NanoStudio vs. BeatMaker 2, vs. Music Studio?

[SomThiNWikiD]

Let em have it. I don't need expensive sound libraries. Just the ability
To craft. On all levels. As I see fit.

[IncarnateX]

Once FL Studio Mobile comes out, it's going to be an even harder decision, because Image-Line worked together with Xewton (developer of Music Studio), and apparently, FL Studio will use Music Studio's technology, while adding additional features like:

- a step sequencer
- drumpads for the drumkits
- Image-Line (sample, synth & drum) content
- an export module to allow import in FL Studio
- a new UI

And in return, it looks like Music Studio will benefit from this collaboration by having some of these newly developed features, as well as some more of their own, such as:

+ Audio tracks (wav import, mic recording)
+ AudioCopy/Paste and SoundCloud support
+ Sampling
+ Drum pads and a step sequencer
+ Improved effect bus structure
+ Tempo track
+ Import of xms and midi files (append to the current song)
+ Volume slopes in the piano-roll editor or volume automation
+ More/dynamic grid lines in the piano-roll editor
+ ogg export
+ Lots of minor improvements on our list

I think all of this will tip things back in their favor again (unless you really need to have synthesis, then only NanoStudio and Xenon will do).

To supply this fine list, I will add some promises on Nanostudio from the Blip Interactive forums regarding their next update:

- Insert effects in the mixer: eq, compressor and bit crusher (2 pr. mixer channel and 3 at the master). See screenshot on forum http://forums.blipinteractive.co.uk/node/1497 (scroll down)

- Off line processing in the sample editor

- New sample bank for TRG

- Improved synthstation latence in older iPhones

- Something unspecified about CoreMidi

Cool. I think this is going to be a good year with respect to the development of app studios. Better watch our complaints, what is not here today, might be submitted to the app store tomorrow.

[Lunatique]

With competition heating up on all sides, things are going to get interesting. I don't know if most people realize how much money these i-Devices apps generate compared to their computer software counterparts, but these days, a one-man development with a nifty little modest idea can generate ridiculous amount of income doing apps, so it's no wonder everyone wants a piece of the action. I would not be surprised if the big boys like Steinberg, MOTU, Cakewalk, Digidesign, Native-Instruments...etc all eventually get in on it, doing their own apps.

At this point, I just want to see one app that combines the strengths of all the others, so I can get a great pianoroll/sequencer, nice set of sampled sounds, synths, decent effects, all in one place, Right now all the apps have something missing, and it's not looking like there are plans to fill those holes from any of these developers. NanoStudio is missing a keyboard sampler (the resampling doesn't count, because that's destructive bouncing of audio and not flexible at all). Xenon has a very basic sequencer and no sampling keyboard, and the only effects it has is delay. BeatMaker 2 has no synths. Music Studio has no synths. None of them have audio tracks (and only Music Studio is known to be adding that feature for sure). FL Studio Mobile won't have synths either. Garageband has no synths either.

If Propellerhead's smart, they'd get in on the action too. Same with Synapse Audio. But then again, I think the saturation point with hand-held device music-making will be much lower than pro audio software on computers, since not everyone owns a hand-held device, but almost everyone owns a computer. Then, among serious hobbyists and pro musicians, a large portion has no interesting in making music on a hand-held device.

[Resonator63]

FL studio mobile is a collaboration with xewton.

[IncarnateX]

Right now all the apps have something missing, and it's not looking like there are plans to fill those holes from any of these developers.

True. But they do react to the wishes of their audience at their respective forums with regard to their priorities so in future they might fill the holes. Meanwhile the pasteboard transfer option may be slow but it increases the possibilities of using the apps together to compensate for each other.

[IncarnateX]

FL studio mobile is a collaboration with xewton.

...we know, lunatigue wrote it a page ago in the post cited above, but what question does that answer?

[Lunatique]

Meanwhile the pasteboard transfer option may be slow but it increases the possibilities of using the apps together to compensate for each other.

Unless there's something like ReWire, it's just a really clunky workaround that has zero flexibility or convenience. Bouncing down to audio and pasting across apps is destructive, and sort of negates the whole point of using a MIDI-based workflow in the first place. The weird thing is, the holes I mentioned of each app--it's not that hard to fill those holes, but for whatever reasons, the developers (and maybe the users) don't care about those holes.

[Resonator63]

FL studio mobile is a collaboration with xewton.

...we know, lunatigue wrote it a page ago in the post cited above, but what question does that answer?

The FL studio mobile will benefit from IL experience creating a daw and Xewton experience in creating a mobile daw.Therefore I think this could be one to watch.If it gets developed in the right way it could be very,very good.
Does seem to be taking a long time to get released though.

[IncarnateX]

Unless there's something like ReWire, it's just a really clunky workaround that has zero flexibility or convenience. Bouncing down to audio and pasting across apps is destructive, and sort of negates the whole point of using a MIDI-based workflow in the first place.

I see, but again it will depend on your needs. I have always bounced most of my tracks to audio clips and loops anyway to keep things nice and tidy and to release power. Only parts that need automation (e.g. filter) through a whole tracks are kept as midi tracks. To me the glass is therefore half full and not half empty.

The weird thing is, the holes I mentioned of each app--it's not that hard to fill those holes, but for whatever reasons, the developers (and maybe the users) don't care about those holes.

