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Comments
Thanks @wim.
Many AUv3 effects can be re-built in Drambo and within limits, automation can be done via graphic envelopes and parameter modulation goes far beyond what you can do with any other iOS DAW. It's an option to consider.
I would work with preset projects to make life easier.
Good old Drambo.
It looks like it's the M1. But maybe iPadOS 15 Beta 4 has also something to do with it. Nothing more to do is wait till the iPadOS final in september.
Just bought studio drums - hopefully helps a tiny bit!
It’s time to have a play with using this IAA in AUM. Ableton link start stop makes it so much more viable.
I’m not even that bothered about audio tracks anymore as I doubt I’ll move completely to NS2 even if they were added. AUM is just too good. If nanostudio can be a ‘module’ that provides slate and obsidian into AUM, that’s probably enough for my needs.
iOS is a tough market for audio apps for sure.
But building a DAW? yikes.
In my easy-in-hindsight (but hopefully objective) take on this, NS2 was the wrong app at the wrong time for a single developer.
A DAW is a huge commitment. It’s the app you are supposed to live in on the platform. It takes time to learn and even more time to before you really benefit from knowing the app inside out. People don't buy DAWS the way they buy delay plug-ins.
The barrier to entry is, relatively speaking, huge.
The introduction of auv3s was literally a game changer. It changed the way we make music on iOS. Many of us don't even use traditional linear DAWs anymore. But NS2 always worked best when you use it natively. It's never been quite finished with auv3s and is only as reliable as the plug-ins it hosts. Not the developer's fault but very bad timing for NS2.
The crazy thing is, many of us on this forum spend more on a single compressor than on NS2. But a compressor can be used in any host. It's easy to use and can be an impulse purchase for a specific task. Need a nice tape delay for a song but don't have one, or the one you have isn't quite hitting the spot? The App Store has you covered...
Plus there's no barrier to entry for plug-ins. You don't have to commit to anything in the way you need to commit to a DAW.
And if you do commit to a DAW it needs to be complete. A DAW with missing features is cutting off a big chunk of an already small niche. Even if NS2 was perfect, had audio tracks, auv3 automation, etc. it's still not going to appeal to everyone -- DAWs are a very subjective commitment.
In a parallel universe where NS2 was never released as a single product but as a suite of auv3 plugins (Slate, Obsidian, Piano Roll, Fx, Maybe also a Bare bones host with audio tracks and automation, etc.) I'd probably have spent many times more than the price of NS2 without getting everything that’s in NS2 today. They could have charged the same price for Obsidian as an auv3 as NS2 sells for today. Slate could have been a £/$/€9.99 plug-in easily. Add in a constant supply of IAP drum kits and there's a revenue stream. Even the built-in fx could have been sold as for £/$/€10 as an auv3 multi fx package. Ns2 includes effectively dozens of plug-ins, for the price of just one of them. NS2 as a whole package is clearly not a great return for all that coding compared to what the individual elements would cost as single plug-ins.
NS2 falls between the cracks. It's too big, complicated and DAW-like to be an all-in-one-closed-shop groovebox type thing but lacking in too many important features to be iOS's premier DAW.
Its not that there's no money spent on iOS. Quite the contrary. When I add up all the money I've spent on 'cheap' iOS audio apps and plug-ins, it's a hell of a lot more than I've spent on desktop apps. But that money is shared out amongst many developers, whereas on desktop Apple and Reason Studios get all my money. Developers are clearly having a hard time to make money on the AppStore in 2021.
I say all of this as an NS2 user and fan. It's my favourite audio production app for my iPhone by far. (Just don't remind me how frustrating it was to use on my iPad Air 2 if I dared use an external plug-in though).
All NS2 needs are audio tracks and the MIDI FX automation, and it's automatically the best DAW on iOS. It's so frustrating - I think the reason it hasn't made enough money for Matt is because of these missing features (particularly audio tracks). A real chicken/egg situation, and I think it's too late now, quite honestly, which is a depressing thought. From Matt's comments in the thread on his forum, I don't think audio tracks are ever going to come.
it can also provide midi sequencing for all AU instruments loaded in AUM - link start/stop made the workflow a lot easier where NS2 works like midi sequencer for all instruments loaded in AUM a lot easier...
just load NS as IAA generator in AUM (to have it as part of project), then add external midi tracks into NS, route them into AUM individual midi channels 1-16 .. and load your favourite AU oligins in AUM, set peoper midi channel to each one...
