Feature requests and a question regarding (tempo) synced playback

[akos....@gmail.com]

Hi Chris,

I`ve just bought the Borderlands and it is truly amazing. I`m a bit struggling how to use it with AudioBus as a filter but hopefully I will figure it out.

My request are the following:

1) Undo

2) Clear slate

3) This one is bit more advanced. It would be ace to be able to edit the recorded sample inside the up. E.g. trim the start and the end of a recording.

In addition, it might be that I am a novice if it comes to Borderlands but is there a way to sync the sample playback events to a "grid" e.g. 1/8 at 120bpm? If not I think that would be an awesome addition.

All the best,

Akos

[modulationindex]

Hi Ákos!

Thanks for your message and for the great suggestions. 

Undo is a bit complex for the current software architecture, but I'll spend some time thinking about how it could be done. 

Clear state - what do you mean by this exactly? Deleting everything at once? 

Ah yeah - editing the recordings would be great. At the moment I've decided to leave it to apps that are really good at that kind of thing (like AudioShare). What you can do in the meantime is:

• save your state as a scene
  
• go to the recordings menu (under the file folder icon in the main menu)
• tap your scene's name
• hit the rightmost button for your input recording to export it to audioshare. 
• edit in audioshare
• reimport into the app

(i realize that's a lot of steps)

Perhaps someday I'll have some time to add trimming or splitting at least. Will add it to the list. 

Great point about the sync. This is already on the list as well - I am waiting for Michael Tyson (audiobus developer) to finish up the sync engine he has been working on. I think that will make the implementation quite a bit easier. 

Regarding the audiobus filter - I am guessing you are having issues with monitoring the incoming sound. Right now Borderlands only monitors when it is actively recording an input. What you can do is go into settings, increase the "input monitor level", start an active recording, then add borderlands to the filter slot. You should hear the input coming through properly. 

Please feel free to let me know if you have other questions. Happy to help!

All the best,

Chris 

[alcal...@gmail.com]

To continue with this subject, it's exactly what I would want to ask you, I would know if it is possible to sync the start of your loops, in particular when you've made a tempo sync loop, with the grains sync to bpm you want. Creating this kind of loops is rather easy, you just have to set the time (in mseconds) on a subdivision of your bpm.
But here is my problem, I created 3 loops or "scenes", each sync to the bpm of my track (90 bpm, so the time of the loops is set on 333 or 666, etc..). But in order to build my scene properly, when I'm happy with one loop and want to build another one, I have to set the its level to 0. Same when I finish with my second loop and I generaly go no further than 3 for the moment.
But when I set the level to 0, the loop doesn't stop to "work", it's still active for the moment you've created it until you decide to throw it way.
But when I have my 3 loops, each sync to 90 bpm, when I rise their level, they are not sync between each other, and I found no way to do that.
Is it possible, like in Loopy for exemple, to tap one your loops to mute them but shut them down as well. And when you tap on it again, you relaunch it and not just unmute it (again, like in Loopy). This way, you would be able to reactivate them one by one, and wait for the synchro to have them sync together.
So, to resume my question, is it possible to do what I have describe to you (maybe I missed a function), and if this function doesn't exist as I describe it, is there a way to make it happen one way or another ?
Because I can tell you this so far, it has been a while since an app blowed my mind like this ! In fact since Samplr. This is what you call a groundbreaking app.
I never spent so much time in a row on an app. But after just 1 hour, I started to search for the sync loops, because for me it was essential. It is so awsome to make rythm patterns with pad sounds, and then add a beat with another app in Audiobus, that It seems impossible for me that there was not a way to sync your loops
So, hopping you could give me some leads or ideas tips to approach this, I Thank you for you attention and your awsome app.
True Regards,
Cyril

[alcal...@gmail.com]

[modulationindex]

Hi Cyril -

Not totally sure I follow everything you're saying, but I can say that tempo-synced grains (both internal and external clock) are definitely high on my list of things to add. I am waiting for Michael Tyson's "spectacular sync engine" to be released to dive in - hoping it will make the midi handling a bit more straightforward. I had an early test version of tempo sync awhile back and it was really fun to lock grains into 1/32 notes, triplets, etc. The problem with that early version was that it was terribly inaccurate for fluctuating tempos. I ultimately had to scrap it because it didn't work with the revised grain triggering system. I will get back to it eventually, though. 

At the moment, the best that can be done to sync grains is to just work at listening + nudging the overlap / duration until things lock into a rhythm. As many people have pointed out, the current version of the app is really geared more at creating textures / ambient music rather than generating rhythms. That will change, though... 

Thanks for the kind words. Glad you're enjoying the app! 

Very best,

Chris

[chri...@gmail.com]

I would love to be able to record into positioned audio tracks. For example I could have a scene with empty samples that have a cloud or two playing out of a the blank samples. I would then record into those samples and the clouds would start picking up the sample as I recorded it.

I imagine that this would entail having a couple controls associated with sample rectangles.

[modulationindex]

Hi Chris,

If I am understanding you correctly, this is already possible. Try pressing Rec In. in the bottom menu - then use the plus button to add as many recordings as you want. Position these samples on screen wherever you would like them to be. Then save a scene (do not stop recording before saving the scene). When you load that scene at a later time, the actively recording sounds will all show up empty and continue recording with the same playhead offsets they had when the scene was saved. With this procedure, you can create and save custom granular effects processors that will start off with empty sound files when you load them. 

Hope this helps!

Chris