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.
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Best App Trio? Or sampler?
So obviously, iPad beats with audiobus is a three step process, or three parts. Input, effects and output. Which three play the nicest and give you the best integration and toolbox?
I have not had the best of luck integrating the ones I own within ipad. Maybe I would be better off just using my ipad as a vST/ soft synth into Logi Pro or maschine and learn that. Sounds daunting and overwhelming, but ipad integration isn't exactly child's play either.
I have korg gadget and garage band and animoog, but audiobus seems to enable me to play them live over each other, but not within each other to say, record an animoog sound into gadgets sequencer or garage bands.
Basically I'm just a noob trying to figure out if ipad music production is going to be any easier to learn than traditional computer DAW's
Seems to be either a novelty or severely limited by cross compatibility issues.
Help me out? I want to use a something like step poly arp or yamaha synth and drum arp app to apply arps to animoog or gadget and record them into an Ipad DAW that WILL record them. Garage band has some decent arp scales, but they stay in garage band and don't even get wrapped in the midi notes I play from connected keyboard. Kind of cool, so I can play one on each hand, but I néed a way to get externally played midi notes wrapped in arp function's as we'll and a way to get all my ipad instruments recorded into one DAW workflow. Do other daws recognize your ipad instruments through audio bus differently and make them recordable within the DAW
thanks for any help and sorry if it came off confusing or used poor terminology.
Comments
Yeah, I think Cubasis, Beatmaker and meteor will all do what you're looking for. Record audio and midi (is that what you're looking for?).
The other apps in the chain have more to do with personal preference and the style of music you make. You mentioned Maschine and gadget and beats. Hip Hop? ElectroKittyPunk?
Some kind of funk. Haha. I like synth with beats and guitar. Really simple. Kind of a Johnny cash sound with a tiny bit of synth to make it interesting. Just learning. Simple hip hop/funk beats and synth.
Animoog. ,but it does not show up as an instrument in garage band. Only app specific instruments do.
So how does cubasis record beat maker or meteor? Do they show up as an instrument in the DAW, like any of garage bands do within garage band, or is there a work around to import them?
I meant that those three all are 'end of chain' options for you.
Recording on iOS depends on what you want to do but you'd point your instrument apps midi and audio at the end-of-chain app and hit record. When you play back you'll hear the audio and if you want to, you can use the midi, point it back at your instrument and tweak it. Then record the audio again... Animoog requires a $5 IAP to send midi out.
BeatMaker with Funkbox or DM1 and Magellan are a good combo. BeatMaker definitely as a learning curve on it though. Cubasis is apparently twice as easy for twice the price. Just search around here some for other ideas.
So your telling me I have to learn the ins and outs of midi control either way. The DAW's/apps aren't going to have class compliant midi across apps that speak the same language and recognize each other. You have to get it to interpret the midi signals in the appropriate format through midi software controllers, and essentially mount those to the software/DAW?
I think that's it and I'll just go ahead and go with integrating this stuff into Logic instead. Thought it was a more easily integrated solution within ipad apps. But not really I guess.
Guess I will use it just for instruments.
So is audiobus is just a bus, not interface. I still need other software to get midi actually talking to specific things and routed. The apps are not going to do it themselves.
That's why most people publishing a real track are using a host of midi interaction software and processes specific to their setup that won't really help others right?
Sounded to good and easy to be true. I think these things are either toys for noobs, or gadgets for the trained pro. Not much In between. Wish they were as easy as advertised.
Well, you can record midi into beatmaker (or cubasis or meteor...) from an app that has midi out. And you can send it back to that app to control it. You don't need anything specialized. Just need to read a bit about virtual MIDI. You need to use AB or IAA to get the audio back from the instrument into your DAW of choice.
But, if you want complexity with integration, Logic or Ableton or whatever will be awfully hard to beat on an iPad.
That said, you might consider looking at some of the other all-in-one apps out there. Good luck.
"....easier to learn than traditional computer DAW..."
Not easier but not harder either. If you are serious, take your time and do research. Experiment and find your own flow.
No successful artist ever got anywhere without hard work (and some help from friends).
@syrupcore said:
Hey thanks. That helps. I need to geek out and get hip to some midi/DAW basics
I do like the all in one nature of korg gadget, but find it limited to an electronic/dance type sound.
