I’m currently prototyping a companion app for iOS and iPadOS that aims to improve and simplify the AbleSet experience. Here’s a list of features I’ve implemented so far:
Automatically searches for and connects to AbleSet instances on the network
If multiple instances are available, prefers the one connected to Scene A
Ensures that device-specific settings are always stored and recalled as expected, independent of the address you’re connecting to
This doesn’t work when using AbleSet in a regular browser as data stored on one host can’t be read by a web app on another host, which is good for privacy but not great for AbleSet’s UX
Keeps the screen from turning off while open
Allows you to hide the status bar if you wish
Reports and allows you to remotely change the device’s screen brightness
Reports the device’s battery and charger state so you can see it in the device overview
Features I could imagine would be helpful:
Forwarding MIDI of devices connected to the iPhone/iPad to AbleSet
Could be helpful if you have a MIDI controller next to your iPad on stage and only want to run one Ethernet cable
This is still a very early idea, so I’d love to hear what you think. Let me know if you have any ideas for features that could be added to the companion app that would make your life easier!
That sounds like some great quality-of-life improvements. I use two iPads and two iPhones in my setup myself, so I’d be happy to try out the beta versions and share my feedback. Most of the techies I know use Apple’s ecosystem. You should be able to reach a lot of users with this addition.
Only a idea: I’m interested in a native device lock feature that prevents users from exiting the app, for example, if the FOH gets their hands on the iPad and starts poking around.
By the way, just a quick note: You might want to clarify that this isn’t about the Bitfocus Companion app. People might assume that’s what you’re referring to.
Regarding the name, that’s a good consideration. Some alternatives would be “AbleSet Remote”, “AbleSet Bridge”, or “AbleSet Connect”. Which one would you prefer?
I don’t think the app can lock the device completely, but you might find iPadOS’s Guided Access feature useful for this purpose.
Your advice is worth its weight in gold. (German proverb)
I wasn’t familiar with this feature before, and it’s the perfect solution! Thank you.
By “bridge” I think about the connection between two points - so with the iPad, you could establish a connection between two systems or something similar. The term actually confuses me.
That’s why I prefer AbleSet Connect or Remote; both are cool terms, but I personally like Connect better because it sounds more modern and, at the same time, simpler and more inviting than Remote… which sounds rather factual and dry.
It would be great if it meant that I don’t have a new ip address to enter for each session! At the moment I can’t persuade the rest of the band to use it and this would help.
Love this idea! I’m not sure if this suggestion would be made possible by using an app vs our browser but I’ve been thinking about some Canvas page that could operate as a ‘confidence’ MIDI monitor for each musician who is getting their patch changes remotely from playback.
The way I picture it is that the way you’ve brilliantly done the native audio interface binding with play audio/direct out/ dadcore scenes, we can do the same for iConnectivity MIOs and Auracle. Maybe in the app, we can configure the different MIDI outputs to read the desired instrument and that could show up as a Label or button in the Canvas. If someone wanted to take the time, they could label all the program changes/ CC messages to correspond with the setlist and the musicians could see on the iPad that the MIDI that was sent matches their patches. Furthermore, we could add ‘current’ ‘previous’ ‘next’ patch panic buttons so that if something does go wrong or a message is missed, the musician can refire it from their station.
On big stages with a ton of MIDI, having a dedicated ‘MIDI monitor’ at each station would really help breeze through trouble shooting, give the musicians confidence that playback is firing the right changes, and hopefully give them some basic control if it isn’t. Would love your thoughts!
