🔗 Concertino- classical music front end for apple music

As much as I love IDAGIO for classical music streaming, it is mostly solving the metadata problem for me. In other words, the issue of being able to sort and filter by time period, composer, conductor, etc.

I still find Apple Music's library for classical to be decent, and I already pay for it.

I am looking forward to trying out Concertino in the coming days.

Concertino - Classical music front-end for Apple Music

Transform Apple Music into a magical classical music jukebox - browse composers, genres and periods, create playlists of multi-movement works, start no-nonsense radio stations and much, much more, for free!

🔗 New version of Logic Pro released today

Major upgrade to Logic Pro today. New non-linear loop composing, new drum machine, and sampling features... it sure does feel like this release is a response to some of the features that make Abelton Live such a compelling experience. 

From the Logic Pro page today…

Logic Pro - Apple:

Live Loops is a dynamic way to create and arrange music in real time. Kick off your composition by adding loops, samples, or your recorded performances into a grid of cells. Trigger different cells to play with your ideas without worrying about a timeline or arrangement. Once you find combinations that work well together you can create song sections, then move everything into the Tracks area to continue production and finish your song.

We redesigned and improved our most popular plug-in — the EXS24 Sampler — and renamed it Sampler. The new single-window design makes it easier to create and edit sampler instruments while remaining backward compatible with all EXS24 files. An expanded synthesis section with sound-shaping controls brings more depth and dynamics to your instruments. The reimagined mapping editor adds powerful, time-saving features that speed the creation of complex instruments. Use the zone waveform editor to make precise edits to sample start/end, loop ranges, and crossfades. And save hours of tedious editing with new drag-and-drop hot zones.

Quick Sampler is a fast and easy way to work with a single sample. Drag and drop an audio file from the Finder, Voice Memos, or anywhere within Logic Pro X. Or record audio directly into Quick Sampler using a turntable, microphone, musical instrument, or even channel strips playing in Logic Pro X. In a few steps, you can transform an individual sample into a fully playable instrument. And with Slice Mode, you can split a single sample into multiple slices — perfect for chopping up vocals or breaking up and resequencing drum loops.

The new Sampler and Quick Sampler seem especially interesting. Making these kinds of (usually advanced) workflows dead simple is something that Apple is unmatched at when it comes to software design.

🔗 Dorico SE - A free version for everyone

Users who have been previously intrigued by the professional score editor Dorico but has been afraid to try it can now rejoice! Dorico now has a free version, Dorico SE, for all users. It only has basic functionality, but I suspect you will want to take the plunge after getting familiar with it.

Most people I know are hesitant to take the plunge on Dorico either because of its price (hard to beat free software like Musescore and Noteflight), or because they are hanging on to the comfort of Sibelius or Finale. Well now you don’t have to pay a dime to try the latest and greatest score editor. Seriously, it blows the others out of the water.

My only complaints:

1. Annoying installation (but Avid’s is still way worse)
2. Only one computer (so sad)
3. No iOS app... but who has one other than Notion?

Try it today.

🔗 Black Friday App Store Deals (MDMDeals.com)

One of my favorite things to browse on Black Friday are app deals. I love exploring new software in my free time away from school, and there’s nothing cozier than purchasing a new app and downloading it right from the comfort of my bed or couch.

If you're looking for App Store deals today, look no further than this post from MDM Deals.

The best Black Friday sales on iPhone, iPad, and Mac apps, movies, and more! - Discover great deals on fantastic apps & movies:

This Black Friday, there are over 6,000 iOS, iPadOS, & macOS apps on sale in just the App Stores. I’ve spent dozens of hours going through them all to find you just the ones worth your time and money.

My favorites on this list are:

• TextExpander

• Deliveries

• BeFocusedPro

• Pixelmator Pro

• Pocelmator Photo

• Paprika Recipe Manager

• Cardhop

• BusyCal

• Fantastical 2

• 7 Minute Workout

• LaunchBar (though I prefer Alfred)

• Screens 4

• PDF Expert

• Civilization VI

🔗 Affinity Photo for iPad, great Photoshop competitor, is 50 percent off

For anyone looking for a serious photo editing power tool, Affinity Photo can’t be beat. Click here to take advantage of the deal.

