Camelot Pro

I had been performing using a combination of ForScore and AUM—as the former can send program changes to the latter. Then Camelot went on sale and I went for it. Its performance-oriented architecture allowed me to conceive of a more ambitious project than I could have carried off in the former set-up—so I thank the app for that. One limitation I encountered was external controllers having to operate at a global level. Camelot is organized into "scenes" which are made up of "layers", which are themselves comprised of "items." So when I set my expression pedal to control the level of layer 1, or, say, the level of layer 2, item 3, the pedal would continue to do so in every sequential scene. At first I thought of Stravinsky's concept of limitations being freeing for a composer, and so I created a spreadsheet to keep track of controller assignments—inserting empty filler layers to avoid the assigned layer or item affecting parameters I wanted left alone. Another limitation was lack of control over AUv3 parameters. You could tweak them in the interface but you could not assign external control over them unless the app had an internal midi learn feature. This meant having to abandon some favorite apps that didn't offer this. (I could not trigger a "freeze" in Magma with a sustain pedal, for example). Another limitation is poor tech support. When I pointed out an issue with controller curves not taking effect at the layer or item level, the tech person I was corresponding with ceased responding. All this is to say that if you can work OK within these limitations and somewhat archaic structure, the app is otherwise reliable and can produce amazing results. I, however, have moved on to Camelot's competitor, Keystage, which has a responsive developer who keeps the app vital.

This issue existed both before and after the recent update. When I create a new layer with a source of audio inputs from my Motu M4, it acts like it does not “hear” the input. The inputs are appropriately mapped to the interface’s inputs, and are not red (like when the device is unplugged), so it sees and knows about them. However, the triangle never flashes as I would expect it to when receiving input (this is the method I use to confirm it is receiving midi, but in that case, with midi inputs as the source, it’s a circle). I also know the interface is functional, because (a) I have level meters on the interface and (b) the identical configuration works in a competitor’s app I also own, so I know it is sending the audio over USB. My hardware synth has no onboard effects, so I need to route the audio through auv3s. I would love to have this fixed and get back to using Camelot as I prefer its UI, but there appears to be no way to get support for the iPad version, and I don’t have a desktop version.

I see that all the other reviews are at least a year old. I don’t think it’s fair to judge the current version based on these. I have been working with 2.01 for a couple of days and although there is a learning curve, it’s very easy to progress. The interface is very well thought out and easy to use. Other than one app which did not play well with Camelot, I’ve had no freezes or crashes. I’m using Camelot strictly as a software manager for plug-ins so I can’t speak to its response to hardware-based keyboards. Not giving it five stars at this point simply because I haven’t worked with it long enough to thoroughly wring it out. If you’ve been put off by earlier reviews about this app being buggy, I encourage you to give it another try. Right now it’s on sale.