Audanika Development Roadmap

Audanika
8 min readDec 4, 2021

Audanika is a live-time project. Find out what is planned next. Let us know what’s important to you. And yes, AUV3 is in the pipeline.

The Audanika development roadmap has to meet very different requirements: Audanika should be an awesome tool to teach music to the upcoming generation. On the other end Audanika targets professional music producers.

News

  • 2022–01–14: Added Francescos ideas of several feature levels Audanika should implement.
  • 2022–01–07: Added Francescos idea of triggering chords using a MIDI keyboard + chord accompanying function
  • 2021–12–22: We made the decision not to support Audiobus and Inter-App audio in Audanika. Reasons can be found below.
  • 2021–12–11: Added “MIDI Input Idea”. Thanks to VerbaLee.
  • 2021–12–06: Added “Play Mode Editor Extension” to the roadmap. Thanks to Adrian for requesting more complex chords.
  • 2021–12–04: Added “Chromatic »Für Elise« Extension” to the roadmap. Thanks to Fungosound’s app review.

General Goals

  • Only one app: In the future, we want only offer one long-term supported app, called Audanika. No questions anymore like “What is the difference between Pro, Link Edition, and Electro?”
  • Long-term support: Since 2020/10 Audanika has been a family business. God willing, we will support it live, ideally over generations.
  • Next-generation first: Our primary goal is to enable the next generation of composers, musicians, and artists. Therefore, we offer Audanika on Android, which many young people use.
  • Customer’s wishes — no problem!: Thanks to Audanika’s extension system, we can implement feature requests without fearing overloading the interface.
  • Transparency & Fairness: We communicate our strategy and plans openly.

Monetarization Strategy

Currently, we see two possible long term monetarization strategies:

  • Strategy 1: Audanika is offered as a free app. We make our money by selling pop and rock songs within the app. Artists can compose and offer musical pieces on an upcoming Audanika platform.
  • Strategy 2: If strategy 1 will not work out, we plan to turn Audanika into a professional composition tool and MIDI controller offered as a one-time payment. The price might rise up to 20$ to 40$.

Should you buy Audanika now? Or shouldn’t you? Currently (2021/12), we are offering Audanika as a 5$ one-time payment.

  • You should not buy Audanika if you would be disappointed when Strategy 1 turns out to work and the price falls, or Audanika becomes free. In that case, you would lose 5$.
  • You should buy Audanika if you want to be on board from the beginning. Currently, we are cross-financing the development. Your 5$ allow us to invest more time into the product.

Feature Roadmap

Migrate SoundPrism Features

On March 1, 2022, we will remove SoundPrism from the AppStore. Until then, we plan to bring back the most essential SoundPrism features to Audanika:

  • The Sound Extension will allow you to select from a list of sounds. Leave a comment about which SoundPrism sounds you are definitely needing.
  • The Dock Extension will give you the SoundPrism dock back. Using the dock, you can select different play modes and change the key.
  • The Pitch Class Shifter Extension makes it possible to change the scale as it is possible in SoundPrism pro. It might be possible that we start with a simpler version allowing you to turn major into minor chords and vice versa.
  • Improved MIDI Configuration allows you to specify the MIDI channels, Audanika is sending out.

Let us know if there are other SoundPrism features you definitely need in Audanika.

Feature, We Are Not Planning to Migrate

  • Audiobus/IAA Support: We originally planned to re-add Audiobus/IAA support. While implementing we realized that Audiobus/IAA is quite unstable. Thus we made the decision not to add Audiobus support. This will save us many support hours we can invest into AUV3 and other new featuers.

New Features

After having migrated the most wanted SoundPrism features, we plan to offer new features in this order.

  • AUV3 is a highly demanded feature. We have an eye on it and want to have it by ourselves. But due to our next-generation-first-policy, we are currently focussing on making Audanika a perfect tool for music educators first.
  • Grid Configurator Extension allows you to configure the number of rows and columns of the Audanika grid. If you need more octaves or if you want to play not just chords of multiple keys simultaneously, this extension is definitely what you need.
  • QR Code Extension allows educators to generate a QR code containing the current Audanika setup. Students can scan that QR code and thus copy the teacher’s configuration to their own devices.
  • Chromatic »Für Elise« Extension makes it possible to play not only diatonic melody tones, like today. Much more you will be able to insert chromatic tones. Like on the piano, the chromatic tones are planned to be shown between the diatonic ones.
  • Song / Set management Extension makes it possible to quickly change configurations live and organize them in a setlist, similar to Apple’s main stage.
  • Dock Customization Extension allows you to configure the buttons of your dock. Assign MIDI commands or Audanika functions like switching to the desired key.
  • Play Mode Editor Extension allows you to design your own play mode. Currently Audanika offers three play modes (Audanika, Single Tone, Simple Chords).

Important: According to your feedback and our actual progress, this order might change.

Additional Feature Requests

Here are some of things we have heard from you.

Combine SoundPrism and iKaossilator

  • db909: “My dream app would be a combination of Soundprism and IKaossilator. Do yourself a favor and really have a good think on that concept.”

