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Help! I can’t make myself use loops!

See, that’s your issue. You work too hard. You have to learn how to coast. Pride in your work is holding you back.

Writing music is 10% inspiration and 90% duplication, imitation, and speculation.

Don’t worry. I will show you the way.
Please, please show me how to take credit for someone else's work, and not feel guilty by doing so. That would save me so much time! ;)
 
We’re talking about audio loops here, not midi loops, right? I use the occasional midi loop. While I would be open to using audio loops, I feel like I’d have a hard time fitting a bunch of different prerecorded parts into something that sounds like a single performance.
 
Please, please show me how to take credit for someone else's work, and not feel guilty by doing so. That would save me so much time! ;)

First, you have to come to the understanding that guilt is a bad thing. Never feel bad for taking action. You only regret the moves that you do not make. As I have said a million times before: Move fast and break things.

Second, you are not taking credit for other people’s work. You are simply “borrowing” from others. They are “sharing” with you. So as long as you are willing to let others share with you, you are a good man.

Third, realize that even when you use loops and samples, 95% of the world can’t tell the difference and doesn’t care. The other 5% that have a problem with it are simply haters. So you use the hate as fuel to “create”.

I have given you the keys. Open the door and behold the glory that awaits you, my son!
 
First, you have to come to the understanding that guilt is a bad thing. Never feel bad for taking action. You only regret the moves that you do not make. As I have said a million times before: Move fast and break things.

Second, you are not taking credit for other people’s work. You are simply “borrowing” from others. They are “sharing” with you. So as long as you are willing to let others share with you, you are a good man.

Third, realize that even when you use loops and samples, 95% of the world can’t tell the difference and doesn’t care. The other 5% that have a problem with it are simply haters. So you use the hate as fuel to “create”.

I have given you the keys. Open the door and behold the glory that awaits you, my son!
:roflmao:
 
Oh another misconception about loops that adds to the "hold down one key on the piano" image:

I've never once used a loop in kontakt. I purchase all my loops in wav format to save time, but when I do have a loop in kontakt I immediately render it as audio. If you're trying to use loops in kontakt or another sampler you should probably reconsider. In addition, the tempo sync function in kontakt will never be as good as if you manually do it yourself. Again... it ain't easy and it takes a lot of time.
Yes, Rex loops or Acid/Apple loops are so much easier to work with. Especially when you have tools like variaudio available to you.

I keep saying I need to organize my loop library. But I don't really know the best way to do it. Because I will find a loop that is perfect and inspires a song, and then spend hours trying to find something that works with it and being unsuccessful. And even loops that are packaged together don't always work together if you don't have the same end vision as the loop pack maker.

But maybe adding a short riff would be all you need. Then a loop works great.
 
I keep saying I need to organize my loop library. But I don't really know the best way to do it.

Check out the free Loopcloud software from Loopmasters: https://www.loopcloud.net/

Point it to your loop folders and let the software automatically tag all your loops. It's not perfect, but better than tagging thousands of loops manually. :) You can then filter by genre, instrument, tempo, key, etc. to find the loop(s) that fit your required criteria. Connect the software via the VST plugin to your DAW and preview the loops in the correct tempo and key while working on your tracks. It definitely helps avoiding that tedious, hours-long search process you've described.
 
I thought using loops was cheating, so I programmed my own using samples. I then thought using samples was cheating, so I recorded real drums. I then thought that programming it was cheating, so I learned to play drums for real. I then thought using bought drums was cheating, so I learned to make my own. I then though using premade skins was cheating, so I killed a goat and skinned it. I then thought that that was cheating too, so I grew my own goat from a baby goat. I also think that is cheating, but I'm not sure where to go from here. I haven't made any music lately, what with the goat farming and all.

Why didn't you try beatboxing? It's also a lot of work, but you don't have to feed goats.
 
Please don’t think I am being judgmental. I have absolutely no right to be. Many if not most professional musicians use loops these days and there is an art to assembling them into an original and artistically legitimate work.

I was just emailed a rather funny add from Native Instruments making fun of people who don’t use loops. I wasn’t offended, I thought it was hilarious.

I am just speaking for myself here. I can’t make myself use loops unless I made them myself. This is time consuming and puts me at a great disadvantage. Whenever I buy a DAW I delete all the loop content. I have tons of “free loop” packs that I have never downloaded. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had fun playing with them and occasionally they have inspired a few ideas. But I just can’t make myself use them in my compositions. I have used DAMAGE and other orchestral percussion loops with the intention of playing parts on my EDrums but sometimes never get around to it (I’m a drummer so ironically I spend less time on drums and percussion than anything else except piano of course).

I guess I just need someone to tell me it’s ok, that it doesn’t diminish my work and that perfectly original and good compositions can be made by creatively using loops. I guess I know this already but could use re-enforcement. Does anyone else have reluctance to use loops?

