[ Meow | Audio Editor ] Public Beta

SevenSystems

@Samu said:

@SevenSystems said:
The only times when Meow should fall back to "Meow Export" is when you start a new project manually with the "New" button. Maybe there needs to be an option to set a project name manually too. 🤔

Being able to set/change the name for the exported file would indeed be handy, the default name could be as is, but think for example cases when you create a variation of an existing file that was used as the source for the edits.

Never mind, already saw that you can rename when saving to files…
It’s the name for the ‘sharing’ over airdrop etc that is still called Meow Export.wav for new files as there’s no way to change the project name when airdropping.

I think you're right, it would be good to be able to set / change the default export name (essentially the "project name"). I'll add an input field for this in the "Save" drop down.

SevenSystems

Hey, sorry for the delay, the last beta has been submitted the day before yesterday but it's still "Waiting for Review"... 🤔 normally this takes only a couple of hours. Maybe there's a power outage in Cupertino...

Samu

@SevenSystems said:
Hey, sorry for the delay, the last beta has been submitted the day before yesterday but it's still "Waiting for Review"... 🤔 normally this takes only a couple of hours. Maybe there's a power outage in Cupertino...

Nice, The update just dropped!

Is it possible to add a rename option to the share sheet just like the one when saving to files?

As for the new dialogues to enter samples/position, could they be pre-populated with the actual values?
(ie. if I just want to slightly 'round up' a value I have to use a few brain-cells to remember the value before I tap the cell to enter the new value for it, the cursor could still be at the end of the field).

The auto-layout works quite well now even with accessibility zoom enabled (I'm stuck at 135% for now).
Only one 'icon' gets a bit of overlap, the little info button.

Again no biggie, just something that felt a bit off among everything else that feels so well thought out

Since I've not had any crashes or any other malfunctions I do feel it's almost ready for the AppStore!

Cheers!

SevenSystems

@Samu said:

@SevenSystems said:
Hey, sorry for the delay, the last beta has been submitted the day before yesterday but it's still "Waiting for Review"... 🤔 normally this takes only a couple of hours. Maybe there's a power outage in Cupertino...

Nice, The update just dropped!

Is it possible to add a rename option to the share sheet just like the one when saving to files?

I'm not sure, but I will definitely add an input field in the 'Save' dialog where the project name can be set or changed. That will then always automatically be used for 'Share', and as the default for 'Save to Files' (can be changed in the iOS dialog still).

As for the new dialogues to enter samples/position, could they be pre-populated with the actual values?

I've thought about this -- which is better depends on whether you'll more likely want to change the value completely, or just "edit" / "correct" the existing value. I think in the majority of cases, the user will proabably want to enter a completely different value to the current one, that's why I didn't provide the current values as the default in the prompt. Because then, you would first have to hit the 'X' every time before entering the new value.

The auto-layout works quite well now even with accessibility zoom enabled (I'm stuck at 135% for now).
Only one 'icon' gets a bit of overlap, the little info button.

Thanks! Yes the top toolbar doesn't do auto-layout yet, but I'll look into this before release.

Again no biggie, just something that felt a bit off among everything else that feels so well thought out

I'll take this as a compliment 😊

Since I've not had any crashes or any other malfunctions I do feel it's almost ready for the AppStore!

That too! 😃🍻

Samu

@SevenSystems said:

Since I've not had any crashes or any other malfunctions I do feel it's almost ready for the AppStore!

That too! 😃🍻

For 1.1 a 'monitor while recording' (at least when starting a new project?) would be handy?
I get that it can be a bit tricky to preview overdubbing as you'd need to add a mixer to play back the existing recording with the live-input.

Space permitting some kind of status display with project/file-name, start & end locator positions, selection length etc. could be handy and use the same kind of input as when you tap on the brackets?

Optional 'Audio Scrub' when moving the Playhead and Left & Right Locators could be handy as well?
(Updating values in this toolbar instead of the 'giant playhead' would make the UI feel a bit more 'calm').

Custom toolbars would be another? (one for vertical and one for horizontal layout).

Overall it's a very slick app

Cheers!

espiegel123

@SevenSystems : i just had a chance to use Meow in a "real" workflow situation and I am wondering if I am overlooking how to do certain things or if they are not there.

