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.
Beat-making with MIDI performance effects
Looking for a drum sequencing app with these features:
- MIDI out
- Pattern launching (performance mode)
- Pattern sequencing (song mode)
- Polyphonic
- Realtime MIDI effects (e.g., press-button glitches, beat-looping, latch on/off, note-multiplying, note muting/soloing, variable quantization, variable velocity, etc.)
If I were to describe what I'm looking for in one sentence, it's Launchpad with MIDI loops instead of audio loops.
Things I've found that are lacking:
- MiDisequencer by Anthony Saunders (EXACTLY what I want except not polyphonic)
- Thesys (again, not polyphonic)
- DM1 (stability and export problems)
- Pro Midi (no song mode or real-time MIDI effects)
Background:
I have a hardware drum module with sounds I really like. It actually has some of these features built-in, but, critically, it lacks MIDI out, so performances can't be recorded, played back, and modified in an external sequencer.
Is there an app out there that I've overlooked that would do these things? In the hardware world, it looks like Beatstep Pro does some of these things (e.g., the roller/looper thingy on the left is the kind of MIDI effect I'm talking about).
Comments
Genome MIDI Sequencer maybe but I don't know about the MIDI effects - there is a simple MIDI note repeater or something like that.
I don't think this exists but sign me up!
Something similar to this came up in another thread before, but maybe Yamaha Mobile Music Sequencer? The effects aren't really there, but you have remix pad things, for varying the midi clips. Maybe that with MidiSequencer if that does midi in or midi through.
@thus putting the stability and export problems to one side for a second does the DM1 meet your other criteria?
@BvsMV Thanks for that idea. I will investigate.
@JohnnyGoodyear,
DM1 really doesn't meet the real-time midi effects requirement. That seems to be the feature that is missing in most of these apps.
But DM1 definitely gets bonus points for a really refined "randomize" feature. I could see randomizing normal patterns in multiple ways and using the variations for variety, fills and transitions. It also has some nice note-specific muting and soloing, which could be used real-time to mix things up.
Diode-108 might come close. It might be even closer after the next update or so.
@funjunkie27 I love the look of Diode-108 but I don't think I can drive my external drum box with it.
Step Poly Arp may have most of what you're looking for. Honestly, I've never tried it as a beat maker but it's been on my list. It has a few really nice features for making drum beats compared to other arpeggiators or step sequencers. First, it's polyphonic (you can actually 'fix' the notes so that it works like a step sequencer instead of an arpeggiator). Second, it's got a few basic grid controls missing from lots of other apps that you can do globally or per line/note. In particular, stuff like insert a blip ever 2/4/all steps, shift left and right, randomize, reverse as well as cut/copy/paste. Then it has fun stuff like ratcheting per step and probability. What it doesn't have is velocity per track or step. If you think of it as a classic drum machine's "accent" it should work out all right.
It doesn't specifically have a song mode but it does have pattern chaining. You can set a pattern to play from 1-8 loops before automatically moving on to the next pattern.
It also doesn't specifically have MIDI effects (other than ratcheting I suppose) but you can at least adjust the loop length in real time for stutter type effects. You could always bring the drum box back into the iPad and put it through Turnado or something for more of that sort of action.
On the app store: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/steppolyarp-midi-step-polyphonic/id395484905?mt=8
And here's the manual. http://laurentcolson.com/medias/StepPolyArp/en/StepPolyArp.pdf
Nope. No MIDI out yet.
Had a play with SPA as a drum beat grid tonight. Works pretty well! The ability to set the global division means you can get pretty intricate with the beats. Setting up the fixed notes isn't exactly a good time but it's likely the sort of thing you only need to do once, reloading the template in the future. I did find myself missing per hit velocity a couple of times but for the most part the 'accent' thinking worked fine.
Ran into an issue where the fixed notes were sending out an octave higher than they displayed. I might have something set up screwy though. Also, by default, it sends reset messages for pressure, modulation and pitch bend just before the end of a pattern when you manually switch patterns. Probably not a big deal in most scenarios but CC1 (normally modulation) is Snare Volume in Funkbox so it kept turning it off and I couldn't sort out why! Classic iOS MIDI good times. TM. Anyway, things to know if you try it.
