Audiobus: Use your music apps together.
What is Audiobus? — Audiobus is an award-winning music app for iPhone and iPad which lets you use your other music apps together. Chain effects on your favourite synth, run the output of apps or Audio Units into an app like GarageBand or Loopy, or select a different audio interface output for each app. Route MIDI between apps — drive a synth from a MIDI sequencer, or add an arpeggiator to your MIDI keyboard — or sync with your external MIDI gear. And control your entire setup from a MIDI controller.
Download on the App StoreAudiobus is the app that makes the rest of your setup better.
App Manuals Database II: The Contributing
There hasn't been any movement on the last App manuals database thread, so here's my attempt to get something going.
My feeling is that collaboration/crowdsourcing is the best way forward. I have created a simple Google form (open to the public for now) for adding a link to an app manual here: iOS Music App Manual (Add a Listing) (See spreadsheet link below for examples if you're unsure what to enter.)
Once a response has been submitted, you are given an option to:
1.) See previous responses
2.) Edit your response
3.) Submit another response
All responses are added to a Google spreadsheet which can be found here: https://goo.gl/S4GQbm The spreadsheet cannot be edited (read only), but you can save a copy and change it.
Please contribute if you can and take care to enter accurate information.
-WARNING- Be on the lookout for SPAM or malicious links. I have tried to make this as easy as possible, but doing so opens the door to spammers. If you plan on visiting the links in the spreadsheet to view manuals, use common sense and only use links that look legit. If something looks even slightly off, don't click on it.
Comments
I've got about 80 or 90 manuals downloaded. Including some "manuals" converted to PDF.
URLs, not so much
You can upload and share them through an online document/storage service like iCloud, Dropbox, Google Docs, OneDrive, etc. Just use the URL you are given when your share the doc.
I think url database for existing manuals is best practices.
I also have vintage manuals for modern emulations, e.g original mini, prophet vs, polysix, etc.
I made a PDF version of the Thor manual a couple of years ago. View or download here: https://app.box.com/v/thor-manual
I love this effort and thank you for taking the initiative but think it's going to inevitably lead to link rot and outdated manuals. Not saying that to nay say the project or be a downer; I think it's a great idea and addresses a real need. May have already said it in the other thread but I think our collective best bet is to ask @Sebastian and @Michael to include a slot in the AB submission form for developers to add a link to the app's manual. We could then use the site as a one-stop-shop for finding manuals (which may lead to more click through sales for the AB team?) and we're more likely to always be pointed at the most current version of a given manual. Plus, as new apps come out, those manuals will be included as well (hopefully anyway; though probably at least as likely as a community member noticing the new app, remember the database site, finding the manual link, updating the database...).
Thanks, syrupcore. I also like the idea of having manual links on the AB app pages, but I'm taking their silence on the matter as lack of interest. Besides, it's nice to have multiple options.
Maybe putting together a healthy dataset will help the cause?
As far as link rot, I'm willing to do my part, and ideally, find a few other people to help curate the content.
To borrow from one of Music App Blog's recent posts, I do realize this is a niche within a niche within a niche.
People who make music >>> People who make music on iOS >>> People who make music on iOS and read the manuals. If there's not enough interest here, I'll probably reach out to other forums, Facebook groups, and the like.
Word. I've added a MIDIFLow and a few Kymatica apps to the cause. Does there need to an option for "In App and HTML" and "In App and PDF"? I couple that I added are that way. Actually, Audioshare doesn't have an online manual that I could find so I inserted a link to the AS overview page since URL was required.
@telecharge good effort sir.
Not to confuse the mud, but I have a Word document I copy odd notes/useful suggestions I see here about apps, keeping it alphabetized by title via the navigation pane. Only a beginning so far, but I find it useful, easy to look through/look up and quite inspirational (in as far as it sends me back to apps to work/try things etc.). Might be a resource to aggregate or share at some point...
@syrupcore I've added those options. Thanks for the suggestions and contributing. The "Manual Link (URL)" field will accept any text. I was thinking that "N/A" would be appropriate if there is no manual, but I'm open to suggestions.
@JohnnyGoodyear Thanks, man. Yes, I definitely like that idea and want to aggregate Tips, Tricks, & Tutorials at some point.
Like I told @johnfromberkeley above, you can share your docs via an online document/storage service if you're feeling generous.
Just giving this a bump...still looking for contributors.