Hello old friend.....
After the last few projects involving AUM, hardware gizmos, Ableton and stuff I thought I would have a little "holiday" seeing what I can do with NS1 on a legacy iphone 4 in my lunch breaks at work.
I'm amazed about how good the workflow is, and how much fun one can have automating stuff that really shouldn't be automated (e.g. LoFi parameters) and location recordings of "things around the computer rooms".
Who knows - when I have finished it might even see the light of day......
Comments
Did same recently
Found very old iPad MINI 1 , installed NS1, had lot of fun .. suprising how this app still didn't aged, still very potent music creation enviroment ..
You’re old iPad Mini1 didn’t have NS1 and you were able to install NS1 on it? I thought NS1 was gone from the AppStore and 32 bit apps could no longer be downloaded. Am I wrong on that…?
I agree that NS1 is still a potent music creation tool!
mini 1 is old, almost ancient device :-) it has same (32bit!!) A5 chip like old original iPad2 ... it runs iOS 9.something so all old 32 bit apps runs like charm on it
manages to get my hands on one model in perfect condition, even batter holds like new ..
I picked up an original iPad 1 32Gb (!) a couple of years back for very little - a little slow, but runs NS1 and a whole host of great apps (Animoog, iSEM, iVoxel, Addictive, Thumbjam, Alchemy, etc.) absolutely perfectly. No Audiobus (so copy/paste audio out of one app and into another - old school!). Up to an "albums-worth" in terms of track ideas.
Sadly, I think I might have killed the iPhone 4 trying to repair it's power button - no Wifi now - so no way of using NanoSync. Might have another "take it apart and see" session.
I think if I ever run across an iPad Mini 1 cheap I might be tempted - probably the sweet spot in terms of a 32bit iOS device (and a lightning connector does simplify things - and Audiobus might actually function well enough to take audio from other apps into NS1).
I still wish we could have the authentic NS1 sounds as VSTs - Eden/Effects/TRG would be great to have in Ableton. Will never happen, which is a shame as the original NS1 does have its own sound & feel. It doesnt sound like anything other than itself - it has character!
If you get a 32 bit iOS device, is it still possible to load NS1 onto it? Presuming you bought it before it was removed from the AppStore. How about Alchemy? Any 32 bit apps…?
All the apps I bought were there ready for installing from the App store - including Alchemy and of course NS1.It was a surprise to find out which apps were present (and functional) on even a first gen iPad/iPhone 4.
Of course if you don't already own the app then I'm not sure you can buy some now (e.g. Alchemy).
Edit: a tip - if you have 2 factor authentication turned on with you Apple ID it can be a bit weird logging into the App store - you have to enter your password followed by the passcode generated by another device/SMS. It's a bit of a pain, but possible. Or turn off 2FA whilst you logon to the old device. Depends how old your "old" device is :-)
Thanks @kitejan!! That’s good to know. I bought NS1 (of course) and also Alchemy. I have them on 2 devices and have worried about loosing access if those devices fail. Getting an old used device on iOS 10 seems to be a good option. Then I’ll have to figure out how to transfer the Alchemy libraries to the new/old device…
Alchemy was removed from appstore by dev when it was sold to apple so you can't buy it, but if you have 32bit device and you previously bought it when it was available, you can still download it rom Appstore
Only problem is that AUDIOBUS doesn't work on that old iOS in NS1, so you can't directly sample into NS2, you need use ancient audio copy-paste feature
About Alchemy - I will have to check, but I'm not sure it restored my purchase (I recall buying "something" a few months before Alchemy was pulled).
As for Audiobus - I do recall successfully recording directly in to NS1 from apps using Audiobus. However definitely doesn't work on the iPhone4 / 1st Gen iPad - maybe a iOS10 device might work.
Otherwise, yep, old school copy and paste.
@kitejan it definitel doesn't work on my iPad mini (same hw as original iPad2)
I didn’t know that I could still download old apps onto new/old iDevices.
I think with Alchemy, after it was acquired by the Borg, you could no longer download the IAP soundbanks. If I can get Alchemy onto a new/old device, maybe I can find a way to insert the IAP soundbanks from my existing iDevices…. Maybe. Probably not.
I “inherited” my wife’s iPad Pro that she NEVER used. Got it onto my Apple ID and because the iPad is on iOS 10, I was able to load NS1 onto it. Score!
One more iPad to preserve my old NS1 projects. I am stoked to have another iPad with NS1 in it.
Sadly, Alchemy was removed from the AppStore by the evil Apple. I didn’t find it in a search. Anyone know if Alchemy can be transferred between iPads? I seriously doubt it. NS1 & Alchemy was an awesome combination. I still have Alchemy on my iPad Air, so it isn’t really a problem. I need to search for other old apps to see what is available.
Maybe try backing up Alchemy from the iPad Air to a Mac or PC using iMazing (the free version is enough for this). If you're able to do that then you may be able to restore that "apk" to the Pro.
Thanks @number37 for the tip! I hadn’t heard of iMazing before. There are various apps to organize files & photos, but this one is the only one I have seen that can move apps between iOS devices. From their website: “ Download your apps (.ipa) to your computer, and install them across your iOS devices.”
I thought it was a longshot to even ask about and nearly erased that part of my post, but now I’m glad I asked. Sometimes a question gets a lucky answer. I’ll try that and see what happens.
I hope it works out for ya. 👍🏼
Even if it doesn't, iMazing is a great way to minimize the chance of losing apps that disappear from the App Store. If you have a backup already, you can restore the .ipa even if the app is gone from the App Store and your device.
Hey @SlapHappy - did you check for Alchemy by regular search of the App Store, or by going to purchased items and searching there (hint: swipe down to get the search box). More often than not, even if an item is removed from sale, you can still find it in your purchased items.
😯😮🫨
Regular search. I have never even bothered to look at the ‘Purchased’ tab.
Holy Shit! I did as you suggested and not only was I able to find Alchemy and download it, but Restore Purchases worked as well! I’m totally delighted. Clearly I was overly harsh on Apple - they removed Alchemy for new sales, but not for restoring if previously purchased. Apologies to them.
Very decent of them to keep old apps available. And you Mr @number37 have proven once again to be a very valuable resource of knowledge, as you are on ABF. Thanks for this tip!
iMazing still looks like a useful tool though.
I'm glad to hear that. I was hoping it would be there. Virtually always when apps completely disappear even from purchased items it's because the developer has let their account lapse. I kinda figured Apple was keeping up with their account. 😂
No need to thank Apple. They didn't have to do a thing to keep it there.