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.
Tipping Developers?
Sorry if this has been posted before, but I can’t for the life of me find the search button for this site when I browse on my phone...
I am in awe of many of the developers that visit this site. People like @SevenSystems @j2snell @jimpavloff @brambos (and many others) that are on here responding to feedback, providing customer support, and updating their apps with directly requested features are pretty amazing.
In some ways this might be a reciprical relationship. The improved features, the open lines of communication, etc, hopefully help both user and developer.
Recently though, I wonder if we have started to expect too much from these developers. It is becoming clear that the ios economy is broken. The niche market and cost of apps surely can’t support the developers, especially if they are a small team (or individual), can it?
In general, I think we do as much as we can to support the developers via the channels that are available. I personally try to buy apps at full price, purchase IAPs, and buy new releases. Alot of the time I am not 100% invetested in the app, but I am 100% invested in the developer.
So I was thinking, can we start tipping developers? Can developers create tip jars? If it was done all at once by a group of developers it would make it much less weird? Being the only restaurant in town with a tip jar might be weird, but if all of them had one, it would just be one of those things you find at every restaurant in town.
If we all knew that we could visit a developers web site and find a paypal tip jar, and then use it when a developer invested time in updating their $6.00 app for the 8th time in 2 years, or added that feature you really wanted that wasn’t even around when they launched their app, or took the time to explain that feature to you that was in the manual, or created a bunch of YouTube tutorials...
Each of these things has different value to different people, so a tip jar might be a solution? What is it worth to you to have a feature that just saved you three steps in your work flow?
There are two examples that pop out at me recently...
Groove Rider
- Give that developer a raise. Seems like they have been on here constantly explaining how things work, explaining why some features would or wouldnt be possible, defending their vision of the app, and pumping out updates with fixes and feature requests. I wonder how many updates have seen increases in sales?
Bram Bos
Seriously? Constant updates and modules in the Rozeta suite? Can I buy this app again to try and help out? Where’s your tip jar?
What do you think?
Users, would you tip developers if it was available?
Developers, would you feel weird providing users with ways to recognize your efforts? Are there better ways, like app reviews on the App store, etc?
How can I (we) better support the incredible group of developers creating the apps that are transforming our musical making experiences?
Comments
Nice. I like the idea of tipping for a sweet update but not sure how sustainable it would be. Every little I guess...
I just hope that the market grows and prices go up for more ambitious apps. I'm not sure of the membership growth of this forum but the iOS Musicians FB group has gone from 5000 to 9000 members in a very short space of time. I know that doesn't directly equal sales but it is a very promising trend. Here's hoping it takes off for these amazing developers.
Great idea. Feel bad sometimes for these Devs. Maybe I should..... don’t know. But I like this idea.
I'm up for it,
although currently, we may be tipping some of them over a cliff
It was against Apple rules at one time. Looks like it got lifted...
https://techcrunch.com/2017/06/09/in-app-tips/
So, developers just need to add an IAP for a tip. It's a great thing for them to be able to do that. I'm willing to donate tips, for sure. If every time one of us buys a shiny new ios device for $600 or $800, set aside 10 bucks for a tip to a developer.
Then there's this, from the article: This means developers can add tipping features without fearing repercussions from Apple, as long as they’re willing to give the giant 30 percent
One would think apple could allow a developer to keep the entire tip, minus taxes. I guess not.
Yeh, I don't want to give Apple 30%.
I'll happily PayPal as a one-off or Patreon for consistent quality development/YouTubery though.
I agree it's a niche market and we should get behind the devs who put in way more than we sometimes deserve.
I guess what we can do to help in the short-term is rate on the App Store (including after each update) and spread the word wider, make that niche a bit bigger ...
As you know, I’m against subscriptions in most cases (storage and Spotify notwithstanding), but I’m 100% all for an IAP tip jar. This way, I can send a fiver when I have it to good devs like @SevenSystems , @brambos , @SemitoneGene from the now-free Komp Create, @mathieugarcia , @sonosaurus , and so many others deserving of more money to further more development.
Thing is, as a small subcommunity of musicians in a mostly PC/Mac universe, we gotta stick together and support our hard-working independent devs more often when we’re able to. Oh? Don’t wanna spend money on the latest Gadget IAP? Tip a developer. Not impressed by this synth app? Tip a developer. Better to do that than buy apps you’ll never use.
Cheers mates.
