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.
Building a home studio around iPad
Hi all,
I had a previous forum question about recording with iPad and received very useful responses here. I ended up recording an album at a professional studio instead. Now, I want to move to the iPad for my future music production. I would like to build a modest, minimalist but decent quality home studio around iPad. So, I thought I might get some people to chime in about my plan. I have of course searched the internet for some info, but your personal thoughts are very welcome.
Background:
1) iPad: I currently have a 4th gen iPad that I don't use for anything else. It works fine but I'm willing to upgrade if needed.
2) apps: I have some decent paid ones like AB2, Audioshare, Samplr, Patterning, Loopy HD, Gestrument, Quincy, Impaktor, Sliver, etc.
3) interface: I have Roland Duo-Capture EX which is compatible. I think I need the CCK, will buy. But I'm willing to buy a more compact device that can help me record good quality (e.g., standard condenser mic) audio and MIDI.
4) MIDI: I guess I can hook up my MIDI keyboard to my interface and be able to send MIDI to iPad (can't test now because keyboard not with me). I'm willing to get a separate smaller MIDI keyboard. Maybe the 37-key IK Multimedia one?
Some questions are:
1) Are processing guitars with the iPad comparable to processing them in the PC/Mac (e.g., with Guitar Rig 5)? I would consider getting rid of my guitar set up and directly hooking into the iPad. Which apps do you recommend? I think there is BIAS Amp and effects.
2) I think some outboard controller could make things (e.g., mixing) easier, like Korg Nanokontrol. I've seen a youtube video with nanokontrol + iPad so it seems to work fine. Chime in if you have experience. Would be nice if this was combined with the keyboard. I'm trying to create something very portable and minimalistic.
3) My future music will probably be a mix of experimental and pop/rock. I'm definitely not interested in realistic drums and I'd like to keep synths to a minimum (mostly some bass and organ-like mellow keyboards). What apps do you recommend? I really don't have many synth apps for instance and would like to get a good synth.
4) I don't have a decent effects app. I researched and I'm thinking about buying DFX. It would be ideal to get one thing that could be used for all effects.
5) DAW: Based on my other forum question, I'm thinking of buying MTDaw or AUM. I know Cubasis seems to be the most developed but I want to keep things simpler.
6) I do want to produce everything inside iPad and only get it out for mastering. Hopefully, this is a good idea. I'm not obsessed about audio quality as long as it doesn't suck really bad. I want to focus on the songwriting instead.
Hopefully all of this is on the right track. This would be a big step for me because I'm recently finding it difficult to keep on producing in the PC. I really like the intuitiveness of a lot of iPad apps. The touch capability makes a whole world of difference compared to how I work in the PC. It's so freeing to fire and app and to immediately begin to create. Hence, I'm going to try to go all iPad.
I know this sounds like just me talking to myself but I really appreciate anyone who takes the time to read and reply.
Cheers!
Comments
Hey brother, here's my $0.02.
It's a great time to embrace the iOS platform as the centerpiece of a home studio. Hardware is relatively inexpensive (the 2017 iPad is under $400 and shares a similar pedigree as the Air 2, perhaps even more powerful), software goes from $2 to $40+ and the top apps rival if not meet the quality of desktop equivalents. I've been using iOS exclusively be in my studio for two years now and it's been brilliant.
1)Guitar amp emulation software is very good nowadays, the old days of the Line 6 Pod being the representative of the "best" it had to offer is long gone. I prefer ToneStack, the tones are extremely usable, and the last Fender Collection update for Amplitube is incredible.
2)I use a Novation LaunchKey, very similar to the Korg, just connect with Apple's Camera Connection Kit/USB 3 to Lightning adapter. Most apps allow MIDI mapping so using a controllers pots & fader(s) for mixing is easy to do.
3) You can spend $20 and get 5 or 6 really cool, good sounding synths...but what I'd do is buy one of the Moog (Model 15, Animoog) or Korg (ARP Odyssei, iM1) for what seems like a lot ($20+) but will benefit you in the long run. The last two years I've accumulated over 220 apps, and 90%+ are music related...the many, many synths that I have but rarely use aren't bad apps necessarily, most are great; but the really pro quality synths are just in a different leauge.
4)Effects depends on what DAW you go with. #1 concern is make sure it's an AUv3 host so all the great plug in effects that have been released over the last year or so can be used. Effects are different than synths to me, while I did buy most every synth that interested me I use tge the effects I've bought far more frequently. Getting a few Audio Damage plugs, some of the standard bearer effects (the AUFX series) is better than finding a multi-fx app that isn't too well rounded.
