. Of course, when I went to record it somehow stopped behaving this way. xequence now loads the keyboard for some reason first. I doubt any of this is helpful but it felt like xequence might be dumping the arrangement.

@SevenSystems any thoughts on this?

We're still investigating to find a 100% reproducible way to botch a preset , so far unsuccessfully.

ruggedsmooth

@SevenSystems said:
One thing to note is that if you have Audiobus Presets that contain Xequence 1, and you have never saved the corresponding Xequence project normally as a file, then you should hold out and NOT uninstall Xequence 1 just yet because it will then be impossible to retrieve the projects from the Presets.

I'll add a proper way to migrate Audiobus Presets that contain Xequence 1 to Xequence 2 to the migration guide tomorrow!

The gist of it is however:

Load your preset containing the Xequence 1 project

Go to Xequence and save the project as a regular file

Go to the iOS Files app, navigate to the Xequence 1 folder and copy the project to the Xequence 2 folder (yes, I know it's unfortunate that both apps appear exactly the same in the Files app)

Back in Audiobus, eject each Xequence 1 source and replace it with Xequence 2 (the icons are slightly different)

Go to Xequence 2 and load the project you copied

Save the Audiobus Preset under a new name.

That should do it!

@SevenSystems

This does not work for me. I get the state saving bug every time with all my old projects

I just created a NEW Audiobus xeq1 project
Added a Ruismaker and a Phasemaker

When through the steps here you listed

When I rename the Audiobus preset it does not state save xeq. I receive no prompt. No matter how many times I click save or change/ add things to project then try to save again still no prompt

Have yet to be able to transfer one old project correctly

SevenSystems

@Zetagy said:
Today was going to be about fireworks and Stranger Things... This update is the business, @Sevensystems Thank you-!

Thanks for upgrading!

espiegel123

@ruggedsmooth : please let @Michael know'

JabreyD

@ExAsperis99 said:

@SevenSystems said:

@JohnnyGoodyear said:
Simpleton question:

If one is a simpleton and already has V1 but has yet to really make much headway would the panel think it best to stick with V1 or instead move straight to V2 because it is simpler in a way that a simpleton might more easily understand?

One thing that is simpler by default in Xequence 2 is the instrument and track management. Where in Xequence 1 you had to create and assign tracks for instruments manually (many users weren't comfortable with this), X2 will by default manage tracks completely automatically, so there's definitely less steps involved and less head-around-wrapping.

This is exactly what I was hoping for! My cautious/cheapskate, too-many-apps-already self loved Xeq with that exception. Sold.

@JohnnyGoodyear said:

@SevenSystems said:

@d4d0ug said:
I’ve got the update / new version and need to play with it more. Are there any videos available demoing the new features / functionality @SevenSystems ?

Thanks for getting the update! As always, we're strictly anti-video, but of course I'm still hoping for others who are more talented at producing video content

Thanks for your previous answers. I have 'upgraded' and, as an Englishman in Texas, J4's a good day to stay home with the curtains closed, so I will try to do something I never do and read the manual. BUT let me confirm what you know already and that's being anti-video is a damn shame after all the work you've put into this project. Many of us slow kids learn 90% of what we ever do by watching not reading....

Agree, agree, agree. I would like to see a VIDEO showing me how this workflow is versus X1 (with in app purchases), and whether this is really any different.

SevenSystems

@ruggedsmooth will check ASAP! Thanks

espiegel123

@SevenSystems said:

@espiegel123 said:
@SevenSystems : you might consider creating a wiki entry for Xequence and maybe put links to the YouTube Xequence tutorials.

That page will be a good place for people to put tips and tricks and links that people will be able to find in the future.

Yes I thought about that already a few weeks ago when it started, but struggling with time constraints. Maybe you can be kind enough to at least create a little placeholder page until I get around to doing more detailed stuff?

Use this short form to get the wiki page started: https://wiki.audiob.us/add_an_app

rezidue

@SevenSystems said:

@rezidue said:

@rezidue said:
@SevenSystems ran into a similar issue with state saving. Weird thing was that when I would load the preset I would launch xequence and see my arrangement briefly before it took me to the project management screen and then it would be gone. I thought maybe a stale refresh but it consistently happened. Even created a new project and saved it directly in xequence to make sure when I loaded the AB preset I wasn’t just seeing what was last loaded briefly. It still showed me the original arrangement that I had tried to save in AB. Of course, when I went to record it somehow stopped behaving this way. xequence now loads the keyboard for some reason first. I doubt any of this is helpful but it felt like xequence might be dumping the arrangement.

