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.
Help with getting better
Hey Guys,
I wanted to reach out and ask for some objective tips on how to improve my music-making ability to be less videogamish.
What do I mean by that? I DON’T KNOW!!... But everybody who listens to my little melodies keeps telling me that
it reminds them of playing Final Fantasy or something.. Not that I care about the game specifically but in my ignorant opinion
it makes me feel like people perceive my music as some 8bit chipmunk ish...
What am I going for? I am going for ambient soundscapes with cool drums and layers of sounds and lots of melodic combinations
I could accept being told that my music is lame, boring, slow, loud, unmixed, basic…. But videogame???
I am dying lol. This link has some of the loops and Melodie’s I have made. https://youtube.com/user/ovidiusmagnus
Ok... So what am I doing about it? I am getting apps to try to create variations and have different tools that make my next project extremely different from the previous one.
Aghhhh… it's not working..
So to consolidate what I need help is: 1. What am I doing wrong and how can I improve? 2. Should I get Riffler lolololol?
(I am addicted to apps)
Thanks yall!!
Comments
I didn’t have a chance to listen to any of your original music yet but one thing you can do is listen to some of the artists that you’re trying to emulate and really analyze the sounds/instruments they are using and the types of things they are doing in their songwriting. You can go online and look up bpm or scale of almost any song. So my general advice would be to listen and analyze some of your favorite artists in the genre you want to make music in.
Also speaking more generally, YouTube is crucial too. So many great videos out there about production, songwriting, etc… tips & techniques.
Rick Beato
Tape Notes Podcast
Tape Op
Reverb
Just to name a few…
Thanks man! I will do more analysis of other producers work to improve
I don't think your loops remind of videogames much, and if they do for some, who cares?
You gave good ideas, just expand on them, add more variation and continue to do your thing!
I listened to one of your pieces didn't remind me of a videogame at all. I'm 59yo so maybe "videogame" means something different to me. Makes me think of Pacman or Donkey Kong. Your piece was not at all like that. It maybe did remind me of the kind of music I might hear in a modern computer game, which to me is almost cinematic. Although cinematic, I would say your piece was just a fragment, kind of static, and to expand and add variation maybe you could think of an actual movie scene, create your own soundtrack for it, let it ebb, flow, add tension as scene progresses, build to a climactic moment and then relese, devolve to an end. Just one idea.
All you had to say was "Ambient soundscapes", and you caught my attention. 😆
First of all, but some of your tracks do have a little bit of a chiptune vibe to them, but so what? The tracks are cleanly mixed and polished and sound great! I'm digging the vibe you bring. The tracks are not lame, boring, slow, loud, unmixed, etc. That's bullshit. They're excellent.
Second of all, the FLSM examples sound decent enough, and I can tell you put your heart into them, but your AUM examples are far superior in terms of sound quality. I'd stick with AUM as you'll get better results (and have gotten better results). FLSM sounds cheaper overall.
Third of all, a little about me. I dove into live Ambient/Soundscape creation a little over two months ago after lusting after the OP-1 Field. I've listened to the likes of Brian Eno, David Lynch, Tangerine Dream, etc. I've posted a lot of Ambient to here since then (although I've taken a week off to avoid creative burnout), and a couple users have attributed the recent wave of Ambient soundscapes others have posted in creations to my neverending thirst and drive. If you need further help/have further questions, I'm here to answer them.
What is "live Ambient/Soundscape creation" you may ask? Well, I set up some stuff in AUM in advance such as synths, long loops in AUM's File Player, etc. Then I hit "record" and live perform the piece, including tweaking volumes, filters, reverbs, etc.
Fourth of all, I forgot to pay attention to what AUv3s you used when closing my eyes to listen to each track. (Yes, I do listen to people's music with my eyes closed, lol.) But, some AUv3s you can purchase that won't break the bank (if you don't have them already) are:
-FAC Alteza (for a really insane long-ass reverb perfect for Ambient)
-ChowTapeModel (which is a free tape effect, but has an optional tip jar to help fund further development)
-Klevgrand DAW Cassette (which is a less-complicated tape effect, but does cost a little money)
-Bleass Monolit (which is a really amazing free synth)
-Bleass Granulizer (for some sweet granular effects)
-Bleass Reverb (for an all-rounder reverb that also has ducking capabilities)
-Bleass Compressor (for a clean compression)
-Bleass Samplewiz 2 (an amazing sampler synth, and in fact, all of Bleass' synths and effects are amazing and worthy of purchase)
-RoughRider 3 (for compression with character, and it's free)
-FAC Bandit (for multiband distortion since FabFilter Saturn costs a pretty penny)
-FAC WooTT (which is like OTT on Desktop, and usually used on Dubstep basses, but can really add some timbral interest to your sounds in unconventional ways)
-Velvet Machine (which sounds like a reverb when tweaked as such, or a sound blurring effect when tweaked a different way, and can get even more creative with it)
-PanFlow (for automated panning)
-FluxPro (can be used not only as an audio effect but can also be used to automate knobs in other synths/effects)
-Rymdigare (funny name, seriously fucking amazing effect that's difficult to describe)
-Koala Sampler (can be used as a standalone, an AUv3, can extract audio from video captures on your iDevice, can use the spleeter algorithm to split apart full tracks into separate parts, etc)
-PaulXStretch Beta ( https://sonosaurus.com/paulxstretch/ free, and will be released as free in the future, but in the meantime, get TestFlight from the appstore (also free), and sign up using that link to download PaulXStretch and stretch your audio to infinity and beyond!)
