3 Ways to Make Loops Sound UNIQUE In Your Productions | Make Pop Music
Summary
TLDRIn this tutorial, Make Pop Music's Austin explores creative ways to customize loops for a unique sound. He demonstrates three methods to transform royalty-free loops, including adjusting tempo, transposing keys, chopping and rearranging melodies, and applying sound design techniques. Austin uses Cubase to showcase these processes, emphasizing the importance of personalizing loops to avoid repetition in commercial music and to create a distinct musical identity.
Takeaways
- 🎵 The video is a tutorial by Make Pop Music on customizing loops to make them feel more original and less recognizable from royalty-free packs.
- 🔄 The speaker discusses the issue of artists calling each other out on Twitter for using the same loops in their songs, emphasizing the importance of personalizing loops.
- 🛠️ Three main methods are presented to customize loops: adjusting tempo and key, rearranging melodies, and applying heavy processing to change the sound completely.
- ⏩ The first technique involves slowing down loops to fit the desired tempo and dragging them to start on the beat for synchronization.
- 🔑 Transposing loops to a different key is suggested to make them sound distinct from their original form.
- 🔄 Melody swapping is recommended, where the original melody is chopped up and rearranged to create something new.
- 🎛️ Heavy processing, such as using effects like multi-pass, snappy, and micro shift, can transform the character of a loop.
- 📐 Using EQ to filter out certain frequencies and boost others can help loops fit better within a mix.
- 🌐 Layering additional sounds on top of loops, such as synths and melodies, can add originality and depth to the production.
- 👂 Listening to the key of the loop and working within that key to create harmonious additional elements is advised.
- 📉 Sometimes, minimal processing is better, allowing certain loops to serve as 'ear candy' without overwhelming the mix.
- 🚀 The tutorial concludes by emphasizing the endless possibilities of loop customization and encourages experimentation to make loops one's own.
Q & A
What is the main topic of the video tutorial?
-The main topic of the video tutorial is working with loops in music production, specifically how to customize and make them feel more unique to avoid the issue of loops being too recognizable from royalty-free packs or other sources.
Why might artists call each other out on Twitter for using the same loops?
-Artists might call each other out on Twitter because using the same royalty-free loops can lead to a lack of originality and can make it difficult for an artist to claim their unique sound.
What are the three ways the tutorial suggests to customize loops?
-The three ways suggested are: 1) Changing the timing, tempo, and key of the loop, and rearranging the melody. 2) Heavily processing the loop to make it sound completely different. 3) Layering your own sounds on top of the loop to make it work for your production.
What does the tutorial suggest doing with the tempo of the loop?
-The tutorial suggests adjusting the tempo of the loop to fit the desired pace of the song, making it align with the song's beat.
How does the tutorial recommend changing the key of a loop?
-The tutorial recommends transposing the loop to a different key, which can instantly make it sound different and less recognizable.
What is the purpose of chopping up and rearranging the melody of a loop?
-Chopping up and rearranging the melody of a loop helps create a completely new and unique sound, making the loop feel more like the producer's own creation.
What is the tutorial's suggestion for adding movement to the low end of a loop?
-The tutorial suggests putting the loop on half time and adjusting the mix, filtering out some of the lows, and boosting the highs to add more movement to the low end.
What is the role of adding an extra melody on top of a loop?
-Adding an extra melody on top of a loop can provide additional depth and interest to the music, helping to further distinguish the sound from the original loop.
How does the tutorial suggest using percussive loops?
-The tutorial suggests using percussive loops by applying effects like multi-pass or snappy to change the sound, and by customizing the pattern to fit the song's rhythm.
What is the importance of layering sounds in music production according to the tutorial?
-Layering sounds is important as it allows the producer to add their own creative touch to the loop, making the final product more unique and personalized to their vision.
What should a producer consider when using loops in their music to avoid issues with other artists?
-A producer should consider customizing the loops to fit their unique sound and vision for the song, so that if another artist recognizes the loop, the producer can explain that it was a starting point and has been significantly altered to suit their production.
Outlines
🎵 Customizing Loops for Unique Soundscapes
In this tutorial, the host from Make Pop Music introduces a new topic: customizing loops to avoid repetition and create a unique sound. They discuss the common issue of artists using the same royalty-free loops and the potential disputes that can arise. The focus is on three techniques to make loops feel more personalized: adjusting tempo, transposing to different keys, and rearranging melodies. The host also encourages viewers to like, comment, and subscribe for support and mentions their website for additional resources.
