MIDI Scribe vs Loop Breaker
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
MIDI Scribe
This app automatically records practice sessions from MIDI instruments, segmenting takes by breaks or specific MIDI commands. Review and organize your recordings with a piano roll, star favorites, and export them as MIDI files. It prioritizes user privacy with no ads or data collection.
- Automatic take capture
- Configurable idle time for new takes
- Manual take control via MIDI commands
- Piano roll for reviewing takes
- Starring favorite takes
- Configurable retention policy for unstarred takes
- Export as MIDI files
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MIDI Scribe is a free productivity app for capturing and organizing practice takes from your MIDI-capable musical instrument. Run it while you practice, and it will automatically start new takes after every session break, with a configurable auto-take idle time, as well as support for specific MIDI commands (such as a middle or left piano pedal press) to manually start and end takes. A piano roll is provided to review and scrub individual takes. Star the takes that you want to keep indefinitely, while unstarred takes are cleaned up over time based on a configurable retention policy. All takes can be exported as MIDI files for use in other programs. MIDI Scribe is completely private. Connect your instrument, capture your takes, and keep everything securely on your device . No ads, no analytics, no snooping on your usage, and nothing ever leaves your device unless you export it. MIDI Scribe is completely free and open source for you to enjoy.
Loop Breaker
This app transforms your audio loops into evolving compositions by introducing random modifiers and effects. It encourages creative exploration by letting you decide how to alter your sound or letting the app make choices for you.
- Gamified audio processing
- Modifier system for effects
- Probability system for modifier appearance
- MIDI CC control for probability
- Preset system for saving/recalling stacks
- Record and resample audio output
- Standalone app and AUv3 plugin
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Loop Breaker is a gamified audio processing environment that periodically forces you to make choices about how your audio loops should change and how your compositions should unfold. This is primarily achieved through a modifier system; every few bars, a new modifier appears in a queue. You must decide which of your loops should be affected by the modifier. If you make no choice, Loop Breaker will decide for you. Change is the only constant. Modifiers include standard audio effects like reverb, delay, chorus, filters, granular delay, auto-pan, and tremolo. Each of these effects has multiple parameters that are set on the fly and include various onset times. Other modifiers effect loop playback: you can change the playback speed, reverse playback direction, time-stretch, re-pitch, move loop brackets via the parts system, and slice loops and then shuffle, arpeggiate, or repeat them. Modifiers stack. Within minutes, your loops will wander down their own paths and recombine to create something previously unimaginable. Loop Breaker also contains a robust probability system for controlling how likely it is that modifier types will appear in the queue and how likely it is that an individual loop will be targeted for modification, should you cede decision-making responsibilities to Loop Breaker. The probability system responds to MIDI CC messages, so you can dynamically change probability settings with MIDI controllers, automation lanes in your DAW, or via modulation sources. Loop Breaker also contains a preset system for saving and recalling modifier stacks. Take your explorations as far as you want, save a new preset, and then recall it later on, even between sessions. Like the pads and probability system, presets also can be controlled via MIDI. Still not enough exploratory madness for you? Record and resample the audio output and then re-apply it to a pad or process it further in your DAW. Loop Breaker works both as a standalone app and as a AUv3 plug-in. Loop Breaker knows that you have a hard drive full of 4-bar loops that you never turned into finished compositions. Loop Breaker wants to help. Loop Breaker wants to make sure you don't get stuck in a loop.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: MIDI Scribe at Free against Loop Breaker's $4.99. Loop Breaker's advantage is chart position (#135 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.6). On rating, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
MIDI Scribe is free to download; Loop Breaker costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for MIDI Scribe against 5.0 for Loop Breaker. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 2 respectively.
| Parameter | MIDI Scribe | Loop Breaker |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $4.99 |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | — | #135 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 39 MB | 30 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | James Ranson | GlowMachine LLC |
In-app purchases
MIDI Scribe
No in-app purchases
Loop Breaker
No in-app purchases









