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 Store

Loopy Pro is your all-in-one musical toolkit. Try it for free today.

Which basic DAW for Mac?

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Comments

  • @Littlewoodg said:
    @tja
    One of the things i like about MultitrackStudio is direct import and export (either direction) between iOS projects and laptop. If you use your iOS synths and like them its very easy to render those tracks to audio for export to your laptop and vice versa.

    MTS also will run your M1/iOS compatible AUv3s alongside other plugin types. A number of these plugins will load seamlessly in both directions with no user intervention. For example, load a project on iOS using Model 15, save it to iCloud and it will open exactly as it did on the iPad in MTS on the desktop. You can then change the preset in Model 15 and some of the MIDI and save it back to iCloud. It will then open in iOS with the new changes.

    Here are some which seem to work both ways in a project between iOS and desktop MTS. That is, plugins load automatically and plugin state is preserved in both directions:

    AddStation
    Mela/Mela 2
    Fractal Bits
    Model 15
    Drambo
    Sunrizer
    Roli Noise (sort of works)
    Lo-Fi Piano
    SunVox
    Animoog Z
    MiRack

  • It's not cheap, but I think that regarding accessibility, ease of use and ultra-simple interface in which every function has been thoughtfully integrated in its main screen without requiring to navigate between hundred of menus, nothing can compare with Ableton Live. Its UX design is a masterpiece.

    Logic Pro and FL Studio, in the other hand, are the opposite. Both are convoluted with menus, hidden functions. They are the opposite of intuitive. And good luck trying to do simple things in Logic, like separating the CC signals of a MIDI bus into various channels. It doesn't matter if you select only one channel, because it will decide to listen to all the channels, ignoring your preference. So you will need to create a super complex scheme in its advanced MIDI editor, with an ugly and small interface. Then create a fake MIDI instrument to route the CCs to the other tracks. And then tweaking the configuration of this project in the advanced options. Logic Pro is the opposite of doing things in a logical way.

    Bitwig is great is you're looking for a cheap alternative to Ableton. And it includes a lot of experimental features and advanced functions in which it surpass Ableton, like microtuning options for its internal instruments or infinite channels for creating complex audio routings in an accesible way that is similar to AUM in iOS. And nothing can compare with its superb hardware integration, including iPads, because you can easily design extra controls for any external device.

    But as much as I love Bitwig, being my main DAW, it's not as intuitive as Ableton, with some confusing icons and extra steps that make sense once you understand them, but that are not as easy to figure out.

    All of that said, if you're against the concept of clips/loops, and you're 100% into a linear editing workflow, in Bitwig, you have the clips and the timeline arranger integrated in the same screen.

  • Logic Pro X is the one to go for. It take a while to get used to but totally worth it.

    If you want really easy to use then try Reason. They have a trail version.

  • Nothing can compete with Ableton Live.

  • @MisplacedDevelopment said:

    @Littlewoodg said:
    @tja
    One of the things i like about MultitrackStudio is direct import and export (either direction) between iOS projects and laptop. If you use your iOS synths and like them its very easy to render those tracks to audio for export to your laptop and vice versa.

    MTS also will run your M1/iOS compatible AUv3s alongside other plugin types. A number of these plugins will load seamlessly in both directions with no user intervention. For example, load a project on iOS using Model 15, save it to iCloud and it will open exactly as it did on the iPad in MTS on the desktop. You can then change the preset in Model 15 and some of the MIDI and save it back to iCloud. It will then open in iOS with the new changes.

    Here are some which seem to work both ways in a project between iOS and desktop MTS. That is, plugins load automatically and plugin state is preserved in both directions:

    AddStation
    Mela/Mela 2
    Fractal Bits
    Model 15
    Drambo
    Sunrizer
    Roli Noise (sort of works)
    Lo-Fi Piano
    SunVox
    Animoog Z
    MiRack

    I had no idea, this is ultracool.

    Til such time as I inherit my partner’s MBP I won’t be on M1. (PC here.)

  • edited February 2022

    I think I had been at the same point as you are right now. I love music making on the iPad, the touch interface, the unique apps from indie devs, the portability, etc etc. BUT when you need a more traditional DAW for a complex project with Midi and audio and a lot of automation it's tarting to be difficult. That usually happens to me when I want to make something serious out one of my countless jams. Then the air get thin. IMHO Cubasis 3 is the best DAW for that case but still lacks a lot of features that are normal on the desktop.

