LoopMonster
LoopMonster was the first product of BAD Company, the startup I founded at eighteen. It turned a loop station, the hardware musicians use to layer recorded sounds into a song, into a simple mobile app anyone could play with. I led product and design. We launched on the App Store in 2011, sold over 30,000 copies ($90K) in a single month at our peak, and were featured in several European countries as one of the year’s top entertainment apps.
My first ever project
In 2010, I watched a live loop station performance. The performer recorded a clap, then a beat, then a voice, and layered them into a full song in front of the crowd. It was a beautiful way to make music, but out of reach for most people because the hardware was expensive and complicated. Inspired by Apple’s idea of technology meeting the liberal arts, I wanted to put that experience in everyone’s pocket.
Designing a visual music experience
The challenge was turning sound layering into something you could understand at a glance. Our goal was an app a child could use without instructions. Loop software usually shows waveforms, which look technical and intimidating. We replaced them with animated 2D monsters, one per sound layer, that moved with the rhythm and volume of each loop. Music became something you could see and play with, and the monsters gave the app its name.
Iterating through user feedback
We spent almost six months testing layouts. The first version put an animated character at the top and a drum pad below. Users could tap tiles to make rhythms, record their voice and drag clips onto a timeline.
It worked, but testing with friends and colleagues showed it was too hard to use. We had packed in up to 11 buttons and several gestures so users could make any sound they wanted, and lost the simplicity we started with.
So we threw it out and started over. That decision taught me something I still use: making a product accessible is about removing steps, not adding features.
Less is more.
The second version focused only on simplicity. We merged the split screens into one and cut most of the features. In interviews, we also learned that many users felt embarrassed hearing their own voice played back on a loop. Adding editing tools would have brought the complexity back, so we looked for a simpler fix.
Inspired by the iPod Shuffle, which removed the screen entirely, we added random voice effects that changed pitch and tone based on the character you picked. Embarrassment turned into fun, and it became one of the most loved features after launch.
We also moved editing into multi-touch gestures, so users could change volume or mute and unmute tracks on the same screen. The final app came down to three things: record, loop and edit.
Reflection
At eighteen, I had left college and was working part-time at a phone shop when I first used the iPhone 3GS. Through it, I found Apple and Steve Jobs, and for the first time I knew what I wanted to do. I gathered a few people online and started BAD Company, short for Best App Developers. I taught myself design and UX by doing it, and after a year of late-night work, we launched LoopMonster as a paid app.
It taught me how to lead a team, how to listen when users tell you something is too hard, and how to cut a product down to what matters. I still use “Loop Monster” as my nickname online. It’s where I started building products.
