Loopy Pro: Create music, your way.
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Comments
There are a few benefits of having a separate plug-in. I'll just list some that I find beneficial:
1. I think in-app purchase adds complexity to the app. Also, the app has to keep track of what features were available to the user when they stopped paying for upgrades. So, really each user will be getting a different config of the app depending on when they stopped paying for upgrades. That means there are more permutations that need to be tested to ensure all works as expected.
2. If you bought Mela 3 and are not interested in Mela 4, it will be the exact same app you are happy with. Mela 3 can continue to support older OSes, while Mela 4 can require the latest OS and keep evolving independently.
3. Mela 4 audio engine is completely different, there were a lot of improvements that were made over v3. And it's so different that creating a preset migrator from Mela 3 to v4 would really be a wasted effort. A somewhat similar preset might be achieved but it will definitely sound different. If I had supported the Loopy Pro model I wouldn't have been able to evolve Mela to v4 so quickly.
4. In the future, this will also be useful. It's most likely that future versions will be compatible. i.e. in Mela 5, you will be able to open Mela 4 presets. But having a separate app allows me to adjust the audio engine and fix/improve anything that proved to be suboptimal. This means, your DAW session won't sound different all of a sudden because your plug-in got upgraded to v5 from v4. You will be able to manually replace the v4 plug-in with v5 in your DAW session when you want to. But otherwise, it will sound the same. This allows full flexibility in how things work between major versions and evolving Mela without getting stuck in old ways because say at one point I made a wrong design choice or it made sense at the time and not anymore.
Maybe I should give a concrete example for this to make sense, imagine a fictional LFO module whose Rate parameter's range is 0.02 - 500Hz in v4. Then say in v5 I want to make it go to only up to 200Hz because maybe users said anything above 200Hz is useless and is getting in the way. If I have a preset made in v4 where this Rate parameter is modulated in full range then because this range is decreased in v5 the preset will sound different. Because of these kinds of changes you don't want your music to sound different all of a sudden. You would rather still have v4 producing the sound you designed. But of course, you can change it manually when you deiced you wanted to use v5, ensuring it sounds as desired.
Anyway, there are a few more reasons. But I'll stop here. I know using an app bundle as a way to offer an upgrade is not ideal, but IMO it's the best solution considering the App Store limitations.
Just add another comment. I'm not 100% against the Loopy Pro model. It may make sense to do it that way at one point. But right now I feel it would get in the way of rapidly evolving Mela.
And thank you all for buying Mela and supporting my work. I appreciate it 🧡
Definitely agreed. I’m currently homeless and won’t be buying anything for obvious reasons for a while (and won’t have net or phone access in a bit) , but when I get on my feet, I’m getting mela 4. Was already considering it and this just sealed the deal for me .
Sometimes it's better to have different versions of an app, especially if there's a drastic changes and old projects rely on specific functions in the older app that are no longer present or have had major changes in the newer version.
Also some users may want to stick with older iOS version instead of living on the bleeding edge...
...I'm quite sure Mela 5 will require iOS/iPadOS17
I totally get it, and I’m not even complaining. It’s sort of feels like a different app, rather than “the next version of Mela.”
It’s really cool, too, and of course everyone should buy it.
Good luck to you. That’s not a great situation.
It's not a problem. Thanks for the update.
I get that there are complexities that I'm not accounting for. It's just that I bought Mela 1, 2, and 3. I like it. I like it on the macOS too.
With Loopy Pro model, it already does way more than I actually use or need. It's got a new update with features I probably wouldn't use, but I don't have to buy the $12 IAP. I can keep using the version that's more than I need and the dev will keep supporting it with updates too. At some point, I'll likely just buy the IAP to support the dev, but I don't have to.
With the Mela 3 version I have now... if I don't once again buy yet another new version of Mela, I'm guessing the Mela 3 app will soon disappear from the appstore and that if an iOS update breaks it in the next few months for some reason... how do I know it'll be updated with a fix if you've already moved on to supporting only Mela 4?
This is why I like the Loopy Pro model. I don't have to update to the latest version and I still have the original version that will still be supported.
I also don't like the IAP model for the reasons you've cited, but for all things considered, and the fact that Apple doesn't give devs a good way to do upgrades... the Loopy Pro model seems to be the most fair overall.
That said... I suspect that Apple doesn't give devs a way to do upgrade pricing because what Apple really wants is or all devs to get on board with subscription pricing.
@Nikolozi let me say Mela is a powerhouse as you get 3 apps in one
The midi is super useful to me as I can patch together several MIDI modules into one chain and transform a string of notes somewhat what like you can do with NDLR
Thank you
The new unified modular architecture is a great move, and opens up a new world of possibilities. The MIDI plugin was already very useful in v3, so looking forward to seeing how this develops too, and being able to create presets which blend audio sources, effects and MIDI effects is really quite exciting, and hoping Mela 4 will have a lower entry bar (and much better manual) than the big D
as that's the kind of terriroty than Mela is getting more deeply into now ...
Holy shit this comment is gonna make me look more dumberer than even I already appear to be but… it took me the longest time (and various app abandons) to realise I have to tilt mela 3 to landscape on iphone to see oscillator view.
It looked so neat and use-able in portrait mode! I normally automatically use apps on iphone in landscape mode but mela looked so clean and polished in portrait, it didn’t even occur to me. Tricked by the slickness of the UI! Duhh, looking forward to exploring it now…
Any sound examples or videos on this synth? It looks interesting, but what about its sound?
You tried google or YouTube yet? Lol there’s a great deal out there both on multiple YouTube channels and the devs website.
That is a nice side benefit that bug fixes go to all users.
