App Review: Loopster Tries To Change Tunes At The Push Of A Button

By Lisa Bernier

Loopster, created by German Heinz Goetz, is an expensive app considering what it does. Sold for $5.99 in the App Store, and only downloadable to your computer, the app allows you to take a track and loop it: change the pitch, the tempo, and the playback speed of a track.

The app is simple to open, and at first, the interface doesn’t seem confusing. Upon opening, the app clearly shows you what is what: where to place a track, where you can alter the pitch, where to adjust the tempo, etc.

On the bottom is the button that brings you to the playlist page. The list is where you can store tracks, and order them into a playlist. The app also gives you the ability to name tracks, which is helpful, instead of tracks just being Track A, B, C or Track 1, 2, 3.

Although the app claims it is simple to use, it is not the most intuitive of programs. The makers tout the use of the “keyboard,” which are “indicated” via the buttons on the app. So, if you hit “Y” on the keyboard, you get to playlist, “I” gets you to in, “L” either Loop or Locator (depending on which button is pressed on the app).

Although that is useful up to a point, it is not as intuitive as they claim. Though the keyboard letters match the command (such as “T” for Tempo and “P” for Pitch), using the keyboard is like having to re-learn to place your fingers. Having to locate T and P quickly, or the side arrow to stop is not exactly easy when they are not placed close together. Using arrow keys to adjust the “tempo” or “pitch” function might be the only truly intuitive keyboard function.

In the end, using the actual buttons in the app to manipulate a song is better and faster.

In the end, Loopster may be a handy app for composers, or for those who want to create a remix for a certain song. However, since the app is limited to only Mac users, and only downloadable to a computer (as opposed to mobile), its usability is limited for those often on the go, or for the average Joe who may just want to play around with a track for the heck of it. The price may not be in its favor, though to be fair, many other track manipulating apps and software are far above $5.99. Within its genre then, it is competitively priced. However, if you are a serious composer, musician, or DJ, you will probably not go to Loopster to mix and manipulate your tracks. If you’re a beginner, well, you could probably do worse.