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Will AU Plug Ins for iOS be a Good Thing?
Some answers by developers.
Comments
I'm with Chris Randall on this. These are not the Audio Units you know from the desktop.
A lot of good points brought up there. Ideally I'd like to see developers look at the iOS AU differently, which may be a pain in the butt for them because it means more work, but if someone out there can somehow make the process of iOS AU creation easier and more rewarding (ahem... Apple) then I think iOS would most certainly benefit from having more self contained workstations. Copy/Paste, AudioBus, InterApp Audio, Split screen, all seem like less than solid solutions to a very real problem (sorry Sebastian). If the iOS AU can be viewed and created as sort of a mini AU that fit nicely into iOS DAWs, then I think it'd be a real hit. Gadget has already got the ball rolling in that direction. Someone just needs to kick the ball again.
No offense taken.
There are good DAWs on iOS, excellent ones even.
But the best implementations on iOS still struggle from having to provide all the features users ask for and squeeze them on to a screen that's not only 1/4th of the size of today's actual desktop screens but also is manipulated with a finger tap, which is a pointing instrument about 20 times bigger than a mouse pointer. For 1/10th of the price, too.
To me users asking developers to straight copy everything a desktop daw does to mobile is like people asking for faster horses before Henry Ford came up with the mass produced automobile.
The only problem is that I don't think there's an 'automobile' analogy for mobile DAWs. Mobile apps work best if they can be interacted with directly, like instruments. To me, mobile apps are instruments. And the less they look like a 'device' and more like something one enjoys playing on, the more they fit into the mobile paradigm.
Will it be possible for iOS developers to update their synth and effect apps so that they become AUs or is that a silly question? I know very little about AU.
@Sebastian Thing is iOS has already had a few apps that touch on (no pun intended) things that iOS can do differently than a desktop, and yet still provide a similar result in terms of depth. I look at an app like Figure and think to myself, if they could just expand on that, because it seems like they are on to something.
What some might call a limitation, others might call an opportunity. To view iOS as a platform that serves merely as a landing place for desktop ports I think is a mistake. Developers are going to have to view iOS differently if it's going to grow and improve. They will have to think smaller in terms of hardware, screen size, and controls, especially with these new iOS AUs. Many obviously already do, but I don't think we've seen near the full potential. There is the issue of market regarding that, as in, will there be a strong enough market to help drive it into existence.
Back to the more hypothetical, if Figure were created initially as an iOS AU that fit inside of a DAW, how awesome would that be! They wouldn't have to worry about expanding the app, because one would assume the DAW would make up for any of it's limitations.
I think iOS DAWs moving forward will have to think of a way to make room for these iOS AUs, and developers will have to find a way to make these add ons fit. Again, what Gadget did and is doing is right on point in my mind. You sort of wonder if and when we'll ever see Logic Pro for iOS, and what type of interface it will have, and how it will take into consideration things like screen space for plug-ins.
The opportunity is there. Little bite sized nuggets of iOS AUs could very well make for a meal.
There's no simple way to just 'update' an app to become a AU Extension, yet. There are significant restrictions in place for the AU Extension.
AU Extensions are not 'apps'. Not just technically but also from a design perspective, too. And on top of that I cannot help but see it as something Apple has made to prepare for future music products on the iPad pro, if that comes out cough Logic cough.
Still, I think with the restrictions they have in place for it there might be something interesting that can be done with them. Developers coming from the desktop will struggle with it though, because there are technical and design restrictions in place.
Oh and then there's pricing. But that's probably something to discuss in another thread.
So expanding on Figure?
Back to the more hypothetical, if Figure were created initially as an iOS AU that fit inside of a DAW, how awesome would that be! They wouldn't have to worry about expanding the app, because one would assume the DAW would make up for any of it's limitations.
Oh... so not expanding on Figure?
Make up your mind, friend.
(just pulling your leg)
Besides: As far as I can see, Propellerheads have made their choice, too. They're going into a completely different direction with Take and Discover.
@Sebastian Thanks for the answer. So it's maybe not impossible but probably not a good idea because of the restrictions, probably would have to loose some features or something like that is how I read that.
Pretty much that. Unless Apple changes something before iOS 9 launches.
