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.
Are you still using your PC/Mac for making music?
I need a new and powerful PC or Mac for working with video editing and mapping, I think I'll go for a Mac because Modul8 is better and easier than Arena, my biggest fear is that I'll be tempted for by the all the bells and whistles of a Mac with 16gb RAM and powerful processor, and I will throw away my ipad. So, are you still using your PC/Mac for making music?
Comments
I'm still at the relatively early stages of this, but what happened for me is that I tried out some of the music apps on iOS 2 or 3 years ago and thought they were mostly toys, so I didn't think about it again. Then, last Spring, I figured out how to plug my Guitar with a preamp into Audacity, which was really the first time I ever recorded myself. I made a bunch of tracks - mostly just guitar looping, and it was fun, but too impractical to do on a regular basis.
Since discovering AudioBus and the great apps we've seen developed and expanded in the past year, I doubt I'll ever go back. Now, if I wanted to be more "professional" about it, it would be nice to have a high powered MacBook or something so that I'm not up against the processing limitations of an iPad2. But the convenience and portability factors are the reason I'm able to do this stuff at all, so I'm pretty happy with the options already on iOS. And it's getting better and better.
My Mac Pro is the centre of my music studio. I love my iPad but it is nowhere near the power and flexibility of a Mac Pro which crunches all the heavy stuff and spits it out just like there is no tomorrow. I use Logic with Ableton 7 as a kind of back up DAW. My iPad functions like a massive plugin. I sync both when required via MIDI but most of the time I play my iPad synths direct into Logic. Awesome.
For example, I would play Gadget live via my Novation keyboard into an audio track and then record multiple tracks with Gadget. The caveat here is that your playing has to be good as you will
be recording live. I love this approach as I get a live feel and it is not regimented and lacking in dynamics.
Or, I will run Sunrizer through an effect slot app in AudioBus and record the output in Logic. Or, mix my audio tracks on the move using Auria.
For me, I love the flexibility of working with both the iPad and Logic. I am never worried by the limitation of iPad apps and their interfacing with IAA or AudioBus so when I buy an app it functions just like an Audio Unit in Logic. It is the best of both worlds.
You can obviously do complete tracks in say Cubasis and even master them using the Mastering App if that is what you want. However, there is so much more powerful plugins to use on the Mac so you can mix and match iPad and plugins. Love it.
Prime consideration should be about what workflow you desire. I get a better workflow using the iPad as a plugin so when I'm on the roll and the ideas are flowing, I don't stop to think about whether IAA is not working as I will just keep playing all the gorgeous iPad apps direct into the Mac.
iPad apps are much cheaper and they have a great sound so you will have a plethora of apps especially synths to use that won't break the bank and your productions will sound great as well. No need to throw away the iPad as the iPad Logic synergy is so great. I can go on all day about how cool all of this is :-)
I mainly use a PC and use my iPad and iPod touch as supplements. I only have 20 apps or so and most of them are synths and beat makers. I like the iDevices for portability, touch interface, and affordable quality apps. I may try an iOS DAW or mastering app in the future, but for now I enjoy mixing and mastering on big dual screens.
I'm a long time PC/Sonar user, but since getting the iPad in late 2010 I have made 90% of my music on it, including my last two albums, with at least one more to come.
http://periurban.bandcamp.com/album/reality-bubbles
I started on synths in 1979, and the iPad is the studio in a box that I always dreamed of. Now I have it I use the heck out of it and carry it with me everywhere. I can make music anywhere, any time, and I think that is fantastic.
The only music job I use my PC for regularly is mastering, because Ozone is so awesome. My monitoring system isn't portable, so that's a job I can't really make mobile.
I mainly use a Mac Mini to do most of my heavy lifting. But my iPad is getting more and more use every day.
@Dramatispersona13 said:
Yes, definitely. In tandem.
I Like you thought I could throw away my iPad! I bought a all singing and dancing MBPro for music production. I promised my iPad to a niece and missed it right away.. The connivence of it the apps, pretty much everything. Just something for you to think about.
Jimbo sent this from his iPad.
