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.
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Pete
Wotja 23.2.0 update
NEW: 'Featuregrade' Business Model meaning that Wotja will now get rolling updates, instead of (as planned at W23 launch) being removed from sale at the end of the year to be replaced with the next major version.
NEW: Two 'Play' FS (Feature Set) options in the In-App Store - 'PUN: 23 Play' and 'SUB: Play' - for those who just want to use Wotja as a player of relaxing ambient generative music.
NEW: TJ (Tip Jar) Tip T1 now unlocks 'Play' mode (TJ Tips T2-T5 continue to unlock 'Pro' mode as before).
NEW: Document > Delete alert "Are you sure?".
NEW: 'Reset Settings' option at the bottom of Settings > General to allow all Wotja-related settings to be set to defaults.
IMPROVED: Simple and clear acronyms - PUN (Permanent Unlock of FS), SUB (Subscription) and TJ (Tip Jar) - used consistently in the in-app store and docs.
IMPROVED: Wotja icon again uses the blue/green gradient (showing version) and the app name no longer includes the version number.
IMPROVED: Increased to 10 minutes the 'Lite' FS (Feature Set) play time in Flow Player and Album Player.
IMPROVED: Removed file locks on all Schemas and Albums in 'Lite' FS (Feature Set) so that any can be played (but not edited).
IMPROVED: Schemas and Albums now allow Filter and Sort in 'Lite' FS (Feature Set).
IMPROVED: Albums can now be imported from Clipboard in 'Lite' FS (Feature Set).
FIXED: IAP settings were not being retained after restarting Wotja, important if it was being used off-line.
FIXED (tvOS): Restore of IAP purchases.
FIXED (tvOS): Use of Play/Pause button on the Apple TV remote control to stop/start Wotja playing.
FIXED (tvOS): If you select a Schema the Schema selector stays open to make it easy to select a different one.
FIXED (Windows/Apple): Plug-ins now longer show a 'restore IAP' button at top right; use the button in the main App.
FIXED (AZ): The '+' button in mixes showed the 'name file' alert, but nothing happened after OK was pressed.
FIXED (GP): IAP purchases of TJ (Tip Jar) items can now be repeated if you want.
CHANGED: 'Lite+' mode now removed as 'Lite' mode is itself now simpler, better and more powerful.
REMOVED: Removed Settings > General > 'Display Language' as only EN strings are now included.
Good work @impete
Thank you! Frankly, a lot of this has been a very fast catch-up after coming to terms with how the app review process caught us out just a week or 2 before the end of the year... Still, we think our model is pretty much optimal for the majority of our customers: present and future. Sometimes it seems that things happen for a reason!
Best wishes, Pete
To explain our new 'Featuregrade' Business Model meaning that Wotja will now get rolling updates, instead of (as planned at W23 launch) being removed from sale at the end of the year to be replaced with the next major version, we explain this here:
https://wotja.com/news/blog/post/230215-Wotja-Featuregrade-Business-Model-arrives.html
Best wishes, Pete
I can say without a shadow of doubt that it has been incredibly hard to get this all in place.
From planning and refining to implementing, testing, documenting etc. - and all on endless rinse and repeat.
The last 8 weeks have been truly exhausting - and we are still not quite done yet (with the final stretch ahead).
It is a massive understatement to say that Pete and I are looking forward to getting that final bit done!
Atb
Tim
@imtim and @impete I appreciate the hard work, and the fantastic Wotja is the result of this. It can do so much, there is almost no limit. I often use it to generate ambient soundscapes on my MPC Live 2 synths, and love it.
Keep on the good work, and take a rest when needed.
Thank you very much Pierre!!
Best wishes, Pete
Seconded!
Thanks so much for setting that out – an essential read for anyone curious about the dev/store relationship. Wotja has long been out in front of everyone else when it comes to payment models, and the Featuregrade paradigm could be revolutionary, or at minimum a significant advance in the trench warfare between developers and Apple. You'll need to brace for a new round of "the purchase model is confusing", but it really does seem as if the moment is ripe across Apple and Android platforms to try something like this. There are a lot of questions you're probably in no position to answer yet about the timescale of featuregrade cycles, but my interpretation of the blogpost is that things like UI improvements (23's incredible cell thumbnails are exhibit A here) will basically be free to all users (even free ones) forever but new functionalities like the W23 sample player will be PUN elements. At any rate the user base is here for you, and nobody should ever again have to go through what Apple did to your Christmas. Your families will thank you and I hope also your bank managers.
Yeah, it does feel like we're pushing at the outer limits of models at all the time. Just don't get the sense that what we're doing is done widely, which is strange, but I think what we've come up with is "right" - I wonder if other developers might follow.