I presume this is happening because Photoshop for iPad finally launched this week. Photoshop comes as part of one of Adobe’s Creative Cloud subscription plans. My wife and I subscribe to Creative Cloud because she uses Illustrator for design work (Illustrator was recently announced to be coming to the iPad next year).

That being said, I think there is very little reason to use Photoshop over a one time purchase like Affinity unless you are …

a. really familiar with the features and interface of Photoshop

b. depend on sharing PSD files with others in a professional or collaborative environment

Affinity Photo is a great catch. Pick it up if you are looking for a mobile based photo editing tool!

🔗 Omni Apps are Adopting Apple’s Standard iOS Document Browser this Fall

Adopting Apple’s Standard iOS Document Browser - The Omni Group

In 2019, we think it’s time to retire our custom document browser in favor of using Apple’s built-in document browser—and with our iOS 13 updates this fall we’ll be doing just that. Instead of seeing our custom file browser, you’ll be presented with the standard iOS document browser—just like in Apple’s own iWork apps. Using Apple’s browser, you’ll be able to store and sync your documents using Apple’s built-in iCloud Drive, or third-party commercial options like Box—or even in cloud- or self-hosted collaborative git repositories using Working Copy.

As a user of OmniFocus, OmniGraffle, and OmniOutliner, I am grateful that the OmniGroup is making this change. The Files app on iPad works very similarly to the Finder on Mac these days. So when I open or save a document on an iPad, I want to see that same interface. It's exactly the same as if I were on a Mac. I would never go to the File-->Open menu and expect to see anything other than the traditional Save/Open dialogue box that I see for every other app. This is standard on Mac. (Mostly. Some apps like Microsoft Office still refuse to use it.) So it is only fitting that in iOS, document based apps display the system provided interface for interacting with files.

In apps like Pages, for example, opening a new document displays an interface that looks and behaves like the Files app.

MindNode is an example of a third party app that uses the same Files interface as Apple’s own apps.

Apps like OmniOutliner show a custom interface. Fortunately, OmniGroup is changing this behavior in the fall.

PDF Expert is another example of an app that does not use the native file picker. Hopefully they will get the message and adopt it soon.

🔀 Top 10 iPad features we’d like to see in iOS 13 | Macworld

From Macworld...

Top 10 iPad features we’d like to see in iOS 13 | Macworld

The new iPad Pro hardware is great and Apple needs to invest in upgrades for iOS to take advantage of it. Here are a few ideas for new features.

No way 9 or 10 are happening any time soon. I am really hopeful for 6, 7, and 8. A resounding “yes, please!” to 3, 4, and 5. With regards to 2, I must be the only person who does not require external file support to get work done on an iPad. I would much rather Apple improve iCloud Drive and third party cloud drive support in the Files app. For the most part, I think these are likely to happen in order from 2-10.

I am looking forward to the future of iOS, whatever it is.

🔗 Sonos gets AirPlay 2 Support and Affinity Designer Comes to iPad

It’s an exciting day for users of Apple products today. Two announcements that caught my attention are highlighted below...

Affinity Designer Debuts on iPad as a Full-Featured Graphic Design Tool – MacStories:

Nearly one year ago, Serif released Affinity Photo for the iPad as a full-featured photo editing powerhouse. Unlike what companies such as Adobe do, where a Mac app like Photoshop is broken down into less powerful versions on iOS, Affinity Photo was brought to the iPad with no compromises whatsoever. Today, that same philosophy is bringing us Serif's second major iPad app: Affinity Designer.

Where Affinity Photo focuses on photo editing, Affinity Designer is a vector-based illustration tool. And with full support for the Apple Pencil, iOS 11's drag and drop, and system technologies like Metal, the app looks like the ultimate portable design studio.

For a limited time, Affinity Designer is available at a launch price of $13.99, 30% off the regular price of $19.99.

I have long been looking for something like Adobe Illustrator on the iPad. I have been very happy with OmniGraffle for designing seating charts, posters, flyers, and other graphics on iOS, especially because it syncs flawlessly to its Mac counterpart. For $13.99 I am going to be very tempted to give Affinity Designer a spin. Download it here.

