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.
My current journey for fulfilling my lust for Ambient soundscape creation.
This is a long post, so bear with me, lol. While patiently waiting to fulfill my gear lust for the OP-1 Field (gotta save up for a nice down payment on it through Perfect Circuit, shut up, don't at me lol), I was looking to fulfill my lust for creating Ambient.
NS2 and Gadget haven't "done it" for me since August/September of last year since what I've been looking for is a simpler app that simulates tape looping ala Eno's "Music for Airports". I also wanted an app I could "make mistakes" in much like the OP-1 Field's tape mode.
The ideal workflow for me would be to source sounds from various places (wav loops I create myself from various apps like Gadget and Beathawk, download stuff from freesound.org, record stuff on the spot, etc), arrange them in such a way that they'd loop endlessly, mute/unmute, slowly adjust volume over time, fiddle with some internal/external FX, slap on Alteza followed by TB Reelbus on the master (no limiters please!), and voila. An Ambient soundscape!
AUM seems like the perfect jamming environment, but it's not exactly what I'm looking for (although @iOSTRAKON 's works in it are simply phenomenal). Someday I'll get into Drambo again, but at the moment I've been looking for something simpler.
Then I figured "some sort of sampler app might do the trick". I considered redownloading BM3, but it's not universal sadly, seems complex when I'm looking for "simple", and I want to be able to make Ambient on my iPhone. Then I remembered Andrew Huang's "Flip" app, and by the look of it I didn't purchase it yet. However after looking at the previews on the screen, I was like "what the hell am I staring at here?!" And only 9 pads is bollocks. 😂
But then I think I found the holy grail "app to end all apps" - @elf_audio 's Koala Sampler! I did purchase it a couple years ago, and I can't remember why I didn't get on with it back then. Maybe I thought it was "too simple" or "it can't host AUv3 FX" or some other twaddle. However, I decided to dig a bit into it yesterday and watch some videos about it on Youtube, and honestly how the hell did I sleep on this app for so long?! 😵💫 It's EXACTLY what I'm looking for! It's like the ProCreate of iOS sampler apps - simple on the surface, but it goes DEEP!
So I upgraded to Samurai Edition and got the AUv3. Even though I don't need Koala FX at the moment (I may in the future), I still purchased it to support @elf_audio in the present!
My questions are, if you use Koala Sampler, do you have any tips and tricks for creating Ambient in it? Have you used Koala as an AUv3? Do you have any videos showing how you use it either in standalone or with other apps? Also, are there other apps out there like this? What FX AUv3's would you suggest I can use with Koala in a master chain?
And @elf_audio , if you've read this far, please consider crafting a library of soundpacks I can either purchase individually or subscribe to for continued development. The last thing I want to see is Koala Sampler going down the same dark development path that NS2 has.
Comments
This was very interesting read as I’m searching for a very similar workflow (Keyboards: Ambient, Eno, Loops, Field Recordings…). My plan was to try it in AUM, I haven’t thought at all about Koala Sampler so far (though I own it). I want to add some processed Sine waves to the picture (for binaural beats and some similar things). This can be done quite good with AugenX or Fundamental.
Drambo might be perfect for this but I haven’t cracked it so far. What I like about AUM is having everything on one page and as far as I understood it so far that won’t be the case in Drambo.
Long story short: I’ll try Koala later today (just woke up) and am looking forward to all the thought and ideas that will come up in this thread.
https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/49112/how-i-make-lo-fi-ambient-tape-loops-using-koala-sampler/p1
It can? I'll have to look into those apps. I bet I can create a long wave file with one of those apps and Koala can play it back endlessly.
Yeah, Drambo isn't all on one page, but it's a god tier beast of an app. "What musical things can I do in Drambo?" Yes.
Same here mate!
Exactly the kind of video I've been looking for! Shout out to @sevenape !
Load two instances of one of those apps in AUM, pan them hard left and hard right. Choose your “carrier frequency” and set the oscillators of the two oscillators slightly above and below your carrier frequency. The difference between the two oscillators will define the Binaural Beat.
