Groove Box in Your Pocket
It doesn’t have everything, but it has enough to be deadly with your creativity.
For most people this app will save hundreds of dollars as compared to buying a real groove box.
For most people this app will save hundreds of dollars as compared to buying a real groove box.
NO UNDO BUTTON
If you happen to brush up against the wrong thing by accident say goodbye to hours of sample editing because you can’t undo. I really wish I had known that before spending the money.
Simply a must have.
I think just about anyone would enjoy this app. Musical or not. It’s just straight up fun. But also incredibly deep if you want to keep going. And you do.
If you bought this and drool over something like an MPC, understand that you’re getting 95% of what’s cool about an MOC, and it’s in your pocket.
The lack of subscription puts the cherry on top. Happy to pay for upgrades and packs.
If you bought this and drool over something like an MPC, understand that you’re getting 95% of what’s cool about an MOC, and it’s in your pocket.
The lack of subscription puts the cherry on top. Happy to pay for upgrades and packs.
Show more
Helped Me Rediscover the Joy of Making Music
This app has put a huge smile on my face so many times. Lightweight and surprisingly powerful, especially once you add the Samurai and Mixer add-ons. The workflow super intuitive and a lot of fun. Highly recommend.
Best music app
If your not sold on it YouTube will sell you on it hands down everything else is second to Koala Sampler 🖖🏽
Buss
One thing PLEASE - could we get the option to route the separate 4 BUSS channels into a audio track inside Ableton so we can record from the BUSS and not have to go to each sample individually to place on each individual “out” audio track. Its do-able now , yet the do-able way the fx from the BUSS’s are not recorded in the “out” option ..
Still with that said this is still Ultimately my favorite sampler. The go to no matter what i am cooking or where i am cooking. Koala is there on the ipad and the laptop.
Still with that said this is still Ultimately my favorite sampler. The go to no matter what i am cooking or where i am cooking. Koala is there on the ipad and the laptop.
Show more
The greatest!
Now that there’s AUV3 support, it’s 10/10.
My only wants now are:
1. Easier access to transport and keyboard controls from the Sample tab without having to constantly switch back and forth between Sample and Sequence for those functions.
Maybe you could offer the choice between a few preconfigured UI layout to suit different workflows the way Lumafusion does to accommodate different workflows and displays.
I would personally like to see the all the menu options at the top of the app swap places with all the buttons at the bottom of the screen for quicker to more frequently used buttons/options. I don’t find myself needing to reach for Mute, Solo or any of the pattern banks nearly as often as I do the mode tabs and settings menu.
2. I noticed that synths don’t respond to pressure sensitivity from my Novation Launchpad X like they do when I run them in AUM or Logic Pro on Mac. So, I hope that gets added/fixed.
My only wants now are:
1. Easier access to transport and keyboard controls from the Sample tab without having to constantly switch back and forth between Sample and Sequence for those functions.
Maybe you could offer the choice between a few preconfigured UI layout to suit different workflows the way Lumafusion does to accommodate different workflows and displays.
I would personally like to see the all the menu options at the top of the app swap places with all the buttons at the bottom of the screen for quicker to more frequently used buttons/options. I don’t find myself needing to reach for Mute, Solo or any of the pattern banks nearly as often as I do the mode tabs and settings menu.
2. I noticed that synths don’t respond to pressure sensitivity from my Novation Launchpad X like they do when I run them in AUM or Logic Pro on Mac. So, I hope that gets added/fixed.
Show more
More potential
Great app just wish I could use a AKAI APC mini with the app, it connects to it and pads work but no lights, no organization, no mode changing buttons, no slider configuration, and it won’t even let you configure anything, I hope this improves
v2.0 Very Good !!
Le problème récurrent de surchauffe et de surconsommation semble avoir été enfin réglé 👍🏻🙏🏻
L’arrivée des AUV3 et toutes les nouveautés montent l’expérience un bon cran au dessus.
Meilleur workflow et lisibilité, c’est le meilleur pocket sampler et de loin.
Avec la 2.0 je suis de retour dessus full time, il me manque juste l’automation, la possibilité de pouvoir enregistrer un mouvement de filtre ou autre paramètre au choix. Quand ça arrivera je mettrai 5 étoiles.
L’arrivée des AUV3 et toutes les nouveautés montent l’expérience un bon cran au dessus.
Meilleur workflow et lisibilité, c’est le meilleur pocket sampler et de loin.
Avec la 2.0 je suis de retour dessus full time, il me manque juste l’automation, la possibilité de pouvoir enregistrer un mouvement de filtre ou autre paramètre au choix. Quand ça arrivera je mettrai 5 étoiles.
Show more
Response from developer
Battery should be much better now, also now there is auv3 support. More fun stuff to come thx for your support
2.0 update is perfect
After using this app for over a year solid now, I can say it’s absolutely incredible. Thank you for consistently working on and improving the app. The battery usage is so much better after the 2.0 update, and the previous update added in external auv3 support. I’m excited to see what else will be added over time!
Show more
Greatness
This is probably the greatest beat making app of all time…… But if this gets audio tracks at least 8 …. It’s a wrap!!!!!!!
Fast, easy, powerful and keeps getting better
I’ve been using Koala for 1 year now. it’s extremely intuitive. It’s pretty powerful out of the gate. The add ons make it really powerful.