I was thinking of reviving my patreon and maybe adding a donation link inside of synthQ's help menu or something.
Thank you for the thread, it's tough out there.
Hear, hear! I would love to see developers roll out tip jars in the same way they rolled out features like Ableton Link. Maybe we could agree on a name for the tip jar that tied to the iOS music community, to help new folks find out about the music app world beyond GarageBand and iMPC. While the 30% iTunes tax is a bummer, I think IAP would be the easiest option for most people, though there could also be a pointer to Patreons and PayPal accounts for the more conscientious among us.
I would love to see more Patreon pages.
I have never really used Patreon, but it might be a great way to support some developers, especially if there were rewards (is that a Patreon thing). Maybe developpers could create extra presets, sample packs, tutorials for supporters at different tiers?
Just spit-balling really. End of the day I just want to do what I can to support indie developers.
@TheVimFuego Reviewing updates is a good reminder. With all the updates that come down the pipe I often forget to rate them. Probably important for someone like me who is in a location that doesnt get as much exposure for English only iOS audio apps.
Yeah the devs that give more should receive more. No doubt. Especially if their app pricing doesn't reflect the extra work/quality. Some way to throw them some extra $ couldn't hurt. I'd throw some bonus bones at a few devs for sure. Some of the open source desktop devs have patreon for this. But of course that's partly down to the fact that without it they don't get paid at all for their work. IAP seems the obvious choice for ios devs here. Dev does significant extra coding work on an app that wasn't planned, gets paid extra, customer gets extra feature/s.
It's not such a straight forward thing overall though. People say that it sucks that apple take their cut and apps are cheap. But for devs to have access to such a huge market, and two formats (iPad and iPhone) and mostly to customers that aren't using jailbroken/cracked... that 30% is the trade off. Selling a product via a store. Stores nearly always take a cut. It's also comparable to an artist splitting sales when releasing with a label (and then splitting AGAIN with stores..). Artists will often lose more than 30%. Hence the modern importance of touring and merchandise. Which I guess you could kind of equate to IAP.
There's also the fact that a lot of the ios apps seem to be adaptations/amalgamations of old code, often that someone has originally made and given open source (look at mutable instruments for example...). That devs have cobbled in to an ios app. Doesn't sit well at all with me when that seems to be the case and the app is looking to make any significant profit more than covering the expense of hosting on iTunes. Taking something originally done for the greater good and global music community and looking to turn a profit on it isnt cool...
Of course that isn't all devs and a bunch of them are legit innovators busting their ass to innovate and provide best software they can, and ongoingly via updates. Brambos and Intua spring instantly to mind. These kind of devs definitely deserve support. So yeah of course I wanna see those guys get what they deserve and succeed and subsequently motivated to excel further. Though you could also say that the work they're doing with updates is refining products and ios music making in general, which in itself attracts new users/new sales/continued revenue from apps that aren't 'new' themselves. And obviously babies become kids become teens become adults. New customers constantly cycle through the app store along that journey.
But app sales arent public info on ios like they are on Android (the caustic unlock key at £5.99 apparently has approx 50,000 downloads??! Dunno how accurate that is or if it was always that price though? But if so, that guys doing ok...) and would be good to know which devs really need the extra support. Some are probably making a decent and relatively 'fair' income from their apps already. Many similar quality dev apps exist on desktop for free or very cheap too... Seems like people often forget this? And it's very hard to gage market via things like the amount of people on the facebook ios production page. Like intua have 6000 people on their page alone. But that doesn't really mean anything. I don't use Facebook but I own BM3. And who knows how many of those 6000 own the app. No one has a solid idea how many sales these guys are making. Ios market is potentially massive.. Not to mention addictive..
Also to consider, software is generally released 'unfinished' these days. This also happens in console games and hardware instruments now sadly. (Looking at you elektron!). So on any serious app, a certain amount of expectation for further refinement is sadly a natural expectation in 2017. Which makes Patreon quite a murky area if its to be something where patrons receive extra stuff that 'normal' customers that bought the app dont. Unless devs are transparent on release and say 'right, no more uppates on this one. You want extra stuff then you'll need to use my patreon'. Or they give speculative road map of future updates for patron vs non-patron. So customers can make an informed decision and weigh up whether they want to buy the app 'as it is'.
