Impaktor 4+

Impaktor is a hoot to play, quite flexible, so easy to figure out, and very expressive. But the contact mic is very sensitive, and causes random noises even at low sensitivity settings.

Impaktor has all the potential to add a new dimension to songwriting, like many of its other app counterparts on portable devices. Stand-alone, it’s fun to use, intuitive, and very quick to get used to. The interface is also sleek and appealing and responsive.

Where it falls short is with its Inter-App Support. I have tried opening Impaktor using Audiobus, AUM, MultiTrack Studio, and GarageBand, and it crashes all of them. Now, sometimes I can look the other way, but if a paid product is supposed to have support, it’s a reasonable expectation that it work.

I can get around that most times by simply using the app’s onboard WAV export function. It isn’t ideal, but for an app like Impaktor, I could make an exception due to the innovation. But the trouble is that WAV exports crash the app as well, and it takes a lot of finagling - opening, closing, crashing, and crossing fingers - to get a WAV to export. This is less than acceptable.

I feel the developer should really look into these issues. For reference, I’m using a 2018 iPad Pro recently updated to iOS 16. If not for these technical flaws, this app would get a perfect five stars.

Love this app. I have spent hours with upturned bowls, empty boxes, and couple of big wooden spoons, inventing terrific soundscapes. Sadly, Apple says this app will need an update to keep functioning on their upcoming OS updates.. please update.