For context, I have a couple of minutes of live rhythmic audio and I am going through it to pull out 1 to 4 bar loops.

Here are things that I was desiring to do but couldn't figure out how to do.

1 - I had a selection larger than I needed and was zoomed in so that the selection end was not in view. I identified a spot in the view where I wanted the selection to end. I was hoping that there would be some way to get the selection end (and the same could apply to the beginning ) to jump to either where the playhead was or where I tapped or double-tapped. I couldn't figure out how to reset the selection end without having to zoom out.

2 - while the transport was running, I wanted to be able to tap somewhere to have the playhead jump back to the selection beginning.

Are these possible and I am overlooking them?

SevenSystems

@espiegel123 said:
@SevenSystems : i just had a chance to use Meow in a "real" workflow situation and I am wondering if I am overlooking how to do certain things or if they are not there.

For context, I have a couple of minutes of live rhythmic audio and I am going through it to pull out 1 to 4 bar loops.

Here are things that I was desiring to do but couldn't figure out how to do.

1 - I had a selection larger than I needed and was zoomed in so that the selection end was not in view. I identified a spot in the view where I wanted the selection to end. I was hoping that there would be some way to get the selection end (and the same could apply to the beginning ) to jump to either where the playhead was or where I tapped or double-tapped. I couldn't figure out how to reset the selection end without having to zoom out.

The selection start/end handles, even if outside the view, never actually "leave" the view, they should still be there in the bottom left/right corner. As soon as you grab them, the respective selection edge jumps to that screen edge and you can drag further in to the desired spot. They will also automatically snap to the playhead if that's where you want them to be exactly.

2 - while the transport was running, I wanted to be able to tap somewhere to have the playhead jump back to the selection beginning.

Pressing the stop button once will return the playhead to the position where playback last started. Pressing it again will return it to the selection beginning. You can then press play again to restart playback.

If the selection beginning is visible, you can also just tap on the waveform near the selection start handle while playing, and playback will restart there (your tap will "invisibly be snapped" to the handle).

SevenSystems

@Samu said:

@SevenSystems said:

Since I've not had any crashes or any other malfunctions I do feel it's almost ready for the AppStore!

That too! 😃🍻

For 1.1 a 'monitor while recording' (at least when starting a new project?) would be handy?
I get that it can be a bit tricky to preview overdubbing as you'd need to add a mixer to play back the existing recording with the live-input.

"Monitor input" is already on the roadmap, that's not that difficult... and I've also looked into providing true "overdubbing" so that you can play the existing audio and then record over it "live", but it's not trivial because then stuff like latency compensation etc. would have to be looked into to do it "properly". But it's on my wishlist as well!

Space permitting some kind of status display with project/file-name, start & end locator positions, selection length etc. could be handy and use the same kind of input as when you tap on the brackets?

I know you really want it 😄 but at this point I don't think it'll come soon -- each of those pieces of information is at most one tap away now! (remember that in the next update, the project name will be visible and editable in the 'Save' dropdown.)

Optional 'Audio Scrub' when moving the Playhead and Left & Right Locators could be handy as well?

Yes that sounds like a good thing to add to the roadmap, thanks!

Custom toolbars would be another? (one for vertical and one for horizontal layout).

Now you're pushing it! 😄 noted though!

Overall it's a very slick app

And thanks!

SevenSystems

Hey everyone. Quick update. My main development machine is on its last legs and I was getting constant SSD timeouts / read/write errors earlier... replugged all the connections a few times and hope it's fixed for now, otherwise we'll have to wait another 2 weeks (on "work holiday" right now for a week so can't order a new machine while here)

espiegel123

@SevenSystems said:
Hey everyone. Quick update. My main development machine is on its last legs and I was getting constant SSD timeouts / read/write errors earlier... replugged all the connections a few times and hope it's fixed for now, otherwise we'll have to wait another 2 weeks (on "work holiday" right now for a week so can't order a new machine while here)

Good luck with that.

espiegel123

It seems to still be the case that if Meow is in the background long enough, something happens so that when you bring it back to the front, the session you were working on is lost.

espiegel123

@SevenSystems said:

@espiegel123 said:
@SevenSystems : i just had a chance to use Meow in a "real" workflow situation and I am wondering if I am overlooking how to do certain things or if they are not there.

