Though we do know a few people who claim to find the MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar useful, many more consider it to be pretty much superfluous, particularly in a music-making context. But just wait a second, because Marcos Alonso, the developer of the Samplr iPad app, might just have found a rather handy use for it.
Samplr for Touchbar is very much a slimmed-down version of the main app, but still looks like it could be more than just a novelty. It enables you to play sample fragments simply by tapping on them, and you have a choice of four different modes of operation.
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Specifically, Slicer lets you play sample fragments with a tap (there’s automatic slice detection or you can go manual); Looper will, as you might suspect, loop a section of the sample; Bow uses granular synthesis to play a small fragment of the sounds you’re touching; and Tape enables you to adjust the play speed from -200% to 200%.
As well as the waveform view, you can also show the Play Controls on the Touch Bar or bring up the Effects section. This lets you adjust the low-pass and high-pass filter frequencies, the feedback delay time/amount and reverb amount. You can even record directly into the app using your MacBook Pro’s built-in mic by hitting the R key.
You can download Samplr for Touchbar now from the Samplr website.