Yes, that is the rough idea. General purpose improvements (e.g. UI tweaks etc.) should be part of the general roll-out, so everybody benefits. Major new features are going to be in yearly "PUN" bundles. So, we have things in plan that will appear in Wotja 24 - subs users, Tip Jar users will get them automatically. Those with 23 PUN will find those features are restricted; and they'll want to get the 24 PUN to have full access to any such features added in 2024. Therefore, PUN 24 purchases help fund our work next year. Seems fair enough to us
Beta testers should see soon enough how we're going to restrict 24 PUN features to 23 PUN users - we're probably 4 weeks or so away from that point however!
Best wishes, Pete
Thank you very much for that, and also for the comment on the business models - really appreciated. We have always tried hard to innovate in this area so as to provide flexible options that allow dipping in and out of Wotja (as required), and at a low cost (we know the blood sweat and tears that goes into it). The last few weeks have been a toughie, that is for sure.
Sadly, our bank managers have little to thank us for.
We might well be in the minority, but we suspect many non-vc funded music apps devs make very, very, very little. I read somewhere today that around 30% of App Store Apps are officially abandoned (meaning no updates in 2 years). No is no doubt a relationship there.
It seems to me that there is a storm coming and I think it will very soon get a lot tougher for music tech. Reason is that AI is the flavour of the month (well, it is the next industrial revolution after all!) and there are now a number of VC funded music startups working on AI music. You can see how this might go. If someone can put in a request for something to be created and it is all done in the cloud, and possibly for free, then what need do they have for music tools, plug-ins etc.? The impact of that might not be felt straight away, but what about in 1-5 years?
It is useful to remember that VCs invest in things because they are hoping to get a BIG return (they may not of course) be that via IPO, acquisition or whatever. At the end of the day, nothing can be truly free for ever and there is always a bill to pay somewhere, sometime, somehow. Part of where that return comes can be from creating an altogether new market, or from the upheaval of existing markets and the revenue flows in those (it may not be of course) and there are probably other ways, too. All that means that independent app developers need to continue to be fleet of foot and also to hope their audience remains supportive of their developments.
That said, we don't think everyone will turn to AI for everything. There is a lot to be said for making something yourself and going through the trials and tribulations of it all (which is why I still try to write songs and music). There is a real human value to that "offline" process, activity and skill building and at the end of it all you know you made something yourself - no AI made it for you.
Because of that we still believe that Wotja has an important role to play - provided we can continue to develop and evolve it.
And, coming full circle, that is where the Featuregrade model comes in - it was the only way forward we could see that could possibly (and hopefully) support that.
So, we continue to thank ALL our customers for their continued support!!
P.S. If there are things you would really want to see in Wotja and that other would do too, then feel free to let us know via our web contact form (https://wotja.com/contact/). We can't promise we can do it, but we can at least think about it and see if we can somehow factor it (or something similar) in to future versions.
Best wishes
Tim
Re AI
The journey of music creation is the value and entertainment for me. The end result doesn’t matter to me much … not like it did in my band days when a ‘song’ was the goal. So the notion of entering a prompt and having AI spit out a piece of music holds little value to me. Might as well do a random search in my music streaming service and play a track from there. At least someone will get 1cent. ( and about that…. 1cent?)
So, my enjoyment comes from spending a little time using an instrument or tool that is fun to engage with, interesting enough to feel like there’s room to learn, nice to look at and produces a coherent result ‘in the moment’. To that end Wotja is a prime example and I find hours of enjoyment fiddling with it! I just don’t see AI providing that kind of experience.
I hope to keep supporting Wotja for years to come.
( full disclosure… I have dozens of WJ projects that seemed pretty good after an hour or more of messing around. The next day when I listen it’s clearly chaos! Like I said… the journey is the fun! )
We feel the same, and we hope there are plenty of others like you. But, AI holds an allure for some.
Great to know, and we are really glad you get a lot from it!
No, probably not, and will all come down to what someone is looking for.
Thank you, and bless you!
Haha! Yes, the journey is part of the experience and is what makes it so personal. I have a ton of stuff, too, and save out what I think are the best ones (some I want to get into albums at some point). My problem is finding them again - so I need to be better at archiving!
I was messing with WJ 23 and stumbled on the fact that the Steinberg Halion Sonic SE 3 ( multitimbral sample player ) is picked up by the WJ Scanner and it plays fine! ( on Mac m1 laptop anyway ).
No icon though!
Halion Sonic SE was included in most any variant of Cubase ... some of which are included with various pieces of hardware, so you might have it. Or you might know someone with an install disk sitting around? It's a nice source of sounds if messing with Sound Fonts frustrates you! ).
Curiously its not an AU3 plug in ... just an AU ... so I don't know why it works, but perhaps WJ can actually handle the more available AU format too ( in the right circumstances) ?
