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
Another hornet freebie for the next 24ish hours (I can’t ever remember what time it is in Italy)
https://www.hornetplugins.com/plugins/hornet-thirtyone-mk2/
That wonderful synth Kilohearts Phase Plant, 50% off
https://kilohearts.com/products/phase_plant
I think I really want this. Listened to the demo video of the presets in the car yesterday. Sounds pretty great. I have most of their drum libraries and really like them all. 104.30 intro price (30% off) until Dec 29th. Good idea for a new library. They will eventually have a better discount I think but that could be like next summer.
https://www.soniccouture.com/en/products/g82-ac-dr-acoustic-drum-machine/
a USB iLok in 2023 is just insane, especially after Apple's assault on ports.
I've heard a few people go on about UAD like they're amazing, but I'm really over hardware emulations and very sceptical about the need for them or most people's genuine ability to tell in reality. I got a free LA2A plugin recently, then eventually realised each instance was creating fake hardware noise at a much higher level than useable and no switch to turn it off. Stopped using it after that, but until I get around to sorting it I still have a little 'UA' plugin handler up in the task bar reminding me it's floating around eating up its piece of the resource pie for that one plugin, and I've seen it jump way up in Activity Monitor before when doing whatever it is that it has to do to keep it in the game of never being used.
I started with Waves 20 years ago and gradually updated over years, so I've got more than enough from them if I ever really need one for some unknown reason. I mostly only use the more esoteric FX type things from them now, like O-Vox.
Probably a case of 'right forum, wrong thread' ... looking through the last few pages just made me feel a bit tired, kind of like looking at a huge cake after a 15 course meal, where I felt I can't even stand the thought of looking at the web site of another single desktop plugin for the rest of my life, over the course of which I'm not even sure I'll finish going through everything I already have.
I had a kind of epiphany the other day when Moog dropped Mariana for $15 on iOS or $49 on Mac. I've been edging closer to the same realisation as I've been eyeing the sales of Korg and Sugar Bytes over a few month — but after hearing how great and real Moog-like Mariana sounds I realised I just can't justify paying so much more for desktop plugins again.
The only real issue with using the iPad Pro as one of, if not the primary sound module, routed via IDAM into Ableton is that IDAM is not full duplex, so it can't be used for realtime EFX send/return (although Sonobus allows you to get pretty close).
I'm kind of used to bouncing ideas and different presets etc to audio fairly early on, then dealing with any kind of latency or sync issues more or less manually by adjusting audio clip start times, which is often made easier in Ableton with the 'pseudo' detected transients as a guide where to put the start marker. But even all ITB just in Ableton these kinds of problems still happen more often than I would have thought in 2023. Committing to audio early on also helps in being more decisive, and you can also make some cool, smaller techy loops of maybe half a bar or less as you go.
But on top of that, sometimes just using the iPad on its own for a bit can be some of the best sound design. While on the flip side I still haven't found an iPad DAW I'd want to use to try and arrange & finish a track, and it would be hard to beat Ableton for that.
AUM is great for making loops too with the track record buttons that can be synced to the bar.
Anyone found an iPad DAW for the arranging that is inspiring and satisfying to work with?
Yeah for me the perfect pairing is Logic on iPad and Mac. I am not suggesting you switch, far from it, but I'm 'lucky' that Logic has been my DAW of choice since before Logic was even a DAW as it may be a while before any other DAWs get such good integration.
Being able to use the iPad independently and with a different sound palette then just open the project on the Mac without any exporting or mucking about is transformative. I don't tend to go back to the iPad once I've transferred to the iPad but having Logic on the iPad is definitely a huge bonus.
As for using the iPad as an external fx unit, I gave up on that years ago. It's a pain in the arse and not worth the effort. I have a lot of fx on iPad that I don't have on the Mac and I tend to use fx on send busses so in Logic on the iPad I just record the 100% wet fx tracks. This opens a lot of possibilities as I can use bits of fx wherever I want on the timeline, automate easily and chop them up and use them in Sample Alchemy as their own instruments, etc.
I find the more friction there is the less I'm inclined to use it. Setting up an iPad and Mac together to try and get them to work in tandem is way to much friction. I like using them completely independently.
Broke down and grabbed this. No regrets, made some beats last night that remind me of LCD Soundsystem. The saturation channels are great. Favorite drum library in a long time.
