Music Production

Loop

Definition

A loop is a short section of music, usually one, two or four bars, that repeats seamlessly. Producers build tracks from audio or MIDI loops, and a DAW's loop region repeats a passage for practice or recording.

Loops as building blocks

Much modern music is built from loops: a drum groove, a bass line or a chord pattern that repeats while other parts enter and leave over it. In a DAW you can record or draw a few bars and repeat them for as long as the song needs. Libraries of ready-made loops exist for every style, but making your own is where the musical learning happens.

A grand staff in 4/4, four bars between repeat signs, with chord symbols Am, F, C and G. The treble staff has whole-note triads: C E A, C F A, C E G, and B D G. The bass staff has whole notes A, F, C and G. — A four-bar chord loop between repeat signs: A minor, F, C and G, one chord per bar over its root. In a DAW you would record or draw these four bars once and repeat them; the audio plays the loop twice.

Repetition is nothing new: musicians have always repeated short patterns, from a classical ostinato to a blues riff or a dance groove. What production adds is exact repetition, and the ability to copy, rearrange and layer a loop instantly.

Making a loop that loops well

Set the tempo first, and record to a click track so the loop lines up with the bars.
Cut on bar lines. A loop should start on beat 1 and end exactly where the next beat 1 would fall.
Listen at the join. Play it round several times and listen for a gap, a bump or a click where the end meets the start. A very short fade at the edges of an audio loop usually removes clicks.
Plan for variation. An exactly repeated loop can wear out its welcome. Change something every four or eight bars: drop a part out, add a fill, alter the last bar.

Arrange a Dance Track in Eight-Bar Blocks shows how to build a whole arrangement from loops that enter and leave.

The loop (cycle) region

Every DAW also has a loop or cycle mode: mark a range on the timeline and playback repeats it. It is invaluable for practice. Loop a hard passage of a recording and play along, or slow it down and loop one bar while transcribing. When recording, cycle mode can capture several takes of the same passage in a row, so you can choose the best afterward (overdub).

Live looping

A looper pedal or app records what you play and immediately plays it back in a loop, so a solo performer can layer a rhythm part, a bass line and harmonies live, then play or sing over the top. Pressing the pedal exactly on the beat, at the start and at the end of the loop, is the key skill.

Common questions

What is a loop in music production?

A short section, usually one to four bars, that repeats seamlessly, such as a drum groove or a chord pattern. Many tracks are built by layering and arranging loops.

How do I stop clicks at the start or end of a loop?

Cut the loop exactly on bar lines and add a very short fade-in and fade-out at its edges. Clicks usually come from cutting a waveform in the middle of a cycle.