My experience with BM3
I've been testing BM3 for almost a year now.
Yep, testing.
I still am in actual fact.
My early test results were stolen together with my iPad back in August 2018.
I had managed to rack up over 70 sessions up until that time
with completed and almost completed tracks,
one of them I entered into one of the BM3 battles
where it reached 2nd place in the polls.
Negatives
BM3 does crash and crashes more with my
iPad Pro 9.7" than with my now stolen iPad Air 2.
External sound module apps are confusing to configure,
especially as they don't reload the same way once saved.
I'm used to using desktops so I'm used to D.A.W's saving all settings.
Crashes seem to happen much more when external synths are used so far in my experience.
IAA seems to be a major problem and it seems to be like that with
many of the other audio apps to be fair.
Positives
Still saying all of that, it is by far the best writing tool on the IOS platform.
It can sync with GarageBand, Auria Pro via midi for the duration
of a 7 minute piece and seems stable enough overall.
I haven't tested it for longer as I've been to busy writing.
Ableton link is much better in this update than the previous version.
The Measurement Mode function is much more stable now.
The sampler section is simply awesome which reminds me
that I have to reload my Korg Triton samples back into BM3.
A beat can be put together within minutes, faster
when you know your samples banks,
a proper track can be done in a couple of hours.
The time stretch function is simply amazing.
The layout is comprehensive, very intuitive and
straightforward especially if you're a sound designer.
It actually has a filing system which is sadly lacking
on quite a few iOS audio apps.
The ability to move files to where they can be found is vital
when organising projects and for when inspiration hits.
The auto detect is much, much better.
The grid editing could be better but a good work around is
to change the Bpm by 1/2 or x2 to change the grid layout.
I would like to find out if it can be used with a midi controller
for mixing such as the Icon Platform M Plus DAW Controller.
Basically a midi controller for volumes and panning.
The midi learn function via macros is great but when it comes to
straight forward moving faders it still has a way to go unless
I've missed something.
It would be wonderful if the tracks could be grouped by fader.
The sound quality is excellent, WYHIWUG (What you hear is what you get).
In the old days a composer, writer, musician would write and record using
Logic Audio as the front end and then transfer the whole project to Protools
for the mixdown and either master in house or have the tracks sent out,
On the iOS platform I have found that
BM3 > Auria Pro > Mastering App of choice does the same thing workflow wise.
I've yet to do really serious audio recording with BM3 but overall I really like it's concept.
The bug fixes and feature requests will happen, they simply require patience.
As far as I'm concerned BM3 is the don.
If all goes well my first BM3 based album will be ready by April.
Thanks for reading.
Peace.
Comments
Thanks for this Gravitas. Good read.
I abandoned IAA over a year ago (in all hosts, not just BM3), and I'd urge others to consider making this change too.
The are some IAA synths I miss, but running AUv3 plugins only takes almost all the pain and frustration out of using BM3, and just leaves you with blissful music-making.
I feel this is bad advice, there are many fantastic IAA apps and there is not a chance I will be abandoning them! I just recorded a crash on BM3 with a AUv3 only running so to blame IAA on issues Instead of BM3 is poor show.
I should add I use AUM and beta test it and in general using IAA apps is not a problem at all! IAA apps have certain advantages AU don’t.
I dont think anybody is trying to remove all blame for crashes on B3, it is a known crash fest and a testiment to its excellent workflow is the fact so many people still use it as their main app.
@mathieugarcia will get to all crashes at some point, the best we can do is to make them reproducable, that way he has a much higher chance if catching them.
Having said that, crashes caused by IAA are disproportionate to every other crash reported (trust me, i log this stuff) and personally i think "IAA should be shot in the face"
Yeah I heard your ‘shot in the face’ catchphrase 😉 maybe a good lyric for a tune?
Like I said I use AUM and not many issue with IAA, of course as with any program it needs to be stable which is up to the developer of that said application.
I feel it is bad advice to say give up using IAA, there is a new app called polyphase which is fricken awesome and that is IAA only. You be unwise to ignore it because it is not AUv3.
Ok, so im unwise and give bad advice, I can live with that, I still think everybody should stop using IAA, NS2 dropped it and everydeveloper would be unwise to ignore that, if a developer chooses to ignore AU over IAA in 2019, they will not get my money.
well they won’t get money from you but I will pay. Shame you lose out on some great apps then
I stand by what I say - ditching IAA works for me. But my opinion is worth no more than anyone else's.