And when you have some serious money to invest, I also suggest Beathawk and its IAPs, and Korg Module Pro and its IAPs. Both UVI Soft and Korg have occasional sales (especially around Thanksgiving), so be on the lookout for those in order to get your best bang for your buck. Beathawk can be used as a standalone beat creation app, but it can also be loaded as an AUv3 and used as a rompler. Korg's Module Pro is also a rompler. Both have great sounds in them.
Fifth of all, most soundscapes/Ambient pieces don't have drums in them, at least in the traditional sense. The examples you provided are more like Chillout pieces, which I also love. Soundscapes sound a bit more like this...
...where not much in the way of variety/tension and release happens, where the point is to create a sonic realm to exist in for a little while, to evoke a certain emotion. Ambient pieces sound a bit more like this...
...where there are more musical elements and more variety and tension/release, but it still evolves slowly over time.
Although, now this has got me thinking that for my next piece of Ambient (which will be an Ambient diss track against a backstabbing narcissist I considered a friend who then blocked me on Facebook messenger), I may add some super slow distorted drums just for fun, lol. I mean, in a way, Ambient and soundscaping really don't have any rules and can be anything you wish them to be.
And yes mate, I have created an Ambient diss track in the past to poke fun of another friend who's a massive crybaby...
😂
Okay, I think I rambled on long enough. Time for me to get creating Ambient!
I didn’t get a video game vibe at all. Your loops are atmospheric and, well, loops. Perhaps you are looking to make longer tracks which have a build-up and release?
I thought these tracks were excellent. I didn’t get an 8bit chiptune vibe from them. And I wouldn’t say the music sounds like videogames. I would say that videogame music especially the likes of final fantasy stands up as good ambient music on its own without the games! And if someone said my music sounded like final fantasy, I’d be pretty chuffed as Nobuo Uematsu is an awesome music composer!
I would carry on as you are. Nice melodies. Nice chilled vibes. Nice ambient sounds. There is very little difference these days between videogame music and normal commercial music, I find anyway. 👍
I gave some of your stuff a listen. Some of it is really good! If someone tells you it sounds like a video game soundtrack, then take that as a compliment. (I’ve been told the same about mine at times!)
Video game soundtracks cover such a wide range of styles and genres, from 8-bit chip tunes to full on symphony orchestral masterpieces, so don’t let that discourage you!
Just keep making music! Try not to dwell on feedback from any particular piece, but rather learn from it, and apply what you’ve learned to the next one.
I agree with @Poppadocrock in that there’s plenty of learning material on YouTube regarding music theory and production, and that’s all great and everything (those are the tools), but what it really takes is something that will inspire you. Find some inspiration somewhere, wether it takes a walk in the forest, or on the beach. Think of some happy times, or tears of a love once lost… then, armed with your knowledge of the “tools”, use them to convey your happiness, or sadness and pain.
I agree. Make the music you love, not the music others want you to make.
I listened to all of your loops and they DO NOT remind me of video games.
I’ve witnessed this before. Younger people who game a lot do not realize that video games imitate life. They’ve got it backwards and think life imitate video games.
Example, a few years ago my 18 year-old son and his friends came over to hang in the backyard. I had been playing old and obscure 90’s electronic music: Rabbit in The Moon, Wagon Christ, to some better known Orbital, ect, and with each song they heard, they commented on which video game it reminded them of.
I’m not dissing gamers or young people either, I see this with anyone who is simply a passive music listener or just don’t have much life experience. I’ve heard many comments during my life where people hear a song on the radio, and identify it with a TV show or series, not realizing the song almost always came first, sometimes by many years or decades even. Then there are concert songs😂
Back to video games, yes, music most often is writ specially for games first, but thinks of the people writing for them, a slightly older generation who are influenced by early electronic music. Also, the “dated”sound gap of modern games and electronic music is much closer, cause EDM or whatever and game scorers are essentially using similar technology, which is available to average households nowadays.
So even if you have a general disdain for gaming like I do, take it as a compliment if you hear that comparison. Even if not compared to games, you’ll eventually be compared to another artist or group that will still make you shake your head 😂
In conclusion, don’t change a thing. (But the above members give good advice). For what it’s worth, I enjoyed your busier 2nd loop and your more minimalistic 5th loop. I even described to your channel, for I feel we can grow together. You’ve got my flavor, plus I know how it feels to only have one subscriber (now 2!)
Actually, I can’t say that I do, for I have zero subscribers, AH HA-HA-HA!
Most important: Do you like it? Can you listen to your best stuff over and over without getting bored or sick of it? If the answer is yes, then you're making the music you want to make. That’s all that matters.