🔄 Transforming Loops with Melodic and Percussive Techniques
The host demonstrates how to transform loops by adjusting their tempo, key, and structure. They show the process of time-aligning and transposing loops to fit the desired song structure, and then rearrange the melody to create a new and distinct sound. Additional effects like half-time processing and filtering are applied to give loops more movement and character. The host also discusses layering and sound design to further customize the loops, using examples from their own work.
🎹 Advanced Sound Design and Layering Techniques
This section delves into advanced sound design strategies such as using multi-pass effects, micro shifts, and EQ filtering to give loops a unique character. The host shares their process of layering additional melodies and harmonies on top of loops to create depth and complexity. They emphasize the importance of sound selection and how to blend original and new elements to craft a personalized sound that stands out from the original loop.
🚀 Finalizing the Loop Customization Process
The host concludes the tutorial by summarizing the key points: rearranging the loop's melody, heavily processing the sound, and layering additional elements. They play examples of the loops before and after the customization process to illustrate the dramatic changes achieved. The host advises viewers on the importance of making loops their own to avoid potential issues with other artists and to fulfill their creative vision. They also tease an important announcement for the next video and encourage viewer interaction in the comments section.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Loops
💡Splice
💡Royalty-free
💡Customization
💡Tempo
💡Transposition
💡Sound Design
💡Cubase
💡Layering
💡Percussive Loops
💡Mixing
Highlights
Make Pop Music's Austin discusses working with loops in music production to avoid commonality in commercial songs.
Three ways to customize loops to make them feel more unique and less recognizable from royalty-free packs.
Importance of fitting loops to your own tempo and starting them on the beat for a more personalized sound.
Transposing loops to a different key to instantly make them sound different.
Melody swapping as a technique to create a completely new and different sound from the original loop.
Using half time effects on loops to add movement and variation to the low end.
Original vs. modified loop comparison to demonstrate the drastic differences achieved through processing.
Adding variation by transposing the first note of a loop down for a different feel.
Incorporating drums and 808s to enhance the beat and make loops more custom.
Finding complementary loops in the same or relative keys to create harmony in the track.
Using pitch-shifting to raise the octave of a loop and blending it for a richer sound.
Applying multi-pass or snappy effects to loops for a completely different sonic character.
Utilizing micro shift and filtering to create a wider, more phasey sound.
Adding reverb and delay to loops to create a pad-like texture in the background.
Layering sounds on top of loops to make them work for you and add your own flavor.
Customizing percussive loops with effects like snappy to avoid generic sound and enhance the mix.
Using loops as ear candy by adjusting pitch without heavy processing for a fitting mix.
Recap of the three main tips: rearrangement, heavy processing, and layering own sounds.
Advice on making loops fit your aesthetic and vision to avoid potential issues with artists.
Encouragement to experiment with loops to make them your own and add unique flavor.
Transcripts
[Music]
what's up make pop-music austin here
from make pop music and austin whole
audio and visual and we are back with
another tutorial and for this week I
wanted to do something that we've never
really done on the channel and that is
working with loops so we've been seeing
it going around a lot lately that there
have been a lot of loops being used in
commercial songs that are spliced loops
or our worlds he free loops from other
packs that end up not being changed much
in several songs and so a lot of the
time the artists will end up calling
each other out on Twitter we just saw it
with the Justin Bieber song I've seen it
before in the past and really nobody is
at fault for this it is a royalty free
loop and anybody can use it if they want
to however it does get a little sticky
when you're just trying to claim your
sound so for this video today I wanted
to go over three ways that you could
actually make loops feel more like your
own and make them not so instantly
recognizable for what you might download
from splice or from a royalty-free pack
so we are going to go over three ways to
actually customize that loop and build
off of that to have something that fits
your production and acts more as a
starting point rather than just a drag
and drop melody or sample or something
like that
so we are gonna hop into Cubase and go
through those but before we do if you
like this video please make sure you
like comment and subscribe we really
appreciate it and it helps us out a ton
if you want to download any of our
sample packs or courses or anything like
that head to make pop music com we'd
really appreciate all the support but
without further ado let's actually hop
into the DA and see what we can do to
make these loops feel more custom all
right now our mi da you'll see another
panel has fallen so if anybody has
always wondered can you stick them up
with command strips you can for about
six months and then you should probably
just take them down probably not gonna
rehang it cuz I'm moving in a few weeks
but rest in peace of that panel let's go
ahead and let's hop in so I can show you
what the loop that we I picked at first
sounded like and then kind of what we
did with them and I'll go over three
things that I like to do two loops to
make them feel like my own so we used a
