A Tasty Pixel » Software

AutoRate 1.5.0 beta

After a long hiatus, it’s time for a new version of AutoRate!

AutoRate 1.5.0 introduces a new, more sophisticated rating formula, thanks to the fantastic efforts of Brandon Mol (read about his changes [here](http://tzisoftware.com/forum/index.php/topic,85.0.html)). It’s still currently in beta, until it can be confidently dubbed bug free.

Download the AutoRate 1.5.0 beta over at the [Google Code project](http://code.google.com/p/autorate/downloads/list).

Update: Beta 2 now available, which fixes a bug with the min/max rating setting.

Podcast interview with Dan Grigsby of Mobile Orchard on Loopy’s development

Last Thursday I did an interview with Dan Grigsby from Mobile Orchard; the interview is now online.

Highlights from this interview include: From UIView to OpenGL: the seven different implementations it took to finalize its unique — and Best App Ever award-nominated — UI. From audio-queues to Remote IO: the four different architectural approaches he tried before finalizing audio subsystems. The travails of trying to implement echo cancelation. The business of making a living off of a $10 app

Listen to it here, or subscribe in iTunes (30 min.)

Developing Loopy, Part 2: Implementation

This is part 2 of a series following the development of Loopy, my iPhone app.

In part 1, I wrote about Loopy’s interface. Part 2 will be more technical, and will cover some challenges encountered during the evolution of Loopy from concept and mockup to working software. Or, more specifically, the stupid things I did along the way.

Developing Loopy, Part 1: Interface

Loopy is my first iPhone app, a loop-based performance/musical scratchpad app based on looping audio equipment and inspired by, equally, the fantastic and free “Freewheeling” application, and an a capella performance by Imogen Heap.

It’s development was a whirlwind of obsessive coding, near-vertical learning curves, impatience, excitement and occasional burnout and writers block.

I thought I’d share some facts and lessons learned from the process, in a several-part article. For part 1, read on.

Unwired Usage Dashboard Widget

Introducing the Unwired Usage Dashboard widget for Mac OS X: View your Unwired usage statistics right on your Dashboard. No more logging in to check on your quota.

Displays both on-peak and off-peak quotas, and shows time remaining right alongside your quotas so you can compare your progress through the billing period.

Download it here: Unwired Usage 1.0.1

Loopy status update

Loopy has been generally successful in the 3 weeks it’s been on the market, and I’ve received many useful suggestions from users, as well as lots of positive feedback:

“What a fantastic app. It is entirely intuitive in use (although there is a very neat video tutorial) and is just the most wonderful fun.Be the first to write a bit of music using extant environmental sounds; loop them and then bung them wirelessly into your Mac (Or Windows) DAW for that final bit of tweaking.Or just sit there humming. Or plucking. I said plucking.This is a beautifully written application.Go. Have fun!”

“Great app! By far the most useful multitrack on tis appstore (yes I have tried them all) in spite of some UI niggles that I am sure will be ironed out (such as the miniature glowing LOTR icons/buttons), very excited for how this app will evolve…”

“By far the most useful multitrack recorder for the iphone.”

LOTR icons, you say? One loop to rule them all…

The most demanded features so far have been:

Lead-in recording
A better metronome/timing mechanism, more adjustable, and with the ability to adjust tempo mid-session
A limiter
Panning support
The ability to import loops

I’m in complete agreement that these would be useful features, and will be working to include them all in the next release of Loopy.

Other things currently on the to-do list include:

More tracks, with home-screen-esque swipe functionality to access other pages of tracks
Undo functionality
Gate functionality and perhaps mixing improvements to limit noise
A track editor, to tweak timing, and possibly ADSR envelope functionality

And of course,

Community functionality

I am currently engaged in putting together the next iPhone App, which should be completed over the next few weeks. Then, back to Loopy.

Apple iTunes Connect Trend/Transaction Report Processor

I’ve written a droplet which takes a transaction report, as downloaded from iTunes Connect and containing a summary of sales, and produces a single figure representing the total earnings, in a particular currency.

Because the report shows sales for each separate region, a bit of work is required to get a total earnings figure, involving multiplying royalties by number of sales for each region, and then converting each currency type and adding all results together. This droplet does it all for you – just drop the downloaded text file from iTunes Connect onto it and it’ll bring up a summary. A preferences window allows configuration of the currency.

Currency conversion information provided by timegenie.com.

p>Download it here: Process Transaction Reports droplet

Vote for
Loopy
in
Best Musical Instrument App

Vote for
Loopy
in
Most Original User Interface

Loopy has made it into the Best Musical Instrument and Most Original User Interface categories as a finalist of the Best App Ever Awards, and could really use your help! The winners are announced at the 2009 Macworld Expo on 7th January, and 10 runners up are eligible for the ‘Best App Ever’ award.

Please vote, and encourage others to vote as well, if you think Loopy is worthy!

You can vote for Loopy in Most Original User Interface and Best Musical Instrument by clicking the ‘Vote’ buttons at the right.

You can vote once in each category. Voting ends 6th January.

Software