Thank you friends. I hope I haven’t offended anyone. :blush:
I felt the same way, but now I have come to see loops as the session musicians I wish I had in the studio
 
I thought using loops was cheating, so I programmed my own using samples. I then thought using samples was cheating, so I recorded real drums. I then thought that programming it was cheating, so I learned to play drums for real. I then thought using bought drums was cheating, so I learned to make my own. I then though using premade skins was cheating, so I killed a goat and skinned it. I then thought that that was cheating too, so I grew my own goat from a baby goat. I also think that is cheating, but I'm not sure where to go from here. I haven't made any music lately, what with the goat farming and all.

What a complete failure. Your studio isn't even vegan.
 
Check out the free Loopcloud software from Loopmasters: https://www.loopcloud.net/

Point it to your loop folders and let the software automatically tag all your loops. It's not perfect, but better than tagging thousands of loops manually. :) You can then filter by genre, instrument, tempo, key, etc. to find the loop(s) that fit your required criteria. Connect the software via the VST plugin to your DAW and preview the loops in the correct tempo and key while working on your tracks. It definitely helps avoiding that tedious, hours-long search process you've described.
I remember reading about that and I was going to try it out, but of course I forgot when I was actually in my studio. Thanks!
 
I expressed my views earlier in the topic. However the one thing that concerns me about using loops, is that even though they're paid for, and the license terms say "royalty free commercial use" (when combined with other parts), I still feel that an infringement issue may arise that can screw you..Obviously I'm not part of the "mashup" generation.
 
early when i was young i was fascinated from loops technology. I was using Sonic Foundry's Acid and Sound Forge to make my loops then, learning from loops libraries. I have learned so much, that i know how to make a good loop (a perfect loop) and a combination of them that work as an ensemble. I was programming my own instruments so that not only percussion loops where there, but wind, voice, etc. instruments could i loop very well (for sampling also). Today i have and i collect TONS of loops (free loops), but i never use 1 of them... crazy... I only have them as a source of inspiration. Is like the news on the papers, i want to stay informed what are people doing actually. I build my own loops if i need them (mostly not - 1%).
 
Check out the free Loopcloud software from Loopmasters: https://www.loopcloud.net/

Point it to your loop folders and let the software automatically tag all your loops. It's not perfect, but better than tagging thousands of loops manually. :) You can then filter by genre, instrument, tempo, key, etc. to find the loop(s) that fit your required criteria. Connect the software via the VST plugin to your DAW and preview the loops in the correct tempo and key while working on your tracks. It definitely helps avoiding that tedious, hours-long search process you've described.

Yeah, discovered Loopcloud recently too and it's really cool and easy to use and it works flawless so far. Everything what you described! Very pleasant is that it is played and synced to the project in the DAW and drag and drop also works.

Plus you can preview sounds before you download for free or buy.
The next version will bring up some sample editing features and chopping, I guess then you can cut up the parts of the meat you want to have before transfering those chops to your plate.
https://www.musicradar.com/news/namm-2019-loopcloud-4-brings-sample-editing-to-the-fore
 
I think it really depends on what sort of music you're writing. Over the years I've found some nifty stuff in older sample libraries (Zero-G's really old stuff) that covered a breadth of drum sounds and phrases that multisampled libraries/my own sound design capabilities couldn't cover. And using those sounds -straight-, rather than tastefully, is painfully obvious. It takes a bit of mettle to use some of that stuff.

I find "construction kit" libraries utterly useless, on the other hand (like what Ueberschall and Big Fish Audio create nowadays). Drum loops and phrases/licks in those tend to be stuff you can easily (and should, really) sequence yourself, and it's like putting together the most boring train set. Might as well just use royalty free music at that point.
 
Drum loops and phrases/licks in those tend to be stuff you can easily (and should, really) sequence yourself
Agree with the word "easily" in this sentence.
Disagree with the words "can" and "should" in this sentence.

Unless you are an absolute master of programming drums you are never going to sound as good as a real drummer with real drums playing in real time. That's the point of using loops... it's not about the process or technique it's about achieving the best possible end result.
 
Agree with the word "easily" in this sentence.
Disagree with the words "can" and "should" in this sentence.

Unless you are an absolute master of programming drums you are never going to sound as good as a real drummer with real drums playing in real time. That's the point of using loops... it's not about the process or technique it's about achieving the best possible end result.

For emulating acoustic drums as opposed to electronic stuff, I prefer having more control over the sound in general that I find loops can't provide. It's less obvious when you chop up and play with synthesized/hybrid drum loops, while live stuff tends to have more ambience, is less quantized, so on...

And you're sort of restricted in terms of mixing those elements, unless they provide you with dry elements.
 
Not exactly what this thread is about but I just thought I'd post my favourite sample flip of all time. Completely unrecognizable.



 
I'm open to having my mind changed about loops, but so far I haven't read anything that convincing as to why I should use loops in the end product of my music. For example, I totally understand how inspiration can be derived from listening to loops, or even minimally using them as training wheels or a crutch to lay down some basic skeletal pieces of your song. But to leave any trace of a loop in the end product of your song doesn't still doesn't make any sense to me...to ME (for my own music). I don't give a rat's ass if other people do it. In fact, I'm willing to bet that some of my favorite pieces of electronic music are drenched in loops, so I would probably be a hypocrite If I knocked musicians that used them.
 
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