Some questions answered
Thanks for your comments in this forum. I also had a look at the Loopy Pro forum (there be dragons).
Please treat this message lightly - my sense of humour is known to be bone dry and I won't be doing smiley emojis on the end of harsh but fair statements in a lame attempt to diffuse them. Unless it's in customer support mails 
It all feels different from the early years of the NS1 forum when I was heavily involved and there was so much positivity going round. Maybe I've changed. Maybe times have changed - probably both.
Anyway, with that unasked-for geopolitical-social commentary out of the way, I see there are a few common questions. I can't remember them all (I do - they're the ones I don't want to answer) but I'll have a go, what can go wrong?
Oh wait - this is what goes wrong: I give a response, and then it opens an even lengthier dialogue rather than the outcome I'd had in mind which was closing the loop by providing some interesting, required or useful information.
IAP won't/didn't download
The app went off the store a few days earlier than I'd expected and I had to do some simple paperwork so boring I fell into a catatonic state for three days. Upon regaining consciousness I filled out the form and was most annoyed to find I'd lost a day for each checkbox required. But it was exciting, wasn't it? Adding a bit of unexpected jeopardy to your day like that? Has it died? Is it coming back? Good stuff!
Also there seems to be a bit of an of issue with re-installing IAPs for some people. This is probably because Apple's Store API's a travesty, always has been. I can say stuff like that now. Further reading here if you've still got issues, may help: https://www.blipinteractive.co.uk/community/discussion/3453/recent-problems-with-restoring-iaps-and-how-to-solve
Grr I paid full price and now it's free!
Fair game, I hope you paid roughly what you felt was the right amount at the time and thank you for your support. But I can't make everyone happy. Making it free is spreads the love far more than pulling the plug.
It's easy to set the up the EU Trader stuff
Sort of, sort of not. I can set up a burner phone but a PO box isn't permitted, and I'm not putting my home address on the webpage. I could use my accountant's registered business address but they don't really want their phone number in the public domain on the app store page. Both communication mediums are archaic in 2025 anyway. Obviously it's not an insurmountable problem, but for a tenner a day? Just make it free, job done.
Why kill it in only a couple of months?
Apple Developer membership is small change. But company accounting, anti-spam, mail services, forum security vulnerability maintenance, SoundCloud Pro subscriptions etc. now exceed the annual income. My company accounting period ends in April and I want to wind it down then. I may transfer the app to me personally again (outside the company) and keep it alive for longer, because I will probably keep an Apple account for my own personal experiments. But can I be arsed? I don't know so I'm saying April.
Would you open source the code?
I'm happy to give away the app - that bit's yours. But not the source - that bit's mine. I want to retain full private rights so I can apply it to whatever I want in future.
Would you sell the source code?
Everyone's got their price, so yes if you're willing bring a very comfortable retirement forward by about 5 years.
The code's well structured and fully documented - as if another coder in a larger team might need to take over and use it at any time. It's highly optimized, cross-platform (I did the main development on Windows) and reliable. It's 85% C++, 10% assembly code and 5% Apple-proprietary language (that's the shitty 5% which breaks all the time). It supports OpenGL and DirectX renderer backends, and it'd be easy to write another for Metal. It's also far from perfect but I mistrust any software engineer who doesn't come to the end of a project and immediately want to rewrite it all 'but better'.
Only large companies happy to make an unrecoverable loss simply to get into the mobile audio/music space or offset a large Corporation Tax bill need apply.
Would you release the Windows version?
Probably not for two reasons:
- It does low latency ASIO, but I've hardcoded the channels for my audio interface and I can't be bothered with the UI for the faff that is selecting Windows audio devices.
- (more importantly) it's of limited use without the IAP soundpacks (to make projects fully transferrable). I'm happy to release Platinum Audiolab's work in a read-only format within Apple's walled garden, but not to make them fully public domain.
It's a shame it didn't have feature X otherwise etc.
Yeah I know. But I'm over it (add smiley here if that helps).
Love to you all
Matt xxx
Comments
Perfect! I've been into iOS music since 2010 and have seen tons of apps come and go—most times without any explanation, or with just quick “end note” from the dev (which is totally ok; I don’t think that’s something you have to do).
You gave the most detailed and honest explanation I've ever seen and answered all the open questions. Respect! 🫡
Hope to see some future projects from you someday!
I liked the funny bits!
I promise if you make a NS3 I’ll come up with some super good tracks
I’m starting the conspiracy theory that NS3 has already been fully developed, but Matt is keeping it for himself so that he can make all the best tracks.
Let me at that NS3!!!
I swear an NS3 would be amazing! Then again, perhaps Obsidian as an AUv3 plugin on iPhone and iPad would be great. I bet it'd sell very well.
Thanks, @Blip Interactive
If I only an an idea what "bring a very comfortable retirement forward by about 5 years" could mean more concretely.
How much does a skilled developer get paid over five years? That should get you in the ballpark I would think.
@Blip Interactive
There is discussion on Loopy Foorum, few people would love to backup IAP Slate Banks - what about podibility to put them somewhere for download after NS2 becomes unavailable ?
(I can provide hosting space in case you want to close also this forum to save hosting expenses)
Asked Perplexity what is Yearly salary of senior C++ developer in UK and it told me avg is 100-140k £
Expected more..
I have sent a message on the contact us form, is that the right place?
Theoretically.
If you will get a reply is like predicting the rain.
In central Sahara.
You may get a response!
But it is (very) unlikely.
Thanks for speaking up and most of all for developing this app. There are many hard core NS2 fans (me included) and if we could have a last request, can you please gives up ability to archive IAPs? I personally paid for most of the IAPs and after the app will be pulled out of the AppStore there is possibility to backup .iap of the app and restore it to a new device in the future but no possibility to backup any presets from IAPs, that involve samples (since these files can not be accessed easily, if at all).
Thanks in advance and God bless you
Wishing you all the best for the future
A million thanks from me. That's it. Best music app on ios, and best piano roll on any DAW I've used (everything else is great too, but I love that piano roll). All the best for the future, Matt.