    So, I also tried to make myself comfortable on the desktop but honestly, so far I failed. I really miss the touch operation. I never really finished a single project and always came back to the iPad - even for mastering. I found out that a good DAW controller is easing the pain of the missing touch operation but I'm only at the beginning of exploring that. I own an AKAI APC 40 mkII only since two weeks - bought it second hand because of Loopy Pro. My Launchpad X is great for triggering the clips, finger drumming and melodies. Now I think Bitwig + APC 40 could be really great. I also wonder how is working with Ableton and a NI Maschine.

    Logic trial version. Logic was not very logical for me. I find the UI is dead ugly. Colorful icons and synths with 90s style pseudo 3D UI elements. I simply could not do simple things without consulting the manual. I couldn't even figure out myself how to change the instrument plugin for a Midi track. Using Logic Remote on the iPad is quite a relief but still I don't get along with Logic.

    Ableton Live Lite. Ableton Live is quite self explanatory. It's really a great DAW for a loop based start and being able to arrange on a timeline later on. I think I never looked into the manual. Usually the online help was enough to find out what I need to do. It supports my controllers really well and I start to like the workflow. There is a huge community and there are countless tutorials.

    Bitwig 8 Track. Bitwig has some bit steeper learning curve than Ableton but still much better than Logic. The UI is colorful but still modern. With the help of the extension "Driven by Moss" the APC turns into a very powerful tool. It's really fun and now I believe this could be probably the door opener to desktop for me. My impression is that it is a bit more capable than Ableton but a bit less intuitive. The community is significantly smaller.

    Update: I forgot to mention that it might be worth to explore running bitwig on a Mac but operating it from the iPad via Apple’s sidecar:

  • edited February 2022

    Whatever DAW you use, you will have to watch a basic tutorial from a good YouTuber. Usually an hour or two. Then you'll be fine on it. This is the case with both Logic and Ableton - there are countless resources available. Going into a complex DAW and expecting to be able to produce decent music on it without RTFM (in video form!) is a ridiculous notion.

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  • edited February 2022
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  • edited February 2022

    @tja said:
    ...
    Did not like my initial impression of Logic Pro.
    And will not use any software that requires an account and login like Ableton.
    Also do not use anything from Adobe out of this reason.
    ...

    No comparison between these two.
    I don't like Adobe's model either and all you need an Ableton account for is to register the software. After that, you can log out and completely stay offline.

    You can even unlock it using a different machine and completely stay offline with the machine running Live:
    https://help.ableton.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000573444-Authorizing-Live-Offline

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  • @tja said:

    @rs2000 said:

    @tja said:
    ...
    Did not like my initial impression of Logic Pro.
    And will not use any software that requires an account and login like Ableton.
    Also do not use anything from Adobe out of this reason.
    ...

    No comparison between these two.
    I don't like Adobe's model either and all you need an Ableton account for is to register the software. After that, you can log out and completely stay offline.

    You can even unlock it using a different machine and completely stay offline with the machine running Live:
    https://help.ableton.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000573444-Authorizing-Live-Offline

    Ah, that's a valuable information, thanks!

    I got the impression that "the DAW needs such a login"....

    I'd hate that, believe me 😊

  • Ableton basic version or Bitwig as mentioned. Nothing else is worth it.

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  • edited February 2022

    @tja i would say FL Studio is most advanced DAW packed with most features and best build-in plugins available. Second one is Reason (btw check Reason Essentials, it should be cheap)

  • every daw has its good and bad sides. and you can’t objectively say which one is better. a lot of people love ableton, i was never able to (haha) enjoy working with it. and i think right now it’s really dragging behind most other daws. i’d pick bitwig over ableton. i think that studio one is much more convenient than reaper, but reaper is more powerful. but they all do the same thing and in kinda the same way. so it’s really about what will click with your workflow. and it will probably click because of some minor things. so don’t listen if people say that this daw is better than that daw.

    and you’ll probably change daws a couple of times over the years.

  • @krassmann I wasn't interested in Ableton beyond recording and arranging tracks from hardware or the iPad. Then I got a Launchpad Pro for Loopy Pro, and now I'm using Ableton pretty much exclusively. It's such a great combo.

  • @tja said:

    @NeonSilicon said:
    Do you have an idea of how you want to compose? Style and workflow?

    If you want to carry over any of your iOS AUv3, then the selection of DAW's/hosts is more limited. GB, MainStage, Logic, and Reaper are the main DAW's that work with those plugins.

    On the mixing and mastering side of things, there's Ardour and Harrison Mixbus to consider too.

    I cannot tell.
    Use of my existing AU would be nice, of course - so another argument towards Reaper.

    I wanted to use a real DAW.

    They are all real DAW's in one way or another. You can throw in Tracktion as another one to look at. It'll even run on a Raspberry Pi if that interests you.