No organic guitars basses. I get it and can work with it. Just dig animoog sounds and Arthuria minilab sounds more.
I'm just surprised to see a lack of serious tutorials or info on how to integrate these apps or utilize them like you see for maschine or logic. I pick things up well on videos or tutorials, but good ones utilizing multiple inputs etc are rare. That stuff is discussed in forums which are kind of tedious to search through for nuggets.
Here's something to consider. Cubasis is so incredibly easy to use, and it already comes with a synth, drums, real instruments, loops, etc. Alone, it is exactly what you are wanting. It handles both midi and audio. It comes complete with effects too. It is the perfect starter investment, and has all the room to grow as needed. If you don't feel comfortable, you don't even need Audiobus to start out (although I'm certain you'll very quickly see how useful it is!)
I was given some advice long ago that if I had listened to it I could have saved thousands of dollars over the last 20 years. Don't under purchase equipment. When purchasing, try to anticipate your future needs, as well as your current needs. In other words, it is cheaper buying the correct thing once rather than buying something that won't quite meet your needs, with the hopes of upgrading later. More often than not, you end up purchasing and purchasing, and spending way more money than if you had bought the right thing the first time.
The point that I'm making, is that I think Cubasis is an ideal first app to purchase when starting out with iOS music making. It is complete, simple, and has extensive room for future growth. Later, you can get Audiobus, DM1, Thor, Nave, etc., etc.... :-)
For "Organic guitar bass" you could look into ifretless bass or thumbjam (you can create your own instrument). I've found animoog and Arturia to be great, if you need other moogish sound you could try using samples of the actual synth imported into your sample player of choice. Samplewiz for example.
The search function works great at the top right of the forum.
Edit: I do agree with Audiojunkie on several points made above.
I also think you really need to loo at Cubasis:
With Cubasis you can control your soft synth apps via Audiobus and IAA - it's very straightforward.
Cubasis will record both audio and Midi, and crucially the routing is extremely straightforward, unlike other apps where it can be very confusing. On any given track you select the input app from a list of available apps (whether using Audiobus or IAA), and you can also specify MIDI output if you need to.
So for example a typical workflow would be to launch Audiobus, put Animoog in the input, and Cubasis in the output slot (and optionally an FX app in the middle slot). Then record your playing as MIDI, not audio, using either the built-in keyboard in Animoog, or the one in Cubasis, or an external MIDI keyboard, or even a controller app such as Soundprism Pro.
Once the MIDI is recorded you can go back and fix any timing mistakes etc. When you are happy with the performance, then create a new audio track in Cubasis and record the audio. If you are using IAA you can simply freeze the track to bake the MIDI down to audio.
The point is, that it's actually very easy to learn and to use, you should be up and running straight away.
@Audiojunkie said:
Thanks all for replies. Researching. Thought I'd respond to this as a wise choice on quality gear is always huge to me and you mentioned under purchasing and future growth. Do you recommend the akai EIE or the I connectivity midi 4x for as a must have? I've seen the eie hyped as golden and one of the better integrated iOS hardware devices, but it's limited to 48k, doesn't have midi pass through, but the I connectivity doesn't have amps. Both are 200. Is there reason to hold out for better products coming soon?
When it comes to hardware interfaces I did several months of research before finally getting the Focusrite 2i4. While your needs may well be different to mine, in the end for me it was the only interface that offered all the features I was looking for.
My main concern was quality, followed by monitoring, and while the Apogee interfaces may well have an edge in quality, I didn't want to have to use the Maestro app to control relative volume levels for monitoring. The Scarlett 2i4 (unlike practically every other interface on the market) has a physical dial that lets you blend the latency-free live signal with your DAW playback - that was the thing that sold it to me in the end, along with MIDI and the preamps. pads, headphone amp etc...
I did look at the EIE, but it's an older unit and it's not really designed for iOS use, so unless you really need the 4 inputs it might not be the best option.
I personally don't know about either of those interfaces, so I don't feel qualified to recommend one over the other. However, there are always more interfaces coming out, so if you don't see what you are looking for now, it might appear soon in the future. :-)
@richardyot, how are you driving outs 3&4? Since we do not have AB2 help there yet? I use Auria when I need that but usually it is too much of a sledgehammer for that finesse.
