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.
Comments
What do you want to do?
Choosing one of them as a host means that this is where you're going to host you AUv3 plugins.
Also, you'll rely on all sync features of the host - which isn't a problem since both LP and Drambo support LINK and MIDI clock master+slave with proper offset adjustment.
I'm using Drambo & Loopy Pro at the same time in my setup currently. Both are running stand-alone.
Drambo is where I write my actual songs. I send the audio via my audio interface loopback to Loopy Pro.
I use Loopy Pro to loop the audio coming out of Drambo, to allow transfers between tracks.
I'm also using Loopy as a MIDI controller "bridge". Loopy can talk easily to my Lauchpad Pro MKIII (lighting up the pads). I've mapped the LPP MKIII pads to a 9x9 grid in Loopy Pro (using radio buttons). Those buttons in turn send MIDI to Drambo to control my 8 tracks with 8 variations on there. This means the midi controller will show the state of the clips you have active (as long as you have Drambo set to repeat clips/groups). So far looks like it'll work well, if it turns out good maybe I'll share the Loopy Pro project to make it quicker for others to do the same.
If loopy is run as an AU, it won’t have the ability to host AU and so you won’t have the actions that can be used to control and modulate AU. Loopy also manages AU do that they don’t use processor cycles when they are idle or muted/off which in some situations helps processor load.
Also Loopy Pro can host IAA plugins still which is nice
This is the first time I heard of using both as standalone with an audio interface. I guess there is no way to route audio internally without either one being the host. Is there any latency issue?
Got it. All features and automation related to recording, playing and looping audio still available, right?
Noted, LP doesn't handle midi for now. I need a whatever sequencer and some are also hosts and this opened up the option using LP as an AU.
Beatmaker 3 is also a quality option. Like any DAW, it has its own workflow to get used to of course.
Yea you need an interface to do it. I think the only latency penalty is 2x the latency of one DAW, as you are running the audio through both buffers. There might be a bit of extra, but its all in the digital so I think its very minor. I'm doing dance music stuff without live accompanyment and find it OK (though I'm hoping with new-model iPad I can get the buffer down lower).
Yes. If you are using Drambo primarily for midi, it works very well in loopy as a midi sequencing AU.
I use Drambo inside Loopy Pro. Drambo handles the midi, and also any sounds that I like from it that I've built from its internal modules. Loopy Pro is the better AUv3 host for me because it offloads processing power from idled plugins with little to no hassle, which is important because I don't have a very high-power iPad. I used to have an Air 2, and even with that I never ran into any limitations with because as soon as CPU usage got too high I would just commit to audio loops and idle the plugins.
My default templates all have Drambo first loaded as an AUv3 audio input. Next I add that same instance as a midi input. In this way I only need one instance. I turn off idling for Drambo as you don't want it going to sleep when it may need to do sequencing duties. When I want to use the Drambo sequencer for midi, I add a midi out module to a track, select a channel, then set the plugin I want to play to listen to that channel.
If I was more into leveraging Drambo's automation and p-locks to control AUv3 synths, I'd do things the other way around. In that case I'd try to make use of the multi-input aspect of a single Loopy instance, as I have done in AUM before. I'm not sure that works though. I'll have to give it a try.
@wim Thx that's a cool trick! Originally I'm just picking a sequencer to go with LP but seems picking Drambo which also a host and a modular groovebox opens up a lots possibilities.
Also I still use air 2 everyday as an instrument. I use sequencism with it, I guess that's the lightest AU host and sequencer for older devices.
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sequencism/id1240952241?ign-mpt=uo=4
It's true that running Drambo in Loopy does increase CPU load, but to me the tradeoffs are worth it. I have a (slightly) faster iPad now, but honestly could continue even now with the Air 2 by quickly committing to audio and idling plugins as I go. Drambo can be idled too if all sequenced tracks have been committed to audio in this way.
@wim If Drambo could idle plugins to save cpu, would you change your method ?
I understand the thing to commit to audio, but I also find it inspiring to be able to change synth parameters on the fly.
I guess it depends on what genre you do, how repetitive, if you like to jam out ideas.
It's such an important question, and I went to the road of loopy inside drambo for various reasons... And I still have doubts
No, I'd stick with Loopy Pro because to my surprise, committing to audio early and moving on has launched the most liberating and skill building phase in my musical journey to date. I actually feel I quickly lose the creative flow when I record MIDI sequencing and am tempted to go back and tweak things forever. But, if I do want to jam out with synth parameters on the fly, I have only to wipe out those loops and re-enable the midi tracks. Best of both worlds.
I've built a habit of separating out the phases of music making into idea generation, experimenting with those ideas (tweaking), arranging, mixing, and finalizing. I try to focus mostly on only one of those at a time. I do much better with each when I separate things out that way. We all have our best workflows though.
I can definitely see it from that view. If I were more midi focused and if to me "jamming" was more focused on noodling with parameters, then I'd go that way too. Also, I like to use guitar and bass as well. I find Loopy to be more direct for that, so that influences how I work as well.
it's not such a hugely important question to think through in advance though since experimenting is fun and costs nothing. Trying both ways, and even switching between them as inspiration strikes is perfectly viable. 😉
Drambo’s params can be changed on the fly when it runs as an AU.
I use Loopy’s custom workspace/controllers capabilities extensively and as a virtual pedalboard , too.
I was referring to automating plugins inside Drambo with it's excellent automation tools and p-locks. Drambo doesn't expose AUv3 parameters, so automation to and from Loopy is limited to midi CC's at 128 value resolution.
???
The comment I am replying to (“ I understand the thing to commit to audio, but I also find it inspiring to be able to change synth parameters on the fly.”)
is from Etienne … he doesn’t mention AU automation. Even though Drambo doesn’t expose AUv3 parameters, you can still tweak Drambo’s knobs, do p-locking, etc. inside the Drambo AU.
My point is that Drambo as an AU can be tweaked on the fly.
I use Loopy as the host now. I like the full screen experience of Loopy and Drambo works nicely in a window.
It’s so easy to tweak, record and then air drop clips to my mac.
Plus I like the way you can share an instance of an effect without having to route for it.
That's smart. Is it correct to say you produce mostly with your ipad then ?
I prefer to use a desktop for that, and use my ipad as the brain of my synthboard, looper, groovebox... for live use, also with guitars plugged in.
All in all, you've convinced me try loopy as a host, I already feel it has big benefits. (I'm going to be much more active on the loopy sub though
)
Yes thank you for that, it seems to be more versatile this way ! I've already put my brain on this, with the help of the Freeform app not to get lost with all the midi, drambo, streambyter things.
Nice ! I had to look it up on the manual, and it will fit perfectly with my setup.
P.S. : Loopy has a playback count-in. My drummer is going to love me during the next rehearsal.