Koala Sampler vs Beatmaker 3 - Which one is the best?

db909

has Vatanator pro received some update love since release?

jwmmakerofmusic

@HotStrange said:

@jwmmakerofmusic said:

@HotStrange said:

@jwmmakerofmusic said:

@HotStrange said:

@jwmmakerofmusic said:

@HotStrange said:

@jwmmakerofmusic said:
Beatmaker 3 has a bit of a confusing workflow for me personally , your mileage may vary. What I was able to wrap my head around was BM3 has a bit of a learning curve, but has one of the fullest featured samplers in it I've ever worked with packed with so many options to shape your samples that even blows Koala Sampler out of the water. It can also host AUv3s and has a timeline, so that also makes it a fully featured DAW. It IS iPad-only, so iPhone users aren't able to enjoy it.

---

Koala Sampler is much simpler to pick up right away but can go super deep if you keep exploring/read the manual. Koala also has a bit of a learning curve if you want to take full advantage of its feature set. It has less options to shape your samples than BM3, but that doesn't mean what's already there isn't robust. Per-sample EQ and tone controls for instance. No timeline, but once you turn on "sequence snapping" to "snap to sequence", it's easy to record your live performance. (I first discovered this feature under BPM settings a couple days ago, and I've used Koala for how long now? 😂 I love how many surprises it constantly has around each corner.)

Koala can't host AUv3s, but it can be USED as an AUv3 in other hosts such as AUM, NS2, and yes, even in BM3 (although the last one would be rather redundant). It's also universal and feels much more like playing with a hardware sampler on a touch screen.

---

Even though BM3 and Koala can both load samples, it's basically comparing very delicious apples to very delectable oranges. You're basically comparing a DAW to a fully featured sampler. BM3 has more features and is the DAW where you can lay things out on a timeline, but Koala is quicker to pick up and use for sketching out ideas to completing full tracks in most genres including Ambient and lends itself better to live recording and performance.

Another thing to consider is cost. Koala Sampler is five quid US and costs about fifteen after all IAPs are purchased. BM3 is a little under thirty quid US which doesn't include IAP sample packs. Both are worth their asking price and then some, so it all depends on how deep your pockets go.

If you have a monthly budget of about a hundred strictly for apps, get both if you have at least an iPad.

Agreed. BM3 is probably the closest you can get to the MPC live/One on iOS. And it’s right up there with it. The amount of features is really crazy and the time stretching and pitch shifting is very very good.

Exactly! It's a freakin powerhouse! I really want to redownload it again, but I really can't be faffed to pull out my M1 Pro or Mini 6 when often my best musical ideas come about when laying back in bed mucking around on my new 14 Pro Max. 🤣

Buuuuut Koala is probably my favorite app on the App Store so it wins by default for me lol

I'd argue both apps are winners in my book, but I do like Koala Sampler a bit more than BM3. Then again, I should try BM3 again to see how it goes now that I'm more into the sampler workflow than a DAW workflow.

I deleted all my DAWs to clear up space once I settled into Logic, but BM3 was the only one I couldn’t bring myself to delete. The sampler is just too powerful and sets it apart from just being another DAW. Vatanator Pro is another good one and the UI is a bit easier to work with, imo. It can be unstable at times though.

Oh bugger, Vatanator Pro is iPad only too. 😂 Once I pull out one of my iPads, I'll just stick to mucking about in BM3.

Unfortunately but their standalone drum machine “Vatanator” has an iPhone version and it’s probably a top 5 drum machine for me. It’s full of weird, Lo-Fi, grainy, classic drum machines. Definitely recommend. Vatanator Pro has all that dialed up to 11 with some cool effects, but if you already have BM3 you probably don’t need it. I’m just a sucker for grooveboxes lol

Same! Koala, Drambo, BM3, Gadget, Electribe Wave standalone, are all just simply chef's kiss. Besides Vatanator Pro, what else would you recommend?

(I'll have to muck about with Vatanator soon, but my next iOS purchase will have to be Piano Motifs. Looks amazing.)

Piano Motifs is excellent. I’ve had it since before it was even an AU and it was awesome even then.

Excellent! Yep, if I was on the fence before, no more, lol.

Those are all great! I also really like all 3 Ampify apps, Hypertron, GR-16, Pure Acid, Pepp (it’s old but so cool and unique), TriqTraq, Oscilab, the Rob Wilmont apps, Samplr, Fieldscaper, Elastic Drums, Ton (underrated Digitakt clone), C.Arp (Omnichord clone), Beat Machine, Loopmix (kinda), Chordion, Note, Egoist, Pulse, Touchscaper, Nanoloop, Yellofier, Jam w/ Jordan, Beathawk.

