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.
apeMatrix Snapshot Pad is AWESOME!!! (Tutorial)
Someone asked on another thread how the Snapshot Pad in apeMatrix works, or if anyone had got it to work. I don't think anyone ever answered, and I didn't because I hadn't figured it out yet.
I didn't actually figure it out on my own... had to get an explanation from the developer. It's explained in the in-app guide, but it's a bit confusing and implies a different function than what it actually is. He's going to clarify that in an update.
Ok, so this is what the Snapshot Pad does and how to use it. The Snapshot pad sort of dissolves/fades/interpolates/morph between the top 4 presets. Only the catch here is that it's actually only dissolving between each preset's Mixer settings. But that alone can be pretty spectacular.
It's not really just a dissolve/fade/interpolation. It's something called "Hyper Vectorial Synthesis" but for simplicity, I'm going to refer to it as a "morph".
The guide makes it sound like it morphs between different presets that may even have different apps saved. It doesn't, but you can achieve something similar by morphing the Mixer settings.
Here's a very simple setup on the main grid to illustrate:
- Load 4 different AU or IAA sound apps and send them all one note latched on the keyboard
- Open the Mixer and turn the volume levels of all the apps loaded down to zero accept the first one.
- Name and save a preset for the setup that has just the first app playing. I think it's easier to just make a preset bank, name it, then save each of the 4 presets you're making into the same bank. You can do this with just 2 or 3 presets if you wish.
- Open the Mixer back up, turn down the level of the first app down, and turn the level of the second app up. Then name and save the second preset to your bank.
- Repeat for the other 2 apps.
- Launch the Snapshot Pad. You should see the 4 presets you just created on each of the Snapshot Pad corners. Now you can use your finger to scrub between each of the Snapshot Pad's corners to gradually morph from one preset to another in any direction and in varying distances between them. You can quickly activate each preset without scrubbing between them by just touching that preset's corner. The level is higher toward the outer edge of each pad's corner.
Now, for a more complex setup:
You can create complex arrangements, complete with effects and midi sequencers like Rozeta or SPA driving your sounds on each of the 3 grids. The way I did it was create the arrangement I want on the main grid, then turn down all the levels of all the sound generators to zero. Then create a whole new set up with other apps on the second and third grids. Also with their own sequencers and effects.
I turn the levels down on each grid layout that I'm not using so that I can hear just that grid.
Now, create a new bank for 4 new Mixer presets. Leave the master volume slider all the way down on grids 2 and 3 and get the main grid's Mixer set up like you want. Adjust the levels, pans, etc. (the Snapshot Pad doesn't morph between app parameter settings, etc. Just the Mixer settings that include sound level and pans)
Do the same thing for grid 2, ie. turn down the main volume levels of grid 1 and 3, set up grid 2 the way you want, then save your second preset to the bank. Repeat the process for grid 3.
For the 4th preset, adjust the levels of all 3 mixers to play at once, but turn down the mixer volume level for individual apps within each grid. So that, you'll hear just parts of each of the 3 grids all playing at once. Save this global mixer setup as your 4th preset.
(A preset will save ALL of the Mixer settings from each of the 3 grids at once)
Now, launch the Snapshot Pad again and scrub between each of the 4 Preset Mixer setups. Or, tap each corner to switch between each of the 4 presets. The change is immediate this way, but not abrupt.
You could probably get a similar effect in AB3 for AUM by setting up individual sub-mixes on given channels, then sliding one level slider up while sliding the other one down. That would certainly be a dissolve transition only and not this "Hyper Vectorial Synthesis" that apeMatrix is doing.
This app is even more fun with this Snapshot feature! Makes it easier to kind of play/perform your mixes on one big 4-way pad.
Comments
Thanks for that, yeah I’ve only really had a quick play around with it so far and have used it occasionally on the other apeSoft apps, but will definitely spend more time experimenting with this and the midi sequencers as it has a lot of potential.
Here are some screenshots illustrating a simple set up:
Here are some screenshots for a more “wild” bank of mixer presets using different mixer settings for each of the presets, but using all 3 grids. In this one I’ve made the Snapshot Pad full screen. I think this functionality, (along with all the built-in automation control) is another thing you really can’t do with any of the alternatives.
