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TableTop 2.6.4 and InterFX on an iPad 3rd gen running iOS 8.0.2

1,042 views · Published 5 October 2014 · 5:16 · Indexed 7 October 2026

Channel: The Mighty Hellfish · 2014 · Entertainment

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In attempting to find an audio pipeline solution which Apple hasn't managed to cock-up with its introduction of iOS 8.0, I've returned to Retronyms' TableTop environment, one which around 11 months ago when I started this journey, I never really understood.

iOS music production pretty much tipped me over into purchasing synthesiser hardware - which one look at my playlist and some of my other videos will testify to.

Consequently, taking a good second look at the TableTop environment and I find myself extremely comfortable with setting it up. 

Retronyms recently released a new module to follow on from the Inter-app Audio (IAA) compliant MasterMind music generator "wrapper"module.

The new module is called InterFX and whilst along with MasterMind, it's very promising in terms of opening up the rather closed sub-ecosystem that is TableTop, it's not without it's issues, least of all being that the use of FX in this environment taxes the CPU of the iPad 3 somewhat more so than using similar routing in Audiobus.

In fairness to Retronyms and the audio app developer community, I think that the majority of the issues revolve around the balls-up which Apple have introduced with iOS 8.x because not only has this impacted versions which developers believed to have been compliant in preparation for iOS 8.x, it's also broke apps which were thought to have still been compliant with the last release of iOS 7.x, 7.1.2

Additionally, the extra load of features in 8.x which my generation iPad won't run don't seem to have been properly ignored since the overall CPU load "feels" higher.

It should also be considered that this video of a two-bar pattern looping in TableTop has been recorded on my Windows PC using Air Server, so there's that additional load on the iPad also.

Consequently you'll hear audio issues and in particular, Glitchboard locks ups when demonstrated early in the piece, then lags later on but when not attempting to stream to an AirPlay server this particular setup actually works albeit still with the rare momentary audio glitch, nowhere near as bad as seen here.

I'm looking forward to iOS being optimised for the 3rd gen - that's the optimistic outlook - as much as I am the fix for general bollocksing which Apple have cack-handedly dealt iOS audio production.
 
I don't want to have to upgrade because unless Apple increases it's on-board RAM in it's newer iOS devices (read iPads, not iPhones and RAM, not storage) then I'm really not interested in being stung for over-priced fairy-floss...

Anyway, rant over, check what TableTop can do - if you're mildly interested in this, know that it could be much better in different circumstances

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