On this I used the free version of Fundamental. I also used Perforator tho get the pulsating effect. The beat is set to 4 hz. The I added SpaceFields and some effects and a field recording of a river:
https://martinneuhold.bandcamp.com/track/im-fluss-naviarhaiku-437
Awesome!
Aww thanks dudes!!!
Of course mate!
If you got any wisdom to impart on us Koala newbies, let us know. ☺️
I'll take the liberty of linking this new thread here.
https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/50274/great-video-about-a-workflow-with-koala-and-korg-nanokontrol-2
Shout out to @krassmann for this awesome find!
Thanks. Yes, this video is awesome. Incredible that Koala on an iPhone and a cheap controller is enough for a decent live performance setup.
So far, this was my first foray into Koala Ambient creation.
https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/50279/jwm-koala-drone-052122a#latest
For my next attempt, I recorded myself playing Christina Aguilera's "Say Something" on the piano. I will chop up some of the piano parts and craft a sequence from that utilizing choke groups and time stretching! Then we'll see where that takes me from there.
Quit it // You’re going to make me blush
Lol! I shall torment you with too many compliments until you blush. 😈
So after a very severe case of GAS regarding the OP-1 Field, I think Koala Sampler has helped stave it off for the time being. 😅 However, the GAS regarding OP-1 Field and the og OP-1 goes in cycles. This is why...
OP-1 Field Cons
-No undo button, so no way to undo a very huge blunder when overdubbing. (Then again, this is a double-edged sword.)
-F***ing expensive price! (But this is not the thread to debate about the price and whether or not it's justified. That thread is here https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/50159/holy-crap-a-new-op-1 .)
OP-1 Field Pros
(Again, a double-edged sword.)
-No undo button, so "happy accidents" can happen at any time. It's like painting sound with Bob Ross.
-It's not as powerful as an iPad/PC/Mac, so plenty of limitations to spark creativity. (Sometimes for me, too many options overwhelms me.)
-Lots of nice little synth engines all wrapped up in a box.
-In a world crowded with "warm" VA Synths (both VST and hardware), this little thing stands out due to it being unashamedly digital and "cold" sounding.
-No internet connection, so a social media addict like me can just unplug and make the damn music already, lol.
-Super portable with a dedicated 24-hour battery. Gadget 2 is known to drain an iPad's battery pretty quickly even though I absolutely love using it, and most iPads seem to only have a 10-hour battery.
But even though the OP-1 Field appeals to me a lot because of those reasons, Koala cured my GAS issues for now, lol.
Now, time for me to shut up and work on music, lol.
And here are the results of my next foray into Koala sampler!
https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/50299/im-givin-up-on-you-ambient-piece-done-in-koala-sampler#latest
I must NOT buy an OP-1 Field. I must NOT buy an OP-1 Field. I must NOT...
Just saw another video, and the OP-1 Field is tinier than I could've imagined! An iPad Pro 12.9" is larger than that. OP-1 Field GAS terminated. 😂🤣
Koala is just marvelous. I record all sorts of sounds while I'm out and about with it. Combine with AudioShare to easily move files from your phone to your iPad and you're good.
As I dig into it I'm finding Koala's effects aren't deep enough for me. No big deal - just like the SP-404, there are pros and cons of a simple architecture. That's where AUM is so handy with its routing options, combined with AUv3 capabilities to stack multiple instances of the same effect on top of each other (delays upon delays upon reverbs back into delays - all with just two apps). Kosmonaut and Gauss are both nice for adding additional texture. FAC Bandit is getting a lot of use here as a sound design tool. You might also want to look at Borderlands for taking the recordings made in Koala to a deeper place.
Excellent advice.
I'm sorry I didn't answer sooner. I just started getting my feet wet with Loopy Pro, lol. Koala's internal FX are indeed not deep enough, but I still like to use them as an underlying effect before a really fat juicy reverb like Alteza, lol.
My current Ambient project. I'm about to perform it live in Loopy Pro!
I like simple things too 😊
Will definitely check tomorrow. Just first catching up now on everything mate, lol.
