Saving loop to sample reducing its volume substantially.

I am trying to do live looping with hardware synths. I am using the method I saw on Lifted Noice YT channel. Having a preset midi track playing with all 16 pads unassigned but playing one midi note each at the beginning of a loop.

I then record a loop from a hardware synth and export to one of the pads and it gets retriggered at the beginning of the loop each time, and then I can record another loop, rinse and repeat.

It is working well minus one problem. When I export the loop to a pad the volume is greatly reduced. When I am recording in the looper, the gain is set properly with it being as high as possible without clipping. The strange thing is that when the loop is recorded and keeps playing over before I hit export the volume is perfect.

The problem is on export, it is greatly reducing the volume of the sample. Like 70% reduction in volume. If I then go to sample edit and normalize the sample it plays back at the same volume it was playing at while still in the looper memory before exporting as a sample. Any ideas? Is there a way to set auto normalize?

FYI, one nice thing about the looper is that you can change the inputs directly in the looper, so I can select any of the 16 inputs from my audio interface without needing to setup an audio track or anything. Just need to get the volume thing figured out on export to sample.

When you put that audio on to a pad, it’s a different audio path than what you were working with in the looper, so the volume will be different. How about just increasing the Program volume slightly (and so increasing all your pads) and then just adjust each pad volume to taste? It’s easy/quick to do with the q-link.

Crumb$ wrote:When you put that audio on to a pad, it’s a different audio path than what you were working with in the looper, so the volume will be different. How about just increasing the Program volume slightly (and so increasing all your pads) and then just adjust each pad volume to taste? It’s easy/quick to do with the q-link.

I tried that but it still doesn't compensate even at the max 6db. If it was slightly lower in volume that would work but it is like 50-70% lower. Not sure why it needs to export with so much added headroom.

The only work around I have found so far is to assign it to pad, hit sample edit while original loop is still engaged and normalize the sample and then I can clear the looper. It would be nice if there was an option to normalize on export.

I don't think it is an audio path issue, I think it is a conversion issue of adding so much headroom to the sample on export. Normalizing takes exactly to the original volume of when it was recorded.

I just realised you're saying 70% reduction. Sorry, you did say that in your first post. Thats not right... I don't use the looper, I play my synths on audio tracks, but I just tried your technique and I'm not loosing any volume after exporting to a pad.


Just for kicks, can you try starting a new project and record 1 track in the looper, then export to Program 1. See if you get the same volume reduction issue?

There's an old video here from Tubedigga where he's doing something similar with the looper, but he's splitting his tracks across separate programs, which kind of gives you more control over them. But you can clearly see/hear that his audio levels don't change as he exports. You shouldn't need to go an normalise your samples. I'm wondering if you've got some levels turned down somewhere in your Program, which is why I wondered if you could try a new default project.

He starts with the looper at about 02:40

Thanks I will go check that out for sure. I had loaded blank project to start, but doesn't mean there isn't a setting somewhere. I new to the MPC, although pretty good at normally figuring these things out. I looked through all the general settings and couldn't find anything, hopefully this video will help.

@Crumbs, Thanks for posting that video, after watching it I knew there was something was off because your right, it clearly shows the same volume level in that video.

I couldn't find what was causing this to happen, so I did factory reset and the problem has gone away. I don't know if I had a setting somewhere that could cause that, but it is working normal now.

Nice! I couldn’t think what would do that, other than if you had the Program volume down, or something…. But a new default project should have worked. Glad you got it sorted with a reset!