Loopcloud - my thoughts at 3 months in

[Milkman]

So Im not a huge sample musician, but over the years I've slowly begun using more sampled material and Im also buying a Tempera (granular) synth. I use Bitwig as my main DAW, so clips/notes/samples are a big part of the workflow and I've been more motivated to go that way.

Previous to signing up with Loopcloud 3 months ago, I've purchased about 20ish sample packs over 15 years.

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Pros:
-Loopcloud is basically the Spotify of loop digging, and (right now) offers what I think is a good deal. As we see with other brands, once they get enough customers that could change in an instant.

-no contract, and if you pay them for even 1 month and you spend a lot of time digging, you can acquire a lot of individual samples that are *exactly* what you want, rather than packs filled with fluff.

-tons of material across nearly every genre. Lots of "mainstream/pop" stuff, also lots of esoteric and less popular stuff. 4 million samples.

-site and plugin access has been stable and fast 99% of the time. One time, it stopped playing for about 10 minutes.

-audio tagging, filtering, editing, searching is a joy. The desktop application version of Loopcloud is, imo, one of the best media browsers in existence, and I've really gotten to know it over the last 3 months. I can really find EXACTLY the sound, rhythm or bpm, instrument, 'emotion', key, style, etc Im looking for, and you can force every sample into any bpm or key!

-original (uncompressed)hires audio files, many types of files including their own custom Loopcloud Play and Drum plugins, serum presets, rx2 files, etc. They sell whole kits and packs of presets within the catalog.

-Loopcloud Drum and Play are quite interesting. They arent perfect, but the Drum plugin alone represents this nearly endless drum machine that doesnt rely on "AI" to make sounds, but uses advanced filtering to locate similar samples across the whole library.

-if you pay them, even 1 month, you get 25-50 free samples per day depending on the plan, which (for me) has created this fun loop digging session each day. I spend about 30-45 minutes bouncing from genre to genre, label to label. (please see "cons" for problems with free content)

-you keep all samples in a static library if you cancel. The only thing you lose if you cancel is online storage for your own content, which I dont use anyway.

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Cons:
-when locating free samples, which is a big part of Loopcloud, you need to filter each collection or listing with the "free" filter to more easily find them. You will notice sometimes entire collections or *entire labels* with 50-70 packages without ANY free samples. There is no way to sort the whole Loopcloud library for "free", so you spend time going from place to place.

-at the rate Im consuming free samples (I do this EVERY day), I feel like Im going to run out of free content eventually unless Loopcloud adds a lot more content every 12 months or so.

-When I signed up 3 months ago, the plan said "25 free/day" for my "studio" plan. I still get those free samples daily, but today all traces of the free points per day have vanished from the site from all plans, which suggests a phasing out of the free budget?? If they remove the free samples, the value for this would drop.

-Loopcloud Sounds DAW plugin is great, it makes a great BPM and/or key sync'ed audition device, and you can run up to 8 instances of it, but it feels like a limited version of the desktop app in terms of filtering and searching. I wind up running the web version (for finding free samples), the desktop version (for proper filtering and overall visibility), AND the Loopcloud Sounds plugin inside my DAW for auditioning. This *has* to be simplified in some way.

-when loop digging and just scrolling down, you will notice the page eventually refreshes after you scroll down 5-6 pages of results. When it refreshes, it loses your place in the list and often reshuffles the list. So you wind up searching through the same files over and over.

-free samples cost "0 points". If I spent 300 of my real points to buy a whole sound package and that package includes 70 free samples, I dont get the whole sound pack. Then I have to manually go into that pack and use my "free sample" points to grab 25 of them. Then, the next day I grab 25 more (1 at a time). Eventually I have a complete sample pack, that I "paid for" 3 days previously. This is *obnoxious* in terms of spending 100s of points on entire libraries.

-after I purchased a year subscription and received 3000 points, I noticed the average cost of sound packages offered to me went from 100-300 points, to an average of 1000+ points. Some cheaper sound packages became more expensive, rising from 100 points to 300. The site appears to algorithmically adjust point cost based on your point budget....

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Its a mixed bag, but I lean toward keeping it for at least 1 year. I think after I dig into it for a year, I dont know how much more value it would be for me unless they really keep new stuff coming. I would REALLY like to see ALL samples from a purchased sample pack up front, including "free" samples!

Loopcloud has given me strong inspiration to put more sampled content in tracks, but is definitely imperfect. Ultimately if they remove the free samples (or make all of that much worse), I wouldnt be interested in subscribing. I hope this helps others who might be looking at this!

[atya]

Thx for your observations. I've been on noiiz pretty much since they started out a couple years ago since I like their specific vibes (mostly Samplephonics) quite a bit but TBH I mainly go there for inspiration; at the end of the day I try to use as much of my own recordings and sound designs as possible with somewhat of a goal to not use any commercial or free samples, factory presets, etc... at all in my tracks. Almost there.

[Gribs]

Yeah, the Tempura thing is tempting.

