My 8 Bar Prison

I`m noticing all my tracks are the same ol 8 bar loop structure.I do mainly hip hop so maybe I`m being too critical.How do y`all break out of the same habits in regard to making beats?Just thinking out loud.Even when I take the sequence loop OFF,I still wind up in the 8 bar loop zone.LOL

you can change the length of your sequence in the MPC. It's pretty obvious what you need to do.

JDSY wrote:you can change the length of your sequence in the MPC. It's pretty obvious what you need to do.

is this a joke or did you mis-read his post?

I know what you mean... Try this...

1. Try starting with the default 2 bar loop. Make a sweet drum loop.
2. Add some bass. Play around till you get a good vibe.
3. If the bass phrase needs more than 2 bars to loop, let's say 4 bars, increase the sequence to the proper length by copying the 2 bars back onto the same sequence.
4. Now add another sound. Play around till you get a good vibe.
5. If the new sound needs more than 4 bars to loop, do what happened in step 3.

Basically, try starting as small as you can and then as you come up with parts, let the length of the longest phrase dictate the length of the sequence. Use the copy bars function to make the sequence longer.

I hope this helps. (edit: now that I read these instructions, I bet you can use this make a sweet 8 bar loop)

Don't worry about formulas or routines, just feel out the beat and take it from there. I make 3 bar verse and 7 bar hook beats sometimes or make a 13 bar verse song and 4 bar hook with 5 bar bridge or some shit, and I wouldn't notice because the shit sounded dope the first time I recorded it. You gotta get to know the vibes of self.

funny reading this post I'm inspired to make more 8 bar loop beats to break out of the 2 bar prison I reside in. Pushing drum machines to there limits is time consuming but it's usually worth the time spent.