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Loopy Pro Questions
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I’m happily re-discovering Loopy Pro and am pretty satisfied with the way I can simulate a reel to reel audio editing device (that’s my current purpose). The problem I experience is that knobs and especially labels don’t react consistent to the grid. Example: when I have a text label and copy past this, it somehow resizes the pasted text. In my situation it’s impossible for me to create a straight block of four dials with text beneath them. Because I personally have the tendency to put things straight it’s quite frustrating. I deleted and re-installed the app, searched within the settings if I could change or snap to grid but it doesn’t seem to be there and/or work. Is this a known problem? In the image supplied, the knob and text is copied and past to the right hand. It should be an exact copy but as you can see the text/box on the right hand is scaled different. When I would take the knob/text and place it more to the left the effect is even worse.
A better example; created the top label named filter, four knobs and four pieces of text. Did my best to align them (Apple pencil) and copy/paste the whole block to the right. It completely messes up my initial configuration. Couldn’t find anything of a grouping feature for a block of controls that I want to duplicate. Personally I find it pretty annoying especially since I finally found this i.m.h.o. great use for Loopy. Some sort of tape splicing/FX/bounce thingy that can be used with the iPad in both hands. Record, play real-time with the audio, applying effects, re-record, bounce and repeat with only two thumbs. If I may wish for something I would opt for more colors and being able to use images or vector shapes.
EDIT: I just discovered it doesn’t happen when I load Loopy in AUM. Even when saving to a different folder and re-opening in Loopy standalone keeps it all together. But in standalone I need to duplicate the project and save it again to make it visible in my project list. Is there something wrong or am I making things complicated?
@Bietfriek , can you say more about what you mean by
I was making things complicated, the saved file when using Loopy as plugin is in the Audio Unit Extensions folder. Think I found a solution: open AUM -> Audio channel -> Loopy as instrument. Empty the grid -> Save within Loopy (Still in AUM). Close AUM -> Open Loopy Standalone and open the file from the Audio Unit Extensions folder. This (for me) seems to work right now. Creating a new file within Loopy as standalone ensures strange behavior over here.
Could you clarify which "Audio Unit Extensions" folder you mean? Is it the "Audio Unit Presets" under AUM in the Files app?
No, it’s the one in Loopy Standalone.
What strange behavior happens if you create the file in standalone? If there is a problem, Michael needs to know about it to address it.
I’ve mentioned that earlier: knobs, text is messed up when being copy/pasted. It’s near impossible to get things aligned.
So, that problem only happens if you create the project in stand-alone and then open it in the AUv3? Am chance you could make a screen recording showing steps from start to finish?
The text “filter” on the right is resized after copy/paste.
Clip 11 and the text below is originally added, the version on the right (Clip 12) is a copy/paste version of Clip 11 and placed to the right of it. As you can see the text field is distorted. It’s impossible to get it exactly right.
Ok. I guess the AU window size may result in different behavior.
@Michael
How does LP handle program/preset changes? I am trying to find a way to extend the functionality of my Digitakt by using the MIDI tracks to control longer samples, stereo one hits, and other audio files on my iPad - I basically want to make it a DigiOctatrack.
I figure I could use the 8 MIDI tracks to control an app or apps on the iPad to add more versatility. I keep going back and forth with LP. I see how deep it is, but I also see how much work goes in to setting it up, first.
This sounds interesting. Here’s a general advice on mapping midi stuff in Loopy, at least how it makes sense to me…
Instead of trying to map midi messages directly to clips, colors or whatever, add a second page in Loopy with buttons for your control. For example, I have buttons like “scene1, scene 2…” , “input 1, input vocal…”. I then trigger these buttons with mi midi controller or Digitakt in your case.
Basically you add an abstraction layer in between your controller device and the actual clips or sound thingies.
A kind of explanation as to why with an example is:
It helps me in that I keep the “loopy stuff” in loopy and I have some consistent mapping with whatever hardware device.
I haven’t used the Digitakt this way… might be cool but I can’t really picture the workflow. I’d love to hear how it goes.
I appreciate the input, but I have to be honest, I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. I used the 7 day trial when it first came out, but it was so daunting, I gave up and haven't bought it yet. I'm teetering due to how crazy it looks, but how useful it may be.
Loopy is probably less complicated than it seems. While it has a lot of options (which makes it flexible), the core options that most people need are few. Asking questions can help get you oriented quickly if the various tutorials out there or manual aren’t sufficient.
There are actions for pretty much any you can do and any action can be midi learned.
What do you mean by program/preset changes? Are you talking about AU presets?
What Tahiche is saying is that it is handy to set up buttons for your actions and then trigger those buttons via midi.
If you're familiar with the Elektron way of organizing patterns/banks, each of my songs is a various number of patterns in a singular bank. On each pattern change, I may want various sounds to change on the iPad by sending program change messages. So if, for example, MIDI track 2 on the DT controls a snare on pattern 1, I may want it to change to a hihat on pattern 2, so I need whatever app I use to accept that program change.
Loopy Pro can midi learn any midi event. Any event can be mapped to as many actions as you’d like. Buttons can also be made to trigger any number of actions. And I agree with Tahiche that setting up a button with multiple actions is the way to go…and midi learn that button. It makes it simpler to update and remap and test.
But how does that translate to switching sounds that are loaded? I'd love to have LP immediately change all the sounds/parameters on pattern changes with the PC message being sent to it. I'm really just looking for a solution to turn the 8 MIDI tracks of my DT into an Octatrack. I know Drambo can do it, but Drambo can be a PITA with program changes inside/outside of AUM (in my past experience).
