Loopy Pro: Create music, your way.
What is Loopy Pro? — Loopy Pro is a powerful, flexible, and intuitive live looper, sampler, clip launcher and DAW for iPhone and iPad. At its core, it allows you to record and layer sounds in real-time to create complex musical arrangements. But it doesn’t stop there—Loopy Pro offers advanced tools to customize your workflow, build dynamic performance setups, and create a seamless connection between instruments, effects, and external gear.
Use it for live looping, sequencing, arranging, mixing, and much more. Whether you're a live performer, a producer, or just experimenting with sound, Loopy Pro helps you take control of your creative process.
Download on the App StoreLoopy Pro is your all-in-one musical toolkit. Try it for free today.
Modstep Synth (& additive synthesizers in general)
What do people think of this?
It's not the most talked about and definitely not the most powerful synth out there, but it's additive which is slightly different from 'normal' and it's convenient placement in such a powerful tool as modstep gives it a definite utility factor.
I'm not really a synthesizer guy but I do use synth sounds in my music (live performance) in more of a functional manner than the synth guys who like to really get in depth blending and modulating sounds (so it's not so important for me to hit a key and immediately go "WOW!!"). I also use Viking (awesome!) for 'big' synth sounds, so the role of modstep's synth for me is very much a utility one. Filling in harmonic texture and blended polyphonic patterns.
I've never really played with Additive synthesis so this morning watched a few tutorials. Also consumed the bits of tutorial and documentation of the modstep synth that are floating around.
I think it's nice and usable, pretty simple to operate and start experimenting after just their official video tutorial. My opening negative comment would be that I found 95% of the presets useless (and 90% useless as starting points). Going beyond that, playing primarily with ADSR and overtone series I found that I could make sounds that would perform the roles that I needed them to, and there were a few ways to make them more interesting/musical that were pretty simple to operate.
I've also got a serious interest in overtone music and have studied it quite a bit, so I'm interested in the ability to pick your own overtone series. Found it quite interesting to experiment with different combinations.
Does anyone have any thoughts on this synthesizer or (and hopefully!) comments or discussion regarding additive synthesis in general?
Oscar
Comments
After playing with this more, have to admit that it's exceeded all my expectations.
I am usually skeptical of 'bolt on' things like this and I expected it to be basically adequate at filling texture. However the harmonic series, filters and LFO combined allow for some some really wonderful sonic sculpting. Much better for what I had in mind than any other iOS synth I've tried. Definitely not great for 'out in front' sounds, but as a tonal tool, incredibly handy.
An @OscarSouth preset bank, maybe? (:
@OscarSouth
For those "out in front" sounds I've been using multiple instances, with the same (or slightly offset) midi clips, and varying patches and/or automations
Choosing additive is pretty smart if you're only going to include one type of synth: like FM it's theoretically possible to synthesize the broadest possible variety of timbres, but it's easier to program than FM. Or maybe I just think they're smart because I'm a big additive addict
@u0421793 I think did some excellent pieces on a thread about different synthesis. I can't remember the thread though.
https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/12402/cant-synthesize-wont-synthesize/
The 'Can't - won't thread' it was.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/allsynthsecrets.htm
"Synth Secrets"
I used to read all of them
That sounds like a good idea
@OscarSouth, pm me if you are interested!
Thanks everyone! Great tips, discussion and links!
Haha, no promises!! I'm already really busy.. working on the worlds first sample bank of traditional Sakha vocal and khomus styles! (and about a thousand other things..).
That said, I'd be happy to share anything that I find useful. I do feel that modstep's synth seriously needs some better (and categorised) presets.
I'm getting used to the synth and it's playing the role that I need it to (and pleasing my ears all the while) so I'm sure I'll be using it a lot in the project that I'm primarily using modstep for (udaganuniverse.com). I don't tend to keep big collections of self made presets, just a couple of finely tuned ones that do what I need them to do.. so it might be a small selection
Really great idea, thanks. I'll have a play. The kind of ethnic music that I'm working with is largely 'hetereophonic' ("a type of texture characterized by the simultaneous variation of a single melodic line") in it's harmonic nature, so having multiple varying instances of clips plays directly into the strengths of that.
Cool! Cheers! Found a nice article on additive synthesis on there that I'll read. I've done a lot of academic studying into the overtones series, it's function and use in music, taking it further and so forth, so that's got me off to a good start. Bit of reading, some youtube tutorials and getting my hands dirty making sounds should top me up
Very much enjoyed reading the detailed posts on synthesis on this page. I particularly benefited from your comparison between Additive and Subtractive (which I'm pretty comfortable with) methods.
Thanks!
O