5) I'm an unapologetic Auria Pro fan, but I own Cubasis too and use it quite often to compose & experiment with. Like the synth analogy, in my view you get what you pay for in a DAW. Auria is the ProTools of iOS-there are FabFilter plugins for IAP that really can change the way your music sounds, especially with the mastering tools. For the price of a guitar pedal you can get Auria Pro & a few Fab Filter plugs...why mess around with anything else? That's how I feel...
Finally purchase AudioShare, AudioBus 3 and AUM, for they are all indispensable in the iOS Production process. With those three apps, a good DAW, a few synth, guitar & drum apps, an interface, mic and headphones you'll have a great Home Studio setup...far more powerful than major recording studios had just 10-15 years ago...in your bedroom on a device the size of a magazine. Still never ceases to amaze me ...
I have Tonestack for guitar. I like it. Cubasis is surprisingly easy to use. It also contains a synth, sampler, and sample player with many samples. You really don't need to buy anything else besides Cubasis to make a good track, since all the sounds are already in it.
Full disclosure: I am a good musician but a beginner at this stuff. I sometimes have trouble getting apps to connect to each other.
Great answer.
If you only want to use the iPad to capture your external instruments and occasionally run something internal with an effect, an iPad 4 will work fine. If you want to run multiple effects and/or instruments at once, you're going to need to upgrade. It sort of depends on how much you're willing to commit and how much multitrack editing/mixing you want to do. If you're willing to bounce a lot(by today's standards anyway), you 4 will be fine with something like MultiTrack DAW or Beatmaker 2. You're not going to make Thriller, Daydream Nation, Lemonade or Loveless this way though. Or maybe you can, I dunno!
Do you already have a multitrack DAW of some sort? If not, that's going to be the most pressing question. There are gajillion threads here comparing the available options. Obvi, you'll hear a lot about Auria and Cubasis (for good reason). Don't forget to check Multitrack Studio and for super simple, low resources Multitrack DAW. There are a couple of newer ones I'm not recalling at the moment. They all have their differing benefits.
As compared to going to a 'proper' studio, if you're recording a lot of external instruments and vocals, this is probably going to be the next most critical piece. I've never used the Roland Duo-Capture EX but the spec read fine. The question would be more around microphones. What do you have? What are you recording? Are you recording yourself only? Is two inputs enough to do what you want?
There are a ton of small keyboards. Just search here. If you have a keyboard that works already, and you're going to record a bunch of stuff via microphones, and budget is a factor, I'd spend my money on mics.
I dunno about desktop options anymore but +1 to Tonestack.
This can be a tricky one. If you want a hardware mixer surface from which to control your main mix, you'll probably want to find something with automated faders or 'endless encoders' to do it properly. You can use most any MIDI fader box with many apps to control the mix but in practice you'll quickly find it semi-futile because the position of your box's faders will not match the software unless you fork out for automated faders. The Behringer BCF is a cheap option for this but I'm not 100% sure it works with iPad. Again, I'd invest in a great mics or a set of different good mics before this. ymmv, naturally.
Too. Many. Options.
I'll just throw out a short list for both 'non-realist' drums and synths. This could go for days. Again, jillllllllions of posts/opinions here.
Drums: Seekbeats, Elastic Drums and DM2.
Synths: Yonac Galileo for every organ tone ever, one of the moog apps for synthy goodness, iMini or iSem or Viking (AU! but mono only) for 'analog synth sounds you know and love', Sunrizer or Thor for general purpose synthesizers and iM1 for a wide swath of general-use tones. Thumbjam for 'real' samples and beautiful playability.
There isn't one. For guitar fx, tonestack has most everything you could need beyond the super weird. AUFX, Audio Damage, Auria plugins (if you go the auria route), Holderness Media... There are just a ton of great, low cost effects. At the price they go for, just watch a few reviews and experiment a bit until you find what you need. Of if you need recommendations for a specific type of effect, describe what you're looking for in a new post and you'll get tons of opinions.
Don't use AUM as a DAW. It's a mixer/performance tool with multi-track recording capabilities. No real timeline. No looping. No visual anything. One of the greatest iOS apps ever made but you will be disappointed if you try to use it as a DAW. You could definitely use it as a front end and mixer for MTDAW though. The tracks are recorded/stored/edited in MTD and you'd use AUM as the input and output mixer. Would require a little more setup for each tune than something like Cubasis/Aura/MTStudio but I bet it would work handsomely. One thing it would be missing compared to the 'headline' DAWs is a way to do automation since MTD doesn't have MIDI tracks. Also, editing in MTD is kinda slow/tedious. It's a brilliant app though—especially considering the simplicity:performance ratio.
It's a fine idea. Only you and your requirements can really determine if it's a good/bad idea.
What AUM is brilliant for is capturing iOS ideas. You can capture multiple channels discreetly without the need to 'set up' a song in a regular DAW. Then, you can export the good stuff into your DAW for further overdubbing/editing/tweaking/etc.
Good luck!
