Is Enso looper reliable now?

Robin2

I’ve been waiting ages for Enso to go on sale and it finally is.

Trying to do some research, the only opinions i could find seem to be from 2020 but there have been significant (in theory) updates since then. Is it reliable, click free now?

More broadly speaking, does Enso do things that Loopy Pro can’t do? I don’t have either, but Loopy Pro might represent better value overall if it can match Enso’s functionality? Thanks.

jacou

Yes clicks and bugs are sorted out. Enso works very well for me. I don’t think it brings anything to the table that Loopy Pro can’t do.
But it’s fairly simple and lightweight. If only a basic looper in the signal chain is needed then Enso is my go-to.

KMTGN

I wouldn't recommend the enso looper for ambient music or anything like that. I can't imagine why AD didn't do a mini fade in/fade out. At the end of each cycle you will hear a click

Robin2

Thanks, @jacou and @KMTGN, appreciate it.

Anyone else got opinions on Enso functionality vs Loopy Pro? I’m thinking it might be a false economy if Loopy Pro can do everything it can (plus, obviously, so much more)?

espiegel123

@Robin2 said:
Thanks, @jacou and @KMTGN, appreciate it.

Anyone else got opinions on Enso functionality vs Loopy Pro? I’m thinking it might be a false economy if Loopy Pro can do everything it can (plus, obviously, so much more)?

ENSO has a certain workflow that for some is very attractive and fun even if Loopy Pro can accomplish the same things. Enso is streamlined for certain uses so is attractive if that is what you are doing. For some workflows, Loopy Pro is more flexible (and is generally boundary-click-free )

Loopy does disk-streaming so there are no size limits to loops, fwiw and you can have multiple loops in one instance)

Robin2

Many thanks, @espiegel123. Cheers.

Poppadocrock

I like Enso.

Gauss by Bram bos is a good alternative if considering options.

Cant really compare to Loopy Pro since Ive only scratched the surface with LPro

Grandbear

As a pure looper, Loopy Pro does everything Enso can, but Enso has independent, simultaneous playback and record heads which can be nice for experimentation. I don't think LP does that unless I've missed from the latest updates.

espiegel123

@Grandbear said:
As a pure looper, Loopy Pro does everything Enso can, but Enso has independent, simultaneous playback and record heads which can be nice for experimentation. I don't think LP does that unless I've missed from the latest updates.

Loopy does have independent playheads. Loops can be completely unrelated and start and stop independently.

Grandbear

@espiegel123 said:

@Grandbear said:
As a pure looper, Loopy Pro does everything Enso can, but Enso has independent, simultaneous playback and record heads which can be nice for experimentation. I don't think LP does that unless I've missed from the latest updates.

Loopy does have independent playheads. Loops can be completely unrelated and start and stop independently.

I mean, for instance, overdubbing at a lower speed (or even backwards) while the loop keeps playing. Does that work in LP? I may have genuinely missed it, there are so many options!

Robin2

@Grandbear said:

@espiegel123 said:

@Grandbear said:
As a pure looper, Loopy Pro does everything Enso can, but Enso has independent, simultaneous playback and record heads which can be nice for experimentation. I don't think LP does that unless I've missed from the latest updates.

Loopy does have independent playheads. Loops can be completely unrelated and start and stop independently.

I mean, for instance, overdubbing at a lower speed (or even backwards) while the loop keeps playing. Does that work in LP? I may have genuinely missed it, there are so many options!

Thanks @Poppadocrock. Yes, thanks @Grandbear, that’s exactly what I’m wondering? Can anyone confirm whether Loopy Pro can do something like that?

wim

You can slow down, speed up, reverse, etc. any loop in Loopy Pro. I'm not sure how overdubbing onto the same loop works with a reversed or speed altered loop. However, since you're not limited to a single loop, you can always alter a loop, then record a new ones to play alongside it, and mangle their speed/direction, etc. with no limits.

There's probably next to nothing you can't do in Loopy that you can in Enso, but Enso might be considered more focused and spontaneous for some things.

I dunno. I thoroughly enjoyed Enso when I used it. I haven't looked back for some time as Loopy has evolved.