@SevenSystems any thoughts on this?

We're still investigating to find a 100% reproducible way to botch a preset , so far unsuccessfully.

I’ll keep at it and see if I can come up with anything. One thing I’ve been wondering about is if there was anyway to deconstruct the AB present to figure out if there is Xequence project data stored. If there are any additional ways I can help debug let me know. Maybe xcode console?

JabreyD

@Breezee said:

@ExAsperis99 said:

@SevenSystems said:

@JohnnyGoodyear said:
Simpleton question:

If one is a simpleton and already has V1 but has yet to really make much headway would the panel think it best to stick with V1 or instead move straight to V2 because it is simpler in a way that a simpleton might more easily understand?

One thing that is simpler by default in Xequence 2 is the instrument and track management. Where in Xequence 1 you had to create and assign tracks for instruments manually (many users weren't comfortable with this), X2 will by default manage tracks completely automatically, so there's definitely less steps involved and less head-around-wrapping.

This is exactly what I was hoping for! My cautious/cheapskate, too-many-apps-already self loved Xeq with that exception. Sold.

@JohnnyGoodyear said:

@SevenSystems said:

@d4d0ug said:
I’ve got the update / new version and need to play with it more. Are there any videos available demoing the new features / functionality @SevenSystems ?

Thanks for getting the update! As always, we're strictly anti-video, but of course I'm still hoping for others who are more talented at producing video content

Thanks for your previous answers. I have 'upgraded' and, as an Englishman in Texas, J4's a good day to stay home with the curtains closed, so I will try to do something I never do and read the manual. BUT let me confirm what you know already and that's being anti-video is a damn shame after all the work you've put into this project. Many of us slow kids learn 90% of what we ever do by watching not reading....

Agree, agree, agree. I would like to see a VIDEO showing me how this workflow is versus X1 (with in app purchases), and whether this is really any different.

Any thoughts?

Why would there be no support of video intros or manuals?

Unless it shows nothing is really new or that it shows complications or lack of stability issues....

SevenSystems

@rezidue said:

@SevenSystems said:

@rezidue said:

@rezidue said:
@SevenSystems ran into a similar issue with state saving. Weird thing was that when I would load the preset I would launch xequence and see my arrangement briefly before it took me to the project management screen and then it would be gone. I thought maybe a stale refresh but it consistently happened. Even created a new project and saved it directly in xequence to make sure when I loaded the AB preset I wasn’t just seeing what was last loaded briefly. It still showed me the original arrangement that I had tried to save in AB. Of course, when I went to record it somehow stopped behaving this way. xequence now loads the keyboard for some reason first. I doubt any of this is helpful but it felt like xequence might be dumping the arrangement.

@SevenSystems any thoughts on this?

We're still investigating to find a 100% reproducible way to botch a preset , so far unsuccessfully.

I’ll keep at it and see if I can come up with anything. One thing I’ve been wondering about is if there was anyway to deconstruct the AB present to figure out if there is Xequence project data stored. If there are any additional ways I can help debug let me know. Maybe xcode console?

Yes, it involves manually hacking the URL of the preset like this:

If the URL of the preset is:

http://pr3s3t.audiob.us/#jbtoPh8i9sxPyoo

Then you have to change it to:

http://pr3s3t.audiob.us/presets/jbtoPh8i9sxPyoo

and you will get the raw XML file.

(I had to replace "preset" with "pr3s3t" to keep the forum from embedding the presets)

SevenSystems

@Michael, I'm noticing that Audiobus still, for unknown reasons, sometimes doesn't save the state for Xequence (the "Saved State for Xequence" notification doesn't appear and there's no state info in the preset). Why is this not an error? i.e. if Audiobus is unable to save the state for one of the apps, why isn't there a big fat warning? Just wondering...

audio_DT

@Breezee said:

@Breezee said:

@ExAsperis99 said:

@SevenSystems said:

@JohnnyGoodyear said:
Simpleton question:

If one is a simpleton and already has V1 but has yet to really make much headway would the panel think it best to stick with V1 or instead move straight to V2 because it is simpler in a way that a simpleton might more easily understand?