Add jazz chords, complex harmonies, tension notes

  • Adrian: Any chance of, eg, jazz chords, complex harmonies, tension notes, upper structures, etc? Also, some means of recording the pieces we make in Audanika. Or at least exporting thing them in the usual formats? Also also? MIDI Capture, like you have in Ableton?

Auv3 host

  • db909: I think an Auv3 host could be really cool. To be able to compose/record sequences with multiple sounds and to do that all without leaving the Audanika interface would be a great experience as well.

MIDI Input and light up the received MIDI notes

  • VerbaLee: I have a request if it is possible to have midi in into Audanika and show the visual light up of the midi note inputs. Thank you for keeping us updated.
  • Francesco: I see Audanika midi extension sees my keyboard but it doesn't make any sound. It would be a game changer also in loopy workflow. Thanks!

Education Mode

  • Gabriel: By the way, I’m thinking about an “Education Mode” that would reduce Audanika to a simple feature set that has been well considered from an educational point of view. This mode would be activated by default. For example, only six selected keys would then be shown. At the same time, people who need more options could disable that mode.

Select Harmonic Series, Add 7ths, 9ths, 11ths

  • In the future I’d like to be able to select by harmonic series and ability to add 7ths, 9ths, 11ths, etc. Major and minor scale packages. Also more modes would be awesome.

Virtual Accordion

Francesco: Is it possible to add also midi input from a keyboard so that we could use audanika as a virtual accordion for comping with bass and chords?

  • Gabriel: Very cool idea. Would you suggest that pressing a button on your keyboard triggers a touch on the Audanika surface? If yes, how would you do the mapping of keys to the two-dimensional Audanika playing surface?
  • Francesco: The easy way would be enabling the midi input for soloing with my right hand freely on my keyboard while comping in audanika with my left hand as you normally do in audioprism pro and Garageband smart instruments (please give us also the option to play easily the fifth on the bass as in garageband).
  • The more elegant way would be adding two split points in the midi options, one for the bass and one for the chords. The bass would be free and chromatic for the first octave and the chords on the second octave (one finger for each triad inversion) could be diatonic as already are.
  • Of course we would need a little jump or our right hand ✋ sometimes for the first and second inversion but a little stride piano is not a big deal :)
  • Of course the chromatic notes in the second octave, the chords octave, could stay single notes or have the option to trigger a diminished triad that would lead nicely to the previous or next chord.
  • Thanks for listening, I know it’s not easy but it would make Audanika the only auv3 app with easy and professional auto-comping midi option, a great accordion in our iPhones and iPads!
  • nother solution could be having the option to condense bass and chords in the same octave on the keyboard for little hands 🙌 or full scale keys 🎹. For example in C major the bass would be triggered by the tonic C, the first inversion by the third E, the second inversion by the fifth G and again first position by C at the octave.

Chromatic Row for Altering The Chords

  • Francesco: Add a chromatic row for altering the chords as in soundprism.

Bluetooth MIDI

  • Francesco: Add midi input and Bluetooth midi for external keyboards for soloing with the right hand 🤚 as in soundprism pro.

MIDI Learn

  • Francesco: add midi learn for comping through Audanika interface and/or midi pads freely assignable to any button in Audanika interface like in Tonality app (best implementation of chord pads and midi learning on iOS)

Arpeggiator

  • Francesco: add an arpeggiator as in Chordion, lovely app unfortunately not updated in a while, or auto-comping as in Garageband smart instruments Thanks and let me know if you need some further clarification:)

Sophisticated Bass

  • Kevin: Again, I accidentally discovered sliding right on the bass buttons shifts up an octave. How about an option to include the 5th there as well? Perhaps only as an option so as not to add complexity for a simple playing experience.
  • Francesco: Split the bass button to include the fifth or fifth and octave as in Garageband smart instruments.

Improved Simple Mode

  • Kevin: The Simple Chords mode in the play modes options is very nice, as its more like the old package. However, what about an option to keep the melody voice there as well, and just limit its notes to the top note of the Simple Chords mode? I used to play melodies on the old app by using inversions of the chords with the melody on top, substituting chords from other rows when necessary. It is limited, but it works quite well in many situations. This way, you would still have the melody function, while simplifying the playing grid.

How You Can Contribute

  • Discuss this road map with others either here on Medium or in our strategy thread in the Audiobus forum. This helps us to prioritize better.
  • Get Audanika and tell friends about it. This reduces the need for cross-financing and helps us invest more time into Audanika.
  • Follow us on social media. Chose your favorite channel on our linktree.
  • Leave a good rating and a comment on the App/Play Store. Encourage people to invest in that early stage of the app.
  • Subscribe to our newsletter and receive important updates from time to time.

Acknowledgement

We receive four scholarships for our team members Jonas Lepper, Tim Stapperfenne, Abiodun Ajibade as well Paul Engelhardt from the European Union and the Free State of Thuringia.

Author

I’m Gabriel, the founder & CEO of Grace Cloud GmbH and inventor of SoundPrism. Together with Sebastian, I started Audanika in 2010. In October 2020, I took over the full responsibility of Audanika. I’m a passionate software developer & musician & Christian. As husband and father of five lovely kids, I have a heart for the upcoming generation. You can follow me on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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