Next up, Sonos!

Sonos Adds AirPlay 2 Support to Certain Speaker Models – MacStories

Sonos announced today that it has added AirPlay 2 support to compatible speaker systems. The update allows users to stream audio to the company’s Sonos One, Beam, Playbase, and the second generation Play:5 speakers from iOS apps that support AirPlay 2 of and from iTunes on a Mac.

I recently purchased a HomePod and have been looking forward to pairing its audio with my existing Sonos Playbar in the living room and Sonos Play:1 in the bedroom. Jason Snell wrote a great post for Macworld that gets into the all the details about how all of these different smart speakers play together.

Sonos update adds AirPlay 2 support | Macworld:

Perhaps most impressively, all AirPlay 2 speakers can play music in perfect synchronization. If you’ve got a HomePod or two and a compatible Sonos device, you can now select all those devices and play music through them, entirely in sync. Even better, if you’ve got incompatible Sonos devices and place them in the same group as an AirPlay 2-compatible Sonos device via the Sonos app, those speakers will also play synchronously. I was able to get music to play in sync throughout my house this morning, via a paired set of HomePods, a Play:5, and the (incompatible) Play:1 in my bathroom.

My two Sonos speakers are incompatible. So I can’t get too excited unless I buy a new Sonos One or Play:5. I do need one of these for the basement but it is a steep price to pay. Furthermore, it is a bummer that the old speakers cannot be controlled individually through the Apple home app, only as a group with a compatible Sonos.

I can bypass this problem in the living room, where my TV (with Apple TV attached) is running its audio through a Sonos Playbar. AirPlay allows a phone to send audio to an Apple TV on the same network, so if I want to control the Playbar individually, I just send audio to the living room Apple TV its attached to. The bedroom will be a different story, through I cannot imagine that many scenarios where I will need separate music or volume control in the bedroom and basement.

🔗 On Coffee Makers: Don’t Put a Machine Between You and the Most Important Drink of the Day - Allan Georgia

From now on, when someone asks me to explain why I am passionate about coffee, or anything relating to gear and brewing techniques, I am pointing them towards this concise post from friend, Allan Georgia (also guest on Robby Burns + Friends, episode 5). Read it!

On Coffee Makers: Don’t Put a Machine Between You & the Most Important Drink of the Day:

But there's an even bigger reason to dump the electric machine altogether. Coffee is, in its rich and complex heart, a ritual that defines our morning. Consider how many other drinks define a time of day. For many of us, coffee even becomes part of how we experience the passage of time itself––one cup leading to another, morning after morning, a companion as constant as the Sun. To craft your coffee by hand is to participate in the ritual and embrace the chance to make something with your own hands. Its a opportunity that is squandered if you outsource the labor to a machine and pass by a hands-on craft for the sake of convenience.

But there's more. The call to craft your cup has never been more relevant than now when a true coffee renaissance has filled the world with beans that are the product of passionate producers in the coffee-growing regions of the world.

...

once you have your hands on beans that have been lovingly farmed and expertly roasted, it is an outright calamity to put them at the mercy of a lukewarm drip machine and a scorching hot-plate. Crafting your cup does require some specialized equipment, but nothing too crazy.

🔗 Mac Pro to be released in 2019

Apple’s 2019 Mac Pro will be shaped by workflows:

“We want to be transparent and communicate openly with our pro community so we want them to know that the Mac Pro is a 2019 product. It’s not something for this year.” In addition to transparency for pro customers on an individual basis, there’s also a larger fiscal reasoning behind it.

“We know that there’s a lot of customers today that are making purchase decisions on the iMac Pro and whether or not they should wait for the Mac Pro,” says Boger.

This is why Apple wants to be as explicit as possible now that if institutional buyers or other large customers are waiting to spend budget on, say iMac Pros or other machines, they should pull the trigger without worry that a Mac Pro might appear late in the purchasing year.

Woohoo! I am going to see how long my 2016 MacBook Pro can do heavy lifting before I consider owning a machine like this again. That being said, I got good use out of my 2008 Mac Pro for eight years and it is still functional now. Modular machines are incredibly flexible. Maybe I will consider another one.