WHOA! Dang there are so many more I forgot about let alone remembered existed. GR-16 and Pure Acid are also chef's kiss. I also forgot Beathawk standalone is a groovebox since I often use it simply as AUv3. 🤣

……okay I’m obsessed 😂 some of those are IAA but they’re all great in their own ways and half of them at least are either free or have free versions. I left out apps like Patterning that are mostly drum machines but kinda groovebox adjacent.

You remind me of myself last year when I was snatching up all the reverbs I could find in the appstore for Ambient fodder, lol.

[Deleted User]

The user and all related content has been deleted.

HotStrange

@jwmmakerofmusic said:

@HotStrange said:

@jwmmakerofmusic said:

@HotStrange said:

@jwmmakerofmusic said:

@HotStrange said:

@jwmmakerofmusic said:

@HotStrange said:

@jwmmakerofmusic said:
Beatmaker 3 has a bit of a confusing workflow for me personally , your mileage may vary. What I was able to wrap my head around was BM3 has a bit of a learning curve, but has one of the fullest featured samplers in it I've ever worked with packed with so many options to shape your samples that even blows Koala Sampler out of the water. It can also host AUv3s and has a timeline, so that also makes it a fully featured DAW. It IS iPad-only, so iPhone users aren't able to enjoy it.

---

Koala Sampler is much simpler to pick up right away but can go super deep if you keep exploring/read the manual. Koala also has a bit of a learning curve if you want to take full advantage of its feature set. It has less options to shape your samples than BM3, but that doesn't mean what's already there isn't robust. Per-sample EQ and tone controls for instance. No timeline, but once you turn on "sequence snapping" to "snap to sequence", it's easy to record your live performance. (I first discovered this feature under BPM settings a couple days ago, and I've used Koala for how long now? 😂 I love how many surprises it constantly has around each corner.)

Koala can't host AUv3s, but it can be USED as an AUv3 in other hosts such as AUM, NS2, and yes, even in BM3 (although the last one would be rather redundant). It's also universal and feels much more like playing with a hardware sampler on a touch screen.

---

Even though BM3 and Koala can both load samples, it's basically comparing very delicious apples to very delectable oranges. You're basically comparing a DAW to a fully featured sampler. BM3 has more features and is the DAW where you can lay things out on a timeline, but Koala is quicker to pick up and use for sketching out ideas to completing full tracks in most genres including Ambient and lends itself better to live recording and performance.

Another thing to consider is cost. Koala Sampler is five quid US and costs about fifteen after all IAPs are purchased. BM3 is a little under thirty quid US which doesn't include IAP sample packs. Both are worth their asking price and then some, so it all depends on how deep your pockets go.

If you have a monthly budget of about a hundred strictly for apps, get both if you have at least an iPad.

Agreed. BM3 is probably the closest you can get to the MPC live/One on iOS. And it’s right up there with it. The amount of features is really crazy and the time stretching and pitch shifting is very very good.

Exactly! It's a freakin powerhouse! I really want to redownload it again, but I really can't be faffed to pull out my M1 Pro or Mini 6 when often my best musical ideas come about when laying back in bed mucking around on my new 14 Pro Max. 🤣

Buuuuut Koala is probably my favorite app on the App Store so it wins by default for me lol

I'd argue both apps are winners in my book, but I do like Koala Sampler a bit more than BM3. Then again, I should try BM3 again to see how it goes now that I'm more into the sampler workflow than a DAW workflow.

I deleted all my DAWs to clear up space once I settled into Logic, but BM3 was the only one I couldn’t bring myself to delete. The sampler is just too powerful and sets it apart from just being another DAW. Vatanator Pro is another good one and the UI is a bit easier to work with, imo. It can be unstable at times though.

Oh bugger, Vatanator Pro is iPad only too. 😂 Once I pull out one of my iPads, I'll just stick to mucking about in BM3.

Unfortunately but their standalone drum machine “Vatanator” has an iPhone version and it’s probably a top 5 drum machine for me. It’s full of weird, Lo-Fi, grainy, classic drum machines. Definitely recommend. Vatanator Pro has all that dialed up to 11 with some cool effects, but if you already have BM3 you probably don’t need it. I’m just a sucker for grooveboxes lol

Same! Koala, Drambo, BM3, Gadget, Electribe Wave standalone, are all just simply chef's kiss. Besides Vatanator Pro, what else would you recommend?

(I'll have to muck about with Vatanator soon, but my next iOS purchase will have to be Piano Motifs. Looks amazing.)

