Support

Where’s the manual?

In the app. Open Home with the house key, then Settings ▸ HELP ▸ CHOPSHOP MANUAL. It covers every screen step by step, and search finds any word, like LATCH or CHOKE.

How do I start a beat?

The first time you open CHOPSHOP a demo beat is loaded: tap ▶ to hear it. For your own, open Home and tap NEW PROJECT, or start from a template (BOOM BAP 90, DRILL 140, POP 100, EDM 128, HOUSE 124 or R&B 80) with the kit, tempo and swing already set.

The app sat on a loading screen the first time I opened it.

On the very first launch the audio engine and effects take a few seconds to warm up. It’s quick every time after that.

How do I sample a sound?

Tap PAD EDIT and choose Hold to Sample (mic), then touch and hold any pad. CHOPSHOP records for as long as you hold, up to 30 seconds, and keeps a split second from before you pressed. Hold to Resample (master out) records CHOPSHOP’s own sound the same way.

How do I chop a sample?

Open the chopper with the CHOPSHOP logo under the pads (on iPad, CHOPSHOP SLICE). Pick TRANSIENT or GRID, then tap THROW TO PADS ▸ and choose where the chops go. Or tap LAZY CHOP, let the sample play, and tap pads where each chop should start.

Does stem separation really run offline?

Yes. STEM SPLIT separates a song into DRUMS, BASS, VOCALS and MELODY entirely on your device. There’s no account and nothing is uploaded. Longer songs take a little longer.

Which files can I import?

WAV, AIFF, MP3, M4A, CAF and FLAC, from Files, or on iPad by dragging a file onto a pad. Songs you only stream can’t be imported from your music library; play them out loud and sample them with the mic instead.

A pad cuts off when I let go, or plays too long.

That’s the pad’s PLAY setting in EDIT. ONE SHOT plays the whole sound however short your tap; NOTE ON/OFF plays only while you hold the pad.

Can I use a MIDI controller?

Yes. USB-C controllers work as soon as you plug them in. Bluetooth ones pair once, from Settings ▸ MIDI SETUP ▸ BLUETOOTH MIDI ▸, and reconnect on their own after that. PAD 1 NOTE sets the note that plays pad 1, and a controller’s pitch and mod wheels work too.

My recording is off the beat.

Turn on Quantize in the Arranger’s ⋯ menu, then record again. Strength sets how hard notes snap to the grid. You can also move notes by hand in PIANO.

What’s the difference between STEP and PIANO?

STEP is a drum-machine grid: every pad as a row, 16 steps across, tap a square to add a hit. PIANO shows notes as bars you can draw, move, lengthen and transpose, for melodies and chords. Both edit the same patterns, and SONG chains the patterns into a track.

Can I use CHOPSHOP inside another music app?

Yes. CHOPSHOP comes with three Audio Unit plugins for any host app that loads them:

• CHOPSHOP, an instrument: your pads, kits and projects on a track, in time with the host.
• CHOPSHOP FX, an effect for an audio track, so you can sample from it.
• CHOPSHOP FX MIDI, the same effect with MIDI in, for hosts that send notes to effects.

How do I get my sounds into the plugin?

Tap LOAD in the plugin for your PROJECTS, KITS and SAMPLES from the app. Pick a project and choose LOAD SOUNDS, or WITH PATTERNS to bring its patterns as well.

The plugin is silent.

Press play in the host. Some hosts only run effects while the song plays. If it’s still quiet, open MIX and check that nothing is muted or soloed.

What stays in the app?

Stem split, purchases and SONG mode. Your packs come with you into the plugin, and each plugin track can run effects on up to 8 pads. The plugin saves with your song, so reopening the song brings everything back.

Where are my projects saved?

New projects save to iCloud when it’s available, so they show up in the Files app too. The switch at the top of Projects changes that to On This Device. CHOPSHOP saves as you work, and the save key on the display saves right away.

I made a change I regret, or lost my work.

Open the project, then open Projects again: VERSIONS lists its earlier auto-saves. Tap one to go back to it.

How do I get my beat onto a computer?

In the Arranger, tap EXPORT. In SONG mode it exports the whole song; otherwise the current pattern.

• WAV: the full mix, at 44.1 or 48 kHz, 16 or 24‑bit.
• WAV STEMS: one file per pad, with a stereo mix of the whole beat if you turn on Include master.
• AIFF and M4A: the full mix, uncompressed or small for sharing.
• MIDI: the notes, quantized or with your own timing, as one file or split by track.
• ABLETON: an Ableton Live .als with its stems.

When it’s done, tap SHARE to send it to Files or another app. CHOPSHOP also keeps each project’s patterns as MIDI files in Files, under On My iPhone or On My iPad ▸ CHOPSHOP ▸ MIDI.

Is there a subscription?

No, and there never will be. CHOPSHOP is a one-time purchase, and sound packs are optional one-time purchases.

What does CHOPSHOP LIFETIME include?

Every premium sound pack, today’s and every one released later, in one in-app purchase, plus a permanent Founder’s Badge for launch-window buyers. Every feature already comes with the app; LIFETIME is only about the packs.

How do I get my purchases back on a new device?

Sign in with the Apple Account you bought with and download CHOPSHOP again from the App Store; you won’t be charged twice. For packs and LIFETIME, open Home ▸ BROWSE SAMPLE PACKS and tap RESTORE.

Do I need to clear the sounds?

No. Every sound that comes with CHOPSHOP was made in-house, not sampled from records, so there are no clearance questions on anything you make with them.

I can’t hear anything.

Turn up the volume and check where the sound is going: headphones, a speaker or the built-in speaker. Open MIX and check that nothing is muted and no other channel is soloed. In a host app, press play in the host.

I hear crackles or dropouts.

Use fewer effects, or FLATTEN PAD the pads with long effect chains. PURGE in EDIT frees memory, and closing apps you aren’t using helps too.

The microphone doesn’t record.

Allow microphone access in the iOS Settings app, under Privacy & Security ▸ Microphone.

Something else?

Email focused.era1@gmail.com with your device, its iOS version and, for the plugin, the host app.