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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.
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Choosing samplers for ambient music performance and production
I'm looking for a sampler into which I can upload long field recordings, ambience, soundscapes, and atmospheres.
I want to be able to play them live, and also to build recordings with them.
What are my best options right now? Is Koala still the best option? Would I be better to go with a hardware option?
Ideally, I'm looking for something I can use on iPhone, iPad, and MacBook Pro. Otherwise, I would be looking for one sampler for iOS, and one for MacBook Pro. I downloaded Koala onto my MacBook, but it really doesn't work for me.
So far, for desktop, I'm looking at TAL-Sampler, Serato Sample, and Simpler in Ableton. But coming from a Koala background, I'm finding the transition tricky. I also use Beatmaker 3 a little, on iPad, and have Samplr, and DawnBeat and Sitala, but the last two haven't clicked for me.
Also, on a side note to this, if you were a Loopy user, and looking for a nice looping option plugin for desktop, what would you be looking at?
Thanks!
Comments
IOS : Koala
Hardware : SP-404 MKII
MacOS : Serato
I like that you said Serato. So I'm not mad to be looking at it…
If anyone can chime in on the Serato Sample vs TAL-Sampler situation for desktop, I'd be most interested.
SP-404 would be a sweet option, but is not in my budget.
It's also important to note that I am on a 20/21 Intel MacBook Pro, so Drambo isn't an option for that.
Serato has 'best-in-class' pitching/time-stretching algorithms. REally great DJ Filter, as well. Also some nice 'intelligent' randomisation features for picking sample slice-points. Downsides, at the moment are that it's not AS Native. I have to run Logic in Rosetta mode, or the dials are immovable. Also, there isn't a touchscreen mode. For those who use touchscreens, and Wacom users like myself, the knobs aren't well-calibrated.
TAL-Sampler is it's own beast, entirely. Has a great set of classic sampling emulation modes, and can impart some very authentic vintage vibes. More than that, it gives access to a large amount of Empty Vessel's preset packs. If 'That; sound is your kinda thing, it'd be worth buying TAL-Sampler just to host them...which I did
A veritable 'Masterclass' in ambient sound-design:
https://store.emptyvessel.co.nz/tal/
In terms of iOS, why look further than the BM3 you already own? What are you missing? The developer has recently confirmed that this software is an ongoing concern and an update is imminent. Whether that'll be a BM3 update or a brand spanking new version 4, is unclear. but could be one to watch out for.
Of course, there's also Drambo and Loopy Pro. Not familiar enough yet with either to be able to call any of the three over the others. Certainly think BM3's powerhouse sampler could still be a place to start editing and processing, before feeding into LP, Dramo etc. But I'm sure others will let you know if that's necessary or redundant. I'm still imagining them from a specialised tool perspective, but there's definitely a lot of crossover.
I must admit, that it was discovering Empty Vessel's packs that brought my attention to TAL-Sampler as a possibility. I went there to look at his Pigments pack, and discovered presets for my Sandman Pro, and then uncovered a whole new world in TAL-Sampler.
Drambo it is, watch this gem:
I don't know what AS Native means. Can you explain?
I do like Beatmaker 3. I just wish I had it on iPhone and laptop too. And yes, I would be exploring Drambo more if I could run it on my laptop.
I feel like I could probably use both TAL-Sampler and Serato Sample on my laptop, as both would bring different things to the table. TAL would be my first purchase, and I'd hold out on Serato until there's a price drop or sale. That seems to make sense.
Yes, I look forward to hearing more from all of you more experienced users here.
mac/pc:
Tal Sampler
iOS:
Koala
iDensity
(thats what I use)
AS Native means Apple Silicon native. This means it has separate code to take advantage of Apple's new in-home chips. I have an M1 Mini, and currently there're still a few apps that use the Rosetta emulation layer and so the computer can't run at its intended speed. As it stands 'Sample' is one of the only apps that can't be run via 'Native', even with the Rosetta layer. It's not.a huge thing, and hopefully support will have it sorted out soon.
As for iPhone compatibility? Who knows? Perhaps that's part of the upcoming BM update
Other than that, i can't get my head 'round using my phone as anything more than to record and make first passes at things e.g Using Koala or Dawnbeat to mess around with sound-design, wit the aim of later working with iPad or desktop. Sure...Drambo and LP run iPhone, but I have an 'SE' which is just too small to prefer it for full project work, unless I had no other options.
Suffice to say, i'm not the best person to advise.
As for sales on 'Sample' ans 'Sampler'? I think I payed $50 for 'Sample' and $40 for 'Sampler' during sales.
Also...Don't sleep on 'Simpler'. Seems to be very powerful And can't beat the integration with 'Live'.
And desktop looping? Loopy Pro is on its way to desktop, as far as I'm aware
Long samples? How long? Audiolayer streams from disk so you’ll never have problems with memory limits like - as far as I’m aware - all other iOS samplers/sample-players.