Arturia V Collection X is Out
https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/58744/arturia-v-collection-x-is-out
Holy crap free web based ai sample pack creator from Outpost. Just sign up
With email! Tested, downloaded samples, and pretty dam cool. All samples are royalty free. Specify song or sample details of even have it generate the prompt for you. Super cool. Enjoy!
https://coproducer.output.com/
Funny enough after I posted this I tried Logic again, specifically wanted to try the live loops again to see how they go as a session view replacement, with certain types of loops created in my travels across the vastness of 2023 music technology. Usually I end up recording whatever combination of things I might have going on the iPad, or laptop, or drum machine ... or everything at once. Sometimes I try and make neat 4 bar loops of different sections as I go, but more often I end up recording longer clips with all the tweaks and changes of presets etc ending up in the recording, so they need to be split into a bunch of shorter clips, which often might not bear any relation to each other, it's just all part of my sound design process, gathering loop fodder to add to my library of sound content I made for future-me.
Once I started loading the samples in I realised I just haven't spent enough time getting reacquainted with Logic — I started with it too, probably around the same time as you by the sound of it. But after re-buying X pro or something maybe 5 or so years ago I just found I never felt that interested. I switched to Ableton about 20 years ago and I've been pretty happy with it. Usually when I have a look at other DAWs I have the same experience — at first enjoying the novelty and being genuinely impressed by how far they've come and how much they can do, then when I start trying to get deeper into making music with them I start to feel overwhelmed by the clutter and bloat of having almost everything requested over the last few decades, and I can't find anything in the billion menus and things everywhere, then it feels like a breath of fresh air going back to the nice, simple, uncluttered interface with no secrets. Bitwig was one of the worst. It can do a hell of a lot, most of which I will never even try and look for to even try and use it.
Aaanyway ... another factor is I sold my 11" iPad Pro and got a 12.9", as my eyesight has deteriorated a lot the past few years and I was finding 11" too small. But the 12.9 only had the 'magic keyboard' to protect it, and the whole combination was so much heavier i was kind of scared to use it until I finally got one of the more practical cases for using it with touch screen/pencil etc. this week. Reason I mention all this is because I realised when i tried Logic earlier that it will probably by just what I want, if I actually put the little bit of effort into learning how to use all the unfamiliar bits, and it really didn't take long at all to get it doing what I wanted on the bigger screen now that I've finally been able relax into using it properly with the larger screen, same size as my laptop.
After your comments I also just downloaded Logic for Mac as well, I dabbled with all that around when it was launched on iPad, but not in a real-world use actually working on a music project way, so now that I'm thinking I'm going to put the effort into trying Logic as my main iPad DAW I'm quite excited to try it again.
Saying that, iOS music has got me very used to switching between different apps and plugins and using them for different purposes according to their strengths. I was also trying Cubasis again earlier, which still has the advantage in supporting the different formats to use them together without sacrificing stability. But it's also definitely another case of DAWs that if anything immediately make me feel less inspired as soon as I look at them and their ancient functional GUIs. Though if anything Logic has slightly the opposite problem, where a find the GUI a bit intrusive, like it's a bit too fat and its taking up screen real estate with its half-arsed skeuomorphic silliness. Still, the 12.9" has definitely helped offset some of that.
I also realised through the course of the last day or two that I've been kind of in denial about the IAA deprecation. Because so many of the best apps still haven't made the jump to AUv3, it maybe created a false sense of security. But today I really started to get the feeling I was starting to see its end approaching. I was getting so many crashes from several of them, googling the issues forced me to notice how long ago some of them last used the login.
e.g. Retronyms kind of took me by surprise, in a relatively short space of time after I loaded up Arturia's iProphet, then saw "tabletop ready" and remembered that odd venture. After barely skimming the surface when I dabbled with it before, I gave it a little more time and started to see a lot of potential in it for the kind of live set I'm trying to put together. I saw the iMPC pro had made it to v2 something and was also 'tabletop ready'. I was never in the loop with it, so I had no idea how old it is, and spunked $40 on it, also thinking it could be part of the kind of setup I want, and it was a bit impulsive. But as the day wore on, it was starting to sink in that they are now old abandonware and probably not getting fixed.
The really annoying thing is I could see that they are actually really good apps, and would have been worth the money if they could actually work. That's when I started thinking the strange case of Retronyms, at one point looking like lords of their domain with Akai and Arturia in their portfolio. I'm a massive fan of Arturia, so seeing they were apparently into it made me a little complacent and I splashed the cash before doing any research.
