Wishing for a user manual.

[tedrk...@gmail.com]

Borderlands is deep. I've been playing with it for a while, and have sussed the basics. But I feel that I'm only scratching the surface. Has anyone ever considered writing a user manual? There's much more here that I'm sure I'm not getting. I realize that an update is on the way with even more features. While my imagination soars at the possibilities, my heart sinks when I think of having to figure it out all on my own. I want to dig deeper, but need a map. Online videos are helpful, but half of what's being done is sometimes not adequately explained. — TK

[modulationindex]

Thanks for your message. I think there's a lot of value in exploring and trying to understand without having a clear idea of what's going on (in that this often leads to happy accidents and interesting paths you might not have otherwise explored), BUT, I've also been feeling the desire to make a manual for the app recently. The app has gradually been becoming more complex and I think it's important to bring some clarity to the new features / more nuanced playing techniques.

I don't have a timeline on when this will be available, but I"m hoping to begin pulling it together after I finally get this next update in the store.

Thanks again for your note!

Very best,

Chris  

[tedrk...@gmail.com]

Thanks! I am glad to hear someone is at least contemplating it. Please keep us posted. Peace! — TK

[sirh...@gmx.de]

Is there anything like a manual around? 

Actually I like learning by playing. But I am not into technical details, and the Apple world of iPad and iPhone is not my interest at all.

I couldn't find information on your website about the main things: If Borderlands can be used like a synth in a DAW, like getting the Audio out of that iPad thing easily to record and use it (and not via headphone jacks!).

Of course I saw your hint about AudioBus, just read this is an App about bussing. Searching for a digital bridge into my DAW is my question. :)

Looking forward to any links or challenging tutorials into integration.

Thx

[Ted Killian]

Hi! It's me again. It's mid 2023 now and I still see there is no manual. I am sure there are features I am missing buried in this wonderful app and it really bugs me that I have no way of knowing what I am missing out on. I have pretty well mastered basic use and learned some tricks over the last 4 years. But, like I said in 2019, this thing is **deep**. You don't know what you don't know, because you don't know it's even there to be known. I could make a comparison to Adobe Photoshop, which 90% of users don't know or use some of the really most brilliant features of for the simple reason that they just learned it by the seat of their pants and only taught themselves what they thought they needed. There is similarly brilliant stuff hidden in here I know. But I just don't know how to get at it, understand it, not effectively use it.

[Chris Hahn]

I would submit that 4 years later, if there isn't one, there's likely not one coming. That being said, it looks like the https://www.instagram.com/borderlands_granular/ account is still active so... ?

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[modulationindex]

Thanks Ted for following up and thanks Chris for pointing out the IG account. I completely hear you on the lack of a manual - it's something I've aspired to make for a long time, but just haven't had the focused time to sit down, write, design, layout and distribute. Generally if I'm spending spare time on the app, I need focus on working on the code - there's no shortage of stuff to do there at the moment. I try to post little tips every once in awhile (or at least show the app in use) on the Instagram account that Chris shared. I still do intend to make a proper set of documentation eventually, but for the time being I need to focus on getting a new version out there. Part of me also likes the fact that there's a bit of open-endedness and discovery involved as well (but I realize that it is keeping people from uncovering certain things that are not obvious)

Here are a couple more recent resources that might also be helpful:

 - Jakob Haq made a great tutorial video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lP9W2CnuIY

 - There's also a thread on the lines forum where I answered a bunch of questions about the app: https://llllllll.co/t/borderlands-granular/28960/87

-  And to make sure it's all in one place, here's the IG account Chris Hahn shared  - https://www.instagram.com/borderlands_granular/  

Here's a list of what I believe to be the biggest underutilized or "hidden" features (based on how I've seen people using the app):

•  Stacking the grains and manually scrubbing files (vs expanding the XY control in the parameters page and having the grains randomly sample a larger region). I tend to prefer stacking the grains on top of each other and playing with the probability / duration / overlap. You have a lot more control and expressive possibilities with underlying sounds
  
• Generating a bunch of automation for one cloud and then duplicating that cloud - record a bunch of gestures using upper right menu's automation record button. Open a cloud for editing by double tapping and create a new cloud while the original is in edit mode. It will be an identical copy and all automation / modulation etc will be in sync
• Background touches - this was a last min feature in the most recent version... there are some vids on the IG account demonstrating this, but basically, touching the background of the app when you have clouds with automation going has several effects - 1 touch reveals the "ghost clouds" for any clouds that have position automation recorded (making it possible to select any fast-moving clouds). 2 touches pause all parameter automation. 3 touches pauses both position and parameter automation, effectively freezing the current state of the grain clouds while the touches are active. The 2 and 3 touch options can result in some interesting and surprising sonic variations if you do it with quite a lot of automation active. 
• Playing with the automation speed open up the settings menu and jack up the automation speed... then use the background touches I just described.  
•  "Gravity constraints"  - this button exists in the cloud menu that opens up on the top left when you double tap a cloud. The button labeled XY with a vector arrow above it is the gravity constraint button. The main menu in the upper right of the screen has a button labeled "g" which is short for gravity - it enables the iPad's built in accelerometer. The influence of the accelerometer can be turned on and off for X, Y or both axes using the gravity constraint button (meaning the cloud will respond only to the force in one, both, or neither of those axes). 
• Cloud "edge" modes  -  this button also exists in the cloud menu that opens up on the top left when you double tap a cloud. normally when throwing a cloud off the screen, the cloud will be deleted. The two available "edge modes" will enable a "wrapping" sort of behavior for the cloud - one edge mode projects the cloud to the opposite side of the screen along the path it was thrown (which can be used to create a simple looping path when the accelerometer is turned on). The other mode does a sort of "pac man" style wrap - the cloud jumps to the exact same location on the screen edge directly opposite (so if it crosses the top of the screen, it will jump tot he bottom, the right side of the screen -> the left side).  Use this with gravity enabled and you'll be able to generate some lovely non-repeating textures.  Try recording some position automation for a cloud before you enable gravity and things will get even crazier. Try duplicating a ton of these clouds and setting the edge modes differently and things get wild 

Hope this helps for now. I wish I could spend much more time than I have available on the app as there's so much I want to do. Rest assured,  I will do my very best to keep it alive and well, even if it continues to be years between proper updates. 

Thanks again! 

Chris