Why do you think that, I wonder? If you go to the forums, the users do not suggest such fills as their first wishes and if they do, it seems the devs find the implementations difficult and time consuming to achieve in a near future. Thus it seems resonable that the devs make other priorities. I guess part of the explanation is that people who mainly need a sampling studio buy Samplemaker and people who wants synths buy Nanostudio, hence you will not see other app's features as first priorities.


Best Regards

[Lunatique]

I think ideally, most devs would love to have their apps be also able to do the things that their competitors are strong in, but since time and energy is always limited to the 24 hours we are given each day, some features will likely never get implemented since they take too long, and that time could be spent on more numerous features and bug fixes.

I have been playing around with Music Studio and NanoStudio, and I have to say, in terms of ergonomics, design, flexibility in composition...etc, Music Studio is much better. I suspect the only reason people poopoo on Music Studio is because it doesn't have a sampler or a synth, so you're limited to the instrument samples available (which aren't great, but usable for mobile compositions), but if you disregard that, Music Studio is clearly the superior app (to me). There's just no comparison when you compare the workflow.

The navigation and features in Music Studio are just much better implemented, being much faster to access and use. This includes the draw tool in the pianoroll, the keyboard adjustments, the pitch and filter using the X and Y axis tilts, the velocity control with tilt or position on keyboard, and Even just how you can scrub the track is a Godsend if you are trying to work out a particular voicing or progression. It is clearly designed by someone who has the mentality of a composer instead of the loop/beat-making type. After talking with the dev, I suspect a synth will eventually be developed for it, but I think it's probably not high on the priority list. At least the sampler is coming in May (along with audio tracks, step-sequencer, pad-based drum sampler, and more). I can now see why Image-Line went to Xewton for FL Studio Mobile (Xewton actually did all the work on the new features that FL Studio Mobile will have).

Once the sampler arrives, I'll probably create my own sample library of excellent synth sounds, as well as much better instrument samples taken from high-end libraries. I would still much rather have actual synths to use though so I can program sounds on the fly and also do deeper modulation tricks. But since mobile devices' CPU is so limited, I think it'll be hard to be fully satisfied with synths on the mobile platform. A single standalone synth app that slightly more CPU intensive would be fine, but having multiple tracks just wouldn't work in a sequencing studio environment.

I wish BeatMaker 2 had a trial version for the computer or a free version like Music Studio, so I could try and out and get a feel for its workflow. Even though it's cheap, I still don't want to just throw that money away to find out that I don't like its ergonomics or how its pianoroll responds and works.

[SomThiNWikiD]

"The navigation and features in Music Studio are just much better implemented, being much faster to access and use. This includes the draw tool in the pianoroll, the keyboard adjustments, the pitch and filter using the X and Y axis tilts"

NS has all this

[Lunatique]

"The navigation and features in Music Studio are just much better implemented, being much faster to access and use. This includes the draw tool in the pianoroll, the keyboard adjustments, the pitch and filter using the X and Y axis tilts"

NS has all this

It's not quite the same. The draw tool in MS is much less cumbersome. The keyboard adjustments are also much more flexible and intuitive. I didn't see any options for accelerometer contrl in NS on the PC version, so I assume this is only in the I-Devices version?

[SomThiNWikiD]

Well, NS is developed for iOS. The pc version is just a demo. Supposedly it's full featured but
Possibly some things don't cross over well. NS is a very deep application and after four months of
Working with it I'm still discovering new capabilities.

[IncarnateX]

I have been playing around with Music Studio and NanoStudio, and I have to say, in terms of ergonomics, design, flexibility in composition...etc, Music Studio is much better. I suspect the only reason people poopoo on Music Studio is because it doesn't have a sampler or a synth, so you're limited to the instrument samples available (which aren't great, but usable for mobile compositions), but if you disregard that, Music Studio is clearly the superior app (to me). There's just no comparison when you compare the workflow.

The navigation and features in Music Studio are just much better implemented, being much faster to access and use. This includes the draw tool in the pianoroll, the keyboard adjustments, the pitch and filter using the X and Y axis tilts, the velocity control with tilt or position on keyboard, and Even just how you can scrub the track is a Godsend if you are trying to work out a particular voicing or progression. It is clearly designed by someone who has the mentality of a composer instead of the loop/beat-making type.

You do seem to have your reasons but just mind that I feel basically the same about NanoStudio and to some extent Aurora, which is no surprise because my weapon of choice is a synth, not a sampler or rompler unless they have extended synth controls. With regard to workflow, the apps seem pretty even to me as long as they have the basic seq block and song structure with piano roll like NS, BM and MS (e.g. Aurora is different and a little harder to get)

But since mobile devices' CPU is so limited, I think it'll be hard to be fully satisfied with synths on the mobile platform. A single standalone synth app that slightly more CPU intensive would be fine, but having multiple tracks just wouldn't work in a sequencing studio environment.

I have a Nanostudio track that uses all 16 pads for audio triggering and the 4 synths + effects at 17% power on my iPod Touch. I have absolutely no complaints. Seems to be that it could run at least 2 more synths if allowed.

Case for me is that the apps are fun and inspiring and that I can get a result within their limitations. If I like it, I learn it. Their flaws and workflow are secondary to that as far as this do not abrupt the process as a whole.

In this respect I believe that to the skilled, every toy is a tool, and to the unskilled, every tool is a toy.

Though I might not be among the skilled, I like to approach these apps as tools and not toys. I keep my expectations low and is either satisfied or positively surprised. Works pretty well for me and is recommendable.

[SomThiNWikiD]

@ incarnateX

Well said.