Great idea, but almost unusable execution
This has to be one of the most poorly thought out UXs I've ever used. The app starts with (and I'm not kidding) a 40-page slideshow with a seemingly random collection of little facts about the UI, with no clear "what you're supposed to do" ever presented
So you finish the 40-page slideshow but you still don't know how to actually use the app. Your choice is to go watch an hour of video or figure it out yourself
I chose to figure it out myself, which was a huge mistake, not least because the iPad port of this app seems like an afterthought. There's all sorts of hidden functionality that you just have to know how to do. There are weird oversights like the inability to scroll lists of chords horizontally
Take even the most basic of tasks. I've been at it for an hour and I still can't figure out how to delete a chord from my working chord progression down on the bottom.
Or Say you have a couple of chords that you like and you want a freeform exploration of what should come next. I guess you open up the creative tab. I don't know if that's right, but if you do that, there's no clear connection between the chord visual aids and the actual working set of chords you've selected. Rather than just clicking through the recommended next chords using the little chord maps, you have to go and find the scale of your chord and hope that it's in the visual cloud.
I know these examples are hard to follow, maybe it just takes more than an hour to figure out how to use this thing,
but that should give you an indication of just how hard this app is to use
Would highly recommend some investment in UX thinking here. The app looks pretty,But this app needs someone on the team thinking about the user journey, user goals, intuitiveness, etc.
If I wanted an inscrutable UI that I had to fight, I'd go use Rapid Composer.
So you finish the 40-page slideshow but you still don't know how to actually use the app. Your choice is to go watch an hour of video or figure it out yourself
I chose to figure it out myself, which was a huge mistake, not least because the iPad port of this app seems like an afterthought. There's all sorts of hidden functionality that you just have to know how to do. There are weird oversights like the inability to scroll lists of chords horizontally
Take even the most basic of tasks. I've been at it for an hour and I still can't figure out how to delete a chord from my working chord progression down on the bottom.
Or Say you have a couple of chords that you like and you want a freeform exploration of what should come next. I guess you open up the creative tab. I don't know if that's right, but if you do that, there's no clear connection between the chord visual aids and the actual working set of chords you've selected. Rather than just clicking through the recommended next chords using the little chord maps, you have to go and find the scale of your chord and hope that it's in the visual cloud.
I know these examples are hard to follow, maybe it just takes more than an hour to figure out how to use this thing,
but that should give you an indication of just how hard this app is to use
Would highly recommend some investment in UX thinking here. The app looks pretty,But this app needs someone on the team thinking about the user journey, user goals, intuitiveness, etc.
If I wanted an inscrutable UI that I had to fight, I'd go use Rapid Composer.
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Response from developer
Hi, thanks for the comment. Overall it seems you're struggling with Scaler 3 itself. Not going to lie to you, this is not a program you will learn in one hour. The 40 page slideshow is really helpful for coming back to and learning its power features but it's only the first few pages that cover gestures. Scaler 3 will love you back if you learn to love Scaler 3. It's a very powerful program that is used by many of the world's top producers and composers. We try our best to help people learn and use Scaler 3 to its max potential. Really hope you get to love it.
Interface kind of sucks
I was hoping for something much better not the same bloated UI from the Mac app.
Good but not good
Scaler 3 appears to be a powerful and potentially excellent music-production app, but its interface on iPad is far too small to use comfortably. The text and controls are extremely difficult to see, even with glasses, and the problem becomes worse when Scaler is opened as a plug-in inside Logic Pro. There is no effective GUI-scaling option to correct it.
An app can have wonderful features, but those features are of little value when the interface is nearly unintelligible and the touch targets are so small. Please add adjustable interface scaling, larger text, and a properly touch-optimized iPad layout. I would love to use Scaler 3 regularly, but in its present form, the eye strain makes that unrealistic.
