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  • How to Turn Standard AIF and WAV Loops into Apple Loops

    By Anderton |

    Turn Standard Audio into Stretchable Apple Loops

     

    by Craig Anderton

     

    You know the problem: You have the perfect loop, but it's the wrong tempo. There are several ways to make a loop stretch to different tempos - from DSP to converting to a particular file format, like the REX or Acidized WAV format - each with their own advantages and disadvantages.

    Apple's Apple Loops format adds metadata to WAV or AIF files that allows them to conform to arbitrary tempos and pitches. For example, a 100 BPM Apple Loop in the key of E could loop in a sequencer project in the key of C at 126 BPM. One advantage of creating an Apple loop as opposed to simply applying time-stretching DSP is that an Apple loop can follow along dynamically with tempo changes.

    The Apple Loops utility is included with Logic Express, Logic Pro, GarageBand, and Soundtrack Pro. They actually are about more than just looping, and Apple provides an excellent document online that gives all the background you'll need. The most recent version you can download without buying the software listed above is version 1.3.1; click here, then scroll down to Apple\\\_Loops\\\_SDK\\\_1.3.1.dmg. Only version 1.4 will work natively with Intel Macs, so you're better off using the utility included with your Apple program of choice. Apple developers can log in using their ID to get the most recent version.

    Ready? Here are the basics of turning files into Apple Loops. Simple files with strong transients (like drum loops and bass parts) are the easiest to loop, so practice with those first. The hardest files to turn into Apple Loops are pads and other files with sustaining audio and no significant transients.

     

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    1. Open the file you want to convert to an Apple Loop.


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    2. Click on the Tags tab and enter as many attributes for the file as possible. Make sure Looping is selected.

     

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    3. Click on the Transients tab. The object is to have a transient marker for each transient in the file, so slide the Sensitivity slider to the right until most, if not all, transients have a marker. If the file has a regular beat (like a 16th note high-hat pattern), you  can often just select the desired rhythm in the Transient Division field  (e.g., 16th notes) and then you don't have to do any editing with the  markers - which makes life a lot easier!

     

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    4. To add a marker if there's a transient the Sensitivity slider didn't catch, click above the transient next to the other marker handles. (To remove extraneous markers, which can happen with high sensitivity settings, click on the marker handle and press the keyboard's Delete key.) Note that proper setting of markers is an art and a science; sometimes a file will   stretch better at slower tempos if there's a marker at the end of a   note to define its end point.

    The more precisely a marker lines up with a transient, the better. Zoom  in or out on the waveform display by using the handles on the ends of  the scroll bar below the waveform screen, then move any markers so they sit precisely at the start of a transient.

     

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    5. Test how the loop responds to tempo changes by varying the tempo slider and clicking on the Play button.

     

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    6. Test how the loop responds to key changes by clicking on the key field and selecting a different key.

     

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    7. If the loop doesn't stretch well rhythmically, experiment with transient marker placement. When you're satisfied with the results, click on Save.

     

    Now you have a loop you can use with Apple's programs at a variety of tempos. You have to be realistic about this; don't expect a Drum 'n' Bass loop that started at 180 BPM to sound good when stretched down to a rap-friendly 89 BPM. The same goes for speeding up, although you can usually speed up loops with better results than slowing them down. For this reason, many loop developers create loops at slower tempos, like 100 BPM, as they can often speed up to 160 BPM (or more), or slow down to 90 BPM, and still sound good.

     

    5318ee80ce9d2.jpg.6be1bfa441544122a6e41e739b8beaf2.jpgCraig Anderton is Editor Emeritus of Harmony Central. He has played on, mixed, or produced over 20 major label releases (as well as mastered over a hundred tracks for various musicians), and written over a thousand articles for magazines like Guitar Player, Keyboard, Sound on Sound (UK), and Sound + Recording (Germany). He has also lectured on technology and the arts in 38 states, 10 countries, and three languages.




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