    It seems as though you want to "compose" in the DAW. If that's the case, then it would be best to focus on how you want to compose because that's a principle differentiating factor. Live and Bitwig have an associated workflow. Reason is different. Logic, Digital Performer, etc. too. They've all got people that prefer one workflow versus the others. Some breakdown pretty hard along genre styles too. FL Studio is really popular amongst the electro and EDM folks. Some of that is cultural and some is because the workflow really does benefit that style of music. GarageBand on Mac is actually getting to be fairly popular as a place to outline and start projects that later get moved into bigger DAW's and production systems. Lots of professional Logic compositions will later and up being pushed out into Pro Tools.

    Unless you want to spend a lot of time and cash DAW hopping, I think you are going to need to spend some time narrowing down how you want to compose and what workflow you want to use.

  • @tja said:

    @cabo said:
    Cubase Elements is 99,99 € and Ableton Intro 79 €

    I have the Pro / Suite versions and mainly use Ableton these days cause I prefer the workflow

    I tried Ableton, but it requires an account at the company - I don't use such software.

    Now imagine my feelings when I bought a frigging LED lamp in Lidl, and to even switch it on or off (or change the colour), a mandatory registration and login at the company is required to use their app 😄

  • @SevenSystems said:

    @tja said:

    @cabo said:
    Cubase Elements is 99,99 € and Ableton Intro 79 €

    I have the Pro / Suite versions and mainly use Ableton these days cause I prefer the workflow

    I tried Ableton, but it requires an account at the company - I don't use such software.

    Now imagine my feelings when I bought a frigging LED lamp in Lidl, and to even switch it on or off (or change the colour), a mandatory registration and login at the company is required to use their app 😄

    They want to switch the lamp for you. What's wrong with that? :D

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  • @NeonSilicon said:

    Unless you want to spend a lot of time and cash DAW hopping, I think you are going to need to spend some time narrowing down how you want to compose and what workflow you want to use.

    Yeah I would second this. It's not just how you want to compose, but also temperament. If you're the kind of person that likes to customize your tools, and enjoys hacking, then Reaper is great - if you want things just to work out the box then Reaper is probably not the right tool for you. If you value good UX then Ableton is really the only game in town - unless you want to mainly focus on recording, in which case look elsewhere. If you like Drambo then Reason, Bitwig and (maybe) FLStudio might be good DAWs to check out. Also worth checking out youtube videos to see what tools the people that make tutorials that appeal to you are using.

    And of course there's the wildcard that is Renoise ;)

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  • @tja said:
    I started to watch some videos to help narrow down the list...

    This one was an impressive argument for Reaper:

    Just wanted to share.

    I'll be honest that most of those reasons that he says aren't really that relevant to a DAW but that doesn't detract from the fact that Reaper is a great DAW and is very capable.

    I've been using Reason since version 1. It's now on R12. I know it front to back. My advice is if you want to go for Reaper then do it and stick with it. A couple of years from now you will know it inside out and won't need to think how to do something. That has a huge knock on effect on your creativity.

  • Theres no right answer, just test until you find what you like.

    I like ableton a lot, there are free Ableton live lite licences with a lot of ios apps and quite a few apps can export ableton sets (e.g Gadget, groovebox, blocks wave, patterning). Version 11 lite expanded the number of scenes in the grid view to 16 for free which is nice.

  • @tja said:

    @mulletsaison said:
    I got Harrison MixBus (https://harrisonconsoles.com) after reading about the sound quality in various recording forums. It really does sound pretty great; my workflow is to import mixes or stems from iOS into Harrison for tracking vocals and final mixes. It’s cheap ($89 list and almost always a deal; I think I got it for $39 and recently upgraded to MixBus32c for $49. It’s VERY traditional mixing board kind of DAW, like Logic used to be and ProTools, Digital Performer, etc. I haven’t done any MIDI in it, so can’t comment, but for recording and mixing audio, I like it a lot.

    That seems to be specialized to mixing... not a traditional DAW, or?

    Anyways, it requires also an email adresss to download - so it is the third application that I need a temporary email adress for, which finally just means that I will have look at it only later.
    First come those that do not have this requirement 🤗

    Thanks!

    Sorry to be unclear. What I described is simply my ultra-narrow use of it. It’s got a super robust feature set; absolutely a true DAW that can do pretty much anything you want to do. I am a big fan because:

    • It does sound better or at least great
    • The offers that float around make it remarkably inexpensive
    • Here’s the feature list front their site; I pasted it in at first but it was so long! https://harrisonconsoles.com/product/mixbus/
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