@Gravit8t one of the other selling features of the FocusRite series for me is that the Main and Headphone outs are truly indendently driven, so eg I can drop the house feed while noodling for a patch in a jam.
@dwarman said:
The 2i4 only records 2 inputs, the four outs are for playback and monitoring. For now I am only using the headphone out, I am saving up for monitors but they are a way off, I've just bought the interface and mic after a few months of waiting.
I have been waiting on a great price on a saffire or any other fire wire device. Might end up with an mAudio profire 410. I want to keep my two USB ports available.
Definitely avoid the Akai EIE. It's notoriously bad. I don't know where you got the idea that it's hyped as one of the better iOS interfaces but I get the feeling that comes from the Recommend an Interface thread here that was made sticky where most of the first few pages discuss that interface due to one person hyping it up and that's the first thing any noob clicking on that thread for the first time will see.
iConnectivity interfaces are quite unique for what they can do and for some workflows, it's a definite must have.
?? EIE Bad? How? I have one and love it. Flexible and pretty clean. It's only 16 bit, but that's fine for how I'm using it. I've recorded midi and audio through it without problems.
Couple of extra ideas:
StepPolyArp is great. Sends midi out really easily. You can point this at any synth in Gadget very easily and record that midi in Gadget. Or you could point that midi at cubasis or beatmaker 2 (personally I prefer Beatmaker 2 - but lots of people like Cubasis).
I like Genome for creating short midi phases (or recording midi) and looping them / pointing them at various synths etc.
Personally I went down the journey of trying to hook every synth and drum machine app in a track up to a daw (beatmaker 2 or cubasis) all running off live midi on different channels and it just didn't work as a good workflow in the end. Took ages to hook everything up each session, different midi channels was a nightmare. The ipad gets overloaded etc and it sucks the creative juices dry.
Instead i now do lots of jamming with apps just running independently in the background (no AB at this stage) simply pressing play at the right time. And build ideas up like that, committing as I go. So maybe some drums and a chord progression playing in gadget and then use a rhythm in steppolyarp to drive a 'big' synth like Animoog. You can save that pattern in steppolyarp of course. When happy record that animoog part (into your daw of choice using audiobus or IAA). Or one channel of midi in your DAW driving a synth.
[Now I put everything into Gadget and use it as my DAW (chopping external audio into 5 sec pieces and sticking back together in the Bilbao gadget). But that's probably not something you want to do.]
So you put everything into your DAW piece by piece as audio. And use midi just for the part you are working on at that time. This saves midi getting confusing and also means your not having to run loads of apps at the same time or set them up at the start of every session.
My advice would be: avoid falling into the trap of 7 channels of midi driving 7 different apps on 7 midi channels. It will drive you mad.
Yup Cubasis is hard to beat but extremely stable and easy to use. Handles both audio and midi and is extremely well supported with updates being frequent and quite good . It is with out a doubt one of the best over all DAW's for ios and worth the price. You can easily do an entire production from inside thanks to its numerous loops and midi clips plus an excellent synth as well. I am using the Griffin studio connect w/lightning for my interface and it records my guitars and hardware synths very nicely and it will cost you less than a hundred bucks! If you want to use an xlr mic you would need a small mixer or converter however. I already had a nice mixer so that did not other me at all.
Samplr - - - turnado - - - loopy hd
Personally I've come to the conclusion that using the ipad for putting a full song together is way too frustrating, fiddly and time consuming. Time syncing on the ipad is still preety poor in my experience. I now just use the ipad to either create loops for importing into ableton, or as a midi-controller of ableton - especially using things like chordion and steppolyarp to drive vst synths like omnisphere and serum. I've also been experimenting with the secret base design stuff sending audio over midi from ipad into ableton.
Moral of the story for me is to use the ipad for what its great at, and use ableton for what its great at. Aligning to one over the other is a bit daft.
To answer the original question, b-step sequencer driving synth of choice into crystaline and then loopy hd is my current fave combination (though I use samplr an awful lot too)
Impc pro -turnado/cs spectral/ wow/ - Samplr/ Sector
@Gravit8 said:
The soundtestroom videos cover stuff like that and i've had to watch a few to understand how to get things to communicate on ios, usually found via the search function here lol.