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.
Thesys or Atom (for sequencing in AUM)
I’m on a bit of a mission to add some more AUv3 apps to the arsenal. This is as a result of getting AUM (I've seen the light!).
I’m keen to do some on-the-fly tweaking / playing but I also want to be able to trigger a number of predefined sequences as well. Controllability using my MIDI hardware is something I'm keen to have. Atom and Thesys seem like good bets - maybe the LK midi clip launcher is another option - but I'm keen to understand what more accomplished AUM users think is the better choice and why.
PS. I still love Cubasis but for different stuff 
Comments
You can basically get the same results from all 3 of those apps, just the path you get to them is a bit different. Every app encourages you to use in a certain ways so it points your creativity in a bit different direction. To sum up some pros and cons
Thesys
both + and - is that it's a step sequencer unlike the other 2
both + and - is that it's more oriented on monophonic instruments (not sure now, maybe you can write chords there but it's always a pain in step sequencer)
(+) really nice feature are predefined parameter automation curves that allows you to create very live sequences with pitch and e.g. cutoff frequency modulations that goes up and down.
(+) Sugar bytes usually implement nice randomization options
(-) selecting notes for each step is not the best way to write melodies
(-) also it's confusing if you want very different note lengths, some very long, some very short etc
Atom
) and it seems like you get some discount if you buy current version and then you'll want version 2, just not to be surprised
(+) very well made piano roll, IMO one of the best implementations of piano rolls on iOS
(+) some nice and unique features like non-destructive quantization and swing, seeing notes from other instances, scale functions etc
(-) new version is coming very soon (but it's very soon for at least half a year
(-) AFAIK no parameter automation except of velocity (correct me someone if I'm wrong)
(-) forget about some pattern chaining or nice triggering of separate "clips" - single atom instance is just playing what it has, some better support for multiple instances management is coming in version 2
LK (Matrix module)
(+) probably the only AU implementation of "clip grid" known from Ableton live, meaning a single instance can hold up N "scenes" for up to 16 channels, which is amazing for building scenes and controlling basically whole song structure
(+) some nice recently added features like note folding, support for drum mappings,
(+) many other features like generating and mutating melodies, chaining clips, MIDI trigger of clips, parameter automation,...
(-) could be a little confusing to start with
(-) still sometimes buggy for recording notes (in current beta I just confirmed a bug with timing drift when recording, also I noticed similar bugs in the past, but I may be influenced as I am all the time on beta)
And BTW, if you actually prefer a step sequencer, I'd also take a look at Drambo. It can do a lot of stuff, including being an AU host, but it can also work as MIDI sequencer when loaded as AU. It does not have typical automation, but do have parameter locks and you can always go crazy with it's modules to generate any kind of automation if you really wish
LK and Drambo are the best options right now.
Note that LK only handles 4/4 -- worth being aware of. It is a fine program.
FugueMachine can also work as a basic piano roll style AU MIDI sequencer.
Great breakdown @skrat
I'm ok being basic. 🤠
I was curious to see what Parameters Riffer exposes and I see one called "By-Pass" that can be triggered with a MIDI Note. I can't see that it does anything when I trigger it. Does anyone have a clue what "By Pass" means in Riffer? With AUv3 we could have multiple Riffers on different MIDI Notes. Riffer has a few extras over the others that are nice.
Riffer has a complex table of MIDI CC Mappings. That's probably the right way to trigger sequences and each instance has 4 sequences to trigger. Up to 64 notes each as I recall. Shared BPM but notes values are settable per sequence.
UPDATE: I configured Riffer CC's to activate/deactivate the 4 sequencers while the AUM transport was active using the Rozeta X/Y control app. < 64 = OFF and >= 64 = ON.
Riffer's Random button and Strutter options can help generate patterns you can tweak by hand quickly. Dialing in Bass, Mid and Treble parts is also easy.
What I like about Drambo and LK is having one AU for managing multiple tracks. Not only does that reduce resources but it makes it easier to see how stuff fits together.
Stepbud is my other go to if we talk about sequencers as a whole.
LK is loads of fun and is being developed at an alarming pace at the moment. Well worth the small learning curve if you like clip launching (or are curious about it like I was). I can completely recommend.
Atom 2 is coming soon and looks amazing too. Top of the exciting new features for me is the fact you can use one atom instance to sequence other atom instances 🤯
Hmm food for thought - thanks, especially to @skrat for the super useful side-by-side comparison (boy, you must really love sequencers!)
Not designed for real-time recording but Rozeta Cells is prolly worth mentioning here. It is one of the few AU MIDI sequencers I can think of that is both polyphonic and can store/flip between 8 different patterns. I don’t think that can be done via MIDI though.
Similar in philosophy is Art Kerns’ mighty midiSTEPs sequencer.
I actually have Rozeta - its a fab suite and I’ve used Cells for some stuff but ultimately I find there’s not enough control over things like note length for what I need. Also as you say, I don’t think you can midi trigger the different individual patterns selectively. Still a decent shout though, thanks.
Consider running the sequencer standalone outside of AUM. In which case I would recommend Xequence2.
