What is a "loop": the concept of term and application in music

Many novice users trying to master music programs or DJing tend to run into the concept of loops. What is a "loop", know not all. Nevertheless, understanding this term is mandatory.

What is a loop: translation

Let's start with the simplest. In order to understand what a "loop" is, you just need to translate this English-speaking term. In the standard translation, several values can be found. But in most cases this term is translated as "loop", "ring", etc.

But in most cases this term is associated with music and cinematography. By the way, for the first time such loops were used in cinema, but only later moved to music.

What is a "loop" in music?

According to many interpretations, "loops" in music usually refer to digitized musical fragments (loops) that represent a repetitive musical phrase or bit, from which you can type the whole work.

Initially, "loops" were created using tape recorders, on which the fragments were reproduced in a looped sequence. Somewhat later, when special computer programs appeared, such pieces began to be digitized and stored as sound files (at first it was a WAV format). In musical sequencers, "magnifiers" became much easier to use. In the playlist, the required sequence was simply displayed, which resulted in a full-fledged track.

Standard examples of using "loops"

So, what is a "loop" in terms of using loops in musical sequencers and DJ programs?

At the dawn of multimedia development there were two interesting programs - Fruity Loops and Fruity Tracks. The first was originally designed specifically for creating "loops" and eventually transformed into a full studio FL Studio, and the second served as a tool for combining musical fragments with each other to get a full composition, but among users and not caught on.

Here it is worth noting that it is impossible to confuse the notion of "loop" and sample. "Loop" is a complete sequencing or even a single piece of a piece of a musical instrument or rhythm, and the sample is most often associated with a single sound. That is, for example, for percussion it can be a single stroke on a working drum, a barrel, an alt, a hat or a plate. "Loop" consists of a sequence of strokes, which represent a complete piece of the rhythmic part.

What is a "loop" can be explained more simply by the example of how a DJ works. On "live" performances, as a rule, full-fledged compositions are built in such a way that the sound of a fragment (for example, a looped drum part) is initially set on which the DJ puts effects and the main melody.

Sometimes ready-made "loops" created in special programs are also used in studios. Today, almost everything, even the simplest mixing consoles have at their disposal a tool for replaying such fragments. This approach is also good because when you repeat, you do not need to adjust the volume or set additional effects repeatedly (unless only in case of applying a changing effect in real time, which provides very broad possibilities in terms of musical experiments). This technique is very often used in dance music when processing the same drum kit or any other sequence, say, a filter, a phaser, a chorus, etc.

Conclusion

In general, there is nothing difficult in understanding the term itself, denoted as loop, no. If someone has a desire to create or use "loops" in practice, there are a lot of bitmaker programs or the same music sequencers like FL Studio, although we should not forget about such classic developments as VST plug-ins like TR- 303.