You create a button (or midi control action) that has each of the actions you want such as changing AU presets or fader levels or whatever.
@slicetwo here is a list of the actions available in loopy pro. Any number of them can be added to a button or midi learn event:
https://wiki.audiob.us/doku.php?id=loopy_pro_action_list
Detailed info at
https://loopypro.com/manual/#actions
I think I know what you want. You want to sync patterns/projects between Digitakt and Loopy?. So when you load a Digitakt pattern it sends out a PC message that would load a new set of sounds on Loopy.
Look at “Load project” here In the Loopy manual under “Session actions”. You can load a new Loopy project with a midi message. Will it be fast enough?. I don’t know.
That’d be ideal, butt there’s other ways, here’s some off the top of my head.
I’ve never used the Digitakt to trigger midi. It’s something I should try. I might give this a go,I’ll let you know f I do. So you want to play “long” phrases or loops from Loopy in sync with the Digitakt?. I mean, you’re not aiming at playing melodic lines… Loopy is really flexible with Midi, it’s up there with AUM in how you can map everything. While back I tried the PC thing from the Digitakt in Zenbeats, it was a nightmare. I had to use Mozaic or something to convert PC to CC blabla. The kind of thing that works once and it’s just not worth it. But Loopy can do it for sure.
@slicetwo , if you spell out more clearly what you want to happen in Loopy, we can give clearer advice. Look at the list of actions. Any number of those actions can be triggered by midi events you send to Loopy.
@espiegel123 I think @tahiche has it as close to how I can explain it as possible with the loading projects idea.
Basically, I just need a way to quickly change the samples hosted in Loopy Pro so that if in pattern A01, MIDI Track 1 is controlling a bass sample, when I switch to pattern A02, the Digitakt tells Loopy Pro to switch that bass sample to a guitar sample for MT1 to play. Does that make more sense? I literally just want to have 8 more flexible tracks. I'll have to see how quick LP can load projects. It'd have to be as instantaneous as the pattern changes to stay in sync, of course.
I've tried using various AUs in the past hosted in AUM, but there would be glitches where a preset wouldn't change or parameters wouldn't be received, so it got all jacked up.
Maybe it's time to suck it up and by LP and just force myself to learn it.
You can load tons of samples into a loopy pro project. You can create multiple pages per project. Is there a reason you need to change the samples being hosted and not just the samples being played?
You can switch between which sample is playing without swapping projects.
You can switch between pages of a project instantly.
I guess it would be a matter of figuring out how to get the DT to change which sample it's playing when it changes patterns. I don't need to switch projects necessarily. I'll need to toy with it more.
Changing the playing sample is just a matter of midi learning what the DT sends for the clip you want triggered.
I figure I could probably use Program Changes to change the audio file per track. Thanks for all the input, y'all! Time to do more testing.
Also, is there a PatchStorage type place for LP layouts?
I don’t know if this is a question, a bug or user error. Hope someone can clarify.
Sometimes, and the problem is I haven’t found a pattern, when I record a long loop (32 bars or about) the recording is “shifted” so it doesn’t start at 1 but maybe halfway. I’m talking about the actual waveform you see when you edit. So If the recording is 40 seconds long it’ll start at what was 20 sec, go on and the actual beginning will happen halfway through… This has happened on many many occasions and I can’t see any relevant setting that would cause this. Also there’s no way I can see if fixing it. If I shift the wav start point I loose what was at the beginning.
Anyone has any idea?. Very frustrating.
If phase preservation is on, and you start recording out of cycle in relation to the longest playing loop, the start point can be rotated so that it starts with the correct relationship to the other loops but the length should be right.
For example, if you have a 32 bar loop playing and record 32 bars starting when bar 17 of the playing loop is happening and phase preservation is on, Loopy will (by design) shift the audio to keep the audio lined up as it was when you were recording. In this case, where your recording would be rotated so that the start point is at bar 17.
This behavior is very handy (and can be turned off) as it means you can start recording midway through a chord progression and if you play a full cycle have loopy keep it lined up right.
If you have a long repetitive loop running, you might not realize that you started recording mid-way through.
Is that possible? If you turn phase preservation off that won’t ever happen.
If it happens inadvertently, and the record start was quantized, it is generally possible to recapture what you want by turning phase preservation off and resampling to another loop or using the sequencer room to resample .
If you could make a screen recording that shows your settings and what is happening that would help.
It would help to know the recording settings (count in/out, auto count out), what the master cycle was set to, whether phase preservation was on. Did recording look like it started and stopped on time, was phase lock on? Are you starting recording at the top of the cycle? Was retrospective recording being used. Was loopy being synced to other apps?
I’ve not seen a recording look like it started and stopped on time and then didn’t contain what I recorded.
Man, it totally sounds like it’s phase preservation!. Reading your description I think you nailed it. Ok, so it’s made for being able to start halfway through a phrase and it’ll line it up later. Totally not my case, that’s why it was confusing. Let me explain…
I make really long loops, like a whole verse. But they’re not a single chord progression, they’re actually like repetitions. So, as you said ,mi wouldn’t notice If I’m starting halfway through. So I’m playing a solo or lead on top of that “loop of loops” and to my surprise when I play it back it’s totally in the wrong place. Phase preservation->OFF. Thanks for that!. I think I probably had it “on” cos it sounded good, you know like I probably wanted to preserve my phase, why not? 🙋🏻♂️🙃
As to “fixing it” I hadn’t thought about resampling, that’s a good idea. But it’d be really useful If you could shift the start point while preserving the length, so it’d append what was before the new start to the end. Don’t you think?.
Thank u again!. That’s a lifesaver! 👏👏🙌🙌🙌