I agree and think this is key. You could go further and say that the iPad is the instrument even, where all the apps modify how it plays and sounds.
Yep.
I think the answer to the original question is: It depends. Apple needs to provide a solid OS, solid implementation and well thought-out guidelines. The early OS's didn't really take music making into consideration. Audiobus solved this problem. Then AB was crippled by a new OS. Apple introduced IAA, but did a half-assed job of it. AUs could be a great thing, but only if Apple puts the effort into it and with their track record in this area I am not convinced. But I do have hopes.
Fabfilter seem to have managed to create desktop class plugins for Auria on iOS, and while they do admittedly need some resources they did in fact run acceptably on an iPad 2. On the latest generation of devices you can easily run 20+ Fabfilter plugins in Auria.
The UI is not optimised for touch but it works nonetheless (I think Sugabytes are worse in this regard with their desktop ports).
The pricing is way more expensive than most iOS apps, but in the context of what they are selling (professional grade tools) for me at least it's perfectly acceptable, and still much cheaper than the desktop versions.
I hope that AU can live up to its expectations because it would be great to be able to use all the cool FX apps as proper plugins in Auria. IAA is a terrible workflow as it currently exists.
Just let me run TAL-U-NO-LX already
@dumbledog The developer of those plug-ins doesn't even consider iOS as a platform. I mailed them like 1 year ago and got a negative answer...
I asked a lot developers about such things. Mostly the answer was the hardware of iOS devices are not powerful enough. This might be true in some cases but i have more the feeling that they just don't want to sell their tools for iOS prices.
I'm thinking part of the 'Anti iOS' answers are due to no 'Plug-In Standard' but this might change even if it would take a lot of 're-designing' the UI as the code that processes the sound would most likely be the same.
If they don't, someone else will.
The question is do i need them?.....
I do not think there is a anti iOS really. IOS is just still far away from huge tools. It´s made for mobility and not for running large projects!
What's running inside of Auria is not directly comparable to Audio Unit Extensions.
We should stop calling Audio Unit Extensions the same that we're calling Audio Units on the desktop. Audio Unit extensions (at the moment that I'm writing this) have additional restrictions imposed on them by Apple with regards to how much system resources they're allowed to use.
I would be very surprised if a desktop class plugin could be ported to the Audio Unit Extension format without a significant amount of work. Or without Apple lifting these restrictions - which btw I'm not even sure if I think that would be a good idea.
I'm not trying offend anyone, I just want to use the best tools for my music making.. But with Windows 10 on the surface tablet is running a full version of Reason rewired into Cubase, i'm starting to wonder - Apple need to step it up ! I've been wanting a full version of Reason on the iPad for a while now (even tried contacting PropEds about putting it on a dock).
Weren't they talking about Audio Unit Extensions in iOS 8? At that time I assumed it was just behind the scene stuff.
I thought the iOS 9 stuff was something new/ more.
OK, in that case we can hope that more developers start writing plugins for Auria. It's not as desirable as having a more open system, but it seems to be the one that works the best.
On the other hand Steinberg could open up the 'Plug-Ins' in Cubasis too, the built-in stuff works very well...
for users it will be a step up from iOS 8
plug the ipad into the mac, record your iOS instruments there, and there is no step 3 (audio/midinterface/3rdparty software/filetransfer hustle), lol
midi from mac to ipad with audio from ipad to mac via cable is still missing I think?
its only audio now?
time to buy a bluetooth keyboard me thinks
You can check out Reason running on a Surface Pro here (starts at 34 minutes). You can also check out the dude giving the demo mis-tapping on the surface about 10 times during the demo. Do you ladies and gents really want that? Desktop-class interfaces cannot just be ported to touch-screens. They have to be re-done.
I for one just don't have the pain tolerance to tap on tiny knobs and menu items on an iPad. But then I also make apps that don't require any interaction on the screen to pair with other apps. * shrug *
You could use Bluetooth MIDI.
hell no!
and no f***ing stylus either
Ha, i did notice that.. Thats why, a couple yrs back i spent double my budget on a Sony touchscreen not an Acer one .! But anyways, I think it just shows that a full operating system (with proper AUs) can be done on a tablet, although Surface does look a little clunky..