One thing that is simpler by default in Xequence 2 is the instrument and track management. Where in Xequence 1 you had to create and assign tracks for instruments manually (many users weren't comfortable with this), X2 will by default manage tracks completely automatically, so there's definitely less steps involved and less head-around-wrapping.

This is exactly what I was hoping for! My cautious/cheapskate, too-many-apps-already self loved Xeq with that exception. Sold.

@JohnnyGoodyear said:

@SevenSystems said:

@d4d0ug said:
I’ve got the update / new version and need to play with it more. Are there any videos available demoing the new features / functionality @SevenSystems ?

Thanks for getting the update! As always, we're strictly anti-video, but of course I'm still hoping for others who are more talented at producing video content

Thanks for your previous answers. I have 'upgraded' and, as an Englishman in Texas, J4's a good day to stay home with the curtains closed, so I will try to do something I never do and read the manual. BUT let me confirm what you know already and that's being anti-video is a damn shame after all the work you've put into this project. Many of us slow kids learn 90% of what we ever do by watching not reading....

Agree, agree, agree. I would like to see a VIDEO showing me how this workflow is versus X1 (with in app purchases), and whether this is really any different.

Any thoughts?

Why would there be no support of video intros or manuals?

Unless it shows nothing is really new or that it shows complications or lack of stability issues....

As a user who owned x1 and now owns x2, I think what you’ll find is that the additions to x2 are cumulative rather than something radically new. I can imagine some people might think , ‘no point in getting this’, if they already have x1. However, in my mind, this would be a big mistake. X2 is super slick and is a vast improvement on the first version because everything works really intuitively and it’s rock solid so far in terms of stability. It is now, to my mind, at least, the killer AUM sequencer. After pissing about for God knows how long with trying to figure out a way of having my cake and eating it - that is, having AUM’s unbeatable ‘noodling’ and ‘sound experimentation’ capabilities while also being able to properly sequence the results - @SevenSystems released this great piece of software. I would love an all-in-one solution to music-making on iOS, but the proper DAWs available to us are all deficient in one or more ways. With xequence, you get a sequencer far more flexible than either Cubasis or Auria, and a mixer and sound source host - AUM - that is numero uno for producing sounds. Put them together and you have the best solution available on iOS today - in my view, of course; others will disagree, naturally. My dream DAW would be a welding together of AUM and Xequence, but right now we still have them in a way that they can be nicely integrated, thus giving us the best of both worlds, while admittedly not quite managing to fuse both worlds into one. But the bottom line is that it’s a great piece of software and I’m definitely going to use it a lot. AUM + xequence (and possibly even AB3) is, for my money, the most flexible way to create music on iOS today. It all depends on what you’re looking for, though, and it’s definitely not the case that there is a single app that would satisfy everyone.

As for the manual - there is an extensive manual. I read most of it last night while noodling with it, and am now off to complete part too of this pleasant little endeavour... 🙂

GrimLucky

@SevenSystems said:

@GrimLucky said:
Quick question, I’ve just created a custom scale using an imported midi file (great new feature) is there a way to save this and use the scale on other tracks in the project.

Really liking that it now has link start stop and importing midi to existing projects. 😊

Thanks There's no direct way to do that, but you could just make a clip with the scale, copy it to the clipboard (INSERT -> CLIPBOARD -> COPY) , and then load your target project, INSERT -> CLIPBOARD -> PASTE, and then open the clip and select all notes and then "Scale from selection". (Remember that all clipboards also work between different projects)

(there's also a feature to save and load complete instruments, along with scale, keyboard settings, drum setup, MIDI sync setup, controllers etc. planned for an upcoming update.)

Thanks, hadn’t considered that way but it works really well. Scale from selection is great, I’ve not seen this feature in other apps.

SevenSystems

Hey everyone. Just letting you know that I'm pushing a little update with a few minor fixes, in case any of you were having one of these issues. Oh, and the app will appear as "Xequence 2" after the update, so you'll have a much easier time distinguishing it from your existing Xequence 1 installation in Files, etc.

=== 2.0.1 ===

IMPROVEMENTS:

• Changed the App's display name to "Xequence 2" so it can be better distinguished from Xequence 1 for existing users.

FIXES:

• Fix a rare crash when using the "KeySlide" control mode on the keyboard.

• Fix frozen splash screen when loading a corrupted project file.

• Fix a rare crash with certain hardware MIDI controllers.

