SynthOne now with Accessibility!

I helped out the AudioKit guys make their SynthOne project accessible so it plays well with Apple’s VoiceOver.

The version with the new accessibility features went live today.

I am really of proud of this one because music software is not exactly known for being super accessible, and I finally got to work on a proper piece of audio software.

Please check it out, and it is free!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/audiokit-synth-one-synthesizer/id1371050497?ls=1&mt=8

How to Set Up Voice-Over on iPad for AudioKit SynthOne Testing

Staque’s ‘Non-impaired guide to setting up an iPad for Accessibility Testing’

Now for people who do not have to use VoiceOver regularity on an iPad, getting it going can be intimidating.

However, there is a really simple thing a non-impaired person can do to allow you to experiment and test VoiceOver and without it becoming overwhelming.

Go to the Accessibility Menu in settings:

And you come to the Accessibility Settings Page:

Now you could just turn on VoiceOver here and call it a day, but there is something better you can do!

Scroll down the page and you will see two additional setting options.

First, the Home Button:

Then at the very bottom the Accessibility Shortcut button:

Tap the Accessibility Shortcut and you will see the Accessibility Shortcut menu:

 

Here you want to sure that VoiceOver is selected.

What this does, is allows you to turn VoiceOver on and off by triple-tapping the Home Button.

Once you have that set you can then begin exploring VoiceOver.

Now, with VoiceOver on, your device with respond to touches differently.

You can find a complete list here.

However, here is a quick starter.

1-Finger to select, or swipe to move to the next Accessible Control.

1-Finger Double Tap to interact with a control.

If you want a challenge:

3 Finger Triple Tap – will turn the Screen Curtain on or off.

But be careful

3 Finger Double Tap  – will turn the speech on or off.  So if everything goes silent, and you know VoiceOver is on and the volume is up, try this.

There is a lot of other little tips [like the VoiceOver Rotor] but this will get you started.

You will also will probably want to increase the speech rate and download another voice after using VoiceOver a bit.  This can be selected in the Accessibility Menu.  [I personally cannot stand the Samantha Voice]