Scenes and pages
A scene is RigAstra's main container: a song, a set or a studio setup. Each scene is divided into pages, and each page is a screen with its own grid of controls, its own background and its own default channel and color.
The scene list
This is the screen you see when you open the app. It shows your scenes from most recent to oldest.
- Tap a scene to open it in Perform. Once opened, it moves to the top of the list.
- Touch and hold a scene to open its actions (rename, save, export, delete and more).
- Tap the gear to open Settings.
Create a scene
- Tap [+].
- Type a name (up to 32 characters).
- Tap Create, or Cancel to leave without creating it.
The new scene starts with one empty page, the default grid and a tempo list containing the current BPM.
Scene actions
Touch and hold a scene in the list to see its actions:
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Rename | Changes the name (1 to 32 characters; it can't be empty). |
| Save | Stores a full copy of the scene in Saved Scenes, under its current name. If a saved scene with the same name already exists (case-insensitive), it asks you to confirm with Overwrite. |
| Load | Pick one of your Saved Scenes to replace the selected scene with it, after confirmation. |
| Export | Creates a .rigastrascene file named after the scene and opens the picker so you can save or share it. |
| Import | Pick a .rigastrascene file; it shows you the incoming scene's name and asks you to confirm. It replaces the selected scene. |
| Delete | Deletes the scene. If it has no controls, it's deleted without asking; if it has content, it asks for confirmation. |
To delete a saved scene, swipe it in the Saved Scenes list and tap Delete. This can't be undone.
Saved scenes: versions of a scene
Save and Load let you keep versions of a scene and go back to one of them. For example, save the scene before a big change and, if you don't like the result, load it again.
Saved scenes live only on your device: they aren't included when you export your scenes from Settings.
Share a scene
With Export and Import you move a scene to another device as a single file. Scenes travel between iPhone and iPad. For now, the Android version doesn't open scenes exported from iPhone or iPad.
Importing always replaces the selected scene; it doesn't create a new one. To add an imported scene without losing another one:
- Create an empty scene with [+].
- Touch and hold it and choose Import.
Each Drone Pad's user chords travel inside the exported scene.
Your work saves itself
Scenes are saved automatically when you enter Perform, when you leave the Editor, when the app goes to the background, and after actions such as importing, renaming or loading. There's no button to save the scene: the Save action creates a copy in Saved Scenes.
Restore the Quick Start scene
Quick Start is the factory sample scene, with 7 pages: guitar and bass with pitch bend; 8 faders, 8 knobs and 2 States; a Drone Pad; two pages of GM drum pads (one with velocity based on how high you touch the pad); an orchestral set with key switches; and an Arpeggiator with a Drum Player.
To install it again, go to Settings > Backup > Quick Start > Restore Scene and confirm. If the scene already exists, it's replaced; if not, it's added at the top of the list.
What a scene stores
A scene has no inspector of its own. This is what it holds:
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | 1 to 32 characters |
| Pages | 1 to 48 |
| Grid | One per screen format (see Editor) |
| Tempo list | Up to 48 tempos, from 20 to 500 BPM (see Macro Tempo) |
| Last page viewed | Remembered when you open the scene again |
Pages
Pages let you separate sections of a song (intro, verse, chorus) or different instruments. In Perform, the pills under the top bar show the pages: tap one to switch pages.
Add, reorder and delete pages
These actions happen in the Editor:
- Tap + on the page indicator to add a page. A scene holds up to 48 pages.
- To change the order, touch and hold a pill (about 0.3 s) and drag it.
- To delete the current page, tap the trash button in the Editor bar and confirm. You can't delete the last remaining page.
Deleting a page can't be undone.
Page Inspector
In Perform, tap the pencil button on the left of the bar to open the Page Inspector for the visible page. Changes stay pending until you tap Apply; Close discards them.
PRESETS
- Presets opens the page preset library (Factory and User). See Presets.
- Name is the name used when you save a preset (up to 48 characters).
OVERRIDE
These options apply to every control on the page when you tap Apply:
| Option | Values | Which controls it affects |
|---|---|---|
| Channel | 1–16 (— = no change) | Fader, Knob, XY Pad, Pad, Pitch Bend, Keyboard, Toggle, Arpeggiator, Drone Pad and Drum Player. It doesn't affect State or the macro modules. |
| OSC Output | One of the outputs defined in Settings | Fader, Knob and XY Pad. The output is stored on each control, even if it's in MIDI mode. |
| OSC Path | One of the chosen output's paths | Fader, Knob and XY Pad (on the XY Pad it's assigned to X and Y). |
| Color | Color picker | Every control except the Keyboard. |
When you tap Apply, each option is copied to the controls only if you changed it. The channel and color also become the page defaults: controls you add later in the Editor start with that channel and that color. The OSC output and path aren't stored on the page; they're only copied to the controls that already exist.
These changes replace each control's channel, color or output and can't be undone.
BACKGROUND
Choose the page background from a strip of 12 thumbnails:
- Default: uses the app background chosen in Settings.
- Cyber Slate, Deep Harbor, Nocturne Plum, Slate Ember, Indigo Haze and Graphite.
- The solid colors Charcoal, Forest, Plum, Steel and Lilac.
If an older scene uses a background that's no longer in the list, it's still displayed.
iPhone, iPad and layouts
- On iPad, each page stores one layout for portrait and another for landscape. On iPhone, each page has a single layout.
- If a control ends up outside the grid when you rotate the device or open the scene on another device, the Auto-Layout button appears (see Editor).
Limitations
- 48 pages per scene and 32 characters for the scene name.
- Importing a scene replaces the selected one.
- Saved scenes aren't exported.
- The Page Inspector's OSC output and path don't apply to the Toggle.
- OVERRIDE changes can't be undone.
A hidden detail
Tap the logo on the scene list three times in quick succession: a mini-game opens.