Before I move on to the next app in my series of articles on the best amplifier/FX simulators out there for us iPhone users, I need to revisit my article on RiotFX. Did I mess something up? Did I leave something out? Was I paid for a better review? No. None of those things happened. What did happen though was RiotMode released a new version of the app days after my initial review that saw so many changes I needed to write a fresh review.
Good thing I like writing!
Now when I say many changes, I mean many changes. Let me prove it with one of my favourite things. A list!
- The entire user interface (design) has changed.
- There’s a metronome now.
- The app is now a graphical representation of a pedal board instead of a rack
Let’s look at it all with my regular black and white images (below). Colour images can be found on the official page for the RiotFX app.
As you can see in the first screenshot below, the new version welcomes you with its new Info screen. Just about all you need to know is on this screen. But I suggest you keep reading my article all the same. Touching the Info screen on your iPhone allows you to move into the app itself.
There is one Settings page, but I needed two screenshots to capture it all. As you can see (images 2 and 3 below), there are a few options available to ensure the sound quality you get while plugging into this app is as high as possible. As I mentioned in my previous article on RiotFX, I found the sound quality surprisingly good for the price of this app. And seeing as how the developer has already updated the entire app I feel I’m already getting value for my money.
Once again, the app gives you the basic volume settings required to manage the output of the guitar sound as you trial the different effects available in the app. But this is all old. Let’s see something new!
If you were paying attention to the earlier Info screenshot you would have seen mention of the Metronome and how it’s used for the Delay effect in this app. You can set the timing manually by hitting the -/+ buttons until you get the speed you’re after, or you can use the Tap Tempo button.
You have almost all of the effects that the previous version of RiotFX shipped with. There are two differences that I can see here. Firstly, there’s no Phaser. Secondly, there are no app crashes. I’m thinking this counts as a win. My review of the effects remains the same as it did in my previous review. All of the effects sounds great.
I love the Flanger, Reverb, Delay, Chorus and Tone pedals the most. The Distortion remains not metal enough for my liking. But again, if you like regular distortion or fuzz, I think you’ll be happy with the offering here and the settings included in each of the pedals.
As you can see with this new version of RiotFX, the effects look like actual pedals. You have the knobs you require to change the settings and the pedal placement is located at the top of the screen. If you want to rearrange the order of the pedals, you simply drag and drop the pedal where you want it to appear in the virtual pedal board.
If you no longer want to include a pedal in the board, you simply drag it from the top of the screen towards the bottom of the screen and release it. Adding the pedal back (or any other pedal) is as simple as clicking the +FX button.
I’d have to say the new setup is easier to use than the previous version as it seems to require fewer clicks. Having the user interface changed so it now appears you’re playing with actual pedals of course makes the experience more enjoyable as well. I’m glad RiotFX changed. It was a change for the better.
I can’t help but notice that there is space at the bottom of this new app layout for perhaps two more buttons. I sure hope one day one new button is added that allows you to record from this app. That would be awesome.
Finally, there’s one other thing that hasn’t changed. This app continues to work with GuitarJack, GuitarConnect Cable and AmpKit Link. That continues to be a good thing.