loop from splice it's the Boy Wonder
melodic loop piano for bar it's an F
sharp minor and it's at 90 BPM this is
what it sounds like by itself
[Music]
so that's it and then I had another loop
that is an a-minor at 1:50 so those are
the two primary loop so we're going to
talk about and then there's also some
percussive loops that we'll also go over
so let's go ahead and let's look at loop
number one which is this boy 1 2 loop
the first thing that I like to
personally do I'll kind of walk you
through and I'll show you the final is
this loop is at what is it ninety first
of all I want to make this loop fit my
tempo so I'm actually going to bring
this all the way down so it fits four
bars and then we'll have something like
this and it's starting a little bit late
so I'm just going to drag it back like
that so we can start it on the beat so
this is what we have after we actually
bring it to our tempo so now we've got
it to our actual tempo the next thing
I'd like to do is I like to put it in a
little bit different key so for this
song I transpose 2 up 3 and Cubase you
can just go right here I like putting it
in a different key because that makes it
instantly a little bit different so now
the next thing I did and I'm going to go
over to the one where that I actually
use is I went through and I put this to
a quarter note and I just chopped it all
up and then I just rearranged the melody
to be something completely new and
completely different so I had it all
chopped up like that and then this is
what I ended up coming up with
[Music]
so you can hear that that melody is
completely different then so that melody
swapping up really helps me out and then
I like to put half time on loops a lot
just to give them a little bit more
movement in the low end so I put this on
one bar half time 50% mix and then just
filtered out some of the lows and
boosted some of the highs a little bit
[Music]
so I'll show you the original now right
next to the one that we actually have so
this is the original so that sounds
drastically different than this
[Music]
and another thing that I did was when I
copied it for the next four bars I
actually took the first note and I took
that down to transpose one so it's
actually falling for below this because
this is up three this is down one from
the original so we're going from like an
A minor to an F minor so we've got a
minor and then F minor and that just
gave me a little bit of extra variation
so then after that I was like okay we've
got a pretty cool lead so I wanted to
add in some drums so I added a kick and
a snare just from our hip pop pack and
then I added an 808 it's just the best
808 you've probably got it if you have
any of our free content so we've got all
that so with the loop we have this now
[Music]
so the next thing I wanted to do was I
wanted to add some extra kind of melody
on top of it that's when I found this
loop the 150 a minor loop and a lot of
the time I'll just keep in mind if
something is minor or major and then
I'll find a loop that is in minor or
major and then I can scale it up or down
however many semitones so like for
example if this would have been in C
minor I would have just brought it down
three semitones to be a minor however
since it was in the same key I did not
have to do that so this is what it
sounded like originally at 150 so of
course I had a tempo align that to be
120 and I'll go ahead and take off all
the processing and it actually sounds
really sick as is but this is all about
making it kind of unique right so here
is just to the tempo but let's talk
about what we actually did to make it
special so the first thing I did was
throw a little altar boy take it up 12
semitones and put that mix at half so
we're getting a higher octave in there
[Music]
and then another thing that I like to do
with a lot of loops that I'm working
with either percussive or melodic its
throw on either multi pass or snappy and
just kind of scroll through the presets
because it'll make it sound like a
completely different sound and I found
one on here called glassy attitude and
it sounded like this so we're getting a
little bit of wobble we're getting a
little bit of reverb and we're getting a
little bit of saturation well quite a
bit of saturation next thing I did was
throw a micro shift so we can actually
spread it out just a little bit and give
it some phase II sound
[Music]
[Applause]
then I just filtered it with pro-q
because we had a lot of high-end in
there that I did not want next thing I
did was through on H delay at 1/8 dotted
to the tempo and blended that in so it's
pretty wet now a lot of the time if I
find like a cool vocal throw or like
some kind of cool little melodic element
like this I'll put a lot of reverb in
delay so it acts more as like a pad in
the background and then I can kind of
build off of that so the next thing that
we added was a lot of reverb and that's
pretty high in the mix then just
filtered it out some more and then added
little altar boy down an octave mix so
you would think that that's kind of
cancelling out the first thing that
we're doing but it's not because the
first has the main octave and a higher
octave and now this one is going to
bring that main octave from the original
down 12 so we're gonna get down an
octave blended in barely the middle
octave pretty apparent and the high
octave blended in barely so it sounds
really cool with all of that
and that to me kind of gave it that
separation of the original loop that I
wanted then I just took out some low
mids and scooped out a little bit of
lows as well and so now with the
original we have this
[Music]
so that loop is still decently
recognizable but you'll see as we start
doing the next step it kind of helps
that fall way towards the background so
that's just an example of how I process
them a lot of gloop I'll kind of show
you how I would process something like a
percussive loop so we have the 420
hi-hat loop 144 clap 3 from splice it's