Could go on but don't wanna add to my bad rep on this board
To a certain extent I'm just playing devil's advocate. I'm certainly down for throwing some extra bucks at brambos and intua. No question. It's a good idea and I'm in. But at same time I think we should be wary of encouraging too much of this 'devs that update a few things on an app or interact with their customers are going above and beyond' kind of thing. Those actions also bring their own rewards via product refinement = more sales, and customers having confidence/respect toward a dev and feeling confident to buy their future products upon release without question, knowing they'll be supported.
There are a lot of great devs doing some great, innovative work for the iOS format. This being my main “hobby”, they bring me immense joy for very little investment. Looking back at how little I paid for Rozeta, AUM, FAC Chorus and Patterning, not to mention Samplr, compared to how much use and enjoyment I get, I almost feel embarrassed. I would love to be able to tip the guys behind the apps that I use every day and paid very little for. I don’t mind that some of those apps were released before they’d been polished; it’s tough being a developer, especially at iOS prices and often they’re a one man team. Enabling enthusiastic users to give tips when they are able may encourage continued development/improvement of those apps. I’m all for it.
Definitely not as IAP tip or something like that .. because then 30% goes to Apple ..
PayPal, Patreon and don't forget cryptocurrencies... to create BTC, ETH, LTC wallet and publish address for tips costs literaly nothing and it's not taxable - so it's money which really ends in deeloper pocket and nobody steals a part if it (apple, goverment, whatever) :-)))
But at the end, it's developer itself who must make decision if he wants to give his satisfied customers way to appreciate his work more than just by purchasing :-)
If I can say a few words from my biased point of view
-- this is of course a great and generous idea and shows the respect this community has towards developers, which is amazing.
However, I think the best way to go would simply be "sane app pricing". Currently, prices for full-blown, desktop-class iOS apps are still about A TENTH (!) or at most a fifth those of comparable desktop products. This is the problem. Just as an example, look at the average plugin for Auria. Does exactly the same as the desktop version and is arguably harder to implement due to UI issues and platform limitations etc., yet it is RIDICULOUSLY cheaper on iOS.
I think app pricing has still carried over from 2009 where there were only $1 fart apps
and it is only slowly adapting.
So in essence: if prices for iOS apps that are high quality and deliver desktop - class features, prices should simply triple, and everyone should be happy. No tipping needed!
(nota bene: Xequence doesn't use a single line of third-party code or frameworks, so the hard work is all mine
)
Current situation is a bit a of a can of worms really huh! So many angles. Gets really confusing as soon as I start following one train of thought to the next!? Can't really figure out my opinion on it.
Like for instance with the argument saying that ios prices aren't 'sane' now, there's possibly equal validity in saying that desktop prices are just mostly 'insane'. For instance you can cop reaper on desktop for £60. Same kinda pricing as iPad daws. And millions of great synths/sequencers/max4live/vcv/freeware/open-source etc etc... All comparable to ios pricing or less.
And thinking long term... Next 5 years are gonna probably see more and more windows tablets and 'hopefully' a big increase in audio devs coding more specifically for Touch in windows. If it's anything like the laptop/desktop market then it won't be too long before Windows tablets offer much more bang for buck than apple AND they'll finally have some decent touch-designed apps and the advantage of a whole world of software ready and waiting. Half of it totally free. Without any of Apples nonsense issues for users to workaround. The low app prices on iPad are probably half of what makes people buy so many of them. The future might be even tougher if it loses that as an advantage for users and doesn't have that USP to stop people switching to windows tablets...
Agreed that any decent quality or imaginative synth/fx/sequencer etc should cost more than £5 though. But in future if there countless alternatives for free... Going to be tough for a lot of people with limited budgets be able to justify spending anything at all
Sadly the software market in some ways seems headed same way as the music industry, in terms of devaluation. Bloat of options + easily available = the less things are seen to be worth... Sad but seems to be pretty true 
I've completely retired my reaktor/hardware modular plans since VCV arrived.
But Yeh, like I said....mega complex scenario and a million moving parts. Would take me a lonnnng time to figure out what I really think about it or be able to feel like I could suggest any kind of definitive 'what to do about all this'. And would still be a wild guess
This really deep true.. This is MAIN reason why big players are still slowly adopting on iOS or ignoring iOS at all .. low prices are main showstopper for big guys .. i'm pretty curious what will be price tag of Reason Mobile !