For context, I have a couple of minutes of live rhythmic audio and I am going through it to pull out 1 to 4 bar loops.

Here are things that I was desiring to do but couldn't figure out how to do.

1 - I had a selection larger than I needed and was zoomed in so that the selection end was not in view. I identified a spot in the view where I wanted the selection to end. I was hoping that there would be some way to get the selection end (and the same could apply to the beginning ) to jump to either where the playhead was or where I tapped or double-tapped. I couldn't figure out how to reset the selection end without having to zoom out.

The selection start/end handles, even if outside the view, never actually "leave" the view, they should still be there in the bottom left/right corner. As soon as you grab them, the respective selection edge jumps to that screen edge and you can drag further in to the desired spot. They will also automatically snap to the playhead if that's where you want them to be exactly.

2 - while the transport was running, I wanted to be able to tap somewhere to have the playhead jump back to the selection beginning.

Pressing the stop button once will return the playhead to the position where playback last started. Pressing it again will return it to the selection beginning. You can then press play again to restart playback.

If the selection beginning is visible, you can also just tap on the waveform near the selection start handle while playing, and playback will restart there (your tap will "invisibly be snapped" to the handle).

Great. Thanks. Some iOS glyph was covering that right bracket. That all works great.

SevenSystems

@espiegel123 said:

@SevenSystems said:
Hey everyone. Quick update. My main development machine is on its last legs and I was getting constant SSD timeouts / read/write errors earlier... replugged all the connections a few times and hope it's fixed for now, otherwise we'll have to wait another 2 weeks (on "work holiday" right now for a week so can't order a new machine while here)

Good luck with that.

Thanks, I really need it recently 😂

@espiegel123 said:
It seems to still be the case that if Meow is in the background long enough, something happens so that when you bring it back to the front, the session you were working on is lost.

Yes, session restore is one of the two points left on the agenda before release! If cables and SSD hang on to their dear lives, I'll be pushing another beta with session restore this week!

SevenSystems

@espiegel123 said:

@SevenSystems said:

@espiegel123 said:
@SevenSystems : i just had a chance to use Meow in a "real" workflow situation and I am wondering if I am overlooking how to do certain things or if they are not there.

For context, I have a couple of minutes of live rhythmic audio and I am going through it to pull out 1 to 4 bar loops.

Here are things that I was desiring to do but couldn't figure out how to do.

1 - I had a selection larger than I needed and was zoomed in so that the selection end was not in view. I identified a spot in the view where I wanted the selection to end. I was hoping that there would be some way to get the selection end (and the same could apply to the beginning ) to jump to either where the playhead was or where I tapped or double-tapped. I couldn't figure out how to reset the selection end without having to zoom out.

The selection start/end handles, even if outside the view, never actually "leave" the view, they should still be there in the bottom left/right corner. As soon as you grab them, the respective selection edge jumps to that screen edge and you can drag further in to the desired spot. They will also automatically snap to the playhead if that's where you want them to be exactly.

2 - while the transport was running, I wanted to be able to tap somewhere to have the playhead jump back to the selection beginning.

Pressing the stop button once will return the playhead to the position where playback last started. Pressing it again will return it to the selection beginning. You can then press play again to restart playback.

If the selection beginning is visible, you can also just tap on the waveform near the selection start handle while playing, and playback will restart there (your tap will "invisibly be snapped" to the handle).

Great. Thanks. Some iOS glyph was covering that right bracket. That all works great.

OK, some of it is probably not very intuitive, so the other point still on the agenda before release is a comprehensive "help bubble" system a la Trinity that covers these details.

And do you have a screenshot or any other details about the thing that covered the bracket?

espiegel123

@SevenSystems said:

@espiegel123 said:

@SevenSystems said:

@espiegel123 said:
@SevenSystems : i just had a chance to use Meow in a "real" workflow situation and I am wondering if I am overlooking how to do certain things or if they are not there.

For context, I have a couple of minutes of live rhythmic audio and I am going through it to pull out 1 to 4 bar loops.

Here are things that I was desiring to do but couldn't figure out how to do.

1 - I had a selection larger than I needed and was zoomed in so that the selection end was not in view. I identified a spot in the view where I wanted the selection to end. I was hoping that there would be some way to get the selection end (and the same could apply to the beginning ) to jump to either where the playhead was or where I tapped or double-tapped. I couldn't figure out how to reset the selection end without having to zoom out.