I am using my iPads and Phone for live-improvisation-sounds, all goes into my MacBookPro though, for quadraphonic frequency-modulations inside Logic. It's just a 13" MacBookPro (2012 I think, with just 4GB), which still has quite enough power under the hood to drive Logic and vdmx at the same time, including some visual effects (even without a designated Graphics-card...). In the long run, I guess, it might be smarter thing to decide for a 15", because of the Graphics, but just to let you know, my setup still delivers greatly for me!
I am using my iPads and iPhones for live-improvisation, too,
and love it....
All goes into my Zoom R16 to record there without a computer!, it has batterys and i will be mobile!
After recording i import the stuff into ableton Live to mix it there, but dont use my computer as an instrument for more then 2years now!
I make music for more then 20years... (worked for ableton/propellerheads...)
greetz
Interesting! How do you connect your ipad to your Mac? iConnectmidi?
No, the iPads go through the old Apple-DockConnector-to RCA (Audio L-R and composite-Video)-Cables into a Motu Ultralite Audio Interface, which is connected to the Mac per Firewire. Of course, I also need the Lightning to DockConnector- Adapter, using an iPad4 and an Air... .
I am really interested in finally getting an Iconnect 4+ in my hands though, to see, if that simplifies things...(it seems to do just that). The Ultralite I will still need, though, for its 8 outputs (4=quadro, plus one to be fed back into one of the iPads, as a Monofeed).
Let me know how your getting on, Cheers!
Too many damn workarounds and glitchy apps on ios to rely on it solely for all your music needs. I'm actually making the switch back from 100% pure ios to laptop ableton and ozone. As an additional tool/instrument for demos and ideas, ios ipad iphone is great but I've lost way too much time on problems that could've been better spent on actually creating music.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
@gjcyrus said:
+1
I know iOS is still in its infancy so there may come a time when the workflow will be really slick. At the moment though, you really have to work hard at engineering apps and things and sometimes the creative juice just ebbs away when trying to do all that. So for me iOS is just a plugin, an amazing one at that, in my studio set up.
Of course. iPad is just an instrument, a versatile endless sound source. I connect it to my MOTU and record anything interesting into ableton to make something serious with it. Making the whole song on the ipad is a no go.
I don't use my PC for music making any more. I like that I can pick up my iPad and start making music in under one minute. My iPad and iOS apps influence how I make music, but I wouldn't say it impedes it. I don't expect (or even necessarily want) the process to be the same as it was on my PC. My general tendency in music making is to explore the capabilites/sounds of the equipment/instruments I have and work with that as opposed to having a specific endgoal in mind and then looking for equipment to accomplish that.
I have a very nice MacBook Pro, but I still prefer using my iPad these days for musicmaking.
I never tried to incorporate my ipad into my PC setup. I always kept them separate. I have 1/8 to 1/4 cables that I use for my Volcas. How bad of a hit would my ipad apps sound recording from the ipad headphone jack to my PC interface? What's the best way to do so? I never purchased the iconnectmidi2+ because I'm waiting for the 4+. I honestly wish I could use my PC/instruments more but time doesn't really permit these days. I probably make 90% of my music on my ipad, mainly because of the portability.
I have to agree with the general sentiment here. I really used to struggle with my laptops because of the low res screens, so when I got the ipad 4, I was completely drawn in by the fact that I could use the device all day long without experiencing any eye strain/migraines.
Now that the "retina" revolution has carried over to laptops though, I'm much more into going back.
But, I much prefer controlling things/making presets through touch on the ipad than I do with pointing and clicking a mouse.
Hopefully more ios companion apps come to the major DAWs similar to the one for Logic.
I'm waiting for my "A-HA!" moment w/the iPad. I've picked up a ton of apps since buying my iPad last year, but none of them have the functionality i'm looking for. I'm pretty lazy, so i need an "all-in-one" solution, which i haven't yet found on the iPad. I will typically noodle around with some ideas in Sunrizer/Magellan/Nave, but when i want to actually record, i'll use my iMac. I haven't seen anything that comes close to a DAW like Ableton for quickly sketching/implementing ideas.
All of that said, i still haven't bought Gadget, which sounds like it could be closer to what i'm looking for.
Even though my laptop is more powerful, I still find the apps coming out on iOS much more exciting and inventive. Plus I actually find the CPU limitations inspiring, it forces you to cut out the fluff and focus only on the core ideas. The crashes and lack of a systemwide sync option can be frustrating, but after 10+ years of looking at Live, I'll deal with it for a change of pace.
