Looptical v1.0.1

Looptical

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Looptical is a powerful workstation. When I made its review a long time ago, it was an iPhone App only. A few months later Looptical became an universal App and until oct 2015 a lot of updates and features were released.
We can say at this time that it was with Beatmaker the most powerful workstation for iOS devices. Unfortunately, as I just said, no more updates since 2015...
Check out the Apps4idevices review and video, the App Store description.

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Apps4idevices review

Looptical is a Workstation like no other.
Sorry, I'll start again...
Looptical is a great, unique and very powerful Workstation like no other! (I think that it sounds better like this...)


Great because I love it!
Unique because it works with Loops instead of patterns.
And powerful because I think that at this moment all the images contained on this review are still not loaded in your browser...
So, before I write my first book "All the features in Looptical", I want to explain a little bit how it works...
First, you will have to create a Project. Then a Track. It can be an Audio Track, a Keyboard track or a Pad track. Each of these tracks excepted the Audio Track comes with different interfaces. Choose the most appropriate interface for the instrument that you want to play.
A Project as well as a Loop could contains 24 tracks. You will be able to set this, before or after you record your Loop length.
You will be also able to merge 2 different loops together.
So, create as many loops as you like or need. Feel free to record all the ideas that come to you mind... You don't have to think about your song structure, at this moment. Just record your ideas, use the Mixer to add effects and /or record automation...
In the Event menu you will be able to erase events like notes and automation. To transpose a loop and more.
At the end only, go to the Loop menu to create your song. Set the number of repetitions for a specific loop, re order them,... And return to the Mixer to give the final touch to your mix.
OK this is basically how it works.
So, now let's have an overview of the available features...
For the tracks: 24 max. The instruments: Looptical comes with a big sound library. The sound quality of all the instruments is really very good. But if you prefer to import your own sample into the App, no problem with the AudioCopy / Paste feature. For the keyboard instruments, you will be able to choose between 6 interfaces. A single keyboard, a dual keyboard, a Scale keyboard which allows you to create your custom one, a Granular interface, yes! A fretboard interface which allows you to create or to choose your chords from the built in library. So, to sum up: 5 interfaces to choose from!
For the Drum interfaces, you can choose to use a Drum Pad or a Roll Pad. Note that nothing's stopping you from doing this while you create your loop... For the Audio Track you can record a signal by using the built in microphone on your iDevice, or the Audiobus and the Inter App feature. If you are not really happy with a sample that you have recorded, imported or taken from the built in library, once again, no problem. Go to the editor, set the start and end point, trim your sample, create a loop or reverse it. If it is still not ok for you, use the ADSR setting menu which comes with all the Keyboard instruments. The maximum polyphony for an instrument is 40 voices and the number of loops for a Project is 100!
For the mixer, 24 tracks. 5 inserts per track. 10 effects to choose from and 1 send. For the Master track: 1 compressor, a limiter and a Reverb.
You can record Automation for all the parameters of a track or from an effect!
At the end you will be able to share your final mix via iTunes File sharing, AudioCopy or mail.
Looptical also comes with the Virtual Midi and Wist features. The Virtual MIDI will allow you to control an effects parameter for example with an other App which will send CC to Looptical.
I think that all the images of this post are now loaded in your browser, it's time for you to have a look at them...For me I'm going back to play with this Killer, Unique and so very Powerful App!
A Must Have!

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App Store description

Ever wanted a recording studio in the palm of your hand? Looptical is a complete music production solution for iPad and iPhone.

Record your musical ideas on the go and mix them into a finished track, or use them as the basis for a new project back at your studio. Create looped sections of music and combine them to form larger musical sections until you have a finished song. Going from an initial riff idea to full track is easy with Looptical. Then mix the track with comprehensive effects and fully automated mixer controls, or export the MIDI and component audio tracks to your DAW when back at the studio to take your song one step further.

PLAY INSTRUMENTS
- Play keys with a single or dual 128 key keyboard layout, complete with pitch/mod wheel.
- Use the Scale Keyboard to play scales effortlessly by sliding a finger up and down the screen.
- Strum your way through your own palette of chords with the Chord Guitar.
- Use the Latched Arpeggiator to turn simple chords into sequences of notes.
- Use Quantize to tidy up your performance, and Undo any mistakes.

GO FROM RIFF TO FULL SONG
- Songwriting in Looptical involves creating Loops: building blocks for a song that could be a one bar bassline, an 8 bar chorus, or a 100 bar indulgent guitar solo.
- Use the Loop Bank to combine, merge, repeat, and insert these Loops to form larger riffs, and ultimately a complete song.
- Use the Event List to perform mass edits of notes, such as tweaking velocity, quantize or transpose.

MIX THE TRACK
- Add and mix up to 24 stereo tracks with Looptical's Mixer.
- Add up to 5 Insert effects (Overdrive, Bit Crusher, Compressor, EQ, Filter, Chorus/Flanger, Phaser, Trance Gate, Delay) to each track, and a single Reverb Send effect.
- All mixer and effect parameters are automated and changes are recorded directly into the song.

ADD VOCALS AND GUITARS
- Record vocals with the iPad internal microphone or compatible audio interface and add your own effects with live monitoring.
- Control input with an intuitive preamp-style gain and noise gate.

INTERACT WITH OTHER APPS
- Record audio tracks directly from any Inter-App Audio (iOS7) Instrument app.
- Use Audiobus (requires purchase from third party) to send and receive live audio to other Audiobus-enabled apps.

MAKE YOUR OWN INSTRUMENTS
- If the 95 keyboard and 50 drum presets (including 600 individual drum hits) are not enough, create your own from scratch.
- Import samples via iTunes Shared Folder, from another iPad music app via the clipboard, or resample the current song.
- Effortlessly create an entire new instrument from a single sample, or add further samples for a multi-sampled instrument.
- Edit your sample to trim, chop, loop, amplify, fade or reverse sections.
- Export your instrument to use again, or even share with others via the Looptical forum.

USE AN EXTERNAL KEYBOARD
- Plug in an iPad-compatible MIDI keyboard and you can break out of the iPad screen and compose using a full hardware piano keyboard.
- Play drum parts by assigning piano keys to each pad, or effortlessly noodle a solo by playing the Scale Piano from the major keys.
- Assign spare MIDI controllers such as Pan or Modulation to directly control automation parameters in Looptical insert effects.

BEFORE YOU PURCHASE
- Visit looptical.com and listen to some of the amazing demo tracks created with Looptical.
- Watch video tutorials on using Looptical.
- Download the full instruction manual to read at your leisure.
- Discuss Looptical with other users in our forum and see what they've been doing with the app.

OS >= 7.0

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