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.
First paid gig! Looking for advice
I’m finally playing music for $$$!
I’ve been producing for 6, 7 years but I’ve performed live only 3 or four times, tweeners at 3 festivals and a small bar once. This is my first club gig.
Up until now the total I’ve made playing music has been 3 festival tickets, 5 beers, and 2 t-shirts. 😂
This time it’s actually cash!
I’m gonna play a 75 min set. Some of my own and I’m gonna DJ some house/tech too. And I’m doing it all with an iPad, an effects box/audio interface, 1 hardware synth and a couple of midi controllers. I’ve used the same setup before at the festivals and it’s solid.
I’m thinking 22 to 25 songs, and to mix each one for 3/3.5 mins.
I don’t know the norm. How long do DJs usually play and mix 1 song before gliding to the next?
Any other tips?
Comments
Yes. Try to enjoy every moment. You will fuck up and make mistakes. No one else will notice or remember it so ignore that and enjoy it.
As a pianist, I used to worry about mistakes all the time and get mad when I made mistakes. Then I saw a video of Skrillex performing and he made a huge gaff in his set. He shrugged it off and continued on with the show. Nobody cares he made a mistake.
The biggest mistake one can make is performing the music without passion and vigor. What ruins a set isn't a texhnical error. It's getting upset at yourself and/or at equipment failure, which will tarnish the entire vibe. Pull a Taylor Swift, "Shake It Off", and go forth with a bright smile on your face and fiery passion in your heart!
(Bonus points if you spot the typo I decided not to correct in the above advice I made. 😉 )
I think 3-5 minutes a song if you're planning to DJ mix them too is realistic, but there's no hard and fast rule about. Really it's up to you and how long you want to play your songs for.
More random bits:
Not as bad as “the bum note that was heard around the world”.
To be honest making excuses for it makes it worse - we all get sweaty hands. And he blamed Tony Thompson for the badly rehearsed drumming during Led Zeppelin’s set.
Like you said, just shrug it off and move on.
Here I thought that “bum note heard around the world” was the entire song when Delores O'Riordan sang Ave Maria….
LOL! Indeed, one time I was playing "Für Elise", and I completely forgot half of it (complete f-cking brain fart). About the only time I really became flustered with myself, but I didn't make excuses. Took a couple deep breaths, and then I moved on with the next song. Then I played "Für Elise" later on that same evening and it was flawless.
It's like when you're performing music, the whole space is filled with whatever you're feeling in that moment. For instance, if I'm anxious about earning tips, I earn less tips. If I meditate beforehand and then envision myself practicing on the keyboard in my flat while performing in public, people can unconsciously sense that comforting vibe radiating from me, and I make more tips. At least this is what works for me. Your mileage may vary.
My equivalent live gig was a couple of weeks back at an Electronic Ambient/Berlin School all day event here in the UK (if you think of Tangerine Dream style music you won't be far wrong). Being asked to play was a massive step up from the live performances I've before (instead of 25 people its perhaps 60 :-) ) - so here is my advice - and like all advice take it or leave it as appropriate. In no particular order:
1) Close all iOS Apps and reboot the device - usually I do this, but at that last event I didn't, and found half-way through the largely iPad based second part that Animoog had gone to its happy place - and wouldn't reload.
2) iOS device in flight mode/disable notifications - anything that might pop up with either an audible "ping" or an annoying & distracting popup should be disabled.
3) Spare cables - and take some other combinations if you can (3.5mm to RCA, 6.25mm to 3.5mm converters) - anything that might get you out of a "how to connect device A to device B" nightmare.
4) Allow plenty of time to arrive and get setup - I was late (due to car troubles, the River Trent flooding, and a Sat Nav that kept taking me to different flooded roads. I arrived 15 minutes before I was supposed to start).
5) Practice setting up/tearing down quickly.
6) Soundcheck if you can - and test all parts involved - audio and sync/MIDI (my other mistake from my last performance was a sync cable that didn't...... )
7) Be careful about alcohol before a set - fine line between being relaxed and being somewhat careless - especially when nervous.
8) Mistakes happen - no one but you knows how it was supposed to sound (I still beat myself up about things I've missed, done wrong, etc. but really - no one apart from me had heard that set before)
9) What you hear isn't what the audience hears - poor foldback, or reflected sound from the main speakers throws me each time, And it always sounds much more bass heavy than I was expecting.
10) Don't get too giddy with stupid long reverb time or crazy stereo effects (maybe more a thing with my music)
11) Enjoy yourself - I suspect that my performances I look somewhat serious and worried - but if the performer looks like they are enjoying themselves then its infectious (note to self for future performances).
