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 Store

Audiobus is the app that makes the rest of your setup better.

Audiobus 2 is launching on Thursday, April 3rd 2014

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Comments

  • edited March 2014

    A few thoughts:

    $5 for the IAP is what I thought it would be, totally reasonable.

    And the "buy it early" increase is nice good idea, but I think there would be too much risk for bad PR from users who didn't realized what they were doing and paid the higher price then find out later.

    How about just a link to the "merch" page for people who want to support Audiobus? Do you have stickers yet? You could even price the stickers higher just for your Audiobus fans/ backers.

  • mmpmmp
    edited March 2014

    I don't see a problem with this as long this intention is made very clear in the purchase screen. The only issue might be language I suppose.

    You might even consider a monthly price hike to allow new users to participate. There
    are actually quite a few developers who do it all the time, even it is supposed to work the other way around ;-p

    Not sure if that would work with IAPs though.

  • I agree with @Hmtx, although I and a few others, know Audiobus 2 is worth two or three times the asking price, ( what ever that might be) it would still be viewed as bad PR for the team, if the devoted fans of Audiobus, were forced to pay an inflated launch day asking price, that was later reduced for the casual user to pickup for pennies.

  • @Hmtx said:

    How about just a link to the "merch" page for people who want to support Audiobus? Do you have stickers yet? You could even price the stickers higher just for your Audiobus fans/ backers.

    Could also add a donate/paypal link on the sidebar of this site (which seems to be the best place for discussing all things iOS music, not just Audiobus!).

    Wouldn't Apple take a chunk of the increased price if it was done through the iTunes?

  • I'm fine paying for IAP for additional features, but don't really like the idea of monkeying with the price just to allow some people to pay extra if they want to.

    Like other people said, sell merchandise or set up something for donations for people that want to pay more.

  • @papertiger said:

    Wouldn't Apple take a chunk of the increased price if it was done through the iTunes?

    this is a good point. I would not want to support you guys at the cost of sending 30% to Apple. I would much rather that 30% go to whoever makes your stickers. Plus I end up with a sticker :-)

  • edited March 2014

    Apple takes 30%. But that's true with pretty much anything we do on the App Store. It's an OK deal, in case anyone is wondering how I think about it. They're providing a good platform.

  • I'd gladly pay a bit extra the moment it comes out to show support

  • edited March 2014

    @Sebastian The early adopters higher fee sounds like a great idea. In theory at least. I'm pretty sure that if you do not make it very clear in the appinfo, the update info etc that this is how it's going to be, you will get the usual low star ratings and angry ramblings from a bunch of people. If possible, add that info in the popup window for the in-app purchase to really avoid any low ratings etc. Other then that, it sounds great to me!

  • I don't think we can add this to the pop-up window anymore. Too late to change it. I doubt we're going to do this anyway, it was just an idea. Thanks a lot for everybody's feedback. :)

  • Does the App Store allow you to release an update but not ping everyone's device? If so, you could release the 'support us' price quietly on the App Store, announce it here and on your mailing list and then only people who understood what was going on would know to go hit update and buy the IAP.

    Otherwise, I agree that you'd have a bunch of upset users who didn't quite understand what was going on when they purchased it.

    PayPal and schwag links are a nice idea but they wouldn't generate nearly as much money as something available via the App Store. I wish apple allowed 'tip jar' IAPs again. A few games did it for a while and I thought it was cool.

    How about a 'gold bar' IAP? Something that trivially changes the UI and you market it as a 'AB Golden Supporter' type thing? (Translated) messaging in the app could make it clear what the purpose was.

  • Only 5€....I want to pay more your work!

  • @Sinapsya said:

    Only 5€....I want to pay more your work!

    i feel this way about so few developers, but the AB Boys are on that very very short list!

    It still blows my mind that small developers are the ones really delivering on the iOS music promise...

  • So early adopters would get screwed by paying more? ;) This is a very counter-intuitive idea! Fine for the likes of us, but the general public might be a bit annoyed at paying more at launch! I realise this is now just hypothetical talk for a future IAP or app... Maybe like @syrupcore says, it could be a 'flash non-sale' that's not advertised except on here!

  • I'll chime in and say that $9.99 is a fair regular price for the IAP. Hopefully it will help fund another year of AB. :-)

  • Is it too early to ask when we can expect AB3. ;-)

  • @funjunkie27 said:

    Is it too early to ask when we can expect AB3. ;-)

    AB3 will be baked into iOS 8.5 at the core level. By the time it is released the AB Boys will be sipping drinks on a beach in the Caribbean after having pwned all of Apple's internal staff and showing them how it's done. They'll also have standardized and improved MIDI communication and bought everyone ponies using the rain of hundred dollah bills Apple showered upon them.

  • @syrupcore I think a "gold bar" IAP is an excellent idea.

  • Platinum or no deal.

  • Oooohhhh....ponies!

  • Why suggesting a price if you haven't seen it yet?

    My humble advice:

    Start with a low introductory price. And then let people on this forum suggest the normal price, what they think its worth.

  • Consumables. One preset save slot costs 150 purple magic bars, which are only attainable with a gold coin currency. The gold coins would be attainable via IAPs (like $19.99 for a bag of gold, $99.99 for a treasure chest full with gold, and so on), alternatively via clicking ad banners and popup ads. I heard this method makes game devs very successful financially!

  • Hopefully the developers don't want to nickel and dime people like that.

    How about they just set a price, people pay it, and we call it a deal?

  • I agree, I think messing with an in app price frequently would only cause headaches. You just know there's going to be people who pay more on accident and flip out at "those greedy Audiobus guys". On the Auria forum right now there's a jackass doing just that, blaming the developer for their own probIems.

    I honestly think merchandise or donations would be the only fair methods of showing extra support.

  • Yes indeed, name your price and stick to it guys.

  • Magic bars, stars, coins what is it a 'squeeze a baboon through a didgeridoo' kind of app? I think the more upfront and clear pricing is, the better. Also I would hate ad banners here and there. Fortunately music apps have been reasonably clear from that crap.

  • I think the totally useless visual "gold" or "platinum" IAP might work. Is that no longer allowed? It would just have to come with a disclaimer or clear description: "This IAP looks great, but it will do nothing to enhance the audio function of this app. Only buy this if you want to support the makers of Audiobus."

    And make it subtle, like a shiny gold border around the >> arrows.

  • ...and a bit of fairy dust in the background. Lovely :)

  • I just wrote a really long post then deleted it, but I want to vocalize my overall feeling on this. Please, please don't put in a higher price point initially then lower it. I am really trying to see the positive in this move (from several angles), and can't...

  • In New Zeland is out???

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