20 thoughts on “New App, Caramel, A Distortion, Crusher & Fattener Effect For Audiobus & Inter-App Audio”

1. Cheaper than a Biscuit…

   1. Love my Biscuit and love Caramel, too!

      1. It’s a cool app but a biscuit? no.

2. I have all apps by Holderness Media and all of them are fantastic. Caramel is no exception, it’s like an icing not top of already mega delicious cake 🙂

   1. Thanks, glad you’re enjoying the app!

3. Lol! No wonder all those audiobuses are always crashing! They are filled up with so many toys that the drivers can’t see what’s ahead of them:)

   1. I know this is just trolling, but do you realize how irrelevant this comment actually is?

      1. It was a joke:)

         1. Ahh, carry on then. I had a knee jerk reaction, my troll radar must be malfunctioning , sorry about that! 🙂

4. is caramel still only for ipad? like the other apps? why not universal???

   1. Cause developers are getting too lazy

      1. Unfortunately I’ve seen this opinion before regarding universal apps, this is quite simply an uninformed and dismissive attitude, sorry to be blunt.

         The reason myself and many developers do not always make apps universal is not a matter of being lazy, there are several factors that need to be considered carefully, and in many cases it simply doesn’t make sense to create a universal app, even though you may assume otherwise.

         There is significant extra development cost involved for creating it, plus long term support of the additional devices, bug testing, etc. Also, the UI should ideally be unique and tailored to the iPhone for the best user experience rather than just making it small and calling it a day, which again means more development time. Another big factor is the reality that iPhone music apps sales are roughly 1/4 or less of iPad sales. If sales aren’t phenomenal, this can translate directly into an actual loss because it cost more to develop for the iPhone than you make up for in extra sales.

         The reality is the market for professional audio apps is much larger on the iPad, which is obviously the main reason most developers are focusing on it. If something doesn’t make proper business sense than devs don’t make any money, and can even lose quite a bit of money. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never met anyone who enjoys working hard for weeks/months/years only for it to be a huge financial loss. 😉

         I think there is a big misconception with how much money *some people* seem to think most indie developers are making, this is not Angry Birds/Flappy Bird we’re talking about here, not even close.
         There have been some exceptions of course, but very few.

         I have never dismissed iPhone versions of my apps, and I am very much aware people want them. I want them on iPhone too, I just have to make sure the demand is there to justify developing them so I don’t actually lose money by spending all the time developing them only to see little or no return. Honestly, it’s as simple as that.

         I hope this makes sense and you may take a moment to consider what you’re actually talking about before commenting in the future. 🙂

         1. Hi Christopher

            Good to see a dev replying here. Most don’t.

            It don’t bother me that much when apps are not universal. I use iPad air and iPad 4 mostly although I have a iPhone 5S and 4S too. Still I like the option to have an app be universal but accept that it may be hard work to convert some to a smaller screen.

            Your apps are not complexly designed, quite simple but tidy UI, so I don’t think translating them for iPhone would be significantly hard work.

            In a roundabout way, caramel resembles synthecaster, a universal synth app and I don’t think you’d have to work harder than intua or other devs that made their far more technical apps universal.

            There obviously is a strong market for universal apps mate but that market is being jeapordised by misconceptions like yours that people don’t use iPhones musically anymore, but lets look at the evidence shall we???

            1- Audiobus itself is universal

            2-Top apps such as

            Figure
            Beatmaker 2
            Nanostudio
            The Aufx Series
            Caustic
            Glitchbreaks
            Your Echopad
            Mixtikl
            Noatikl
            Audioshare
            Triqtraq
            Dm1

            3-And many more, some like sunrizer, Magellan have dedicated iPhone versions even?

            4- many people on this and other sites cry out for universal versions of apps

            Your echopad was released in November 2012, it’s not even two years old. And it’s universal. You then released a few other apps that are iPad only and I’ve personally seen peeps requesting universal versions for some of them.

            So there must be a few types of users:

            iPad only users- perhaps the majority

            iPad and iPhone users- a close runner up

            iPhone only users- the minority but not drastically so

            So making an app universal would certainly increase sales of units and time spent doing so would be rewarded financially.

            Another thought is that by making apps available for iPhone, it would surely attract new users to iOS music and they would become long time customers. Maybe they buy iPads or maybe not, but likely.

            Like me, many will take out iPhones to jam on in lunch breaks, certainly not iPads.

            My suggestion Christopher is to think about these points and chat with other devs about the universal binary issue.

            I think that apps should increase in price anyway so the feeling that iPhone “versions” should be cheaper is not relevant. Just cause a screen is smaller doesn’t mean it’s less of an app.

            Btw, how much time do you think positive grid put into the iPhone Bias app? They responded to a huge amounts of requests for it, so there is your iPhone market dude, a bigger one than you think. So you owe it to yourself to promote your products more intensely to tap into that market and reap the rewards.

            Now consider yourself more “informed”:)

            All the best with your apps, I mean that!

            1. Hi, thanks for replying.

               I agree that many of the points you’ve made seem accurate on the surface level, but you have to understand that I already DO speak regularly with several prominent developers and I have my own experience with Echo Pad as a universal app as you pointed out. Your points are good and somewhat correct, but the hard evidence of sales and advice/experience from others paints the real, but less obvious picture.

               I’m not basing this on a combination of observation and assumption which is what most people are understandably doing when the topic of universal apps is discussed, the evidence is in the actual numbers and direct advice from other developers, companies and people that have been in this longer than I have and with much larger funds available to them for development. It’s a matter of experience vs. speculation.

