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Ravenscroft 275 for iOS


Sven Golly

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Wouldn't a higher sample rate result in LESS latency?

 

Would the interface make a difference in latency? In other words, would there be any difference between using the little on-board headphone jack vs. an interface that connects via Lightning?

Yes a higher sample rate would reduce latency, all other things being equal. But it also requires more processor juice. I mentioned lowering the sample rate as one of the steps taken to give the processor more headroom, to avoid buffer underruns.

 

I don't know the answer to your second question as I don't use iOS for anything music related other than listening to songs in my car. In the computer world interfaces do matter, as manufacturers often write their own drivers. I'm not sure if Apple gives iOS developers the same amount of latitude.

 

Personally I don't get hung up on numbers. I started years ago with a Mac G4 laptop rig at a 512 buffer and while I could feel some sluggishness on a few sounds (mostly those with percussive attacks) I was able to adapt to it. I think the question here is whether the portability and convenience of an iPad VI outweighs the compromises of possibly having to make these adjustments for trouble-free playing. For some I'm sure it will. A really good piano VI is a pretty demanding piece of software if you want low latency with no clicks & pops. I have no doubt there will be iPads in the coming years that'll equal the performance we get from our MacBook Pros and Windows laptops. Maybe the new iPad Pro is already there, I don't know.

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I will say that the 512 buffer seemed a lot more playable and responsive than trying to play at the same setting using my macbook and a piano VST. Might just be my imagination....but I wouldn't consider using any of my piano VSTs with a 512 buffer on my laptop.

At 44.1 kHz, 512 buffer = 11.6ms, that's fixed. It can't be any less. However, if there are other things that are contributing to latency, it can be more, as the different sources of latency will be additive.

 

In general (not specific to Ravenscroft or iOS), I find 256 acceptable, and 128 great. I would not enjoy playing piano at 512. If 512 was the best I could get in a given software environment, I'd trade-off sound quality if need be and play whatever piano sound is in my board.

 

Lower the sample rate, disable reverb, increase the buffer. Sounds like a lot to deal with just to get a playable piano, even if the samples themselves are gorgeous.

The blessing and curse of iOS is that, really, there's very little you can do. Usually, a given app either works well enough for you or it doesn't. I doubt most people do anything more than try adjusting the buffer, and honestly, I'm not sure any other change would even make a difference. (The fact that someone here suggested something else doesn't tell us anything about the chances of it working. ;-) ) The ability to tweak the performance of an iPad is minimal. You can do a little more on a Mac. You can spend your life doing it in Windows. Or you buy a Kronos/Montage/Forte/Nord/whatever.

 

I assume the Ravenscroft makes more demands on an iPad than some other pianos do, which I would expect would at least impact its ability to play well with others if you're trying to run multiple apps at once, especially on a less modern iPad. But I'd be curious to know if people find that, on a given i-device, they actually need to set the buffer to a higher number than they do for other piano apps they've tried.

 

 

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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  • 7 months later...

Already had R275, but I did grab that Beathawk app. Seems like it would pass the time on a flight or the train. Some of the IAP sound packs sound great. . .

 

[video:youtube]

Yamaha P515 & CK88, Pianoteq, Mainstage, iOS, assorted other stuff.

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Already had R275, but I did grab that Beathawk app. Seems like it would pass the time on a flight or the train. Some of the IAP sound packs sound great. . .

 

 

 

I grabbed it too Bobby, and you're right, some of the sound packs sound wonderful. Trouble is, I spent over £60 in under 20 minutes........

 

Occasionally, do something nice for a total stranger. They'll wonder what the hell is going on!
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Yeah. I'll wait until I actually start using it before I invest any more.

 

As it is, I already have so many great iOS apps that I hardly ever launch. It's the fatal attraction of these 10 buck synths - it seems silly not to buy them when you used to spend thousands for the same aural wonders. I'm collecting them like baseball cards - with all the effort of a scan of my thumbprint. Crazy.

Yamaha P515 & CK88, Pianoteq, Mainstage, iOS, assorted other stuff.

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Beathawk might be tied with Gadget for siphoning the most money out of my pocket via IAPs. Several months ago, there was a 50% off sale for Beathawk IAPs, so I bought the IAPs for flamenco, Indian music, Turkish music, etc.