There was a flurry of activity on their YouTube channel about 8-10 years ago, with the main public facing figurehead enthusiastically explained everything they were doing, and earnestly assuring the viewers that he'd be back same time next week with a run down of another awesome feature. Then everything seemed to go quiet.
I started to think there was a conspicuous absence of any obvious commentary from anyone else at Akai or Arturia or others. Then 'tabletop' started to look more glaringly like a project with a lot of good ideas that could have been really cool, but it barely scraped out of beta to make v.1.0, and that's how it's stayed. Things that really stand out are the basic functions that really should be there but aren't, such as Audio and MIDI settings. I saw it as a kind of "Mainstage" like live performance environment and assumed that it would probably offer some decent flexible options for MIDI control, but there was almost nothing. I ended up spending quite a while looking it up, and I started to genuinely wonder if they had just decided not to use any MIDI control because they thought the little on-screen virtual keyboards would be good enough. Just as I was starting to think through the bizarre implications resulting from seeing the scenario in a very different light, I eventually found a sentence saying they use Core MIDI, and anything class compliant should work. That still didn't answer my main question, which was how exactly you're meant to nominate which device on the table the MIDI is sent to. Both iProphet and iMPC received MIDI in standalone, but this tabletop thing wasn't passing on the messages, and I couldn't really do anything about it with no MIDI settings to speak of.
Anyway, it looks like they didn't make anywhere near enough money from the project and decided it wasn't worth it. But if that's the case then it probably doesn't bode well for expecting updates from the rest of the contingent of amazing devs who are still AUv3-challenged.
Gracias! This is surprisingly awesome
Do you happen to have Konkrete by this developer? If so I'd love to know your feels on it!
Samples from Mars, a personal favorite, has released a new pack called Essential WAV from Mars. It is now included in the everything bundle and sold separately. It includes 2Gb of the best samples from every pack they ever made. A best of the best if you will. It’s currently 65% off at $34.99
https://samplesfrommars.com/products/essential-wav-from-mars
The All The Samples From Mars, Everything Bundle is still $2,017 off at only $49.
https://samplesfrommars.com/products/all-products-from-mars
new and free instrument Noctua from UVI / Venus Theory
I’ve had a chance to use previous versions before, it’s great for industrial cinematic and that type of thing. The original Konkrete came out like 20 years ago! They’ve updated it over the years but even the updates are quite old.
That being said, with the 50% off holiday sale I’m tempted to grab it as well now.
Also these are one shots if I recall so no round robins but there are a ton of sounds and kits.
This is dope!!!
my first attempt with this new Output tool was a little underwhelming to be honest
.. but I like Arcade and some of the others (have quite a few)
Super helpful- thanks!
PS I’m heavy tempted to get AC DR and Konkrete .. the GAS.
Be aware that this needs to be loaded in Falcon or UVI Workstation...
I think that’s the case with all UVI releases isn’t it?
True - but some folks may not know that - and it's only mentioned in the specs section of the Web page.
Yup and that means ilok. For better or for worse.
yes, I forgot to mention the UVI Workstation and iLok
Steinberg also has a nice new and free instrument called Taped Vibes
this one needs their Halion Sonic player to be useable which is also free
Cymatics sure does give away a lot of free stuff. The new Memory plugin is like instant BoC. Kind of like Pitch Drift on steroids. He sends lots of emails but that's okay.
https://cymatics.fm/collections/plugins
https://cymatics.fm/collections/freebies
Free Cherry Audio PS-20 (Korg MS-20 lookalike) with Beat Magazine.
You can buy a single magazine or read it via a subscription service such as Readly. If you do just go to https://www.serialcenter.de/ where you can register (you need the magazine to find a specific word on a specific page).
PS20 is pretty cool. Which reminds me I have the Korg MS20 on the iPad which I really should use more — i do wish they’d made it auv3.
TDR Limiter 6 GE for $9.99
https://www.audiodeluxe.com/products/audio-plugins/tokyo-dawn-labs-tdr-limiter-6-ge
Really, really good mastering plug-in. Bargain for $10 especially if you're not using Logic's mastering assistant or want more control.
Refractions - new commercial plugin from David Hilowitz (Decent Samples). This one looks interesting but not tried it myself. Intro price $29 (regular €99)
https://www.decentsamples.com/product/refractions/
Funny after previous post - Arturia’s new freebie is called Refract https://www.arturia.com/products/software-effects/efx-refract/overview
Acustica Audio new freebie is a DBX 165 emulation https://xmas.acustica-audio.com/
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