DNicheLooper

Real-time guitar amp-model + cabinet-IR + looper for Android, running entirely on the phone as the DSP host (like a PiPedal Raspberry Pi). Audio goes in and out through one USB audio interface — the phone's built-in audio is never used.

This is the Android sister project of the desktop NicheLooper; the signal flow and slot concept (switchable amp A/B/C + a fixed cab IR D + looper) match the desktop app, but the engine is a native Oboe full-duplex implementation for Android.

✅ Verified on-device: the engine starts on a connected USB interface and passes the audio sound check on a Pixel 9.

Signal flow

Guitar → NAM amp slot (A/B/C, switchable) → Cab IR (Slot D, fixed/global)
       → Looper → Monitor → USB out

Slot D is deliberately not part of the A/B/C switching: the amp changes, the cab stays. An empty Slot D is a bypass.

Install (sideload from GitHub)

1. Download the latest DNicheLooper.apk from Releases.
2. On the phone: Settings → Apps → Special access → Install unknown apps (allow your browser / Files app).
3. Open the downloaded .apk and install.
4. Plug in a USB audio interface, open DNicheLooper, grant the recording permission — the engine starts on the interface.

Requires Android 8.0 (API 26) or newer; tested on a Pixel 9.

Hardware / setup notes

• Both input and output must use the same USB interface (explicit device ids).
• On USB disconnect the engine stops — there is no fallback to built-in audio.
• The app maxes the media volume on engine start (Android throttles the USB DAC to the media volume set at connect time).

Credits & third-party licenses

DNicheLooper bundles third-party components whose licenses require attribution:

• NeuralAmpModelerCore — © 2023 Steven Atkinson, MIT License (amp-model DSP). NeuralAmpModelerCore
• Oboe — Google, Apache License 2.0 (low-latency audio).
• Eigen — MPL2 / BSD / Apache 2.0 (linear algebra, used by the IR loader).

Drum samples (optional rhythm section) come from the "The Black Pearl 1.0" Hydrogen drumkit by Glen MacArthur (AVL Drumkits), licensed under the GPL. See app/src/main/assets/drums/ATTRIBUTION.txt.

ℹ️ License-sensitive mentions (NAM, the desktop looper, etc.) are kept here as legally-required attribution only. Adjust marketing mentions to taste.

Build

Android Studio / Gradle (AGP 9, Gradle 9.4, Kotlin 2.2). The NAM core is a git submodule:

git submodule update --init --recursive
./gradlew :app:assembleDebug

Debug APK: app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk.