Mac, Mobile, and other Multi-Platform FAQs

 

Youtube Video

Metronome Bounce on App Store - I don't know the author. Gives a good idea of the sort of thing I have in mind for the first multi-platform Bounce Metronome.

If your question isn't answered here, for friendly support please contact support@bouncemetronome.com

To add a wish for your Operating System or Device, and to add your name to the mailing list to be notified of any developments see Mac, Mobile and Multi-platform wishes.

Short summary - it works for Windows and Linux. It used to work for the Mac but after High Sierra no longer does. I am looking into whether there is any way around that now. It can't run on the iphone, or android or mobile devices. That would involve a new app programmed from scratch, details here.

To find out which Windows operating systems it runs see the Download FAQs

I have a Mac. Can I use Bounce Metronome?

Not for iPad or iPhone, sorry.

You can use it on Mac OSX up to Mac Sierra with the Bounce for Mac Beta. High Sierra dropped support for 32 bit apps, and so, sadly, it's not supported for High Sierra onwards. For earlier versions of the Mac OSX, see Bounce for Mac Beta.

Sorry, no native version for Mac at present - the problem is that the code is intricately bound up with the Windows dlls and operating system, and I can't see any way to port it to the Mac. 

Your best solution is to get a second Windows machine - a small netbook or similar will do fine, ideal for a metronome - and the Windows 7 starter you get on small netbooks is fine too.

The other options you can explore are to install it on your Mac under Windows with Boot Camp, or to run it under a virtual machine on your mac such as Virtual PC, running either Windows or an earlier version of the Mac OSX. You can also use VMWare Fusion or Parallels Desktop - I haven't tested it on these, but it would make for a more seamless experience running a Windows program on the Mac. If you do that you need to buy Windows. But you can test it with the Windows trial version which is valid for 30 days.

For earlier versions of the Mac OSX the best way to do that is to get a Mac developer's license for one year, and then you'll be able to download any previous version for free which you get to keep after the license expires. This is much better than trying to buy it second hand as those are usually locked to a particular machine and may not run in the virtual PC. The developers versions are intended to be able to run in virtual PC.

If you are interested in the virtual machine approach for Windows - some users get it to work and some don't - so best to try it out first, though with the money back guarantee there is no problem getting a refund if you have already bought it and find it doesn't work.

I do have plans to make many simpler versions for mobile devices, a different app for each type of rhythm. See also this Poll - at thegearpage.net. I hope to make those multi-platform so that they can run on a Mac as well as mobile devices. But they will be much simpler apps without all the "bells and whistles" of Bounce Metronome Pro, each focussed on a different type of rhythm probably.

To add a wish for a Mac / mobile version and to join the mailing list to be notified of any developments go to: Mac, Mobile and Multi-platform wishes.

Details

Your options at present are:

  • run on your Mac computer under VMWare Fusion (possibly also Parallels Desktop).
  • install on your Windows partition with Boot Camp
  • buy an extra netbook or other computer to run the metronome (plus any other Windows only software).

There is no need for Windows to be connected to the internet to use the program. You don't even need to connect to the internet from your Windows machine to download the installer. 

If you prefer, you can download it onto your Mac first and transfer it to a Windows machine (e.g. via Mac / Win compatible USB sticks). Or you can order it on CD.

If you want the full range of rhythms and features of Bounce Metronome on your Mac, then  one of these is probably the best solution, because the mobile apps by nature will be much less versatile than Bounce Metronome.

Details follow for each of these ways of running Bounce Metronome for Mac users:

VMWAre Fusion or Parallels Desktop

These let you run the program on your Mac desktop just like a native Mac app - but in the background it is running in a copy of Windows which runs inside your Mac.

It's been used successfully under VMWare Fusion, under XP (which may be better than Windows 7 especially if the memory available for the Virtual Machine is low).

Please note: I can't provide direct support for this option, especially installing and configuring VMWare Fusion for your Mac, as | don't have a Mac myself and don't have experience of the platform myself.

But if you run into any problems do let me know and I'll do what I can to help or find out what the issue is. Any problems you have once the software is running under Windows in VMWare I may be able to help with.

Boot Camp

This should work fine. No need to connect to the internet when you are in Windows, you only need the internet connection to download the original installer or to buy the product. Main disadvantage is you have to dual boot, so can't use the Mac at the same time as Bounce Metronome Pro - also have to pay for the Windows installation of course (even if you install it yourself you have to pay for the OS).

Dedicated computer for Windows

Or, if you don't want to run Windows on your Mac, you can get a dedicated Windows computer just for software that can't run on a Mac - many Mac users do this. This is by far the simplest solution and likely to be the best for most users when possible.

For a metronome, then a netbook might be ideal, nice and portable, with a long battery life. Low cost. See the question below: "Can I run it on a netbook?"  

I have a mobile device. Can I use Bounce Metronome?

It's not available for mobile devices yet. However, I'm going to see if I can do a stripped down version for these at some point hopefully this year - see also discussion and poll at thegearpage.net

If that's of interest contact me and say what type of device (e.g. Mac, Linux, Android, Palm, iPad, Blackberry or whatever) you want to use it on and I'll add you to the list to be notified if / when I have a version for your platform.

Until then, one way to run it on a small portable device is to get a netbook.


Can I use it on a tablet or netbook?

Yes, if you make sure it runs Windows 8, 7 or Vista or XP.

It won't run on Android or any Mac or Linux based OS (not yet, the mobile apps might do depending how they are done).

Also it won't run on Windows RT or the older Windows CE .

So for instance, it can run on the Surface Pro but not on Surface RT.

A reasonable quality lightweight netbook or tablet is ideal for bounce metronome: small, long battery life, portable. 

See my blog post: Tweaks and Improvements for Netbooks, Touch Screens, integrated graphics, and Windows 7 Starter

I'm in the process of updating it to work with multi-touch and stylus on tablets like the surface pro.

Tips for using Bounce Metronome on a small screen

For small devices, then the option to split the main window (Opts >> SPLIT MAIN WINDOW) may help.

Also the option to show any window full screen without menu or caption may be particularly useful. Just click on the window or its title bar and press the Escape key to go full screen.

I'm interested in the techy details - can you say more about what your plans are?

I don't know yet, as there are numerous different technologies I can use, each with a different set of advantages and disadvantages.

However, one idea that looks particularly hopeful right now is to use a multi-platform 3D game engine such as Unity - see Unity: Publishing Options - if it works, it is an easy way to support just about all the devices and operating systems of interest to musicians :). With just one code base, easily deployed to any platform.
 
That's the idea anyway, if it works. It will depend e.g. on how well the engine works for music and exact timing of events at the millisecond level - also how easy it will be for me to program and maintain it, and how well the user interface works when ported to these different OSs and that sort of thing.
 
Some of the other ideas I am exploring are listed here: Development of Bounce Metronome for mobile devices, Mac, Linux etc.