An app can have wonderful features, but those features are of little value when the interface is nearly unintelligible and the touch targets are so small. Please add adjustable interface scaling, larger text, and a properly touch-optimized iPad layout. I would love to use Scaler 3 regularly, but in its present form, the eye strain makes that unrealistic.
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Freezes on iPad Pro
Great concept, but clearly this has along way to go in terms of stability. In the first hour, I experienced tons of lag and freezing on my iPad Pro with no other apps running. Also, the tutorial is lengthy and not very helpful or hands-on for beginners. It was REALLY fun to use for about 20 minutes… But now I feel I wasted $20 on something that’s likely not gonna get used. :(
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Response from developer
Hi Motor D. We haven't had any issues running Scaler 3 iOS on iPadPro. Have you quit out of all apps and restarted your iPad? We're confident this will resolve any issues you are having. If issues persist please do report them to us by creating a support ticket on our site or report them over at forum.scalermusic.com Hope that helps.
The gold standard for composition on iPadOS
Big big thank you to the Scaler Music developers for not only bringing Scaler 3 to iPadOS, but continuing to issue these updates and maintaining parity with the desktop version. I’ve been a Scaler user on MacOS for many years now and having a fully functional mobile version on my iPad is so valuable. Being able to develop new ideas literally anywhere, anytime, and bring them back onto my Mac whenever is a workflow paradise. If you’re into making music, give Scaler 3 a very serious look - it works so well for all styles/genres and will help you learn more and more about music theory while you’re using it. Worth every single penny and more.
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Response from developer
A big thank you to you for your support. We care deeply about Scaler 3 and this type of feedback really helps drive us. Thanks.
Great app, but the touch interface needs work
I’ve been using Scaler 3 on desktop for some time and I’m genuinely very happy with it. It’s an excellent and very inspiring piece of software, and I really appreciate the work the developers are putting into it. The desktop version has become an important part of my music workflow.
That’s why I was very excited to see Scaler 3 arrive on iPad. The idea is fantastic: having the full creative environment on an iPad, with no keyboard, mouse or cables, is exactly what I was looking for. Being able to sit on the sofa or work anywhere with just the iPad is a great concept.
Unfortunately, the current touch interface makes the iPad version quite difficult for me to use in practice. Some interactions feel much harder than they should on a touchscreen. For example, resizing chords or notes by holding them until the resize handles appear can be extremely frustrating. The slightest movement of your finger can cause the gesture to be interpreted as a drag instead, and sometimes I have to try many times before it works.
The MIDI editor is another example. Instead of intuitive touch gestures such as pinch-to-zoom and two-finger navigation, it relies on relatively small resize/scroll handles. These are difficult to use precisely with a finger and make something that should actually be easier on a touchscreen feel more cumbersome than using a mouse.
I’ve also tried using an Apple Pencil, but unfortunately that doesn’t completely solve these issues either.
I don’t want this review to sound overly negative, because I really like Scaler and I think the developers are doing a great job. The product itself is excellent, the idea behind the iPad version is fantastic, and I can see how much effort is going into improving it.
For me, however, the current touch interface is unfortunately close to unworkable for serious use. I’m giving it 4 stars rather than 5, because I believe the underlying product deserves it and I hope the touch interaction will continue to improve.
I also went back and tried Scaler 2 on the same iPad. Although Scaler 2 has far fewer features, its touch interface feels much more natural and reliable. Even the use of the Shift button for secondary actions works perfectly well for me. This makes it clear that my issue is not with using Scaler on a touchscreen itself, but specifically with some of the interaction choices in Scaler 3.
I’d love to give it 5 stars when the iPad version feels as natural to use with touch as Scaler itself is inspiring to use.
That’s why I was very excited to see Scaler 3 arrive on iPad. The idea is fantastic: having the full creative environment on an iPad, with no keyboard, mouse or cables, is exactly what I was looking for. Being able to sit on the sofa or work anywhere with just the iPad is a great concept.