The selection start/end handles, even if outside the view, never actually "leave" the view, they should still be there in the bottom left/right corner. As soon as you grab them, the respective selection edge jumps to that screen edge and you can drag further in to the desired spot. They will also automatically snap to the playhead if that's where you want them to be exactly.

2 - while the transport was running, I wanted to be able to tap somewhere to have the playhead jump back to the selection beginning.

Pressing the stop button once will return the playhead to the position where playback last started. Pressing it again will return it to the selection beginning. You can then press play again to restart playback.

If the selection beginning is visible, you can also just tap on the waveform near the selection start handle while playing, and playback will restart there (your tap will "invisibly be snapped" to the handle).

Great. Thanks. Some iOS glyph was covering that right bracket. That all works great.

OK, some of it is probably not very intuitive, so the other point still on the agenda before release is a comprehensive "help bubble" system a la Trinity that covers these details.

And do you have a screenshot or any other details about the thing that covered the bracket?

The thing that covered the bracket is apparently a glyph the OS puts up related to some Quick Note feature of the OS that I accidentally invoked.

espiegel123

@SevenSystems : some help bubbles or a Help button that displays a brief document showing the icons and their meanings and functions. The feature set is great but discoverability of some things is iffy. Like if I didn't know where to look, I probably wouldn't know that calculate tempo was there.

I am occasionally running into a situation where playback of the buffer is garbled but if I stop and start playback a few times it corrects itself. I'll try to make a screen recording next time it happens.

It seems most likely to happen if I have just brought Meow to the foreground.

SevenSystems

@espiegel123 said:

@SevenSystems said:

@espiegel123 said:

@SevenSystems said:

@espiegel123 said:
@SevenSystems : i just had a chance to use Meow in a "real" workflow situation and I am wondering if I am overlooking how to do certain things or if they are not there.

For context, I have a couple of minutes of live rhythmic audio and I am going through it to pull out 1 to 4 bar loops.

Here are things that I was desiring to do but couldn't figure out how to do.

1 - I had a selection larger than I needed and was zoomed in so that the selection end was not in view. I identified a spot in the view where I wanted the selection to end. I was hoping that there would be some way to get the selection end (and the same could apply to the beginning ) to jump to either where the playhead was or where I tapped or double-tapped. I couldn't figure out how to reset the selection end without having to zoom out.

The selection start/end handles, even if outside the view, never actually "leave" the view, they should still be there in the bottom left/right corner. As soon as you grab them, the respective selection edge jumps to that screen edge and you can drag further in to the desired spot. They will also automatically snap to the playhead if that's where you want them to be exactly.

2 - while the transport was running, I wanted to be able to tap somewhere to have the playhead jump back to the selection beginning.

Pressing the stop button once will return the playhead to the position where playback last started. Pressing it again will return it to the selection beginning. You can then press play again to restart playback.

If the selection beginning is visible, you can also just tap on the waveform near the selection start handle while playing, and playback will restart there (your tap will "invisibly be snapped" to the handle).

Great. Thanks. Some iOS glyph was covering that right bracket. That all works great.

OK, some of it is probably not very intuitive, so the other point still on the agenda before release is a comprehensive "help bubble" system a la Trinity that covers these details.

And do you have a screenshot or any other details about the thing that covered the bracket?

The thing that covered the bracket is apparently a glyph the OS puts up related to some Quick Note feature of the OS that I accidentally invoked.

Hah, OK, interesting. Well, yeah, it gets increasingly difficult to design a proper user interface for iOS devices, as you basically are on a constant hide-and-seek adventure of trying to avoid random intrusions of iOS "handles", "notches", and other widgets and finding the corresponding APIs that tell you what area on the screen is actually "safe" 😂 Man I miss the Commodore C64.

SevenSystems

@espiegel123 said:
@SevenSystems : some help bubbles or a Help button that displays a brief document showing the icons and their meanings and functions. The feature set is great but discoverability of some things is iffy. Like if I didn't know where to look, I probably wouldn't know that calculate tempo was there.

Yes, agreed! I hope I'll find the peace (and functioning SSD) to devise a good system today and tomorrow! Will drop a beta with it.