One item I am unsure about is whether entire sample packs get discounted in Loopcloud in terms of number of points when they are on sale at Loopmasters. Also at some point, how many more drum or whatever samples does a person need (if they use drum samples)?

I thought the free Loopcloud idea was a good marketing tool and useful for customers. Now I am not so sure.

[Milkman]

Thx for your observations. I've been on noiiz pretty much since they started out a couple years ago since I like their specific vibes (mostly Samplephonics) quite a bit but TBH I mainly go there for inspiration; at the end of the day I try to use as much of my own recordings and sound designs as possible with somewhat of a goal to not use any commercial or free samples, factory presets, etc... at all in my tracks. Almost there.

Hey, thanks! Ive never heard of Noiiz and Ill probably go check it out. How is that Connect Pro plugin?

I've also just recently picked up a Zoom H5 multitrack handheld, and am using that to generate a lot of content from my environment. I want samples from places like Loopcloud for "bread and butter" sounds, and I want specialized, personally curated sounds for my Tempera granular and other sound decision stuff. (Bitwig has a really nice multi voice granular sampler / synth)

I think I'll dig into Loopcloud until my plan is finished and not renew, frankly. It takes a lot of work to find the sounds I really want.

[Milkman]

Yeah, the Tempura thing is tempting.

One item I am unsure about is whether entire sample packs get discounted in Loopcloud in terms of number of points when they are on sale at Loopmasters. Also at some point, how many more drum or whatever samples does a person need (if they use drum samples)?

I thought the free Loopcloud idea was a good marketing tool and useful for customers. Now I am not so sure.

Honestly, they make this difficult to determine. (the honest price in points vs in $$). At the same time, Loopmasters/Loopcloud continue to send me marketing emails for sample packs paid in $$, for often the same packs I can see in Loopcloud.

IMO, I think Loopcloud is good for a short term thing. Even 3 months. I think paying for the 12 month plan up front was wasteful for me, and I am going to wind up extracting all value from it within 3-4 months.

[atya]

Thx for your observations. I've been on noiiz pretty much since they started out a couple years ago since I like their specific vibes (mostly Samplephonics) quite a bit but TBH I mainly go there for inspiration; at the end of the day I try to use as much of my own recordings and sound designs as possible with somewhat of a goal to not use any commercial or free samples, factory presets, etc... at all in my tracks. Almost there.

Hey, thanks! Ive never heard of Noiiz and Ill probably go check it out. How is that Connect Pro plugin?


I've also just recently picked up a Zoom H5 multitrack handheld, and am using that to generate a lot of content from my environment. I want samples from places like Loopcloud for "bread and butter" sounds, and I wasnt specialized, personally curated sounds for my Tempera granular and other sound decision stuff. (Bitwig has a really nice multi voice granular sampler / synth)

I think I'll dig into Loopcloud until my plan is finished and not renew, frankly. It takes a lot of work to find the sounds I really want.

Connect Pro works OK but then I'm more of a download now, use it later sort of user.
As I said before, I really dig the house sound of Samplephonics and now that I have pretty much everything I could ever want from them I'm slowly thinking about canceling the sub, enough is enough but for me it was worth it.

As to digital recorders I rarely leave home without my Tascam DR-100 (or more often than not an audio interface and a couple mics) not at last since over here I'm surrounded by fellow musicians, mostly from South America and West Africa and I much rather use my own recordings > samples (patches, etc...) than something I bought somewhere on the web.

PS: agreed on Bitwig's sampler, been using it on a daily basis for years now, wouldn't want to miss all those crazy mod options anymore, even though I'm still using reaper for the batch jobs (normalizing, slicing, fading, naming, saving, ...).

[discogsaddict]

I like it. Its nice being able to hunt for whatever sample i need and audition them. Mostly im saving up tokens every month and occasionally have spent them on entire packs i like.

The free software every month makes it worth 5.99 alone. So far they've given out some great tools and its surprising how many are ones ive had my eye on yet not purchased yet. Kilohearts Snap heap, NI Super 8, D16 Repeater and UA Polymax to name a few.
Now if they give away tone2 Rayblaster in January id be convinced theyre reading my mind somehow lol

[gjunk]

I like it. Its nice being able to hunt for whatever sample i need and audition them. Mostly im saving up tokens every month and occasionally have spent them on entire packs i like.

The free software every month makes it worth 5.99 alone. So far they've given out some great tools and its surprising how many are ones ive had my eye on yet not purchased yet. Kilohearts Snap heap, NI Super 8, D16 Repeater and UA Polymax to name a few.
Now if they give away tone2 Rayblaster in January id be convinced theyre reading my mind somehow lol

100% agree the plugins alone have been worth it for me on some solid plugins I was interested in but may never have purchased. I jumped on one of the annual plans when it went on sale because of this and just browse the samples as needed

[Milkman]

I've found what I think is a good way to find more, larger lists of free samples all at once, in case anyone hasnt noticed this--

If you view Loopcloud by label or genre category, you can tag a few different categories at the same time and then click the "free" filter for the entire combined list. This saves time, so you dont have to go from collection to collection or from pack to pack to find free content. Also dont forget to un-click "your sounds" so it removes any samples you already have from the list, making it quicker.