Unfortunately, the current touch interface makes the iPad version quite difficult for me to use in practice. Some interactions feel much harder than they should on a touchscreen. For example, resizing chords or notes by holding them until the resize handles appear can be extremely frustrating. The slightest movement of your finger can cause the gesture to be interpreted as a drag instead, and sometimes I have to try many times before it works.
The MIDI editor is another example. Instead of intuitive touch gestures such as pinch-to-zoom and two-finger navigation, it relies on relatively small resize/scroll handles. These are difficult to use precisely with a finger and make something that should actually be easier on a touchscreen feel more cumbersome than using a mouse.
I’ve also tried using an Apple Pencil, but unfortunately that doesn’t completely solve these issues either.
I don’t want this review to sound overly negative, because I really like Scaler and I think the developers are doing a great job. The product itself is excellent, the idea behind the iPad version is fantastic, and I can see how much effort is going into improving it.
For me, however, the current touch interface is unfortunately close to unworkable for serious use. I’m giving it 4 stars rather than 5, because I believe the underlying product deserves it and I hope the touch interaction will continue to improve.
I also went back and tried Scaler 2 on the same iPad. Although Scaler 2 has far fewer features, its touch interface feels much more natural and reliable. Even the use of the Shift button for secondary actions works perfectly well for me. This makes it clear that my issue is not with using Scaler on a touchscreen itself, but specifically with some of the interaction choices in Scaler 3.
I’d love to give it 5 stars when the iPad version feels as natural to use with touch as Scaler itself is inspiring to use.
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Lots of useful content but frustrating to use…
There’s a great system in here that can be very useful, but a UI that too often ignores 40 years of accepted good practice, together with crashes and being one of the few apps that doesn’t auto state save can make it painful to use.
Awesome Great Tool*
First I want to say, the engine, the performance and depth is here. The tool is wonderful and is pretty much the start of most of my workflows. Now the asterisk.
*This port is VERY touchscreen unfriendly. I highly recommend a working mouse to get the most out of it in current state.
That out of the way, I still recommend this tool if you can get past the annoyance of not working purely from the touch screen.
*This port is VERY touchscreen unfriendly. I highly recommend a working mouse to get the most out of it in current state.
That out of the way, I still recommend this tool if you can get past the annoyance of not working purely from the touch screen.
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Works great: updated review
I had some issues with what I thought was scaler 3 not recording midi performances correctly but it turned out to be a Massive X patch. So now I update my review to 5 stars. I’m happy to report that it is working correctly for my needs now. I’d love to see more progression libraries added, but only because I am horrible with theory and mixing and matching chords is not something I have a lot of time for right now, unfortunately. I do love the ability to plug Scaler 3 iPad into macos and use it to record midi into Bitwig. It keeps me from having to drag around midi or manage routing Scaler 3 vst as a separate track piping midi into an instrument. I just plug and go. Bitwig makes this easy.
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Response from developer
Thanks for updating your review and appreciate the feedback! There's lifetime of potential chord progressions in Scaler 3 and the Explore Page is a great next step as it colour codes the next 'most compatible' chord. So you can be 'safe' (darker blues) or 'experimental' (lighter greys) whilst being guided. Check out some videos on the 'Explore Page' on the Scaler Music YouTube channel!
Absolutely phenomenal
Forget it’s interface quirks and concentrate on the music! For me it has become indispensable.
Appears to be promising.
Appears promising, but when I close the ipad with my case and later open the app there is no sound. i have to close the app to get sound.
Response from developer
Hi, please download the latest version 3.2.4 from the App Store and restart your iPad. We found a few edge case background audio issues using third party peripherals which we have now resolved. Hope that helps!
Scaler 3 Great but big glitch!
This is a great app! However, when I initially upload the app the sound works but then when I close the up down and reopen it the sound does not come on. I have to remove the app and then reload it to get the sound working, but then again the next time I open the app, the sound does not work. This occurs every time very annoying. Is this a common feature or will this be fixed? If it wasn’t for this very annoying glitch, I would give this app five stars however at the moment I can only give it two.
