LOON is Jamstik's rebuild of its Creator sound app into a standalone instrument, released on July 15, 2026. The defining feature is structural: three layers run in parallel, and each layer holds instrument groups that can stack several sound sources at once. A single patch can therefore combine a virtual analog oscillator, a multi-sampled electric piano and a 4-operator FM voice across separate signal paths, each with its own filter and effects chain.
Expression is the other reason to look. LOON implements full MPE with independent per-note voice response, so bending one note in a chord leaves the rest in place, and pressure or slide data lands on individual voices rather than the whole patch. Jamstik designed it to be driven from any MIDI source — keyboards, pads, wind controllers, electronic drums and its own MIDI guitars — which is a wider brief than most software synths attempt.
The modulation section covers LFOs, ADSR envelopes, multi-segment envelopes and MIDI CC routing, and six assignable macros map across layers and groups so a three-layer patch stays playable from a single control. The factory library holds more than 200 presets, and legacy Jamstik Creator sound packs load without conversion.
The limits are real. LOON cannot import your own samples, which rules it out for anyone whose workflow starts with personal recordings. Installing without a licence leaves you in Lite Mode, where the preset browser works but the Edit view is locked unless you connect a Jamstik guitar. And 7.55GB of storage is heavy for a 200-preset library.
Against Pigments 6 or Zebra 3, LOON is clearly the shallower instrument — fewer engines, no granular, no user sampling, a far smaller preset count. It is also a quarter of the price, and its layer-stacking model reaches a big sound faster. At $49.99 introductory, or free with a Jamstik MIDI guitar, it is easy value for expressive-controller players. Producers wanting the deeper option can compare current Pigments pricing at Plugin Boutique.