Piano Motifs is excellent. I’ve had it since before it was even an AU and it was awesome even then.

Excellent! Yep, if I was on the fence before, no more, lol.

Those are all great! I also really like all 3 Ampify apps, Hypertron, GR-16, Pure Acid, Pepp (it’s old but so cool and unique), TriqTraq, Oscilab, the Rob Wilmont apps, Samplr, Fieldscaper, Elastic Drums, Ton (underrated Digitakt clone), C.Arp (Omnichord clone), Beat Machine, Loopmix (kinda), Chordion, Note, Egoist, Pulse, Touchscaper, Nanoloop, Yellofier, Jam w/ Jordan, Beathawk.

WHOA! Dang there are so many more I forgot about let alone remembered existed. GR-16 and Pure Acid are also chef's kiss. I also forgot Beathawk standalone is a groovebox since I often use it simply as AUv3. 🤣

……okay I’m obsessed 😂 some of those are IAA but they’re all great in their own ways and half of them at least are either free or have free versions. I left out apps like Patterning that are mostly drum machines but kinda groovebox adjacent.

You remind me of myself last year when I was snatching up all the reverbs I could find in the appstore for Ambient fodder, lol.

Hahaha a lot of those, especially the IAA ones, are form years of collecting. Some of them have probably been on my iPad for nearly a decade at this point. Kinda like synths, reverbs, etc they’re all special in their own ways and all dos is thing unique. I’ve always been a fan of grooveboxes so unless it’s absolutely horrible, I’ll probably grab it up.

As fas as effects, I’ve definitely got most of the reverbs and delays as well. I think I have more effects than I do actual synths because they’re more fun to mangle sounds with lol

I think you’ll love PM, though. Really amazing generative app. And the dev is just a great guy.

jwmmakerofmusic

@HotStrange said:

@jwmmakerofmusic said:

@HotStrange said:

@jwmmakerofmusic said:

@HotStrange said:

@jwmmakerofmusic said:

@HotStrange said:

@jwmmakerofmusic said:

@HotStrange said:

@jwmmakerofmusic said:
Beatmaker 3 has a bit of a confusing workflow for me personally , your mileage may vary. What I was able to wrap my head around was BM3 has a bit of a learning curve, but has one of the fullest featured samplers in it I've ever worked with packed with so many options to shape your samples that even blows Koala Sampler out of the water. It can also host AUv3s and has a timeline, so that also makes it a fully featured DAW. It IS iPad-only, so iPhone users aren't able to enjoy it.

---

Koala Sampler is much simpler to pick up right away but can go super deep if you keep exploring/read the manual. Koala also has a bit of a learning curve if you want to take full advantage of its feature set. It has less options to shape your samples than BM3, but that doesn't mean what's already there isn't robust. Per-sample EQ and tone controls for instance. No timeline, but once you turn on "sequence snapping" to "snap to sequence", it's easy to record your live performance. (I first discovered this feature under BPM settings a couple days ago, and I've used Koala for how long now? 😂 I love how many surprises it constantly has around each corner.)

Koala can't host AUv3s, but it can be USED as an AUv3 in other hosts such as AUM, NS2, and yes, even in BM3 (although the last one would be rather redundant). It's also universal and feels much more like playing with a hardware sampler on a touch screen.

---

Even though BM3 and Koala can both load samples, it's basically comparing very delicious apples to very delectable oranges. You're basically comparing a DAW to a fully featured sampler. BM3 has more features and is the DAW where you can lay things out on a timeline, but Koala is quicker to pick up and use for sketching out ideas to completing full tracks in most genres including Ambient and lends itself better to live recording and performance.

Another thing to consider is cost. Koala Sampler is five quid US and costs about fifteen after all IAPs are purchased. BM3 is a little under thirty quid US which doesn't include IAP sample packs. Both are worth their asking price and then some, so it all depends on how deep your pockets go.

If you have a monthly budget of about a hundred strictly for apps, get both if you have at least an iPad.

Agreed. BM3 is probably the closest you can get to the MPC live/One on iOS. And it’s right up there with it. The amount of features is really crazy and the time stretching and pitch shifting is very very good.

Exactly! It's a freakin powerhouse! I really want to redownload it again, but I really can't be faffed to pull out my M1 Pro or Mini 6 when often my best musical ideas come about when laying back in bed mucking around on my new 14 Pro Max. 🤣

Buuuuut Koala is probably my favorite app on the App Store so it wins by default for me lol

I'd argue both apps are winners in my book, but I do like Koala Sampler a bit more than BM3. Then again, I should try BM3 again to see how it goes now that I'm more into the sampler workflow than a DAW workflow.