And… the updates continue to add more and more power
And importantly, the updates don’t disrupt the intuitive ease that makes Koala a no-brainer tool for iOS music creation.
And… the updates continue to add more and more power
And importantly, the updates don’t disrupt the intuitive ease that makes Koala a no-brainer tool for iOS music creation.
Show more
The greatest!
Now that there’s AUV3 support, it’s 10/10.
My only wants now are easier access to transport and keyboard controls from the Sample tab without having to constantly switch back and forth between Sample and Sequence for those functions. Oh and I noticed that synths don’t respond to pressure sensitivity from my Novation Launchpad X like they do when I run them in AUM or Logic Pro on Mac. So, I hope that gets fixed.
My only wants now are easier access to transport and keyboard controls from the Sample tab without having to constantly switch back and forth between Sample and Sequence for those functions. Oh and I noticed that synths don’t respond to pressure sensitivity from my Novation Launchpad X like they do when I run them in AUM or Logic Pro on Mac. So, I hope that gets fixed.
Show more
It works
I used this to program a JP-Mini for my kid, who uses it as a communication device. Other software made the process agonizing or downright impossible. I had all of the banks programmed with audio clips and the JP-mini functioning perfectly within 20 minutes. It’s worth the money.
Update 2026
I just wanted to update my review after spending around 8,000 hours with this app. It has become my favorite way of making music. I am currently well-versed in Ableton, FL Studio, Logic, Reason, GarageBand on both iOS and Mac. Koala is the most fun to use and most conducive to creativity for me.
Koala feels and behaves much more like an instrument than your typical DAW. Every action is almost muscle memory to me now. Having something that I can also throw in my pocket and take with me on the go is an absolute game changer, and I don't use that term lightly. MAREK, the lead dev, is one of the most amazing guys because he has chosen to not make this app a subscription as a lot of other developers have.
I can't thank him enough for doing this because I know he could make an absolute truckload of money off of us musicians, but he chooses not to. in this day and age, that's a very rare thing. For the price tag, I don't think there is a better way to spend $10 and absolutely recommend all of the possible add-ons, such as the mixer. This app receives continued support and updates even without the continued cash flow a subscription model would bring.
Now onto the workflow. There are so many ways to get started creatively in Koala from loading in a synth with the new added AUV3 support, and building chords in the piano roll to
Screen recording sample in youtube, importing the video and stem splitting, its just an endlessly creative tool.
Koala also comes bundled with a ton of very useful effects Such as clippers, compressors, chorus, filters, auto filter, drive and many more. , which all have extremely intuitive user interfaces.
If you love making music, I cannot recommend it enough.
I look forward to the things to come for Koala, and I hope Marek eventually puts in a buy-me-a-coffee button, because I'd love to do that.
Koala feels and behaves much more like an instrument than your typical DAW. Every action is almost muscle memory to me now. Having something that I can also throw in my pocket and take with me on the go is an absolute game changer, and I don't use that term lightly. MAREK, the lead dev, is one of the most amazing guys because he has chosen to not make this app a subscription as a lot of other developers have.
I can't thank him enough for doing this because I know he could make an absolute truckload of money off of us musicians, but he chooses not to. in this day and age, that's a very rare thing. For the price tag, I don't think there is a better way to spend $10 and absolutely recommend all of the possible add-ons, such as the mixer. This app receives continued support and updates even without the continued cash flow a subscription model would bring.
Now onto the workflow. There are so many ways to get started creatively in Koala from loading in a synth with the new added AUV3 support, and building chords in the piano roll to
Screen recording sample in youtube, importing the video and stem splitting, its just an endlessly creative tool.
Koala also comes bundled with a ton of very useful effects Such as clippers, compressors, chorus, filters, auto filter, drive and many more. , which all have extremely intuitive user interfaces.
If you love making music, I cannot recommend it enough.
I look forward to the things to come for Koala, and I hope Marek eventually puts in a buy-me-a-coffee button, because I'd love to do that.
Show more
The struggle
This was bad from the start.I want to become a artist and make music,but with this app I had no clue what I was doing no one is my family could help me out ether and you have to pay to get beats and you can’t even upload your music so I would not get this app
Best music making app ever existed
There is no limits to what you can create with it. Basic use is immediate. For advanced use there is of course a learning curve, but there is a huge community and plenty of tutorial videos on YouTube.
AUM Compatibility Issues
If you use Koala for fun in stand alone, then it’s really great. If you use it in stand alone in a professional situation it’s great. If you use it in a professional situation within AUM and assign different Koala templates with different samples to separate channels then it’s very frustrating. When you map on Koala in one channel it voids the mapping on the previous Koala channel. This happens even if you save both in Koala and AUM after every move on both channels. If you go back and import the song into the correct channel it still deletes the mapping data you spent a lot of time programming. Saving a song and trying to use it within AUM on a gig is fraught with saving / memory issues and you cannot depend on it. This creates a lot of wasted time.
Show more
Koala sample was good, but kind of confusing
Because every time I make a new song and I save it and then I load it or I load a different song I have to tap every box in the sequence part cause it doesn’t just play on it’s own like it only plays one box at a time not all the boxes like once it finishes one box it goes to another. It doesn’t do that for me. It’s very confusing and very annoying that that’s why I am rating three stars.
Show more
So good
Legitimately the best $ I've ever spent
