My iPad wants me to upgrade Animoog to 2.1.0. The update details say something about “4Track promotional period is now ended” and that 4Track can be unlocked by registering or by in-app purchase.
Did I miss a memo? So far I haven’t been able to find any news or explanation. I want to know more before I update.
Anybody know anything about this?
I think that is the memo. I plan on registering before the NEXT memo. Worth it for sure.
“Registering”… how do we do that? Or do I find out after updating 
Initially Moog wrote:
“This 4 Track Recorder will be free to existing users until Dec. 31, 2012 at which time it will revert to its regular price of $4.99 in the Animoog Store”
I updated, entered the info it asked for (name, e-mail, the usual stuff), waited for the confirmation e-mail and registered without problems. BUT, when I tried to do the same on my other iPad, no such luck. Not even restoring purchases worked. So, I now have the 4 track working on the new iPad, but not on the iPad2. Hopefully it’ll get sorted out soon.
Exactly this. Enquiring minds want to know.
I remember this, but I interpreted it to mean that if you buy Animoog after Dec 31 2012, you’d have to pay $4.99 for 4Track. In my experience it is unusual for an app developer to provide something for free and then later make users pay for it. It reminds me of the scary film about the evils of heroin that they showed us in 9th grade.
Exactly this. Different drug, same MO:
I would be pleased with longer recording time on the RECORD module. After much messing with it, the 4 track recorder inside a tiny tiny screen seems overkill and not worth my money anyway, or even filling out a form.
Filling out a form seems a small price. Result: I have a usable four-track recorder, and in return Moog knows my real name (which they had before, because I’m registered on their website), my email address (ditto), my sex (which they could guess from my first name), and my age (old enough to know better). That’s more than a fair trade. Actually, $5 was fair too, so long as it works. Ditto for the MIDI Expansion Pack.
Yes, the MIDI expansion pack’s well worth the money. Looking forward to future developments on that front.
I just view the 4-track recorder as an unnecessary complication, but I’m sure others make fine use of it.
At some point Moog must have realised it was uncanny to release that feature for free and then charge for it, so registering for free access is a graceful exit of sorts. Highly doubtful anyone will pay the $5 at all.
I have to agree with the general consensus here and on the rest of the net. The biggest problem is that having been a happy Animoog user since the app was first released, I feel kind of cheated that they should release the add in this way.
According to the original blurb, it did state that if you had purchased it before that date, as an app, you would get the 4 track for free. Then comes this silly u-turn, that only annoys us.
Now I find that the registration has a slight caveat. If you are not online when you start the app, it will forget about your registration. If you quit the app, go online, BINGO, it will suddenly remember your registration.
May I be the first to say to MOOG, what a seriously poor showing. I am starting to believe that Moog will be moving to a model that requires an always on connection. How do I know that even if I purchase the add-on it will not require the always on connection to confirm I am a legit user?
Here is another question to the Moog, what will we next be asked to register for? The Audiobus support, the midi modules we have already purchased, the additional expansion packs???
Even if I wanted to purchase the 4 track support, it is not In available in the store. The version I have shows no such option for this support.
This has dented my faith in the company that provided such a breath of fresh air to the music community. It is cheap and in bad taste to all those out there who have support you through the expansion of the product. Yes I am venting my spleen on this one but it is just like Rovio when they started to through loads of crap at us with Angry Birds. All the supporters said, but look at what they have given us, all the extra levels, surely you don’t begrudge them the advertising in the game. Well yes I do, without expansion no one new is coming to the party, so that didn’t wash with me.
Please sort this out, it’s left me with a sour taste in my mouth and a desire to find alternative products to use.
Why do you assume the worst, of a company that so obviously cares about musicians?
There’s nothing wrong with using other products. But consider the scale of what you’re complaining about: is the sour taste proportionate to the problem? If the app became crash-prone, I would agree with you. But a few registration glitches for a free add-on? With most things, you get what you pay for. With Animoog I think you get a lot more than that.
Just a quick follow-up, using a different e-mail address worked fine to register the 4Track on a second iPad. And FWIW, I agree that registration is a small “price” to pay for this add-on.
My main question, and the one I am still highly miffed about is why the need to be online to reactivate the feature?
That’s why I’m so annoyed. They want my details, fine. They want me to pay, fine. However, the lack of consistency and information about the product update doesn’t help.
They didn’t do this for the love of muscians, they’re a business. They are there to make money, but in my view this was not a clever way to release the update. Now to have no way to purchase the update to have potentially off-line access, or a constant need to activate the software with an active connection to the Moog mothership is the poor showing and does not Show a great deal of thinking on their part.
Not everyone wants to have to be on-line everytime something comes up, so why the bizarre undocumented need to have it this way?
I agree with that.
Until I read this, I assumed that you only had to be online once, for registration, but I tried it just now and you’re right: it requires an online connection every time you launch the four-track. I don’t think that’s sinister, but it’s (a) tedious and (b) anti-functional. Like a lot of people, I usually run music apps in airplane mode, to focus resources on the recording app and to avoid interruptions. In fact, a lot of recording apps specifically recommend this. Grrrr.
I would have assumed (until five minutes ago) that spending the $5 gets you out of this. But I haven’t tried it yet, so I can’t say if that’s so.
What an unfortunate decision on Moog’s part, to force users to be online just to use the four-track recorder.
I bought Animoog when it was on sale, so I’ll probably still use it, but the “must be online” requirement for the 4-track is a non-starter for me, for much of the same reasons - I don’t always want to be at a WiFi hotspot when I use an iPad, and I have no interest in cellular service for iPad.
UPDATE : I’ve just had a response to an email I sent to Moog support. They have recently identified a bug that does not allow the 4 track recorder to function when the device is disconnected from the internet. We will be addressing this with a small update soon.
I’ve just seen the update in the store. It is now possible to purchase the 4 track recorder, which from my initial test conclude you do not need an online connection to make it work. As I purchased the 4 track update, this comes a little late for me. I don’t have a problem paying, I just wish they had been clearer to start with.
Agreed, a bit lame on Moog’s part.
Kind of defeats the whole purpose of having a full-featured synth app that could be used on the go, anytime, anywhere.
So much for using it while traveling…
It is disappointing to have to be logged in to use the four track. There will be times when Internet access is not available. Hopefully this will be addressed in. Future update.
just checked, no wifi - no 4track
So the app is ‘phoning home’ on every launch?
As I understand it: paying for the 4track solves this, but they still got the registration details…
P.S: small bug, pressing delete in the 4track project browser while there are no files crashes the app.
I checked it too. It’s nice of them to provide the 4 track but some explanation should be given for the “network only” disabler. are they asserting a right to the files produced along with the right to use rhe 4track? Scary if you think about it.
You don’t need it anymore. Apple just updated GarageBand with Audiobus! 
Can it get any better than this??
Cheers!!