EDIT: Oops, sorry, that'll have to wait... seems like Apple's servers have crashed due to the demand for Xequence 2!

aaronpc

My favorite new feature (outside of midi stretching) is how sharp and snappy the new grid is. There is no more line flicker whilst zooming about, especially on the phone.

SevenSystems

@aaronpc said:
My favorite new feature (outside of midi stretching) is how sharp and snappy the new grid is. There is no more line flicker whilst zooming about, especially on the phone.

Hehe, that's unexpected, but appreciated! Yes, the drawing code, especially in the pianoroll and controller editors, has been majorly improved as well.

wim

@SevenSystems said:
@Michael, I'm noticing that Audiobus still, for unknown reasons, sometimes doesn't save the state for Xequence (the "Saved State for Xequence" notification doesn't appear and there's no state info in the preset). Why is this not an error? i.e. if Audiobus is unable to save the state for one of the apps, why isn't there a big fat warning? Just wondering...

Possible data point here. Last night I had a short project going and state saving wasn’t working with it. Of course, I had saved the project file as I always do just in case, so I could come back to it several times. Then, one time, I saved while Xequence and Audiobus were playing, not stopped. It saved. Then it continued to be able to save whether the apps were running or not.

Could be random. But since we’re all trying to find some reproducible pattern, I thought I’d put it out there.

SpookyZoo

@slicetwo said:
I was unable to get Xequence to work on standalone with any of my synths. I tried with Zeeon and Model D. I set the midi channels to match up and tried both the network session out and the synth's own output in Xequence. Neither produced sound in either synth. Maybe I had the settings wrong as I managed to route properly in AUM. Not sure what I'm missing.

Did you get it working? You probably need to connect to Xequence Via AUM destination within AUM?

ruggedsmooth

Created a new Xequence2 audiobus3 project
Same thing when trying to save preset in AB3, no prompt no Xequence save.

But then I saved the xeq project.
Close everything.
reopen the Audiobus preset
and then reopen the Xequence project file. Then try to save again and it started working

Went back to my other AB3 preset I was trying and now it seems to be saving and displaying the prompt correctly

It’s weird man

Going to create a new project after I eat to see if it happens again

From now on I’m saving in both AB3 and Xeq just in case.
(Other than that I’m loving the new updates)

Carnbot

@SevenSystems said:

@Carnbot said:

@SevenSystems said:

I can almost definitely say that there won't be an "all-out AUv3 version" of Xequence, it just doesn't fit Xequence's philosophy.

I can totally understand that
But just to clarify would "midi learn" include midi Program change message support for loading sessions?

This is what I'm needing in a standalone midi sequencer. It would then act like a hardware sequencer and you can design a flexible workflow without relying on Audiobus each time.

Yes, that's what I was referring to when I said that I'd like more user feedback first -- i.e. "What kinds of actions are sensible to include in MIDI control, and in what way". I'll open that discussion in a separate thread when I'm ready to tackle this 🙂

Thanks for the reply, yeah I understand that there’ll be a lot of requests, I’ll wait and see what’s to be implemented.

I’m hoping that midi assignable preset/session loading becomes standard for all standalone apps one day as it makes working in different setups much more achievable and less confusing between different apps/setups.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Audiobus statesaving and I’m all for it, but it’s tied to just Audiobus and seems to require maintenance whereas midi controlled session loading is universal, despite being slightly less convenient.

SevenSystems

@ruggedsmooth thanks for the continuing effort. The bottom line for me still is that Audiobus should simply display a big fat error message when state saving fails.

audio_DT

@aaronpc said:
My favorite new feature (outside of midi stretching) is how sharp and snappy the new grid is. There is no more line flicker whilst zooming about, especially on the phone.

Agreed. I think this is one of the best updated features. That might sound a bit odd, but it was really rickety in x1, and now it’s as smooth as you like.

[Deleted User]

The user and all related content has been deleted.

SevenSystems

@d4d0ug said:

@SevenSystems said:

@d4d0ug said:
I’ve got the update / new version and need to play with it more. Are there any videos available demoing the new features / functionality @SevenSystems ?

Thanks for getting the update! As always, we're strictly anti-video, but of course I'm still hoping for others who are more talented at producing video content

Hehe fair enough, just wondered if I was missing a hidden stash of tutorials 😁

@gmslayton has made a bunch of great videos for Xequence 1, most of that actually still applies... but yeah, a showcase of the new features and workflow enhancements in v2 would sure be nice.