Xequence2 could even drive multiple other apps, including e.g. Gadget and AUM, both at the same time.
You lose the ability to save the session in AUM, but on the upside, Xequence2 brings a lot more sequencer than any AUv3 currently does.
Thesys has a lot if cool features but in my opinion the UI is better suited to be used with a mouse rather than on a toutch screen. Everything just gets too small.
I like Atom and i’m really looking forward to Atom 2
Haha, "love sequencers" sounds quite creepy
Especially with sequencers, piano rolls and "clip players" there's quite a gap on the market. Fortunately seems like LK and Atom 2 are going to fill it pretty well.
Not really, just trying to squeeze the most out of iOS music production ecosystem so I am a bit obsessed with trying out every app and finding out their strengths and weaknesses
In my experience the best all round midi device for use in AUM is Xequence 2. Bit fiddly, not so intuitive, to start with but will do all the midi control you’ll need.
I’m on a mission to get AUM transport to control Thesys? I’m unable to make this work. I have been successful using Cykle to do this FYI. Thanks!
.
LK is LK
https://apps.apple.com/vn/app/lk-for-ableton-live-midi/id944972221
(Midi controllers, clip launcher, piano roll)
Atom 2 no question. But I think they are different types apps, with some similar functionalities. Thesys is cool but not a full blown piano roll, it’s a semi-traditional sequencer, atom 2 is a piano roll with lots of features, so much more then just sequencing midi.
LK is Spoken of very highly, by Ive yet to unlock the matrix.
Drambo.
I mean there’s a ton of options, with varying abilities what exactly are you looking to do?
@gregsmith :You need Ableton to work LK, correct?
No. LK started as a remote control for Ableton but now is a fully-functional MIDI clip launching system with its own sequencer and clips, etc
What he said. They added AUv3 less then a year ago. It’s an individual entity.
I’m just curious. So are you rating these just based on sequencing midi? Did you assign the number values as well?
In my humble opinion they are 2 different types of apps in there, and it’s hard to compare something like Cykle to Atom 2. Or midi dreams to LK. Atom 2 and LK are similar, yea they sequence midi but do so much more then that…
Ìˋm surprised about the high rating of Thesys.With its desktop roots itˋs not much fun for me to use it on ipad.
I’ve tried a stylus with Thesys and it works nicely.
Would love ask — can you use AUM ‘play’ to trigger Thesys? I can only trigger a sequence start by using the Play button in Thesys.
does 4Pockets Helium deserve any consideration here? which option is the easiest for basic sequencing if clip launching is not a priority?
„Basic sequencing” - atom LK (Helium?),
Step sequencing thesys cykle and more.
Cykle and thesys arę different.
I agree thesys 10/10
Cykles also 10/10 because it is also different.
Main lack as I think is No possibility to remote Control rate (tempo division) during playback. You can ser rate and save with pattern , but no in realtime.
Both AUM and BM3 dont show duch parameter.
Cykles - asking to developer: can you put rate control of tempo to more triplets on 32-nd? I World like to change during playback rate by MIDI or AUv3 parameter in range from 64-nd to whole note with all possible triplets…. Still Numerology win here on Mac, price is also high, but there is all divisions, modulations, and 128 steps in pattern.
I’m in search of a tool or workflow that will help me add more musical variation to my jam sessions in AUM. Right now I mostly work with Fugue Machine, SnakeBud, Patterning 2, Elastic Drums, KQ Dixie, and the Burns Spectrum plug-in pack. With this setup I’ve found myself stuck making extremely repetitive music.
Among the tools I’ve been using, Patterning 2 is the only one where I can comfortably make longer, interesting sequences with lots of small variations. I start by creating a simple 16-step pattern, then click the “x2” button (pictured below) to repeat it. Then I make minor edits like adding or removing a note or two. I repeat this process a few more times until my pattern grows to 256 or 512 steps total. This gives the pattern a nice musical feeling of familiarity without getting dull or too predictable. At that point in my session I’ll usually switch over to another track and sketch out some chords or a bassline to give more shape to the song. Then I’ll go back to Patterning 2 and choose the “Song” tab to compose a repeating arrangement ie. AABC (where A is the initial 512-step pattern, and B and C are different patterns). By this point I should have a nice long rhyme sequence that changes over time and eventually returns to the original familiar hook.
This workflow I describes in Patterning works great for drum-like elements. And technically it is possible to configure Patterning 2 to control other melodic MIDI synths in AUM. But changing the pitch that’s assigned to each step requires a lot of fingertip precision, and I find myself expending more energy than it’s worth to try to choose specific notes. Plus the features for changing the MIDI gate length of each note are extremely limited and only available via the Ratchet Count parameter which splits a step into some number of equal length sub-steps (afaik).
Could anyone help me get set up with a workflow similar to the one I described in Patterning but more suitable for sequencing melodic synths? I have my eye on Drambo. And LK seems like it has a lot of functionality, but I can’t figure out whether or not it has something like the “Song” tab in Patterning 2. I mostly see users manually triggering each MIDI clip in LK. But I’d prefer to program a repeating sequence of MIDI clips that trigger automatically one after another.