Tonestack. Its the best. Seriously. So many fx and the amps sound great
I'm seriously considering the Akai MPD 232 and BM3 integration after watching this.
The effects cubasis has are ok so to save on resources on the ipad4 you could use them.
Btw Cubasis has a great synth also so you could start with cubasis and built from there on external apps.
That is good, I wish I could get my Maschine Mikro to do that!
This forum is really the best, thanks for all the replies. There is a lot to think about obviously, starting from whether I should upgrade to the newest iPad before I invest further.
Had not come across tonestack for some reason, but impressed that everyone mentioned that and no other guitar app.
cheers all!
I’m also interested in a MIDI keyboard with extra controls. I wonder how useful those controls are on iOS though?
I have Tonestack (full) and don't like it's sound at all in a studio environment.
But reliable sorces told it would work great with real guitar cabinets and such stuff, which is a reasonable assumption (a pure guitar pedal sounds like shit without anything else).
There is Amplitube, which I have on a PC, not convincing too, so I didn't bother about the IOS version. Tinny, harsh sound.
Then (some years ago) there was Positive Grid's JamUp complete guitar environment.
Started as a nice practice thing for on the go, average tone.
But then they (or someone at the company) must have found the holy grail of emulation.
I just couldn't believe such quality and realism.
At that point in time they released BIAS as a dedicated amp tweaking app. Either to be used standalone or with the option to transfer tweaked amps into JamUp.
You already guessed there's a catch about to come, so here it goes: rumors told there was some change in the developement team and all of a sudden the sound turned into crap.
There's even a review on iTunes store where someone complains BIAS FX now sounds exactly like the shitty Amplitube. Also confirmed by some fellows who switched to S-Gear on PC as a consequence.
Of course that's a matter of taste and metal heads seem to love both BIAS and Amplitube.
I stopped updating PG apps long ago and stick with the old, excellent version.
But these are one's not available anymore, due to Apple's shop system.
To give you some idea about what I consider a perfect guitar amp sound here's an example a dude captured at his workbench. He's going in great detail through amp and circuit design, sound starts at 16.30.
Here is where I post up for much of the music making. Not the actual space I have for making music but that's life I guess.
i would suggest asking the minimum possible from the iPad. my major gripes come when i expect it to do too much and then i get glitches or stuff not working like it just did last session. i have been happy with bias amp sometimes but lately it's been glitchy and when i get it working it sounds ok but not great. my first suggestion is picking up a small 1 watt tube amp, i have a blackstar 1. nice tube sound and breakup starts at conversation level, and just mic that. or a amp simulation pedal like the tc electronic blonde (i have the chinese ripoff joyo american sound), stick a reverb pedal after it or use an iPad reverb and it sounds fantastic.
lots of good suggestions above, there really is no definitive answer (which is why the rest of us are constantly on here and trying new things). but my must have list is:
-auria pro: there's a steeper learning curve but auria pro is great for mixing, only use it for that but it great
-gadget: for instrumentals and then you could bring into auria to record guitars and vocals. some critics but i think there are great sounds there and since it's on my phone i can tweak stuff anywhere.
-beatmaker 3: fast becoming one of my favorites, still some quirks but good compromise between gadget and cubase (imo). pros: you can use other fx and synths and it has a timeline cons:gadget is more stable, super stable.
-ruismakers: sound great,new sequencers are fantastic and the developer is probably the most responsive ever
-patterning: sounds great, interface is fun, song mode, performance, etc....
i would hold off on synths until you know exactly the sound(s) you want and get comfortable with the environment you will be using before so that you are sure it fits in the workflow. i have bought way too many synths that just sit there, with no resell value. some are great (like the model 15) but i struggle integrating it into a project without tapping out on resources and many times just record it solo into aum to bring into projects. also, if you research synths you might find that you gravitate to particular sounds. i used to use hardware synths that could do everything well, but noticed that i usually prefer moog sounds and roland juno/jupiter/101/303, etc sounds so i got rid of the far reaching synths and got those and use apps for specific other stuff.
at the end of the day though, if i could have only one app on my phone it would be gadget, and the one app on my iPad would be auriapro
Thanks for the further guitar app opinions. I'm not too picky about guitar tone and as you mentioned, I could always use an amp sim pedal or I could just record an amp or stick with acoustic guitar. I really don't know yet since I haven't started writing the songs for the next album.
I have patterning already and ruismakers looks prety cool. The reason I started this thread was that I was trying to make some beats with fxpansion Geist 2 on the PC. It's awesome but it's such a beast that all the options, buttons, etc are distracting (since I haven't found the time to learn it properly) and it's really not such fun clicking on cells to program beats. So, I just bought patterning and was amazed at both the sound quality, intuitiveness, and fun factor. I was enjoying it in 2 minutes.
cheers!