@iostress, I can't speak for the majority of developers because I don't know their financial figures
What I do know is that 1) every business that makes sense has to be sustainable (to make sense 
), and 2) stuff is normally the more expensive the "rarer" it is. Software development seems to be extremely "rare", as every time I try to explain to a "normal" person even 1% of 1% of 1% of a normal software development "situation", they look at me like I'm from Mars (no intention to sound arrogant! It's just how I experience it!). So, it seems to me that software development should be expensive, because it seems to be extremely "strange". 
I know it's a simplified point of view, but not too far-fetched.
Of course, there's the software development type you talk about, i.e. someone who doesn't really know software development at all and just glues together a few random pieces of open-source stuff or frameworks or libraries or copy & pastes stuff from Stackoverflow and somehow hopes it works (that isn't very valuable at all, I agree), and "real" software development where people come up with innovative, well thought-out code, interfaces and solutions. That should be valued accordingly.
@SevenSystems You make a fine point about pricing. If the app cost represented the effort expended then no additional dev incentive would be required.
It’s the same in mobile gaming, a lot of “free to play” nonsense with ridiculous in game currencies/timers/etc with the occasional quality premium game thrown in. Cue bitching about the “high” cost of the latter.
I’m relatively old school, I know what it takes to create quality software and how much that’s worth. Convincing the masses these days is a tough proposition.
That seems like it would require time away from devving to setup and maintain. I am fine with a quick iap 30% apple cut. Time is money too.
I don’t want devs to have to make extras and goodies for ‘tips’. That seems like just asking for more product and more distraction away from the core product. The point was to give them more for their existing effort.
Tipping should not be ‘Could you please spend dozens/hundred of hours making content, maintaining another presence for your company, that sacrifices development of the thing I am tipping you for...’
Apple gets %30, fine, they got accountants and lawyers to feed, dev gets %70, wow, good deal, better than most record deals ever made.
i think maybe the lesson here is that if a dev were to have a donation link on their website or link to patreon or whatever, some folks like us would probably tip every now and then. Doesn’t have to be official, totally optional on their part to put it up, and ours to tip. No big deal, but those that feel the need could help a dev out if wanted.
yah, that is exactly how i would feel about in app tipping which is the only route i would use. I dont want to spread my credit card use any more than it is. Certainly not for just tipping.
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA.
I do agree with you, but that’s NOT Apple.
Lawyers and accountants. Apple cant just move money through the air without paying them.
I don’t like the idea of tipping at all. It’s like the restaurant biz, people should get paid what they are worth. I love the cheap cost of iOS, but I realize, after spending my life in the software biz, how underpriced all this stuff is.
I also don’t understand the bias against subscription. It’s not worth the rant; if the software is worth it, and there are no alternatives, you pay what the dev wants. If you don’t, you vote with your wallet. But subscriptions are really the only truly sustainable way to make money as a small dev. It’s either that are charge an uplift fee for every new featureset, as an IAP.
I have to defend Apple here regarding the 30% or whatever that they keep -- they're providing an amazing window into the market and as @AudioGus has said, the world is full of legal "strangeness" that feeds lawyers, judges and accountants, and without shielding the developers from that stuff, it would be even less worthwhile for small businesses or indies. Even simply accounting for VAT is pretty much impossible in an international market.
Yah, if Intua said 'sorry no tip jar but we have a subscription now for BM3' I would personally be cool with it but I would not want them to do it now simply because of the hate it would bring them from the majority of people who seem to hate subscriptions. I could buy their soundpacks as a way to support them but in terms of 'voting with your dollars' I just don't want to send the message that I actually want soundpacks. A tip jar would get my love and feel I am supporting something that will have legs and not incur the burden of hate. In time I hope subscriptions can be de-stigmatized, particularly when amazing devs deserve it and would really be able to benefit their whole life system.
One thing with a tip jar of course would be the chorus of 'You guys said BLAH BLAH would happen and it hasn't and I gave you X amount of tips and WAH WAH and...' meh, people!
This is a great idea to be honest, acquiring MIDI gear, & software quickly adds up!
I think if you like/ appreciate a developer(s) and value their products that the very best (tip) would be to help them promote their apps.
For a start- the AppStore
Very very few reviews and ratings for most decent apps, at least in the uk AppStore . When updates come out, refresh the review....
AppStore reviews are waaay more important than most here give credit for because a ton of non AB forum members will find apps and see no reviews, then not even know about us here and our views/ experiences with said apps.
Perhaps also clearly state which apps you use on YouTube description on your wizibel/lumafusion vid and provide links to the developers page/ AppStore page