Interestingly there are many other habits and techniques I've adopted in BM3 that I would never recommend to others. But this one I do.
Besides, I only said to 'consider' the suggestion, and also made clear it doesn't solve all issues.
IAA should have been dead last year. Are there some nice app that are IAA only, Of course but they should become AUV3 or they will be left behind. There’s no reason to stay with this dead technology which is nothing but headaches not just in BM3 but with Auria, cubasis, etc... I agree with NS2 developer not wanting to deal with it that’s why his app is stable AF. You can’t bring AUM is this discussion, it’s not the same type of app but still crashes a lot with IAA and that’s a fact.
A few other notes regarding IAA over the last 6+ months....
It seems pretty clear to me that IAA will be a legacy format before long. But hey, some people still like vinyl.
¹ http://www.synthanatomy.com/2018/06/sugar-bytes-turnado-for-ios-is-now-auv3-compatible-but-loses-support-for-audiobus-inter-app-audio.html
Why can't I mention AUM? Its runs AUv3 and IAA's beautifully if both formats are programmed correctly.
I use AUM everyday and IAA's ... no crashes. Of course some apps are unstable but that goes for all formats. Anyway I don't care if its IAA or AUv3 as long as it works and helps me make music. Just because you think IAA is dead technology doesn't mean people should abandon a perfectly good piece of music making software.
Some developers might find it too difficult to program a AUv3 or find that format restrictive , I prefer to have their creation a reality than non existent.
I would suggest that Intua could create a separate midi channel
that functions only as a midi channel in and out to other apps or physical
midi instruments so that the external apps don't have to be loaded up
into the framework of BM3.
Therefore the midi implementation for the sampler section doesn't have to change.
Getting the audio back from the external apps though could be awkward
but then using something such as audiobus as a loop back could very well work.
A thought.
Where in my post did I say people should abandon it? I said it's dead technology and I'm not the only one who thinks so. I have IAA apps on my ipad that are there waiting for auv3 supports promised my developers.
I said you can't metion AUM in comparison to BM3, NS2, CUBASIS, Auria ect..cuz AUM is an audio/app mixer which requires you to record audio into another app. It's not a DAW so you can't compare the crashes seen in DAW apps. Like I've mentioned before all other DAW apps have issues with IAA apps crashing so I don't think they're all that unstable. I guarantee if NS2 supports IAA it will be a crash fest Just like all others which is why the developer stayed away from it. He said it himself.
True the other dude said abandoned. You just say there no reason to stay with this dead technology, i disagree and there are some excellent IAA apps coming out soon.
AUM is a host for midi and audio apps just like BM3, NS2, CUBASIS, Auria etc... so I don't see what point you are making here since you class NS2 as a DAW?
Also Cubasis and BM3 can be unstable, whereas AUM is rock solid so I use AUM as an example, I can't speak for Auria.
The 'other dude' now says "let's try to keep this civil, please"
All apps are equal. it's just that some are more equal than others.
I am I not being civil? sorry, I find it hard to remember forum names :-)
Sorry if i'm offending people by stating my view.
@tk32 I agree.
'Let's try to keep this civil, please', about sums it up.
My priority is about writing and recording good music.
Tools though they are a necessity are not worth fighting over.
Discussion improves them but the whole ,
'my stick is better than your stick', is not worth the hassle.
I haven't tried Cubasis and I'm most probably not going to now.
AUM sounds interesting.
I've tested BM3 running into Auria Pro using the Auria's end chain
Eq, bus compressor( which is close in format maybe not in sound)
to an SSL Bus Compressor and then into Audio Mastering for
stereo imaging, harmonics, multiband compression and final limiting.
It sounds good so far.
IAA's are awesome!
Yes its a host but not of the same caliber.
Ever since i stopped using IAA I haven't had a crash in either BM3, cubasis or Auria. So we both have our own crash free experience.
Unfortunately I found only yesterday a reliable crash in BM3 with using just one AUv3 (zeeon) nothing to do with with IAA.
I have crashed every DAW/Host consistently with all the Beepstreet plugins and mist of the Audio Damage plugins, all AUv3, does that mean IAA is more reliable, no, it means i got crashes from those plugins regularly.
I think we can all agree to disagree here and move on, if you think IAA is a format that has a future, great, if you don't, well that is great too.
Go make tunes.
I'm not saying IAA's have great future, just saying the existing ones have value and to just dismiss them doesn't make any sense to me at all. I agree to the lets disagree to agree thing though.
@winconway
Totally agree.