My main criticism is still -- if I spend 500 points to buy a full sample pack with 1000 samples in it, but that sample pack contains 50 free samples, I dont get those free samples unless I click on them one at a time as part of my "free" budget. If I run out of free budget that day, I have to wait until the next day to get more, and then the next day, etc, until all free samples are acquired. When I buy a FULL PACK, I expect a FULL PACK. One pack I bought had *70* free samples in it, and this took several days of me clicking 20 samples, one at a time, to finish my pack!!! This needs a fix, but otherwise Loopcloud is allowing me to create some very custom, personalized sample libraries.

[Milkman]

I like it. Its nice being able to hunt for whatever sample i need and audition them. Mostly im saving up tokens every month and occasionally have spent them on entire packs i like.

The free software every month makes it worth 5.99 alone. So far they've given out some great tools and its surprising how many are ones ive had my eye on yet not purchased yet. Kilohearts Snap heap, NI Super 8, D16 Repeater and UA Polymax to name a few.
Now if they give away tone2 Rayblaster in January id be convinced theyre reading my mind somehow lol

I thought Snapheap was pretty good. I have a few multi-effects devices like this already, but Snapheap is different enough, it sounds good, has lots to offer, and Im happy with it. I already had Super 8, but this is a great synth for a freebie! D16 is alright(I also have many similar devices). Ive really enjoyed a few of the "label samplers" they have given me as rewards! Some of my favorite sample content has come from Loopcloud, and I really enjoy the Loopcloud Sounds DAW plugin.

[Milkman]

FULL STOP.

I am now 4 months into my 12 month pre-paid Loopcloud artist subscription. When I signed up for Loopcloud, I was offered 3 plans. Each plan contained 10, 25, or 50 daily free samples along with a certain premium points budget. I signed a deal that offered me 25 free samples/day and paid $120 up front.

Then, those free samples disappeared from my plan but were still available in the interface. Then, yesterday, the free samples themselves and the filter to locate them were removed from the site entirely. (for paid, non trial plans!)

Loopcloud did a bait and switch, and I am considering legal action against them for this. I was duped into signing a deal for a *12 month subscription* that had, in writing, "25 free samples/day". Today all traces of this are gone, and Loopcloud replied to me in an email about this, "yes! We wanted to make it easier for you to focus on and use your premium points, so we removed the free points to help you with that"

lmao this is utter nonsense, it is consumer fraud, and I am proceeding with legal threats against Beatport/Loopcloud for this. I can't say I'm surprised, but wowwwww! DO NOT sign up for Loopcloud unless you like being taken advantage of, and you appreciate "bait and switch" as a marketing style.

[kidslow]

I took a 2 month loopcloud "artist" plan as a bonus extra with a Plugin Boutique purchase in December. Did a lot of searching and stashing of free samples to custom lists to build a backlog for my 10/day quota. After 2 months I pretty much exhausted the free that interested me, so I cancelled. Downloaded 482 total samples, between the free and 100 monthly points I had available. A lot of one-shots and no full packs.

Did not try their app or plugin and their web UI is a real hassle, likely by design. Encountered 1 sample that failed to download and their support was middling. Still never downloaded it. The 10 free samples per day were the best perk. Can't believe they would revoke it. Shameful. Overall I would give a lukewarm review. I paid for splice 4-5 years ago and accumulated a bunch of samples then. In both cases, a few months is more than enough to "eat my fill" for years. The best thing about either one is the ability to listen to individual samples in packs and get a better sense of which packs and sample makers are exceptional, for future reference.

[Jac459]

Thanks OP, very interesting thread. Only bought packs... Will consider subscription based on the feedbacks.

[kidslow]

Appears that loopcloud takes autopayment a few days before your monthly expiration, so if you are waiting until the last day of your subscription before you cancel, you will be the one clawing back money from them instead of vice versa.

I revoked their authorization through paypal and then cancelled service through their web portal on the last day of my trial and they are hounding me now for an "overdue" bill for service that was properly cancelled prior to rolling over to a new month. But because their invoicing system is rigged to bill a few days early, their "AI" thinks I owe them money. As If.

[Milkman]

I sent them a support email with the title "bait and switch for loopcloud plans?", and let them know that what they did qualifies as consumer fraud. They agreed and said I can get a free premium soundpack from them as compensation, lol, or they will refund the remaining money for my plan. I am considering what to do.

Yeah -- after a few months of daily loop digging, this seemed to run out of value and become more difficult to deal with. My daily loop digging is over, and this was one of the main things I loved about this.

I received my Tempera synth yesterday, and I managed to get 7000+ samples from Loopcloud over 3 months so that is good. About 5000 of those are 1 shots from a big package, and the others are mostly loops. I made a collection with nothing but interesting samples for use in Tempera, and I guess Im done with Loopcloud.

Good info -- I will NOT wait until the last minute to cancel my subscription, giving them the chance to auto-bill.