Comments on: Serious iPhone and iPod Touch Apps: Real-Time Signal Generation and Analysis, DMX

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 21:42:10 +0000

One of the most annoying bugs concerns typing in applications that normally perform fine. SMS texting is a prime example. I’ve often experienced considerable latency when trying to type responses after just receiving a text message. I’m not talking “hey let’s wait a second for the processor to catch up then continue”, I’m talking “wow it’s taken me 2 minutes to type 10 words because of the keyboard lag”. It also seems like general touch response time has been affected (ex. switching between Recents and Contacts or Keypad menus). Basically, my iPhone always feels like it is slower than it used to be since updating to 2.0.

By: KEEB$

KEEB$ — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 19:22:31 +0000

@Peter:

In my mind using the iPhone/Pod as a controller is far more appealing than using it as a beat creation tool. In my mind there are much better methods to create “studio” music and you’d only want to use the iPhone to do this for convenience sake (being on a bus etc), not productivity. As a controller though, the multi-touch, wireless, and portability make it a truly unique and powerful device.

I’ve experienced bugginess with the 2.0 OS as well, and although it’s a bit frustrating, it’s still nothing in comparison to Windows Mobile. Check Gizmodo’s post today for their takes on issues w/ the current OS and reader’s responses:

By: Jarson

Jarson — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 17:32:59 +0000

I think these apps have a lot of potential for audio uses. If you look in their forums there is lots of information on the different uses people have for the software. One potential use is for EQing a room. See this post:
http://www.faberacoustical.com/forum/index.php/topic,66.0.html
From my experience, one of the best things a person can do to his/her studio is to get a somewhat flat room response for working with music. The software that I have looked for to do this is very expensive! If they get this app up to that level, it will be bargain!
I tlooks like they are looking into being able to connect a high-quality Type 1 measurement microphone, which would rival systems costing upwards of $1000:
http://www.faberacoustical.com/forum/index.php/topic,50.0.html
Another user was looking for a way to measure SLPs at concerts and clubs to protect his hearing:
http://www.faberacoustical.com/forum/index.php/topic,57.0.html
And these guys want to use the iPhone and this App to do speaker setup/placement for shows and concerts:
http://srforums.prosoundweb.com/index.php/m/339285/0/?srch=SignalScope+on+iPhone#msg_339285
So, looks like LOTS of uses for this app and audio :-)

By: Peter Kirn

Peter Kirn — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 14:08:25 +0000

Well, wait a minute — these are apps with limited *audiences*, not limited usefulness — there’s a difference.

But yes, I agree, BeatMaker is the one really cool app so far. I also think the custom controller stuff (mrmr, i3L, akaRemote.app) shows a lot of potential — assuming using the iPod/Phone as a controller appeals.

Mike, I’d be curious to hear what your experiences have been with bugs. Rant on.

By: samoan

samoan — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 08:44:14 +0000

These apps are still kind of like toys with limited usefulness. Check out BeatMaker on the app store, now that is a sophisticated music app.

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 06:50:54 +0000

P.S….. the iPhone 2.0 firmware seems to contain more bugs than a rural Midwestern town on a muggy summer night. While I have always loved and supported nearly everything Apple does, the iPhone deployment and strategy has annoyed me to depths I’d rather not delve….. end rant.

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 06:44:39 +0000

It’s too bad that this company didn’t focus their programming efforts on something a little more useful. These sort of tools are generally relegated to very specific professional scenarios and make little sense on a mobile phone. I’m still waiting for a decent iPhone DAW with MIDI and audio export capabilities (sigh).

By: KEEB$

KEEB$ — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 14:28:06 +0000

@Nick,

The mic in the iPhone is a pretty standard ECM, which actually have very flat frequency responses, so the mic itself isn’t so much of the issue.

Where I think inaccuracies may occur would be:

-The port between the outside of the phone and the microphone makes a fairly tight seal, meaning it probably has a pretty significant in-band resonance. Most likely, Apple tuned this for the voiceband. This being said though, if the software can use the headphone jack’s mic in, then you could use an external mic and avoid the porting problem.

-There may be a high-pass filter to remove low frequency noise unnecessary for voice communication (though this also may be tuned so low it has little effect on the 20-20kHz band).

-The codec may be set by default to only accept a limited frequency band (the entire band isn’t needed for voice communication). I’m not sure how much the SDK allows for control of the codec, but it’s possible that this could be controlled from the software and the issue alleviated.

By: nick

nick — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 19:23:19 +0000

The real thing we need on the iPhone is akaRemote! Wireless Max/MSP control would be the killer app, pocket lemur thing we’ve been waiting for~

By: Peter Kirn

Peter Kirn — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 18:07:04 +0000

@Nick: My guess is, honestly, probably not — but it depends on context. Maybe there’s something useful it can tell you from a handheld device, something on the go, etc. The more accurate measurement you get from your computer, of course, but perhaps you use that in a different context.