I was looking for the exact same thing a while back
2 suggestions that definitely do have potential for drum fills, rolls, change ups etc...
Yamaha mobile music studio (loads of midi remix stuff)
Yamaha drum and synth sequencer (or whatever it's called) - had a nice 'roll' function - but no step sequencer
Drum jam midi out also worth trying
You can also do some cool live midi out stuff with drums on Rhythm Necklace
@syrupcore That is some pretty sweet out-of-the-box thinking! Thanks for the detailed report. StepPolyArp belongs in my tool set, for numerous reasons. I'm looking forward to experimenting with it!
@Matt_Fletcher_2000 Thank you for those app ideas. I will explore all of them. This is the 2nd time the Yamaha remix feature has been suggested. I've got to look at that in particular.
thus, what hardware drum box are you using?
And yes please how you connect this two?
I have the same question.
My Setup is Elektron Rytm + iPad an looking for the best connection regarding Sync etc.
All the best
Waldemar
@Waldemar be sure to put an extra line break between a quote and your text. You can edit your post by clicking the little gear icon in the top left.
Dear syrupcore,
thank you.
@kobamoto I have the Zoom StreetBoxx SB-246. I love the sounds in that thing!
@Waldemar I have an iConnectMidi2+ connected to my iPad. It has 2 pairs of 5-pin MIDI ins/outs on the back, and I connect one Midi Out to my Zoom StreetBoxx SB-246 and the other In & Out to my MicroKorg (acting as MIDI controller and outboard synth).
@Matt_Fletcher_2000 I've been looking at demos and I will say that Yamaha Mobile Music Sequencer looks perfect for my needs. I think it may end up being where I sketch up my songs, not just the drums.
That phrase remix feature is exactly what I was envisioning. If they are fairly traditional drum fills, so be it; using the unconventional samples of the StreetBoxx will freshen those right up. Bonus points if they end up having glitchy, electronic-style variations.
I'm going to buy it right now!
Dear thus,
i'm still waiting for the video of your new toy ;-)
I believe there are also variations on the variations. It can get pretty deep in terms of altering patterns.
Another trick I've tried (running it into Gadget) is not having The Yamaha app drive the Kick and Snare - but just all the other drums. Then you can go wild and not actually lose the core rhythm. I then go and do kick / snare variations in Gadget by hand.
@Matt_Fletcher_2000 Great idea — makes total sense. In the final mix, after putting the stuff in the DAW (MultitrackStudio), I will have each drum in a separate track anyway. Great way to tame the variations.
nice, I've got that drum machine too, very nice sounds, I like to run it through kaoss pads and turnado
@Waldemar
Damn. Now I want a StreetBoxx SB-246. Nice job, jerks.
Scared to even put it in the google.
@thus - midiSequencer is polyphonic - but the polyphony currently comes with chords - so is geared more to keyboard than drum. You can have up to 128 notes playing in each step - each with their own length & velocity.
However..... I'm working on a 20 track version of MS that is based on the idea of clips (e.g. like Abelton Live).
Each clip can be linked to others by user defined logic (e.g. start another clip after 2 loops and 3 steps, transpose up a third and play another 6 loops before stopping). This is way more advanced than Live.
Each clip can have its own tempo division (e.g. 1/2 would play half speed of the main song tempo).
Clips can also be transposing sequences - so no midi note out, but modify another clip (including a transpose clip - so they can be chained) sequence by transposing it.
I'm also enabling clips to take over the clock trigger for other clips.
Each clip is a complete instance of midisequencer (including chords and fx) and can be routed to other clips and devices - so you could have clip 1 play animoog, clip 2 play magellan at x2 speed.
I intend to make this an IAP for MS to start with, but next will also be merging this with my piano-roll/grid editor which features midi file read/write, real-time record in a style similar to Gadget that many people prefer. So clips could be midifiles.
@midiSequencer I need to smoke a cigarette after reading through that exciting description (and I don't even smoke)! You are a Gentleman and a Scholar.
@syrupcore @JohnnyGoodyear LOL'ed at your comments!
thanks @thus. I'm thinking of it as midiSequencer2
For real. My mouth literally watered a bit, Tony.