Will Bias Fx mobile version work on ipod?
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Ipod 2019 version. Will Bias Fx mobile Edition work on it?
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Anybody? I'd like to know if the iPod Touch works too.
It seems like it should have enough CPU power. I have an iPad 7th Gen, which scores 757 on the Geekbench 5 single CPU benchmark. I use BIAS FX with 10 effects and an amp-sim, and CPU usage is usually about 15-20%. This implies that a benchmark score of 150 would be enough to run BIAS FX. The iPod Touch scores 565, so it should be powerful enough.
I would only worry that there's not enough screen real-estate for BIAS FX. The iPod Touch has about half the pixels of an iPhone.
And then there's the small battery--also less than half the W⋅h of an iPhone.
Has anyone tried it?
Greg
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@holmberg2066 @alothmanmail I use Bias FX mobile on my iPhone SE so I'm sure that it should work on an iPod touch. As pointed out, the only real limitation is the screen real estate, but I guess it depends on how good your eyesight is. It is usable and I really enjoy the stereo signal paths (which I'm hoping they will put onto the Spark amp at somepoint). It is smaller and more difficult to adjust than I would like, but if you've used any other amp sims on your iPod, Bias isn't any different.
The other key point is having a reasonable interface to your iPod. Line 6 Sonic Ports work well as do the IK Multimedia iRig HD 2. Not sure about the battery life, but my iPhone is 2.5 years old so the battery isn't great anyway, but it give enough power from full charge to run Bias FX for around 2 hours maybe a bit more.
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@tuck60 Thanks for the data point.
The iPhone SE (2016) has an A9 CPU that scores 546 on the Geekbench 5 single core test. That's pretty close to the iPod Touch's score of 565 on its A10 CPU. Both have only 2 GB of RAM. So indeed, if BIAS FX performs well for you on the iPhone SE, it should perform well on the iPod Touch.
Regarding the display, the iPhone SE and the iPod Touch have the exact same screen (4" and 1136 x 640), so again, if that's enough screen real estate for you, then the iPod Touch should be fine.
Regarding the battery, the iPhone SE has a 6.2 W·h battery, while the iPod Touch has a 4.0 W·h battery. So a bit shorter life, but as you say, your battery has some miles on it, so probably similar to the life of a new iPod Touch.
I would estimate that the iPod Touch's battery could power the device running BIAS FX plus a audio interface (using 2.5 watts) for a little over an hour. Not great, so you might want to use a USB hub with an additional battery powering everything.
There are some small audio interfaces that use less than 2.5 watts. For example, the TS Mini from Melo Audio uses 0.6 watts, the XSONIC products use 0.5 watts, and the Apogee JAM+ uses 0.5 watts. With these, the iPod Touch could run BIAS FX for perhaps 4 hours.
But most vendors don't state the device's power consumption, so it's really hard to tell. 2.5 watts seems to be the most common for USB- or Lightning- powered audio interfaces.
So, long story short, I think the iPod Touch should definitely be enough to run BIAS FX, even if the screen is a bit small and the battery won't last too long.
I guess one could do all the configuring on a larger screen (like an iPad) at home, and then share/copy the preset to the iPod Touch when you want to go out -- assuming you won't need to adjust settings too much while you're mobile. Or bring a Bluetooth MIDI foot-board controller to make adjustments, turn effects on/off, if you find the iPod Touch's screen too small to use.
Then you could just mount the iPod Touch and some small audio interface to the guitar, listen with headphones, and be completely untethered. It's only 4.9 x 2.3 inches, weighs 3.1 oz. An Apogee JAM+ adds 4 oz, or an IK Multimedia iRig HD 2 adds 2 oz. So for 5 to 7 oz. added to your guitar, you could be totally mobile.
Greg
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@holmberg2066 Thanks Greg. I hadn't really thought about the audio interface.
I have used my set up (iPhone se, iRig, cable, headphones and a SnapDragon folding guitar) as my practise companion for when I travel with work. It all fits in a very small case that is acceptable as hand luggage on most major airlines.
Hope you enjoy Bias FX
Andy