I deleted all my DAWs to clear up space once I settled into Logic, but BM3 was the only one I couldn’t bring myself to delete. The sampler is just too powerful and sets it apart from just being another DAW. Vatanator Pro is another good one and the UI is a bit easier to work with, imo. It can be unstable at times though.

Oh bugger, Vatanator Pro is iPad only too. 😂 Once I pull out one of my iPads, I'll just stick to mucking about in BM3.

Unfortunately but their standalone drum machine “Vatanator” has an iPhone version and it’s probably a top 5 drum machine for me. It’s full of weird, Lo-Fi, grainy, classic drum machines. Definitely recommend. Vatanator Pro has all that dialed up to 11 with some cool effects, but if you already have BM3 you probably don’t need it. I’m just a sucker for grooveboxes lol

Same! Koala, Drambo, BM3, Gadget, Electribe Wave standalone, are all just simply chef's kiss. Besides Vatanator Pro, what else would you recommend?

(I'll have to muck about with Vatanator soon, but my next iOS purchase will have to be Piano Motifs. Looks amazing.)

Piano Motifs is excellent. I’ve had it since before it was even an AU and it was awesome even then.

Excellent! Yep, if I was on the fence before, no more, lol.

Those are all great! I also really like all 3 Ampify apps, Hypertron, GR-16, Pure Acid, Pepp (it’s old but so cool and unique), TriqTraq, Oscilab, the Rob Wilmont apps, Samplr, Fieldscaper, Elastic Drums, Ton (underrated Digitakt clone), C.Arp (Omnichord clone), Beat Machine, Loopmix (kinda), Chordion, Note, Egoist, Pulse, Touchscaper, Nanoloop, Yellofier, Jam w/ Jordan, Beathawk.

WHOA! Dang there are so many more I forgot about let alone remembered existed. GR-16 and Pure Acid are also chef's kiss. I also forgot Beathawk standalone is a groovebox since I often use it simply as AUv3. 🤣

……okay I’m obsessed 😂 some of those are IAA but they’re all great in their own ways and half of them at least are either free or have free versions. I left out apps like Patterning that are mostly drum machines but kinda groovebox adjacent.

You remind me of myself last year when I was snatching up all the reverbs I could find in the appstore for Ambient fodder, lol.

Hahaha a lot of those, especially the IAA ones, are form years of collecting. Some of them have probably been on my iPad for nearly a decade at this point. Kinda like synths, reverbs, etc they’re all special in their own ways and all dos is thing unique. I’ve always been a fan of grooveboxes so unless it’s absolutely horrible, I’ll probably grab it up.

As fas as effects, I’ve definitely got most of the reverbs and delays as well. I think I have more effects than I do actual synths because they’re more fun to mangle sounds with lol

I think you’ll love PM, though. Really amazing generative app. And the dev is just a great guy.

Excellent!

RanDoM_rRay

@HotStrange thanks for all these cool, weird things ive never heard of!

echoopera

The answer is YES.

mistercharlie

@espiegel123 said:
It’s great because you can move the markers around to refine the slices and you can have slices that play through the following slice.

You can move the start and end points in a Koala pad any time, too—unless you cropped the sample.

HotStrange

@RanDoM_rRay said:
@HotStrange thanks for all these cool, weird things ive never heard of!

Sure! Lemme know if you end up getting/liking any of them.

Telstar5

@jwmmakerofmusic : Excellent comparison, thanks!

jwmmakerofmusic

@Telstar5 said:
@jwmmakerofmusic : Excellent comparison, thanks!

Cheers mate. ☺️ I know my comparison was rather long winded, but I figured both apps deserved a slightly deeper analysis without going so deep I end up writing a novel. 😂

espiegel123

@mistercharlie said:

@espiegel123 said:
It’s great because you can move the markers around to refine the slices and you can have slices that play through the following slice.

You can move the start and end points in a Koala pad any time, too—unless you cropped the sample.

As far as I understand. And maybe I am wrong, you can’t trigger individual slices from an keyboard until you slice to pads in Koala.

mistercharlie

@espiegel123 said:

@mistercharlie said:

@espiegel123 said:
It’s great because you can move the markers around to refine the slices and you can have slices that play through the following slice.

You can move the start and end points in a Koala pad any time, too—unless you cropped the sample.

As far as I understand. And maybe I am wrong, you can’t trigger individual slices from an keyboard until you slice to pads in Koala.

That’s right. You can’t do that.