If you look at the 3rd screenshot to the bottom left level meters, all three grid mixes are generating a 3-grid sound mix at once on that preset.
I have AUM, AB3, BM3, and now apeMatrix. I love them all for different purposes and reasons, but apeMatrix has inspired the imagination the most recently:
I've had all of the ape apps for awhile. I've always also loved his Stria and iPulsaret synths, but only started diving deeper into them in the last couple of days. Those are really special apps too! So easy to program, and such lush sound. They'd be incredible as AUv3.
I've played around with the Snapshot Pad in his other apps too, and it's pretty sweet. But being able to drift/scrub between different mixer presets that are also running different sets of sequencers is really pretty special. It'd be even cooler if you could record/automate the motion of the pad scrub/performance.
Thanks for this breakdown. Any idea of AU parameters might be included in the future?
Also, do you happen to know if the snapshot pad's X and Y axes MIDI addressable via CC? Imagining pointing Perforator at it.
My pleasure. I'm obviously a fan
I don't know the answer to either of those questions. I would guess the AU parameters being able to gradually drift from one preset to the next would be a herculean programming effort, but I don't know how this "Hyper Vectorial Synthesis" method of gradually changing parameters works. From what I've read, it seems like it would be doable.
I don't think the X and Y axes are addressable, but I could be wrong. I only learned how to use the Snapshot Pad in apeMatrix a couple hours ago. I haven't seen any parameters for the Snapshot Pad exposed though.
Good stuff @skiphunt .
Can the snapshot pad accept midi input from something like TC-Data?
Edit. Just saw you noted no parameters are exposed for that.
Just speculating, I think that might be something that could be done at some point. But, I think the dev is first concentrating on refining some things with the interface and making apeMatrix more stable.
It’s good, but it’s the first release and needs some tweaking to get it rock solid before he moves on to feature additions, etc.
You could send MIDI from another app to Ape Matrix and map the CC to the exposed parameters. AC Sabre can send quite a few CC simultaneously and works fairly well with bluetooth. Plus Ape Matrix can use your device’s accelerometer.
I agree it would be nice to have some sort of AU or built-in XY pads where you can map CC to control multiple CC and AU parameters like in Beatmaker 3.
Thanks again for the info. I guess I'm still dreaming of something like the AudioMulch MetaSurface but for loaded AUv3s. Crappy video but hopefully gets the idea across hopefully.
Since something like ApeMatrix or AUM is aware of all possible loaded AU parameters it seems at least feasible as it's the same basic idea.
@syrupcore Woa, what a cool concept: Free-form interpolation of user defined parameter sets (snapshots) on a plane using voronoi partition. I really would like if an IOS AU host would implement this
Awesome stuff, thanks for delving
This is a huge feature...
Can you have 4 presets loaded by program change to initiate the 4 presets snapshot pad ?
was wondering when someone would mention Audiomulch's MetaSurface.. Mr Bencina's master stroke.. I asked him about Audiomulch on ipad a few years back but he had just gone through the pain of rewriting it to allow Macs to use it.. so it didn't seem on the cards.
Apematrix ( or maybe Zmors modular ) are nearest.. The main problem with the snapshot pad in Apematrix is that it doesn't interpolate the connecting node levels.. a while back i set up a sizable feedback matrix with different levels set to 'play the feedback tones'
I thought presets pad would be a workaround for the problem that those connecting nodes aren't automatable, I figured that at least seperate presets would contain the node levels ( they do, if you just click between presets in the preset menu )
it didn't work because, as mrHunt pointed out, the snapshot pad only takes note of the mixer levels.. so moving around on the pad does not change those node levels.
I ( and a few others most likely ) asked Alessandro early on about this but it didn't seem like it was on the cards as yet. Which is a shame as it seems exactly what this app is about and takes a little bit of the shine off the apps possibilities..
one workaround, requires a bit of extra work and that you have iVCS3 installed, is to route what you would normally connect by node via an Au Vca from iVcS3 and set levels for preset snapshot or automate the connecting level in that plugin. double the work and takes up double the connection rows on the matrix , but kind of worth it until we get those nodes under control..
mmmmm... audiomulch on ipad! a nice dream for sunday.
@RockySmalls Master stroke indeed. I never crossgraded to the mac version of AM but I still miss the MetaSurface!