I am occasionally running into a situation where playback of the buffer is garbled but if I stop and start playback a few times it corrects itself. I'll try to make a screen recording next time it happens.

Thanks for reporting -- I have seen the issue myself. It is a known bug in the audio API I'm using, I'm already trying my best to navigate around it, but there are edge cases where it still happens. For v1.1, I might switch to a different audio output API.

Samu

Just throwing this out there...

Both a clipper and saturator would be nice 'filter additions' for 1.1.
Never fully figured out how the 'boost' in the classic Amiga ProTracker worked but it was some kind of high-frequency saturator which added some nice sparkle to the sounds

SevenSystems

@Samu said:
Just throwing this out there...

Both a clipper and saturator would be nice 'filter additions' for 1.1.
Never fully figured out how the 'boost' in the classic Amiga ProTracker worked but it was some kind of high-frequency saturator which added some nice sparkle to the sounds

Thanks for throwing 😉 I guess I could throw the Trinity clipper, limiter and waveshaper in there for good measure 😄

Samu

@SevenSystems Regarding 'session restore', Is there anyway to 'disable' the pop-up about discarding or restoring the session?

I mean usually when I'm 'done' with editing & exporting I just tap new to clear it hoping that the next time start the app I would not be met with the 'restore or discard the session' pop-up and get straight into recording without a pop-up slowing things down, I mean it's already 'clear'?!

SevenSystems

@Samu said:
@SevenSystems Regarding 'session restore', Is there anyway to 'disable' the pop-up about discarding or restoring the session?

I mean usually when I'm 'done' with editing & exporting I just tap new to clear it hoping that the next time start the app I would not be met with the 'restore or discard the session' pop-up and get straight into recording without a pop-up slowing things down, I mean it's already 'clear'?!

You're right, I think a session should not even be considered for restoring if it doesn't contain a buffer (audio file). Thanks. It's this kind of feedback that matters!

(removing the popup entirely would be a user preference and thus it has to wait until there is a "preferences" menu!)

Samu

@SevenSystems said:

You're right, I think a session should not even be considered for restoring if it doesn't contain a buffer (audio file). Thanks. It's this kind of feedback that matters!

Thanks, I do try to keep most of the feedback relevant and on point even though I may sometimes 'wander away' into wishful thinking territory

Considering the current state of Meow for me input-monitoring is still pretty much essential when recording samples from various sources, for the built-in mic it would just create nasty feedback but for other sources it would be very handy.

SevenSystems

@Samu said:

@SevenSystems said:

You're right, I think a session should not even be considered for restoring if it doesn't contain a buffer (audio file). Thanks. It's this kind of feedback that matters!

Thanks, I do try to keep most of the feedback relevant and on point even though I may sometimes 'wander away' into wishful thinking territory

I do notice when that happens and put on the darkest sunglasses I have so I can't read it 😂

Considering the current state of Meow for me input-monitoring is still pretty much essential when recording samples from various sources, for the built-in mic it would just create nasty feedback but for other sources it would be very handy.

It's on the list for sure!

wim

@SevenSystems said:
I do notice when that happens and put on the darkest sunglasses I have so I can't read it 😂

Peril sensitive sunglasses. And a towel. Never be without them.

SevenSystems

@wim said:

@SevenSystems said:
I do notice when that happens and put on the darkest sunglasses I have so I can't read it 😂

Peril sensitive sunglasses. And a towel. Never be without them.

Why the towel?

wim

So many reasons ...

... You can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapors; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a miniraft down the slow heavy River Moth; wet it for use in hand-to-hand-combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (such a mind-boggingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can't see it, it can't see you); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.

SevenSystems

@wim said:
So many reasons ...

... You can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapors; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a miniraft down the slow heavy River Moth; wet it for use in hand-to-hand-combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (such a mind-boggingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can't see it, it can't see you); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.

>

Is that some kind of cultural reference? I don't get those because I don't watch movies and obviously have never owned a TV...

wim

@SevenSystems said:
... I don't get those because I don't watch movies and obviously have never owned a TV...

... and you're not British.

Obviously not into refined classical literature either. 😉

5k3105

@SevenSystems said: Man I miss the Commodore C64.

Said everyone who’s never written games in 6502 assembly language..