Robin2

@wim said:
You can slow down, speed up, reverse, etc. any loop in Loopy Pro. I'm not sure how overdubbing onto the same loop works with a reversed or speed altered loop. However, since you're not limited to a single loop, you can always alter a loop, then record new ones to play alongside it, and mangle their speed/direction, etc. with no limits.

There's probably next to nothing you can't do in Loopy that you can in Enso, but Enso might be considered more focused and spontaneous for some things.

I dunno. I thoroughly enjoyed Enso when I used it. I haven't looked back since Loopy gained playback speed and direction capability.

Thanks @wim, that’s useful to know. I guess I’m going to have to go manual diving to cross reference them properly. Cheers.

espiegel123

@Grandbear said:

@espiegel123 said:

@Grandbear said:
As a pure looper, Loopy Pro does everything Enso can, but Enso has independent, simultaneous playback and record heads which can be nice for experimentation. I don't think LP does that unless I've missed from the latest updates.

Loopy does have independent playheads. Loops can be completely unrelated and start and stop independently.

I mean, for instance, overdubbing at a lower speed (or even backwards) while the loop keeps playing. Does that work in LP? I may have genuinely missed it, there are so many options!

Recording always happens at normal speed. If a loop is playing at half speed and you overdub. When the overdub is done it will okay at halfspeed because it is playing at speed but was recorded at regular speed if that makes sense.

That isn’t an issue of independent playheads.

jacou

@KMTGN said:
I wouldn't recommend the enso looper for ambient music or anything like that. I can't imagine why AD didn't do a mini fade in/fade out. At the end of each cycle you will hear a click

Are you using the latest version of Enso? Latest iPadOS? Which DAW?

I’ve been using Enso for many years now for ambient guitar in AUM on my iPad and for the last 3 years or so I never experienced any more click or pop sound at the end of a loop.
That only happened in the first 1-2 years after Enso got released.

tom_ward

I'm a fan of both Enso and Loopy Pro. I purchsed Enso first, and haven't had any technical issues with it along the lines of audible clicks etc. I like to use it for ambient stuff...I'm always looking for the perfect Time Lag Accumulator tool. It's purpose-built and is a great scope of features for a plugin. Very lightweight for what it does, and to the point.

Although Loopy Pro has obvious comparisons and overlap with something like Enso, it is a much larger and more powerful tool IMO. I haven't really been using Enso as much since going through the learning curve with LP. It suits what I enjoy doing very well, and overall I find it faster when I want to expand a session vs. opening and configuring additional Enso instances. I really like to use Loopy Pro as a host, too, rather than a plugin within another host. Something Enso cannot do.

Robin2

@tom_ward said:
I'm a fan of both Enso and Loopy Pro. I purchsed Enso first, and haven't had any technical issues with it along the lines of audible clicks etc. I like to use it for ambient stuff...I'm always looking for the perfect Time Lag Accumulator tool. It's purpose-built and is a great scope of features for a plugin. Very lightweight for what it does, and to the point.

Although Loopy Pro has obvious comparisons and overlap with something like Enso, it is a much larger and more powerful tool IMO. I haven't really been using Enso as much since going through the learning curve with LP. It suits what I enjoy doing very well, and overall I find it faster when I want to expand a session vs. opening and configuring additional Enso instances. I really like to use Loopy Pro as a host, too, rather than a plugin within another host. Something Enso cannot do.

Thank you very much for your detailed opinion @tom_ward, it’s really helpful. Yes, Loopy Pro is obviously much more feature rich in comparison - as you say, it’s much larger and, frankly, a different type of app in its breadth and scope. No doubt it can do lots and lots that Enso can’t, but if it can also do everything Enso can - one way or another - it may prove to be the better buy in the long run…especially with the upcoming MIDI update. Cheers.

wim

@Robin2 said:

@tom_ward said:
I'm a fan of both Enso and Loopy Pro. I purchsed Enso first, and haven't had any technical issues with it along the lines of audible clicks etc. I like to use it for ambient stuff...I'm always looking for the perfect Time Lag Accumulator tool. It's purpose-built and is a great scope of features for a plugin. Very lightweight for what it does, and to the point.