And yes for those that asked, there is some audio quality lost when recording from the headphone jack. How much that matters will be up to you.
@hwangman said:
The reason why i use the ipad IS: you not have THE ALL IN ONE APP, you have the RIGHT APP for what you wanna do ;-)
@obiwahnkentobi said:
It depends on what your personal workflow is. I don't want to have 5 apps open due to them all being limited. I want one app that has great synths, great drum sounds, and functionality that allows me to sequence/arrange them in a useful way. Gadget sounds like the closest iOS equivalent but it's still limited w/o a sampler.
Maybe it's not the most practical but if i'm using an iPad for music-making then i want to be able to do an entire song in 1 app environment. If i can't, there's no advantage to it...i'll just go to my iMac and do an entire song within Ableton/Logic/etc.
I just bought Gadget, it's really funny, but I should study it more and more.
Ok, I say my point of view: I'm really happy with my ipad, I use my old and dying PC only for video and photography. For music I use only ipad. My only problem is the clipping and dealt trails distortion when I'm playing guitar, it's really annoing to find the right volume balance. I dunno how is the situation on a PC or a Mac. Having a touchscreen is so intuitive,I think in the next years, with iPads with 2 gb or more Ram, ipad will became the ultimate tool for music making. The future is touch
Personal workflow! You nailed it @hwangman. I need to write and compose the best music I can possibly do. I have all the best music iPad apps but I also know that none of them come close to the power and flexibility of Logic or Cubase. What I have done is bring the iPad into my workflow as I love its modularity and the amazing spectrum of synths and sounds. Many people now write and compose on iPad so that is really good for mobile music making as it will hopefully encourage more people to get into music making as mobile music production is a cheaper option when compared to Macs and PCs. Music making is however a personal thing so if you can do all your productions on an iDevice and you love what you are doing then go for it.
@FrankieJay - Finally, someone who uses the iPad like I want to! I'm so tired of the "all-in-box" iPad discussions. I came to the iPad as a touchscreen surface for my laptop. The synths have been an added bonus. I have two iPads, a Classic and a newer one. Using an app like Touchable or StepPolyArp (any advanced MIDI program really) to then control the sound on the other iPad's synth that then feeds back into the computer is where I'm going with my sound. Throw in the recent tutorial on how to use the iPad as an effects unit for computer sounds (though I need a second audio device it seems), and the iPad is a cool extension of my computer music studio, not a replacement.
^ likewise. I think for those with existing music set ups the iPad can be a wonderful extension of it rather than a replacement. It's best to leverage what each excels at in order to enjoy the best of what the iPad has to offer.
I'd started going down the all-in-one, all-software route on my Mac. However, I gave into hardware GAS and started buying hardware synths, which reduced my Mac to being a multi-track recorder.
I recently got a Zoom R8, so if I'm not recording to an IOS DAW, I'm recording to the R8.
@thesammiller - yeah I understand what you mean; extension rather than replacement. I use apps with midi just as you describe it. The beauty of the iPad is it can be anything you want it to be lol. The power on Macs/PCs is nothing to be sniffed at as well; 9Gb for my Mac Pro. This enables me to drive any software with ease. So when I add the GUI of iPad into the mix, my studio becomes something I never get tired of using.
You guys make some great points. Maybe i'm just approaching it the wrong way, but the iOS platform still seems really limiting to me (again, perhaps i'm just lazy). I don't want to make a drum loop in one app, export it, upload it, download it to my Mac, then repeat the process for synth sequences and other sounds. I want to get at least a good-sounding demo from ONE app on the iPad.
I've spent days bouncing between several apps just to get a 30-second sequence that i enjoy on my iPad. Meanwhile, i can sit in front of my Mac workstation for 30 minutes and get a 2-4 minute track done (except mixing/mastering) That's the direction i'd love the iPad to go.
@Tarekith said:
That's because you're converting from digital to analog then back to digital, yes?
I'm also curious about your setup. You said previously that you mix and master on a Mac if I remember correctly. Do you solo on your iPad then incorporate into a mix or do you record it live while monitoring other tracks? If the latter, what do you use to live mix the iPad with outside tracks?