12) Time speeds up when performing - I could swear 10 minutes was only about 2 minutes.
I guess with a club its going to be easier to see how your set is going down - my music is more a "sit-down-and-concentrate-on -the-music" kind of thing, so I've no idea if people are loving it, or bored to tears......
@cyberheater @jwmmakerofmusic @michael_m @AlmostAnonymous @kitejan @Tarekith
❤️
Thank you all for your great advice! These are very helpful to me.
The show is tomorrow night. I will report back here after the show. 🤞
Good luck mate.
Good luck mate.
I've been in a quite a few bands as a keyboard player. I've made every mistake you can make. Forgotten the chords of a song, bum notes, keyboards going wrong. One time we thought it was a good idea to hire a bunch of dry ice and smoke machines which we switched on 10 mins before we were meant to go on. By the time we did go on the fog was that thick on stage I couldn't even find my keyboards let alone play them.
Still enjoyed the gig. LOL.
My favorite was playing a small bar and the DJ before me used a smoke machine that triggered the fire alarms and sprinklers. Doh!
That preparation is important, and it’s essential to have an outline/setlist of the performance but don’t be afraid to be a little spontaneous too. Or make adjustments on the fly based of what the crowd is responding too.
Start strong and end strong.
The best of luck mate
Few tips:
Choose carefully how you open and close your set. Match your energy to the music, don’t be boring… move even if it feels corny at first.
Have a second solution if your iPad plays up, even if it’s just messing with a hardware synth.
As for song length, read the room. Sometimes you don’t want to stay on something too long if it’s not hitting right.
Good one!
🤣
/DMfan🇸🇪
Yea, I used to get hung up on it too, but 99 times out of a 100 the audience doesn’t realize you made a mistake at all, unless it’s something extremely noticeable.
My thoughts exactly.
If you don’t need the internet or Wi-Fi go airplane mode for maximum cpu on device.
This is turning into a bookmark worthy thread.
Time definitely moves differently.
Exactly. Usually if/when I make a mistake I repeat it multiple times on purpose so people think it is part of the song. That’s worked for me so far with some mistakes 😁
I think if people are there because they like that kind of music then they probably are loving it.
I do similar stuff and it’s my favourite kind of thing to hear on a decent sound system.
Hope the set goes well (or went well if already happened). Would love to hear back when it’s all said and done!
Curious what synth and midi controller you’re using? I’m considered getting back into the live scene myself though experimental stuff doesn’t translate as well in front of an audience
Yes, was wondering how it goes/went.
Definitely a very different thing doing ones music "out loud" and in public :-)
@kitejan @HotStrange
I had a blast!!! It went great and yes I screwed up a few times as expected but when I asked my friends who were there, they hadn’t noticed them.
Thank you all for the great advice!
I played about 45 mins of my own stuff that I had set on the SP404 and and Drambo. I also played a little on my korg Minilogue XD and GeoShred. And then I went into classic DJing with GR-16. People were dancing and I was having a great time. Nothing crashed. The other DJs were surprised that all of that stuff was happening on an iPad. One of them said they were wondering what that thing was I was playing on 😁
One very important lesson learned: Take your stuff off the stage as soon as you’re done playing. Otherwise you’re stuck until 2 am waiting for everyone else to finish.
My gear:
iPad, Launchpad pro, Launch Control XL, Korg Minilogue XD, SP404 MK2.
Looks/sounds like you had a great time! Congrats
GR-16 is a great app for that. Love that everyone always stoked about the sounds coming from the iPad. About time people learned haha 😆
I’ve been considering getting a Launchpad for a while now. Are you using it with Drambo?
Love the Minilogue XD as well. I had to sell most of my hardware when we moved but I definitely want another “big” hardware synth eventually and it’ll either be another XD or the Minifreak.
Side note: Your Moms House is an excellent name for a venue.
Thank you @HotStrange! I use the Launchpad pro with Drambo but I have to midi map everything myself. It works out of the box with GR-16 and Ampify’s LaunchPad app (another great DJ app). I definitely recommend the Launchpad pro.
Yeah I love the Minologue. It’s great for taking to shows.
Very impressed and impressive
Congrats man
Thank you!
I use Launchpad for launching a lot of my own weird drones and loops and blending with the built in loops so that’s a big reason why I want one to begin with. Glad it works outta the box though.
Have you tried it with Koala?
I haven’t tried it with Koala but I think it will serve you’re purpose very well. I’ve done a few things with Koala and it’s fantastic. But Drambo fits my workflow best.