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Love this exists
Great tool.
Scaler 3
LEARN Scaler 3 Change your musical life.
Two stars off for bugs
I posted a previous review, mentioning a common issue with the two-tap touchscreen bug. This was confirmed, but the update has not fixed the issue, and trying to delete a chord, for example, is random at best.
My previous review was also removed, no notice or reason given, despite including praise for the app. Hopefully this one will last a bit longer.
Just to confirm, I have no issue with accessing the pop-up menu via 2 finger touch, but when I select an option it doesn’t always work.
My previous review was also removed, no notice or reason given, despite including praise for the app. Hopefully this one will last a bit longer.
Just to confirm, I have no issue with accessing the pop-up menu via 2 finger touch, but when I select an option it doesn’t always work.
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Love, but fussy
Was getting into building a progression, then gave up due to the fussy touch interface. Got to point where I couldn’t even restore the zoom on a progression, or so it seemed. Tap and hit areas need refinement or just simplified to remove ambiguity. Generally love scaler, but it’s really easy to get mentally distracted since you accidentally tapped something. Pencil recommended.
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Response from developer
Hi, try double tapping the scroll bar to restore the default zoom. We have gestures video releasing soon on YouTube but it's worth watching the tutorial or running through the first 7 slides of the onboard tutorial. Hope that helps and hope you enjoy your Scaler 3 journey!
A massive improvement on version 2 but still frustrating
I had version 2 on my PC and on my iPads but found less capable but much easier to use alternatives. Perhaps I wasn’t the only one hence Scaler 3. A massive improvement but why can’t I save over my current work to simply update? You have to re type the name of your preset and if you don’t get it exactly the same you end up with several making it hard to load the right one next time. Annoying.
Worse still is the lack of sync in standalone. No Ableton link nor MIDI clock. This forces you to run Scaler in your daw, AUM, whatever and now you are faced with a proper mess. You have to run separate instances for each track and try to get them synced. I don’t bother. Way to tedious and kills creativity in an instant.
I get around it by recording into loopy pro which I have set up like an Ableton clip launching grid. I have to start Scaler at the start of my recording manually.
Every other app has Ableton Link. Why not Scaler 3?
This could be the best app on iOS but there is a long way to go before they have ironed out it’s serious shortcomings.
At least I can get something going with this version rather than spending my creative energy struggling with the user interface
Worse still is the lack of sync in standalone. No Ableton link nor MIDI clock. This forces you to run Scaler in your daw, AUM, whatever and now you are faced with a proper mess. You have to run separate instances for each track and try to get them synced. I don’t bother. Way to tedious and kills creativity in an instant.
I get around it by recording into loopy pro which I have set up like an Ableton clip launching grid. I have to start Scaler at the start of my recording manually.
Every other app has Ableton Link. Why not Scaler 3?
This could be the best app on iOS but there is a long way to go before they have ironed out it’s serious shortcomings.
At least I can get something going with this version rather than spending my creative energy struggling with the user interface
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Great , but few problems on navigation
Great and usefull app. However still needs improvment on navigation (drag and drop, horizontal/vertical scroll, push back/forward midi tracks, etc) and screens, especially on ipad mini....
Great beginnings
So far so good. Would absolutely love to see support for right clicking when using a mouse. I use the iPad Magic Keyboard case with trackpad and sometimes a wireless mouse. Needing to put my finger back on the screen to see ‘right click’ context menus breaks my workflow. Some love for the Apple Pencil would also be great. Since this is iPad exclusive I think it would be worth the dev time. Logic for iPad has some great Apple Pencil features I would love to see here, like hovering showing more context. This is really in between 3 and 4 stars for me — and seeing mouse/pencil support would easily bring this to a 4 or a 5
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Great bunch over there
These guys really know how to make a user friendly experience to keep the creativity flowing.
