And perhaps I tend to concentrate on one app for a long time. I love to travel with my gear, and I've never appreciated what the iPad can do, nor how many music apps are out there that do work. However, you can't exactly put an acoustic piano in a gig bag and sling it over the shoulders.
Nothing beats playing on a real acoustic piano.
But then they update the app and put a new visual spin on the interface, and guess what? The accessibility is taken away!Īs for playing live on an actual piano, I'd love to do that. And many times, there would be an app that started off perfectly accessible, with all buttons labeled clearly and all gestures working correctly. They say they'll put the accessibility on their list and/or get back with us. I too have contacted the developers directly and got the same exact responses.
So please, anyone reading this post, join me in advocating for accessibility with software music apps such as Ravenscroft, and ask developers that the apps be encoded so that Voiceover can talk to the app, allow interaction without relying on sighted help, and also that all buttons be labeled as well. I cannot access buttons, controls, settings, nor do any gestures within the app to move within it. Voiceover literally just says, "Landscape.) That's it. I cannot access anything whatsoever in the App. Whoever designed this app certainly did not encode it to work in conjunction with Voiceover. If anyone out there is willing, please send this post to the App developers. Again, I would like to advocate that this app be made accessible for the Blind, and especially to any other blind pianist out there, who really wants a ultra-realistic-sounding grand piano in an IOS product, and will not consume your battery to run the App.įYI, the Ravenscroft app is made by VI Labs. It does not hog up battery power and high power consumption. While I have used other more accessible virtual piano apps with Voiceover, and while Ravenscroft is by no means the only music App, Ravenscroft has probably one of the best-sounding and realistic piano tones I've ever heard, and it leaves the smallest footprint. I have to rely on a pair of eyes to help me and I honestly feel that I should not have to rely on them all the time. However, none of the features/functions, and tweaking controls are available to Voiceover users yet.
From what I've heard on this app, the piano tone is absolutely gorgeous. It has been developed in a way where Voiceover and the App do not get along.īecause I am a musician and a pianist, I would like to advocate for more accessible IOS apps such as this Ravenscroft 275 piano app. I believe that this is an issue of software encoding, and this app did not seem to be designed with the Blind in mind. It is only when Voiceover is turned off that all controls and functions in this app will work. Basically, the device behaves like the screen is locked, even though visually it is not. Gestures will not work, and Voiceover no longer speaks. The instant the app is launched, Voiceover stops talking. The one big problem, is the lack of usability with Voiceover. It works with external MIDI controllers or keyboards through MIDI USB or Bluetooth. This is a virtual software piano app that can run on all IOS and most desktop platforms. The app I'd like to discuss in particular, is called Ravenscroft 275 Piano. One of my biggest hobbies is performing live places and using my iPad as a MIDI sound module.
I own an iPhone, iPod, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch. I am a blind musician who has been playing piano for 28 years. This is my very first time posting to Apple Vis. Its more like I literally have never heard it sound warm and close, despite looking and looking.Hello there. If I could hear one demo of Ravenscroft sounding as warm and close as Noire does in your example, I guess none of this would be an issue for me whatsoever.Įdit: I hope this doesn't come off as suggesting you should hunt down a demo of RC. How does Noire stack up as far as playability goes? That is my biggest fear in pulling the trigger on it. I haven't played anything that feels like it at all yet, which honestly makes it very difficult to like some of the other offerings I have. I have ModernU, which I imagine is quite similar. I can understand your love for the playability of Ravenscroft. I've been very back and forth about whether I should get Noire since it was released, but I really like what I hear you do with it. When you were playing the Noire Extra Body snapshot, I felt the most connected with the music and you, the performer. I have to echo one of the comments I read on the video.