I think you’re getting the reaction because of your sound palette. Try adding some acoustic sounds from apps like ISymphonic, BeatHawk, PureSynthPlatinum, Korg Module. Or more sophisticated synth sounds from synths like TeraSynth Pro, LaGrange, Continua, DRC and many others.
Also, I think the drums lead listers in a particular direction. Try making stuff without drums or pick different drum sounds.
Finally, post your stuff on the forum under Creations and ask for feedback. Keep up the good work.👍🙏
@magnusovi : fwiw, I heard a great talk about composition and arranging by a musician/composer I admire a lot (Michael League). In response to a question about how to get better at composing/arranging, he had some great advice:
Everyone whose music you like, made a lot of music that wasn't good...you just didn't hear it. Making things that don't work is a necessary part of the process...and even the best after decades still sometimes do not know which is the good stuff and which isn't.
@Spidericemidas word is gospel round these parts, lol.
I dig the vibe and the melodies. For me iPad synths now for the most part just sound retro or video gamey, unless a lot of skilled production work is done. I got similar feedback on my ipad tunes (mainly from folks who don't make music) that my stuff sounded retro or video gamey but with my Maschine tunes just preset flipping NI synths the feedback is much different. Same music by me more or less, just different better sexy sounds that I think land better with people.
I can't agree with this. There's a wealth of variety in terms of iOS synths Sure there are niche things on desktop, Aalto, Kaivo, Plasmonic, to name a few, that we don't have on iOS. I would love to see ports of these. But we have an amazing array of synths at our disposal nevertheless and the forum is awash with examples of tracks people have made that don't sound remotely video-gamey. If you want to get away from classic analogue subtractive synth sounds, there are tons of unashamably digital options like Fundamental2, Thermo, StarWaves, CubeSynth Pro etc
The video game feedback is common when it comes to GM (General MIDI) sounds. Not that this is what you were using but that’s what people associate those sounds with. Try some different or “better quality” sounds.
There are plenty of ios synths that sound as good as desktop synths. If one sticks to presets one might be stuck with limited sounds…but that is an issue of the presets, not the synths.
For preset-surfing it's hard to beat NI Komplete Kontrol, Maschine, or Arturia Analog Lab.
I use an external hardware sequencer and recently swapped my iPad and AUM for a Windows laptop and Komplete Kontrol and the difference in finding decent presets to use is night and day.
Right, and as stated I was specifically talking about 'preset flipping' (which is what I imagine OP is into, as most people tend to be nowadays), so for me I include the sound design of the sound library when I rate an iOS synth. I also said that 'with skilled production work' (I tend to include sound design as production work) that one can get past this limitation. Sure, many decent synths under the hood I am sure but the sound libraries are limited.
Probably just modern lazy 'producer' / bounty of riches thinking but I don't separate the quality of the sound library when evaluating synths any more than I discount their GUI.
I guess I think that judging a synth by its presets is like judging a guitar strung with old strings.
I don’t think of programming a synth or tweaking presets to be more interesting as requiring “a lot of skilled production work”.
Probably because you are not an unabashed 'lazy producer type' like me.
Yah I just find flipping through tens of thousands of presets (seemingly made by insanely good sound designers) and doing tweaks gets me further/better/faster than even thinking about under the hood stuff like whether a synth is subtractive/additive/fm/flux capacitor...
Yah I thought I was cranking out a lot on iPad but with Maschine/Komplete in one year I had more/better than I did in six years on iOS. It sure made a difference for me. At first I thought 'oh no I am abandoning all that work' but now I listen back to that stuff and am like 'who cares?'. I still use ipad for couch sample fodder and Endlesss but it is far lower on the list now.
And iOS could use an AI-powered sample finder like XO, Atlas, or COSMOS as well.
After using COSMOS for several months, I'm never going back to manually wading through hundreds of thousands of samples ever again. It's a huge time-saver. So is Komplete Kontrol for synth patches.
Ahh right, I have been sleeping on the sample finders. Used to primarily be a sample dude but I think I burned out on it for that very reason, thanks for the reminder, will check them out.
And to @magnusovi, I listened to you here https://youtube.com/user/ovidiusmagnus. Try playing more parts polyphonically, rather than monophonically. And let your chords ring out a bit more, with each note in chords not all the same length. Use less arpeggios. Old video games used those truncated chords, arps, and mostly monophonic parts.
Also try to make your drums more dynamic by varying the velocity and decay, plus slightly varying panning helps. Use more realistic drum samples too. Using more automation is a big one.
My music has been called 'videogame-ish but with modern sounds' so maybe these suggestions may not work either.
You guys are amazing. Thank you for the time y’all took to respond. I have never felt like I was part of such a great community before. Work has been crazy so this weekend I will respond to all y’all. Last night I made a quick little wanna be ambient track with no drums so I’ll post that in a minute, but yeah, this weekend I am going to get busy! “God” bless you!!
Thanks man! I will keep pushing forward!
Great point man, I guess I am miss understanding what people are telling me when they say video game music. I will take it as some sort of complement, as long as it’s not on every piece I make lol.
It means a lot to me that you took the time to post such a comprehensive response man. You are a top dog for sure! I’m going to listen to you music tonight with my eyes closed as well to make sure I learn from a real pro. Thanks!!!