               My instinct like many people, especially end users as yourself, was that I should always make universal apps. The simple reality is that it turns out it doesn’t always make good business sense, especially when first developing a new app that you have no clue if it’s going to flop or not, which would mean you lose a significant amount of money/time if it flops. You may not agree with me here and that’s ok, but take into consider that I have actual experience to back this up.

               I have not decided for sure one way or the other, but I will say I am leaning much more towards making my apps available on iPhone. I’m just being careful about it so I don’t make potentially unsound business decisions, I plan to do this for the long term. What I know right now is there is definitely *some* demand for it, but it is very difficult to gauge accurately. I have said before that the more demand I see for it the more inclined I am to do it. I can’t just go off of a few comments here and there and use that as a basis to say there’s definitely a huge demand.

               You have to put into perspective that although it may not seem this way because we are all very passionate about iOS music apps, the reality is that it is a small, niche market. When you say that “a lot of people on here and other sites cry out for universal apps”, you must realize how small that number of people actually is. When you say that “making an app universal would certainly increase sales of units and time spent doing so would be rewarded financially”, you don’t know the real numbers this actually translates to. This is what developers have to be careful of when adding features or new versions.
               Features that may seem “essential” to a small number of very vocal users are oftentimes absolutely non-essential to the overwhelming majority of users.

               In closing, please understand that I want to do it, and most likely will do it, but I also want to do this long term and thus need to be smart about decision making, even when it might not make everyone happy all the time.

               To sum things up:
               Q: Will I be making universal or iPhone versions of my effects apps?
               A: Most likely.

               Q:When?!
               A: No ETA at this time, sorry. My focus right now is primarily the iPad. If/when I decide to do it I will make an announcement.

               Q: WHYYY?
               A: See long winded answers above. 🙂

               1. Good answers Christopher.

                  I understand these points and they have been mirrored by a few other developers, which is why some are thinking to gradually increase the price of apps.

                  For the price of a coffee or beer, one can get fx units like yours or kymaticas. That’s a steal and it takes many thousands of units to realise tangible profit after apples 30% and your developers fees etc

                  It is a small, niche market but it IS growing slowly. Awareness of iOS apps is increasing gradually. But I can’t help but think that devs such as you should join forces with other devs and really go push these apps to the bigger market of iOS device owners. Many of whom would be producers who have not yet been exposed to what iOS can actually do for them.

                  Even on this site where we are chatting, there has been many debates about wether iOS apps can deliver a fully credible and pro result. The answer is obviously a very affordable and portable yes:)

                  We can now rig up very pro synths, drum machines, fx units to decent sequencers via IAA and AB or even ACP to daws like Nanostudio, BM2, Auria or cubasis. Tidy up the final mix then master in final touch or audio mastering- job done, no wires or external gear involved. For many, being exposed to this reality would be an eye opener and a relief for their budget too.

                  I think if awareness were increased, prices raised a little, then devs would see more profits for sure. And you deserve that. The users deserve high level apps too and WILL pay more if prices were raised.

                  So consider this too!

                  I like your apps, especially the stereo one, that really expands the sound of synths to epic proportions, but you are selling these apps way too cheap!!!!!

                  Likely you want to ensure sales, that’s cool but don’t be held hostage by those that have a panic attack over apps that cost more than $10! Those who value decent apps and the devs behind them will gladly pay more.

                  Anyhow, I’m purchasing Caramel tommorow to check it out and support you and, I’m sure many peeps appreciate the fact you are directly engaging in healthy discussions about the whole development process.

                  One request though, please make a gate effect app:)

                  1. Thanks! Yes, I agree that pricing is a tricky issue with iOS, and I feel that overall prices should go up a little in order to increase sustainability, but the thing is many people are hesitant to buy anything above $2 or $3, and the expectations even for cheap apps are kind of insane.

                     You bring up another good point about exposure and awareness with iOS, there is much progress to be made in this area. Most musicians out there still aren’t aware of what’s possible with iOS, whether it be used for standalone production all within iOS, or as an instrument/sound module/effects process integrated with a traditional desktop DAW environment.

                     One thing that needs much better exposure is the ability to connect audio interfaces and MIDI controllers to iOS devices, most people are surprised to find out it’s even possible with an iPad, no doubt because of the lack of advertising from Apple, and minimal advertising from the hardware companies to show their products working on iOS. For example, there are so many USB interfaces that work work via the Camera Connection Kit, but the companies making the hardware make zero mention of this anywhere in their marketing materials or even mention compatibility in their online info. It’s no wonder most people aren’t aware they may already have an interface or controller that will work on an iPad.

                     Overall though things are definitely getting better and the future looks bright for iOS. With sites like this, Discchord and others doing such a great job of covering iOS we are definitely heading in the right direction.

                     Thanks for purchasing Caramel, I appreciate the support gmacdaddy!

                     1. Yes! Put the prices up!

                        Attract a new type of customer and try looking for sites or even magazines that don’t preach to the already converted:)

                        Liking caramel so far, VERY rich sounds indeed!

   2. Yes, Caramel is only for iPad at the moment. I am considering for iPhone but can’t guarantee at the moment. My focus currently is on the iPad.

5. It sounds like a good app. When is it going to be on Android? I don’t have a iPad.The app has really got something to it.

   1. No plans for Android in the foreseeable future I’m afraid. Ask me again in a few years. 🙂