Steinberg most recently offer a free version Halion Sonic 7 from their website ( there were no versions between 3 and 7 ) but unfortunately WJ seems to block the new V7 which is a shame.
Might be useful to someone ... it is for me!
Wotja can use AU units on macOS, but only those ones which have specifically been flagged by the manufacturer as being "Sandbox Enabled".
I think that the one in question is one of the ones where this has been done
which is great news of course!
I can't tell you off-hand why it doesn't have an icon, however...!
Best wishes, Pete
Hi Folks,
We've reviewed the pricing model for Wotja - and I think you'll find it is good news!
https://wotja.com/news/blog/post/230221-Wotja-Price-Changes.html
Best wishes, Pete
We are aware that some people find our pricing options a bit confusing. Sorry, we still have work to do in that regard
.
The confusion arises because we try our hardest to let customers spend only what they need to, and to allow Wotja to be used either as 'creator' of generative music, or just as a 'player' (not everyone wants to create).
To do that we have FS (Feature Sets) and 3 different types of IAPs to unlock them, these types being to support different approaches to payment.
In addition, and for Apple only, we have lower cost [Mobile] IAP sub-options for those who only use Wotja on mobile. We know it would be simpler if we did not provide these, but those who have them would have to say if they truly value them or not.
Wotja FS (Feature Sets):
See: https://wotja.com/info/#fst
Wotja IAPs:
PUN (Permanent Unlock of Feature Set):
This is intended as the functional equivalent of the old 'paid-for' variant where a single payment allows the version specific unlocking of the relevant FS, hence 'PUN: 23 Pro [All]'/'PUN: 23 Pro [Mobile]' and 'PUN: 23 Play [All]'/'PUN: 23 Play [Mobile]'. See: https://wotja.com/help/#pun
SUB (Subscription):
This is a monthly auto renewing subscription and always unlocks the relevant FS, whatever the major version, hence 'SUB: Pro [All]'/'SUB: Pro [Mobile]' and 'SUB: Play [All]'/'SUB: Play [Mobile]'. See: https://wotja.com/help/#sub
TJ (Tip Jar):
This is one-off tip and, dependent on tip, allows unlocking of 'Pro' or 'Play' FS on one device only. See: https://wotja.com/help/#tj
The upshot is that if you are only interested in the 'Pro' options, and you want to use Wotja on multiple devices, then you can whittle the above down to just 2 options:
'PUN: 23 Pro' or 'SUB: Pro'.
Which one you get depends on your preferences to payment and ownership!
I hope the above helps. We will continue to try to find way to make it clearer.
Best wishes
Tim
Hi Folks
Yesterday we submitted Wotja 23.3.0 for review. Some variants are already available (https://wotja.com/releases/).
Our principal aim with this release was to improve/simplify the In-App Store and to clear up any remaining confusion on the new W23 In-App Purchase (IAP) options. In the light of some useful and constructive feedback (which we greatly appreciated!) we decided to review our terminology and our overly enthusiastic use of 'reversed' acronyms (there was a reason for it) and to rework/improve our descriptions and explanations. In hindsight it seems that our previous approach was just too confusing, sorry!
Basically, we are now using the term One Time Buy (OTB) instead of Permanent Unlock (PUN), and the acronyms are no longer reversed(!). We feel the term One Time Buy better conveys what that IAP is for and how it will work for and across major versions with our new Featuregrade Business Model. There is no change in functionality, just a name change.
See: 'What is a One Time Buy (OTB)' - https://wotja.com/help/#otb
See: 'What is the Wotja Business Model?' - https://wotja.com/help/#wotja-business-model
We also now use the term Tip Jar Tip (TJT) instead of Tip Jar (TJ) and yes, there are some bug fixes, too, in W23.3.0.
We are sorry to have confused anyone with the previous terminology/acronym approach, but moving Wotja to a Featuregrade model for Wotja 23 (with the associated benefits in that) proved to be very complex and very challenging to do (which is why we never attempted it before now). It was hard for us to stand back whilst we were putting that all in place, which is where the constructive feedback was so helpful and we thank those who provided it!
All said and done, we hope the IAP alternatives are now much simpler to understand!
Best wishes
Tim
Hi Folks,
Wotja 23.4.0 is now available:
NEW (Android GP and AZ): Documents > Actions > Import to Documents/Wotja menu option (https://wotja.com/guide/#documents-common-actions) to allow 'missing' Wotja files to be recovered via import from a temporary internal folder (to where they have been previously copied by the Android File Manager) allowing them to then display in Wotja Documents AND to make it easy to get Wotja files into your Android device (e.g. from Desktop).
