LOOPTASTIC!

Looptastic is a new DJ-oriented virtual instrument and performance remix tool by Sound Trends designed to help iPod enthusiasts make their own great-sounding music with touchscreen ease. But unlike typical “drag, drop, and doze off” remixing apps, Looptastic features two DJ-inspired controllers to shape the mix in real time: a crossfader and a multimode resonant filter.

The program comes with 10 Electro House tracks by noted DJ/producer Midihead, winner of the American Synthpop Awards for Best Album and composer for Konami’s Dance, Dance, Revolution videogames. Each track contains 10 stems (drums, percussion, bass, strings, synths, vocals, SFX, and some surprises), all looped with sample accuracy.

Basic Looptastic operation is simple: You load a track and then drag the loop icons vertically to control volume and horizontally to snap them into one of three mixer zones. (Thanks to multitouch support, you can grab up to five loops at once.) The crossfader controls the balance of the left and right zones, facilitating breakdowns, transforms, and seamless sound-swapping. Loops in the center zone play independently of the crossfader, enabling the performer to sustain a groove or a background texture.

Touch the Effects tab and the filter overlay slides into view. The filter offers four modes: Low Pass, High Pass, Band Pass, and Notch. Horizontal finger movements control frequency and vertical movements control resonance for expressive sweeps. Tapping near the edges of the screen produces rhythmic gating effects.

Looptastic Electro Edition costs $4.99 at the iTunes App Store. Sound Trends also offers a single-track Lite version for free. Additional genre collections are in development.

  Looptastic