Wow. Thank you for the tip. I wonder how NS2 compares, when used in this way, to Xequence2?
depends on taste .. not better, not worse - just different . . everybody prefers different workflow / enviroment
Great to see an update from Matt. 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾
And of course that one comment 🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️.
Is it possible to also post a screenshot of the MIDI routing screen in AUM and MIDI settings in NS? I can’t get it to work. (I am trying to MIDI learn a parameter via AUM MIDI control for an AU loaded in AUM). I’m a NS novice..
edit: it seems to work using notes, but not with the knobs for CCs
Is it possible to do reverse, send midi from AUM to NS2 on the same iPad? I was trying this last night to record midi into NS2, but it doesn't have a midi in port?
I never use NS2 as I’m pretty happy with the workflow in Atom2 and AUM. But I did have a run on it last night after the update, and it is a joy to use. But am I right in thinking that you can’t automate FX? That’s a shame if true.
You need to make sure the track you want to record to is listening on either all ports or the NS2 virtual port. You should then be able to route MIDI from AUM to the NanoStudio 2 virtual port:
The default is to listen to MIDI only when the track is selected, which is the preferred behaviour if you have a MIDI keyboard connected but you will want to set this to ALWAYS if recording multiple streams of MIDI.
You can automate the built-in fx. In most cases this is enough for my use. I ask myself if automating an effect is truly critical to what I'm working on. In most cases the answer is 'I can do with with the built-in fx'. If not, export a stem, apply the effect in AUM and import into Slate or Obsidian. For me, NS2 is worth this little bit of effort given the overall efficiency of the NS2 workflow.
in ns, this is how every track looks (jist every ine different channel).. here for exsmole first track routed to ripplemaker
and ripplemaker settings in AUM
here example of whole routing matrix for those 3 instruments from my first post
tou just need assign peoper CC's here - those will be then possible to automate in NS and they will be then sent from NS into AUM
in macro knows screen of external midi instrument, tap in hamburger menu top right
then tap on blue knob you can assogn to some CC
and choose CC from list
Thank you works like a charm now! I was messing around in a wrong ‘MIDI screen’.
Wait One gosh darn freaking minute!
So you are saying I can use NS2 to sequence instruments in AUM?!
Does that me I can have NS2 playing all my NS2 tracks AND sequencing my old IAA’s in AUM at the same time?
yes sir :-)
you're limited only by 16 midi channels of AUM midi port
pretty much yes :-)
just don't forget to save NS2 project in NS, it is NOT saved together with AUM session !
Wow I’m so glad to see it got updated and we see a sign of life from the developer!
It’s such beautiful piece of software!
I hope he finds a way to gain more money for development time. I would gladly pay more than the 20$(What a bargain other big ones go around the 50$ and NS2 would worth the price too!) Or if he doesn’t wants to make a new version maybe iap’s for new features (audiotracks etc.), A Tip Jar or a cooperation with a sample library(similar to Lumafusion and Storyblocks).
To be honest i wouldn’t pay desktop prices or subscription because im not expecting a fully fledged Daw (that’s just for me others may need more and that’s fine too). And I’m all for it that the developers needs definitely to be paid for their hard time and work.
I’m very thankful that he found time maintaining NS2 during this rough times!
Thanks, @anickt
I missed the (plainly visible) READ and WRITE buttons. So elegant. More investigation is required!
One big difference is that NS2 has tempo and meter changes while Xeq doesn't.
I doubt that adding those features would have resulted in 20x the sales. Matt mentions on his forum that NS2 has about 1/20th the sales that NS1 did. A number of iOS app developers I know have commented that -- even for synths and FX -- that the return on investment (their time) has gone down and and down for them over the last few years. At least one of them has mentioned the intention of shifting to developing for desktop (which they have done in the past) and releasing versions for iOS to supplement the income and releasing on desktop first.
A big one for me is that Xequence has time-stretching. (Sigh, if only I could mash Xequence, NS2 and BM3 together...)
Copy that!
Can you feel the love pouring out to You! I am so happy that I can now sequence my Korg IAA’s with NS2 by way of AUM! You sir, have made my month! Maybe more.
Ok. I’m dense, time-stretching? Midi ? Can you point me to something to understand that?
you're welcome
not sure if "time-stretching" is corrext name but basically you can shring or expand sequence of notes by given multiplier .. let's say tou create 4 bars long melody from 2 bars lomg melody by 2x multiplier (in other words it increases spaces between notes sommelody plays now twice as slow as before)
very handy for experimenting, would love to have it in NS :-)
Thanks @dendy
Naw it’s like full on, uhhh… Timestretching!!
And it is so gooooood!