FIXED (Windows): A 'One Time Buy' purchase wasn't always restored (sorry, and big thanks from us to the customers who brought this to our attention); all you should need to do is to get/install the update, load Wotja and then your OTB purchase will be back again.
CHANGED (Windows): The Wotja VST3 plugin is now called Wotja.vst3 so please delete the old Wotja23.vst3 and in your DAW projects where you use that, replace it with the new Wotja.vst3 ... please don't forget this one
OTHER: Minor bug fixes.
FULL DETAILS: See Wotja Releases (http://wotja.com/releases/#w23.4.0)
P.S. Love Wotja? Please give a new rating for each update, it really helps us.
Best wishes, Pete
Hi Folks
Wotja 24.4.1 is now available:
FIXED: Crash when you selected 'Try again' button in response to the 'Wotja Store Not Available' alert.
FIXED (Desktop): Crash if you selected an invalid file in the File > Open menu
FIXED (Windows): Crash scanning some VST3 plug-ins.
FIXED (macOS): Crash scanning some AUv3 plug-ins.
CHANGED: Updated In-App User Guide.
OTHER: Minor bug fixes.
FULL DETAILS: See Wotja Releases https://wotja.com/releases/
P.S. Love Wotja? Please give a new rating for each update, it really helps us.
Best wishes from Tim and Pete
Does Woja 23 work with ableton 10? Havent updated to 11 yet and cant seem to get the AU plugin recognised after install.
Or where's the best place for the how to...
Thanks guys
Hi Folks.
Wotja 23.5.0 is now available:
NEW: Template Editor for easy editing/saving/exporting of Template Files.
IMPROVED: WAE Sample Player now uses the Mix tempo when 'cooking' Templates.
IMPROVED: WAE Sample Player when using a Template as Source Data now maps for any Text to Music Generator in the Template its Cut-Up Rule to the text in the Mix Text screen.
IMPROVED: Wotja version number and current date are now displayed in the Version & Date panel at the top of the at the top of the In-App Store screen.
IMPROVED (macOS): Ordering of buttons in macOS alerts to reflect current macOS UI approach.
IMPROVED: Allow Album WJURL import from clipboard even if there is some surrounding whitespace.
IMPROVED: Added support for Album WJURL import in Lite mode (not just 'Pro' mode).
IMPROVED: Documents 'Schemas' screen segment renamed to 'Flows' for clarity.
CHANGED: Revised filetype extensions used for MIME-type based delivery of content (web file sharing) and added support for downloading of .SKT (Schema) web files.
FIXED (Android): TV Player for Android re-instated.
FIXED: Bug in Schema where 'Text for Source #0' was not used correctly, e.g. in mix randomization or Flow.
FIXED: A Template on clipboard would import as a Mix and not a Template.
FIXED (Android): Rare Accessibility crash.
FIXED: Several other bugs.
FULL DETAILS: See Wotja Releases
P.S. Love Wotja? Please give a new rating for each update, it really helps us.
I think to use the Wotja AU3 Plugin in Ableton requires Ableton 11.2+.
See:
Hope that helps,
atb
Tim
Yes. Updated to latest 11 and working as expected.
thanks Tim
@imtim @impete
Hey there! I have just tried Wotja Pro in AUM. IT IS HUGE!
Though it is missing one really crucial feature.
Any hopes to have multi-out AUv3 in v.23 or anytime soon?
Hi @Heleste !
Thank you very much!
This is on my list of things to look at, but there is always something else that needs doing. I do hope to do it at some point, and have some design ideas, but we never make promises (there is always too much to do...!).
I'd be interesting in hearing more about your workflow. I think in general Wotja AUv3/VST3 is used either "all in" as an integrated audio generator using Wotja's internal synth/fx system (and then mixed-up with other host DAW tracks); or Wotja is used as a pure MIDI generator to drive outboard Soft synth / FX. However, it sounds like you're considering some sort of fine-grained / hybrid approach?
Did you know that you can use Wotja (app, not AUv3/VST3) as an AUv3 (on iOS/macOS; VST on Windows) host if you want - that allows you to route Wotja MIDI Channel / Wotja Track audio via 3rd party synth/FX chains if you want. So that'd give you the flexibility you might be looking for? You can get 3rd party units that let you route back to your favourite host DAW as well. Might not be the solution to what you want, but worth being aware of in case you weren't!
And for those reading this, just looking for inspiration as to how others use Wotja; this just published today on our site ... https://wotja.com/news/blog/230530-Wotja-Artist-Perspective-Aric-Attas.html
Best wishes,
Pete
Cool!
Hi Folks.
Wotja 23.6.0 has been released:
FULL DETAILS: See Wotja Releases
P.S. Love Wotja? Please give a new rating for each update, it really helps us.
Best wishes from Tim and Pete
Great work @imtim and @impete Thanks!