With Mela, it's kind of similar. You don't need to buy the latest version, if Mela 3 works for you it will work hopefully for a very long time without major issues. I won't be removing Mela 3 from the App Store any time soon. That's what I like about this approach, upgrades are not forced on the users. And they can buy the latest version whenever they see it makes sense to them. If there's an iOS update that breaks Mela 3 I will consider that a big issue and try to ship a fix quickly.
Also, regarding removing the apps from the App Store. The users who bought apps that were removed from the App Store are still able to download and use them (as long as the developer account is still active, i.e. is dev is paying the annual fee to Apple). Users who bought by apps Mela 1 and NPD can go to their purchases list and still get them. Even my very old AUv3 app NS1 from 2016 is still downloadable from the purchases list and still works.
Yes, this is my feeling too. So, who knows, eventually I might be forced (or might just naturally make sense at the time) to make a switch also.
🧡🙏
@Nikolozi said:
Played a bit more with Mela .. i seriously think you should contact some experienced UI designer and ask him to redesign Mela UI .. i see there big potential, it's actually pretty well designed in terms of modularity and engine itself and it sounds good - for that big thumbs up ! What is dragging it down significantly is just that UI, at least in my opinion. Something more like for example MiRack/VCV rack, with more visual difference between module types, between individual processing lanes, between some global controll elements, and so on, will make huge leap forward for this app.. like seriously.. just try it, try found some good UI designer and ask him to draw proposal ..
Or forget everything what i said lol .. it's just my opinion..
I suppose only Apple can say whether the bundle will be out before the intro price ends?
That is my goal, to create a sound designer's playground without the complexities of wires, and try to leverage the software UI approach. It's a hard goal but I want to achieve a progressive disclosure of complexity. Meaning a beginner can easily learn how to quickly build a simple subtractive synthesiser and then slowly build more and more complex synths/FX/MIDI-generators.
Of course, I want users to enjoy exploring and messing around with presets, but I want them to feel the excitement and pull to build their own custom synths and effects from scratch or be inspired by a preset and modify them to something completely different.
I'll extend the sale until the app bundle becomes available.
Haha, I've had a few users realise this quite a bit later. The main motivation behind having a Perform View was that often times users would try to use Mela in portrait or inside a host in a small window. And I wanted to ensure that the plug-in was always usable and useful. But when the plug-in window is wide enough you have access to all modules.
With Mela 4's modular design, you can view modules in all orientations.
Check out the intro video
The background sound is just one Mela 4 preset generating music triggered using a held C3 note.
@Nikolozi i saw on the roadmap something about merging NFM and Mela. Is this just feature wise or combining the 2 synths together?
Mela has been and will continue stealing features from all my other apps, as my full focus is on it. I feel I can make 1 app the best it can be without having my focus and time fragmented. NFM proved to be very popular, and it's a bit different. And doesn't quite fit in Mela just yet. I did add an FM Operator module to Mela, but obviously, NFM's Algorithm UI can achieve more complex FM sounds with a simpler interface. So, I imagine, when Mela is ready I will have the NFM-style FM algorithm module inside Mela. At that point, I will probably remove NFM from the App Store and hopefully, users will be able to use Mela to make NFM-style presets and much more. In the meantime, NFM will remain in the App Store and I will fix any major issues.
Thanks for your honest feedback. The design for Mela 4 is intentional. Personally, I love it (and I've heard from others they do also). I'm not saying this because I designed it. I'm always happy to receive feedback negative or positive. Feedback forces me to be better. I designed it like this because I wanted it to look like this, as a musician and sound designer. When I'm making music I want this sort of an interface. I've always been inspired by Ableton/Bitwig/PhasePlant's UI. That's what I find inspiring as a musician. MiRack / VCV while they are cool, that's not the kind of UI I want when I'm making music on iPad or Mac.
Now I understand, this is super subjective. And I know a lot of people hate the flat design and prefer virtual wires and racks. So, it's just a matter of taste.
Having said that, of course, I don't mean that Mela 4's design is perfect, you can watch the UI evolution from NS1 to Mela 1 to Mela 2-3 to Mela 4 evolve. There have been drastic changes. And even in 4.1, I'm planning to do a few significant adjustments.
So, it would be super helpful to know specifics, which I can address. I may not be able to fully change the UI to your liking but maybe I can address some of your frustrations if I know specifics. I had already created a ticket to track based on the previous comments: https://mela-feedback.nikolozi.com/improvements/p/improve-visual-cues-for-lanes
Like whether it's a MIDI processor, Audio Processor, Modulator etc?
Yes, I think we can do something here and I also would like to add some sort of a clear indicator as to what type of lane it is: instrument, audio or MIDI.
There is no concept of global controls in Mela 4, are you referring to the Perform View (with up to 8 ideals just under the preset view)?
yup that, or for example patch browser…
yup, so when you look at more complex patch ypu immediately see what is where
i think just plain giving some background color to modules so they wouldn’t ve separated from other modules by literally just line but they will feel like they have done actual “body” and are separated ftom other modules by empty dark space between them would refuce vidual clutter.. and if every module type has slightly different background color - i sm pretty dure that would make huge difference
But yeah, that’s jusz my point of view, because if:
Rhen that’s it, all good then .. looks like i am only one here who don’t like UI so probably no change needed
That's cool, thanks.
That’s absolutely awesome. I’m assuming it’s quite far out but any ETA on that? The idea of that complex of an FM module mixed with everything else in Mela would basically make it my dream synth.
Totally understand wanting all your eggs in one basket as far as this goes. Imo, it’s implemented very well. I’m totally shilling for Mela right now but it’s just such a cool idea.
Is there a list of all the different modules somewhere?