Although Loopy Pro has obvious comparisons and overlap with something like Enso, it is a much larger and more powerful tool IMO. I haven't really been using Enso as much since going through the learning curve with LP. It suits what I enjoy doing very well, and overall I find it faster when I want to expand a session vs. opening and configuring additional Enso instances. I really like to use Loopy Pro as a host, too, rather than a plugin within another host. Something Enso cannot do.

Thank you very much for your detailed opinion @tom_ward, it’s really helpful. Yes, Loopy Pro is obviously much more feature rich in comparison - as you say, it’s much larger and, frankly, a different type of app in its breadth and scope. No doubt it can do lots and lots that Enso can’t, but if it can also do everything Enso can - one way or another - it may prove to be the better buy in the long run…especially with the upcoming MIDI update. Cheers.

fwiw, it would be possible to make a "lite" Loopy template that would act in many ways similar to Enso, to be used as an AUv3 plugin if you wanted. It would be an interesting experiment. One nice thing about Loopy is the ability to make templates for just what you want and only what you want for a particular purpose.

That comes at the cost of learning curve and potential to be distracted down many rabbit holes tho. 😎

offbrands

@wim said:

@Robin2 said:

@tom_ward said:
I'm a fan of both Enso and Loopy Pro. I purchsed Enso first, and haven't had any technical issues with it along the lines of audible clicks etc. I like to use it for ambient stuff...I'm always looking for the perfect Time Lag Accumulator tool. It's purpose-built and is a great scope of features for a plugin. Very lightweight for what it does, and to the point.

Although Loopy Pro has obvious comparisons and overlap with something like Enso, it is a much larger and more powerful tool IMO. I haven't really been using Enso as much since going through the learning curve with LP. It suits what I enjoy doing very well, and overall I find it faster when I want to expand a session vs. opening and configuring additional Enso instances. I really like to use Loopy Pro as a host, too, rather than a plugin within another host. Something Enso cannot do.

Thank you very much for your detailed opinion @tom_ward, it’s really helpful. Yes, Loopy Pro is obviously much more feature rich in comparison - as you say, it’s much larger and, frankly, a different type of app in its breadth and scope. No doubt it can do lots and lots that Enso can’t, but if it can also do everything Enso can - one way or another - it may prove to be the better buy in the long run…especially with the upcoming MIDI update. Cheers.

fwiw, it would be possible to make a "lite" Loopy template that would act in many ways similar to Enso, to be used as an AUv3 plugin if you wanted. It would be an interesting experiment. One nice thing about Loopy is the ability to make templates for just what you want and only what you want for a particular purpose.

That comes at the cost of learning curve and potential to be distracted down many rabbit holes tho. 😎

7 day free trial too if this person wanted to noodle around and make themselves a template to see what LP can do

Which I FULLY recommend. Loopy Pro is just one of kind. In the similar ways Drambo can be brought up for replacing this or that, Loopy Pro often fills many gaps and helps bypass a lot of app FOMO.

Robin2

That's a great point, thanks @wim, i think I’m leaning towards Loopy Pro - the MIDI update will really make it more appealing to me anyway.

Thanks @offbrands. Yes, I’m just waiting for my free trial to renew - I’ve tried it in the past but it didn’t really grab me. With a specific goal to try to achieve, and the addition of MIDI, i suspect I’ll be more inspired by it this time! Cheers.

wim

btw, most of the audio loop speed and direction mangling features will be applicable to midi loops too. 😉

offbrands

@Robin2 said:
That's a great point, thanks @wim, i think I’m leaning towards Loopy Pro - the MIDI update will really make it more appealing to me anyway.

Thanks @offbrands. Yes, I’m just waiting for my free trial to renew - I’ve tried it in the past but it didn’t really grab me. With a specific goal to try to achieve, and the addition of MIDI, i suspect I’ll be more inspired by it this time! Cheers.

Having set goals or ideas for these super modular apps is the only way to not feel super overwhelmed. A little bit of work to set up some templates and then it's so much easier to get going and creating. At least this is how I view it. Cheers!

tom_ward

@offbrands said:

@Robin2 said:
That's a great point, thanks @wim, i think I’m leaning towards Loopy Pro - the MIDI update will really make it more appealing to me anyway.