.
Just curious…
What is gained by playing the long files with a sampler, as opposed to just using a file player + various processor fx?
Desktop Loopy Pro? Now there's some magic. 😊
Yes to Simpler.
For Lon recordings AudioLayer and Loopy Pro both use disk streaming. Do, long samples aren’t a problem. Most of the other iOS options load their samples into memory.
I’ve been out of the desktop world for a few years now but PaulXStretch on the iPad is amazing for ambient. I think it’s universal as well. Imo, the iPad is THE device for sampling but I understand your need to be available on all platforms.
I love PaulXStretch, on iPhone, iPad and MacOS. Such a gift to the world, this app. Especially the ambient and drone world.
In the end, I went for TAL-Sampler, but I'm also looking at CR8 Sampler, or Serato Sample. I'm checking those out this afternoon.
It’s truly fantastic. Hard to believe it’s free. Easily one of the best free apps you can get, if not THE best.
I know. I always pinch myself when I think about it being free. It's like, how is this possible!
Just dropping by this old thread to say this is my current setup, since buying the SP-404 MkII this week:
iOS: Koala
Mac OS: Ableton Sampler and Simpler (I still may invest in Serato, maybe in the Black Friday sales)
Hardware: SP-404 MkII (I'm selling my OP-Z, rather than my soul, to fund the purchase)
The 404 is already a love affair, and was bought for some live ambient opportunities that are arising for me. I may partner it with a Tascam DP-006 so I can record performances (although I can use my iPad for now, but I prefer a dedicated machine for this).
This is a good pairing.
I still have my ol' SP-404SX and Boss Micro BR. They work great together. Even a cassette recorder would pair great with a 404
For sure. I love my Tascam DR100 MkIII, and feel that the DP-006 will be ideal for this dedicated task.
Sweet! I had a 404 and after wanting one for many years, I unfortunately couldn’t get into it the way I wanted to and found myself going straight back to Koala. I can definitely see why people love it though. I prefer the OP-1 and am saving up for the Field now.
Glad you’re enjoying your setup.
Thanks, it's always interesting to see what gear we click with, and what we don't click with. Oh yes, I'd love an OP-1 Field, but that's but a distant speck in the future, if ever, for me.
The SP-404 MkII is for some live ambient performing at retreats and meditations I lead, along with some Zen poetry readings, so it has quite a specific task, and is quite a specific solution, as I can sit with it in my lap, or on a low table in front of me, if seated on the floor, and just drip out the music as needed. It's only my second piece of music making hardware, outside of my MacOS and iOS devices.
I am finding it very quick to learn and get into, too, whereas I simply couldn't wrap my head around the OP-Z at all. Also, as sample based ambient (my own samples mostly) has become my primary process, the OP-Z doesn't serve well in that area. Sequencing simply hasn't clicked with me as a creative process. Horses for courses and all that.
I r> @andowrites said:
I really don't like sequencers, I just don't have the chops to make it sound anything but robotic. I find cutting and pasting loops much more satisfying. In my teens and early adulthood I was obsessed with stuff like KLF and the orb alongside rave music and bands like PWEI and then hip hop and jungle which are all sample based, I think this has definitely coloured my tastes... guess I'm saying right back atcha!
Yeah the OP-Z never seemed geared towards ambient or experimental styles of music. The 404 and OP-1 work great for that though!
Glad you’re getting along with it. I’m hoping to have the Field within the next 6 months but who knows 😂 with a price they high anything can change. I’m definitely looking forward to getting it when that day comes. For now, I’m more than happy with the iPad.
Here's the kit I've settled on with a goal of creating soundscapes and ambient textures using samples that I capture on a field recorder with XLR mics ( +/- my sample collection). I have no interest to perform any of this live. It's more of an amusement and experimentation for sound design in film.
Igor Vasiliev's Fieldscaper is still my first choice on iOS. I could see the benefit of using a single app on both iOS and Desktop, and I'm expert at exploring alternatives but I just don't see any option out there to cover both platforms. Sitala does, and I have it, but I consider it a percussion instrument and not nearly suited to this task.
I have TAL Sampler on desktop but been looking recently at Expert Sleepers Crossfade Loop Synth and DiscoDSP Bliss just to leave no VST alternative unexplored. For multi-sampler granular instruments I also have Glitchmachines Polygon 2 VSTi and SzcZ's Rekombinator III (for Kontakt). Most of these require deep dives into the documentation & experimentation, and the slope on the learning curves varies, but slowly acquiring seat time. Eventually I'd like to settle on just one, but still in the experimentation stage.
Update: Someone in the SP-404 MkII Discord group suggested the web app in this video to me, for easier control over effects whilst performing live meditative ambient in meditation and retreat settings:
But I'm thinking that surely there must be a suitable MIDI app that I could use from my iPhone for the same task?