Working With Loops

Nym wrote:if you have 1 sample with multiple notes in the wav and you try to change the pitch or the tempo, your sample will drift and limp. unless this is what you want. chopping every note onto its own wav and reprogramming the loop lets you bend the pitch or master tempo up or down without losing the groove or sound of the original loop. it takes more work chopping and it takes a lot of practice to be able to reprogram it perfectly but the amount of control over the audio is totally worth it.

I gotta disagree about chopping up EVERY note in a loop and reprogramming it. Unless it's your goal, this technique makes the beat sound cold and robotic. Also, Nym, with this technique you still can't really adjust the tempo more than a couple bpm either way without creating gaps in the loop.

Like dude before said, loops limit you to a certain extent. Isn't more about the natural feel, and fluidity of the loop rather than having complete control over it? I agree with other posts that suggest chopping on every bar, or on every couple of beats, and seqencing those to keep the loop "honest".

peace y'all!

Unless it's your goal, this technique makes the beat sound cold and robotic.

this would only happen only if your programming is cold and robotic. why in the world would it make it sound cold and robotic? if this were true, wouldn't all use of drum oneshots chopped from breaks sound cold and robotic? this is a mandatory TC OFF
or QUANTIZE STRENGTH zone, unless the sample is simple enough to replay on a TC grid

http://nymantics.com/nym-loosecannon.wav

every note is sliced, even the xylophone.

Nym, with this technique you still can't really adjust the tempo more than a couple bpm either way without creating gaps in the loop.

looping, altlooping, and crossfading allow you to adjust the tempo/pitch wav far without creating a single unintentional gap. not to mention, even with no looping whatsoever, if you're adjusting the tempo UP, you're not going to have any gap as each slice will play overtop the preceding slice as the tempo increases.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbqXKwXoImc

Isn't more about the natural feel, and fluidity of the loop rather than having complete control over it?

if you have complete control, you also have control over the natural feel and fluidity. if a producer fails to include the natural feel and fluidity of the sample when you reprogram the loop, that's a shortcoming of their sequencing

if you have 1 sample with multiple notes in the wav and you try to change the pitch or the tempo, your sample will drift and limp. unless this is what you want. chopping every note onto its own wav and reprogramming the loop lets you bend the pitch or master tempo up or down without losing the groove or sound of the original loop. it takes more work chopping and it takes a lot of practice to be able to reprogram it perfectly but the amount of control over the audio is totally worth it.

Exactly. Its so transparent when people are tone-deaf and just cheat it by + or - 1. When you pitch shift a sample (effectively time stretching without pitch correction) you F up the whole tone of a sample.

this is how I do it if I need to get it right and you have the ability to time-stretch (time stretch with pitch correction)


say your loop your rocking is at 85 bpm. but the other loop you want to use is not lining up with your copied sequence when you go to overdub the other loop.


make a new sequence.


play only the new loop your trying to fit into a track on the 1.


adjust the bpm of the new sequence your working with until you get it looping right. say 90 bpm works.


Divide: 90/85 (example)

then pitch shift the new one by the percentage you get. 1.058

this makes the new loop longer, thus slowing it down, and making it loop at 85. then go back and insert.

beach_break wrote:if you want that old school feel. don't chop into one shots. maybe chop your 4 bar loop into 1, and 2 bar bits.

and don't use time stretch. it wasn't around back then. just tune your sample or play it on higher/lower keys till it fits. better yet, just pitch the sample up down on the turntable before you sample. or work the song arond the main sample to avoid having to tune/timestretch.

I dont know if the old cats used it but it was there. The s950 can timestrech samples. But I dont use it and I dont recommend to use it cause I think it ruin most samples.

peace

peterpiper wrote:

beach_break wrote:if you want that old school feel. don't chop into one shots. maybe chop your 4 bar loop into 1, and 2 bar bits.

and don't use time stretch. it wasn't around back then. just tune your sample or play it on higher/lower keys till it fits. better yet, just pitch the sample up down on the turntable before you sample. or work the song arond the main sample to avoid having to tune/timestretch.

I dont know if the old cats used it but it was there. The s950 can timestrech samples. But I dont use it and I dont recommend to use it cause I think it ruin most samples.

peace

word up. Just ask Extra P:

"put it through the s950 and stretch it"

mr.pleasant wrote:

Nym wrote:the best thing i learned about using loops in the mpc is this
it's a closely guarded secret
probably the biggest thing i've ever learned about the mpc...

...

don't use loops. only use oneshots. turn your loops into oneshots and use those, you won't have to worry about timing

^^^^^^^ 1Shots are ur best friend^^^^^^^^
Nym , ur like a cool drink of water.... ( no homo )

theres no saving that one

peterpiper wrote:

beach_break wrote:if you want that old school feel. don't chop into one shots. maybe chop your 4 bar loop into 1, and 2 bar bits.

and don't use time stretch. it wasn't around back then. just tune your sample or play it on higher/lower keys till it fits. better yet, just pitch the sample up down on the turntable before you sample. or work the song arond the main sample to avoid having to tune/timestretch.

I dont know if the old cats used it but it was there. The s950 can timestrech samples. But I dont use it and I dont recommend to use it cause I think it ruin most samples.

peace

the s950 came out in 1988, right? we're talking old school here -- early to mid 80s rapping over a looped up sample. no time-stretching.

Thanks Everyone,

If I could get a 90's Hip Hop feel going on, then I would be confident that I am getting into it from a good starting point!

I am running through the entire Tutorial again, just to get my basics established then I am going to apply what some of you have described here.

Really appreciate all the input.

^^^my mistake. if you're after 90s style, then time-stretch away.