 

 

You are the picture of restraint. There is a 50% sale atm, and I scrolled through the 40 odd soundbanks, thinking "Oh, that sounds good, it's only a couple of pounds.....". Before I knew what I'd done, I'd bought more than half of them.

Occasionally, do something nice for a total stranger. They'll wonder what the hell is going on!
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  • 4 months later...
Just a heads-up that the Ravenscroft iOS app is on sale ($18 on US site.) The main criticism in the reviews is that the sustain pedal noise is too loud, but I purchased the app yesterday and the sustain pedal volume is now customisable in the preferences.
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With the new iPad Pros geekbenching as good as or better than the MacBook Pros, iOS is becoming an ever more attractive alternative to MacOS for live use.

Two years ago I had to go for a laptop because I felt iOS apps wouldnt allow me to do everything I want to do.

 

When something like Gig Performer comes to iOS and makes it possible to host third-party audio units I really see no reason to stick with a laptop.

 

 

local: Korg Nautilus 61 AT | Yamaha MODX8

away: GigPerformer | 16" MBP M1 Max

home: Kawai RX-2 | Korg D1 | Roland Fantom X7

 

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Just a heads-up that the Ravenscroft iOS app is on sale ($18 on US site.) The main criticism in the reviews is that the sustain pedal noise is too loud, but I purchased the app yesterday and the sustain pedal volume is now customisable in the preferences.

 

Thanks for the heads up! Buying at half off is great and love the sound!

Numa Piano X73 /// Kawai ES920

Yamaha Melodica and Alto Recorder

QSC K8.2 // JBL Eon One Compact // Soundcore Motion Boom Plus 

Win11 laptop // iPad Pro 9.7" 32GB

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  • 3 weeks later...

If you already own Ravenscroft, is there any point to buying the Acoustic Grand IAP for Beathawk?

 

I'm not interested in composition within Beathawk. My use would involve triggering different instruments from different apps simultaneously in a real-time performance environment, so besides sound quality, one of my concerns is total overhead, i.e. playing well while also running other apps. So for example, if I already have Beathawk loaded for playing other sounds (say, strings), I'm wondering if loading its own piano would be less demanding on the hardware than loading the separate Ravenscroft app. (Though that also assumes that Beathawk would let me trigger its piano and its strings simultaneously over different MIDI channels...?)

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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Another thanks for the heads up. I bought this Saturday and am looking forward to using it at a gig.

The fact there's a Highway To Hell and only a Stairway To Heaven says a lot about anticipated traffic numbers

 

People only say "It's a free country" when they're doing something shitty-Demetri Martin

 

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I got this at the 1/2 off sale, thanks, all.

 

One reason I wanted it was to have a good piano on my iOS devices (iPad 6th Gen, iPhone XR) when I'm away from my real gear (I have iGrand Piano and that's pretty weak sounding). However, the keys on the iPad are small and I'm wondering if there's a way to make them bigger that I haven't found.

 

On my iPhone, the keys are cut off to where I can barely touch them at the bottom of the screen, and one of the settings windows doesn't even show the Close or whatever button it is to get back to the main screen. So it's pretty unusable for me on the XR right now.

"I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck

 

"The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI

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I hadn't installed it on my XR. Did so after I saw your message, and had the same problems. Filed a bug report here: https://support.uvi.net/hc/en-us/requests/new
Cool, thanks. I may also file one when I have a minute.

"I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck

 

"The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI

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  • 2 weeks later...

I got an email back from UVI support this morning following up on my original bug report; Ravenscroft 275 for iOS 1.1.2 has just been released addressing this issue. I see the update in the App Store, but wont download it until tonight when Im back on WiFi.

 

11 days from bug report until fix available. Considering a few days were likely spent on App Store review, it looks like it was basically done within a week. I am impressed!

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Awesome! It's even better than I realized. I wondered, "how playable is that tiny keyboard?" As soon as I touched it, the keyboard became full screen. :cool:

"I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck

 

"The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI

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The fix is better than I realized at first. From the full-screen keyboard, I thought the unlock button only allowed you to scroll the keyboard. Just discovered it also allows you to use pinch-to-zoom to make the keys larger or smaller. Nice!
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