Is it Cool To Use Loops?

Hi All,

I have just started on my quest to make Jungle & Drum & Bass music.

I have been watching so many Youtube videos and i am still not getting the desired effect.

I figure, when making a track you should start from the ground up right?

Drums, I am now familiar with the sequencer, and i know how to make a basic drum beat pattern, but i don't really understand Compression and all the other bits and pieces that go with music production at this stage.

I know i have only been at this a couple of weeks, and it will take months, maybe years before is sound remotely professional. But it has been really frustrating trying to get the sound that i am looking for.

I resorted to putting a loop that i got from some website somewhere in my track, and it sounds much much better.

Is it cool to use loops, or should i look further afield for drum hits etc?

If anybody can recommend a book or a guide or something, i would be very interested to read it.

I have logic pro X by the way.

Thanks,

Matt.

D&B is all about sampling breaks. Some might consider it cheating to d/l the cut loops off the web but hey you're just starting out so don't worry about cool. Just get a few tracks under your belt and then worry about the street cred later. Or go dig for your breaks and cut them yourself. http://blog.whosampled.com/2010/04/2...s-of-all-time/

Do whatever the hell you want. If it sounds good to you, keep doing it. If it doesn't't, change something!

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Originally Posted by Mattalik

Is it cool to use loops?

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No, it isn't.

(I'm only half kidding)


Your were absolutely right when you said it's going to take month/years before you'll really master the art of making music.

Using loops can be kind of a short-cut to get there earlier. A short-cut which can make music production much more fun, since you'll see results much quicker.

My advice would be: use loops if it helps you at the moment. I think what's most important about making music is that you have fun doing it. If loops help you to have fun it's absolutely fine to use them.

Just keep in mind that, whatever you can do using loops, if you can't do it without loops, you're not quite there yet... ;)

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Originally Posted by TCMuc

No, it isn't.

(I'm only half kidding)


Your were absolutely right when you said it's going to take month/years before you'll really master the art of making music.

Using loops can be kind of a short-cut to get there earlier. A short-cut which can make music production much more fun, since you'll see results much quicker.

My advice would be: use loops if it helps you at the moment. I think what's most important about making music is that you have fun doing it. If loops help you to have fun it's absolutely fine to use them.

Just keep in mind that, whatever you can do using loops, if you can't do it without loops, you're not quite there yet... ;)

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I do want to know how to do it properly. There just seens to be a shortage of (free) info out there that is directly relevant to dnb and what I want to achieve.

Looks like I have got to put my hand in my pocket again.

Yes, it is.

Drum loops are perfectly legit.

Drum loops are good, but if you have access to a good sample library and maschine or ableton and a controller with pads, making your own is pretty easy fun and allot more flexible. I've never had the urge to use drum loops because machine is so easy to create your own and is the most fun part imo!

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Originally Posted by LoopCat

Drum loops are good, but if you have access to a good sample library and maschine or ableton and a controller with pads, making your own is pretty easy fun and allot more flexible. I've never had the urge to use drum loops because machine is so easy to create your own and is the most fun part imo!

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I don't have such equipment at the moment. All I have isvmy macbook pro and logic pro X.

Ok then, load up the sampler create a 1-4 bar loop on the arrangement view hit command K to bring up the keyboard and tap in some beats.

I logic has 808/909 samples and some other good stuff included.

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Originally Posted by Patch

Do whatever the hell you want. If it sounds good to you, keep doing it. If it doesn't't, change something!

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