# Enigman2022 — Enigma of Meaning

> Philosophical music and poetry toy using granular synthesis for audio-visual exploration. (iPhone/iPad app by Jim Andrews.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/enigman2022/id1618508116 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Jim Andrews](https://appshunter.io/developer/1618508118)
- Category: Music, Music, Graphics & Design
- Price: $8.99
- Rating: 3.00/5 from 1 App Store ratings · 2 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 15.0 · 3 MB
- Languages: English
- Released: 2022-04-27
- Data updated: 2026-06-10
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/enigman2022/id1618508116/reviews.md

## What is Enigman2022?

Enigma n2022 is a philosophical music & poetry toy for poets, musicians & philosophers from the age of 7 up. 

If you do nothing, it performs in 'gallery mode'—which it enters when there's no input for 2 minutes. You just watch and listen, then. If, on the other hand, you interact via touch, mouse or keyboard, it enters 'interactive mode' and responds. 

Click the background until it's all funky—or click and hold for zipFunk, which fast-forwards you into the unknown, through revolutions of the meanometer color pie at top left.  

Set the speed of meaning slider, the audio pitch range, anywhere from 10 octaves down to 2 octaves up. You glimpse different worlds of meaning in the different levels of pitch—though the 5-second audio source sound is vocal—of the word 'meaning' intoned thrice, 
played backwards once, 
forwards twice. 

Different levels of pitch; different levels of meaning of the material. Different staggered layers of slivers; different generated levels of color and repeated sound.

The microscope showed us whole new worlds right before our eyes previously unseen. Microsound does the same with sonic worlds.

The audio consists of simultaneous slivers of sound—called 'grains' in the world of 'granular synthesis' (this is that world). 'Slivers' is more apt here—even 'stripes': each of the onscreen stripes represents a sliver, or short sample of audio, usually looped, sampled from the sole 5-second sound file from which all of the audio derives. 

Different levels of pitch, or speed of meaning—together with arbitrary levels of loopiness—contain different animals, from buzzing gnats to bullfrogs and big cats—different machines, different human and semi-human voices, different jungle/menagerie soundscapes—different musics—different meaning altogether—different whole worlds—from the vocal sound at room temperature, normal pitch—the sound from which it derives.

This is not your daddy's digital poetry or sound poetry.

Explore the concept. View six background colors to complete one revolution of the meanometer—speeded by interaction, especially zipFunk. 

It's audio-centered but also visual music, color music. Use the “simple”/“complex” pair of diamond buttons to increase/decrease the width of the stripes—each of which represents a currently-playing sliver of sound. The width of the stripe is the sample's duration. Slivers can range from 0.001 seconds to 5 seconds. 

Each of the 6 background colors has a different set of 30 palettes associated with it. Click the 'color' button to cycle through the current background color's palettes. You'll then see info such as “Palette 10 has 5 colors”. Since the stripes are not fully opaque and they often overlap, that produces new colors not among the colors of the current palette. 

The “simple”/“complex” diamond buttons decreases/increases the number of simultaneous slivers. The more sounds/stripes, the more complex the sound and visuals, in a sense. 

But the complexity of 1-12 slivers has more varied music to it than the music in, say, 800-1000 slivers, which is a larger, more indistinct jungle/menagerie landscape of creatures. Whereas you get em up close with 1-12 slivers. 

Complexity of sound is not the same as complexity of music. 

Music is associated with distinctive patterning of sound. Past a point, the more sounds, the less distinct the sound is from what it is with one more sliver in it. 

Mind, you can create 1000 slivers—I've done 1800—if your machine is skookum enough—though probably not if it's a mobile device. The “complex” button attempts to save maximalists from themselves by slowing down in its adding of slivers when your system begins to groan under the weight of many simultaneous slivers. You can still continue to max out. But you really gotta want it. 

The enigma of meaning awaits.

Best with headphones.

## Key features

- Gallery mode for passive viewing and listening
- Interactive mode with touch, mouse, and keyboard input
- Adjustable audio pitch range and speed of meaning
- Visual music with color palettes and stripe complexity
- Granular synthesis for unique sonic textures
- Exploration of sonic and visual worlds

## Recent user reviews (2 of 2)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/enigman2022/id1618508116/reviews.md

### 3/5 — Zonk

*2025-04-20*

it doesn’t work. update, it works now. its interesting

### 1/5 — Zonk

*2024-11-04*

it doesn’t work.

## Frequently asked questions about Enigman2022

### What is Enigman2022?

Enigman2022 is a philosophical music and poetry toy that uses granular synthesis to create unique audio and visual experiences. It allows users to explore different sonic and visual worlds by interacting with its features.

### How does Enigman2022 work?

The app operates in 'gallery mode' when idle, showcasing its features. When interacted with via touch, mouse, or keyboard, it enters 'interactive mode', responding to user input to alter pitch, speed, and visual complexity.

### What kind of audio does Enigman2022 use?

The audio is derived from a single 5-second vocal sound of the word 'meaning'. This sound is then manipulated using granular synthesis, creating simultaneous 'slivers' or 'grains' of sound.

### Can I change the sound and visuals in Enigman2022?

Yes, you can adjust the speed of meaning slider, the audio pitch range from 10 octaves down to 2 octaves up, and the width and number of simultaneous sound stripes using the 'simple'/'complex' diamond buttons.

### What are the visual elements of Enigman2022?

The app features visual music with six background colors, each associated with 30 palettes. The overlapping, semi-opaque stripes representing sound slivers create new colors and visual patterns.

### What is the age rating for Enigman2022?

Enigman2022 has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for children and adults interested in its creative content.

### What devices does Enigman2022 support?

Enigman2022 is available on Mac, iPhone, iPad, and iPod, offering a cross-platform experience for its users.

### How often is Enigman2022 updated?

The latest version is 1.02, and it was last updated on January 30, 2025. This indicates a recent update, suggesting ongoing development and support.

## Version history (last 3 releases)

### 1.02 — 2025-01-30

Bug fixes.

### 1.01 — 2022-05-10

Improved 'gallery mode' and more palettes for every background color. zipFunk is triggered by click and hold.

### 1.0 — 2022-04-29

No release notes.

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## More apps by Jim Andrews

- [NeoNio](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/neonio/id6741564179)

All apps by Jim Andrews: https://appshunter.io/developer/1618508118

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-10.*