Thanks @offbrands. Yes, I’m just waiting for my free trial to renew - I’ve tried it in the past but it didn’t really grab me. With a specific goal to try to achieve, and the addition of MIDI, i suspect I’ll be more inspired by it this time! Cheers.

Having set goals or ideas for these super modular apps is the only way to not feel super overwhelmed. A little bit of work to set up some templates and then it's so much easier to get going and creating. At least this is how I view it. Cheers!

+1. Getting into/through the templating phase is definitely what opened up LP for me, and the point when I started replacing other looper-type tools with it.

offbrands

@tom_ward said:

@offbrands said:

@Robin2 said:
That's a great point, thanks @wim, i think I’m leaning towards Loopy Pro - the MIDI update will really make it more appealing to me anyway.

Thanks @offbrands. Yes, I’m just waiting for my free trial to renew - I’ve tried it in the past but it didn’t really grab me. With a specific goal to try to achieve, and the addition of MIDI, i suspect I’ll be more inspired by it this time! Cheers.

Having set goals or ideas for these super modular apps is the only way to not feel super overwhelmed. A little bit of work to set up some templates and then it's so much easier to get going and creating. At least this is how I view it. Cheers!

+1. Getting into/through the templating phase is definitely what opened up LP for me, and the point when I started replacing other looper-type tools with it.

Gauss was my first intro to Looping, then came Loopy Pro, I imagine that'll basically be it for my introductions on Loopers 😅

Robin2

Thanks all for sharing your opinions and enlightening me as to the relative capabilities of the two options; it’s been really helpful. Time to check the manuals before i make a final decision! Cheers.

KMTGN

@jacou said:

@KMTGN said:
I wouldn't recommend the enso looper for ambient music or anything like that. I can't imagine why AD didn't do a mini fade in/fade out. At the end of each cycle you will hear a click

Are you using the latest version of Enso? Latest iPadOS? Which DAW?

I’ve been using Enso for many years now for ambient guitar in AUM on my iPad and for the last 3 years or so I never experienced any more click or pop sound at the end of a loop.
That only happened in the first 1-2 years after Enso got released.

Yes, last iPadOS, last AUM and last Enso

jacou

@KMTGN said:

@jacou said:

@KMTGN said:
I wouldn't recommend the enso looper for ambient music or anything like that. I can't imagine why AD didn't do a mini fade in/fade out. At the end of each cycle you will hear a click

Are you using the latest version of Enso? Latest iPadOS? Which DAW?

I’ve been using Enso for many years now for ambient guitar in AUM on my iPad and for the last 3 years or so I never experienced any more click or pop sound at the end of a loop.
That only happened in the first 1-2 years after Enso got released.

Yes, last iPadOS, last AUM and last Enso

Haha ok thanks that’s clear enough.
Your synth pad is covering a wide frequency range and is rather static. I guess that’s too much for Enso. My guess is that Ensos fade is too short or not a proper x-fade.
It seems to be enough for guitar.

Did you report that to Audio Damage?

That’s actually encouraging me to look more into Loopy pro. Hopefully it will also make it‘s way to desktop soon.

KMTGN

@jacou said:

@KMTGN said:

@jacou said:

@KMTGN said:
I wouldn't recommend the enso looper for ambient music or anything like that. I can't imagine why AD didn't do a mini fade in/fade out. At the end of each cycle you will hear a click

Are you using the latest version of Enso? Latest iPadOS? Which DAW?

I’ve been using Enso for many years now for ambient guitar in AUM on my iPad and for the last 3 years or so I never experienced any more click or pop sound at the end of a loop.
That only happened in the first 1-2 years after Enso got released.

Yes, last iPadOS, last AUM and last Enso

Haha ok thanks that’s clear enough.
Your synth pad is covering a wide frequency range and is rather static. I guess that’s too much for Enso. My guess is that Ensos fade is too short or not a proper x-fade.
It seems to be enough for guitar.

Did you report that to Audio Damage?

That’s actually encouraging me to look more into Loopy pro. Hopefully it will also make it‘s way to desktop soon.

No, I didn't report it. In my opinion this is too obvious))