That's really nice!
Slap on Alteza at the end of that (you can keep Drambo's reverb too, just slap Alteza at the end), and voila! 😎
How does it sound? Sorry I don't have Alteza, but it looks like a set of reverbs, delays and pitch shifters much like what's on the menu in Drambo.
It's the only reverb I'm using on this track.
It's gorgeous, deep, spacious, luscious. Just get the damn thing and support @FredAntonCorvest . 
But then again...this morning I surfed the appstore to see what other plugins @bleassapp had. I finally bought their reverb plugins: Bleass Reverb (which has a freeze button!), and Bleass Shimmer (pitch shifting reverb?! I'm in!). I have no idea what they sound like yet, lol, but I'll have a play with them in a bit!
Not exactly what you asked, but I’m gonna recommend my favorite stuff for ambient ; in AUM
“Ström” —>”FieldScaper”—>”alteza” and/or “Dedalus”. Spacefields is amazing, “Mononoke’” as well, “Kosmonaut” on delays. Record into koala
Sweet!
I have some of those apps already, and some I don't. I'm going to purchase tomorrow the ones you mentioned that I don't have. 
I'm also going to purchase Flip Sampler (to challenge myself to make Ambient within its strict limitations) and MiRack (now that I have a 12.9" M1 iPad Pro, I have plenty of screen realestate to comfortably use MiRack).
Wait...turns out I have Fieldscaper and never learned it?!
What the hell Jimmy?! Of course I'm going to get Spacefields. Anything Igor churns out is amazing for Experimental and Ambient genres.
It feels so strange to say that my journey into Ambient exploration has currently drawn to a close for now. I wish I could edit the thread title to "Where my musical journey is taking me now", but alas I cannot as I can't edit the post anymore.
SO despite the fact I'm no longer producing live Ambient right now, I am still producing music - just that I've returned to EDM/Pop/Dance/Trance/etc mostly in NS2 (although for vocal tracks, I have Cubasis 3 to meet all of my vocal recording needs, especially with the amazing Waves Tune RT IAP built into CB3).
I recently made a track called "Screw Yourself"...
...about a toxic ex-friend of mine, but now I'm working on a whole EDM album to be released on Bandcamp! The lead single is actually a Halloween-themed song called "Silver Moon" and will be released on 28th October 2022 with a radio edit (including a skit featuring my cousin) and an extended version, both to be released on Bandcamp! Here's a teaser...
https://www.dropbox.com/s/w4ajlhddjkagby1/JWM - Silver Moon (Teaser).wav?dl=0
The album itself is called "The Xperience", and here are the tracks so far...
The reason I call it "Xperience" instead of "Experience" is the titular track is a remake of one of the first tracks I ever produced with FL Studio in 2003, back when I thought spelling "Xperience" was "cool and original"! 🤣 A sonic easter egg to listen for is the fact I used the original Magix "Techno" kickdrum that I used in the original 2003 version - just that in the remake I layered a couple of samples on top and used FAC Transient to make the overall kick punchier. Here's a teaser for that...
https://www.dropbox.com/s/goqz2m729srcb5v/JWM - The Xperience (Teaser).wav?dl=0
Now some folks do think that producing Experimental and Ambient is a waste of time, and when it comes to earning good income from creating music, they aren't exactly wrong (unless you're Brian Eno, lol). However, without my "Summer of Ambient 2022" full of live experimentation, I wouldn't have bought the Bleass apps, wouldn't have learned new production techniques by doing, wouldn't have learned to simplify my EDM arrangements, ear training, etc.
My favourite techniques for EDM production carried over from Ambient are "using Bleass Saturator" and "using Bleass Shimmer to fatten up leads".
I will say the best thing I produced from this era of music creation is "I Shall Guide Thee", a piece about Anubis leading your soul into the afterlife.
I'm sure I will enter a new phase of Ambient in the future. It seems each time I enter a phase, I learn new production techniques. Cheers.
Anubis, eh? Do like a cool psychopomp. Or a touch of katabasis…