a very fun name and again like I was
saying before I like throwing on snappy
and I found this one called the chirp
Perkin which sounds like this here's
what it sounds like originally with no
processing pretty standard trappy loop
nothing special nothing bad it's like
very not offensive it was at 144 beats a
minute so I definitely time-aligned that
to 120 and then I threw on that preset
that we just talked about from snap heap
and that's going to give it some extra
width it's gonna kind of modulate it a
little bit and it's gonna give it a
little bit of reverb so doing stuff like
that where it's gonna add little pitch
variations and it's gonna add little
delay and reverb throws helps that sit
in the mix a lot better than just a
generic straight eight or sixteen bar
loop so here it is would be actual
processing
[Music]
and here it is with no processing it's
just kind of boring so that's another
thing that I'd like to do to profess of
loops of course if I didn't like any of
these little you know roles or anything
like that I could cut those out and kind
of customize the pattern however I
wanted if I wanted to add another one I
could just go in with like a sixteenth
note cut and I could just add them
wherever I wanted but the actual rhythm
was pretty non offensive and kind of fit
the back beat of the song so I didn't do
too much to that at all the next thing I
want to talk about is sometimes you
don't have to do anything to a loop you
just use them as ear candy so this is
actually from our sounds of life pack
it's loop 17 and the one twenty folder
just vibin so I didn't really do
anything to this I did bring it down
five semitones so it's set a little bit
better in the mix but sometimes that's
really all you need
we could have processed this but there's
so much other stuff that's very highly
processed I wanted this to actually just
sit in there nice so again that loop
originally sounds like this it's not
doing anything crazy but just by
changing that pitch it does help it
sound a little bit different and it
helps it sit a little bit better in the
mix because it was too high and just
wasn't really fitting the vibe so using
them straight up that's not an actual
tip that we're going to go over but it's
just kind of a tips if you want to use
something as ear candy you don't have to
process it crazy especially percussive
stuff so just to recap tip one is go
crazy with rearrangement change timing
change tempo change key and then swap
around the melody as much as you can
step two is going to be heavily heavily
processed stuff and just make it sound
like a completely different sound
altogether and then step number three is
actually going to be to layer your own
sounds on top of that so this is not
really working with a loop it's just
making the loop work for you so right
now just standard and a beat we have
this and it sounds good it just sounds a
little bare and a little kind of generic
right now
[Music]
so then once you have that you have the
courts if you can you know get the
chords down or if you can figure out
pitch by ear you can easily play some
stuff and if you can't you can probably
look at the key that it started in and
then kind of go from there so you know
this this started an F saw F sharp minor
and then we brought it down three so
we're just gonna work within the key so
right now just by listening to it I can
tell you a minor and F minor are going
to be my main chords that I want to
focus on so I played those on the synth
[Music]
so we added that one sense and then I
added another synth on top of it which
is just kind of like these bubbly little
[Music]
and then on top of that we added this
[Music]
just another little stab to kind of give
it some aggression and then probably my
favorite thing to do is actually layer
up the lead melody so the next thing I
did was I just took that lead melody
which is and I played it on a synth and
you can do this as many times as you
want with as many layers as you want but
I found one that I liked an omni sphere
and then just threw on a rotary to gives
me a cool little wavy Bell effect that
actually says really nice with the
original loop so here's mine by itself
[Music]
here's that layered over that original
loop so now let me show you the beat
without that on top and then with that
on top so here's without it
[Music]
and then here's that with me throwing in
my extra kind of auxilary scent and
comparing that to those original two
loops that I'll drag right back in I
mean it could not sound any more
different we had both of these loops at
completely different tempos and one at a
completely different key
here's them with nothing all together
[Music]
nothing's happening so again just take
this fit it to whatever tempo you want
to work out put it in whatever key you
want to be at rearrange to melody and
then you take this one that just happens
to fall on that key anyway and then you
get to really just kind of customize
them with sound design and adding stuff
on top of them so hopefully this kind of
helped you figure out how to make loops
work for you and kind of how to add your
extra flavor and your extra spice on top
of them
and that does it as you can see there's
so much you can do with loops you can
really rearrange them re-- pitch them
turn them into a different tempo do a
ton of sound design put your own sense
overtop of them the options are endless
so next time you find a loop that you
think might be a good inspiration or a
good starting point definitely play
around and see if there are any ways
that you can make it your own if you
want to just drag and drop a loop in
there is definitely no problem with that
you are legally allowed to do so
morley it gets sticky with artists if
you have an artist that hires you and
then you put that as a lead element in
their song and then a couple months
later they hear it again they might get
kind of pissed off and they might come
asking you what the problem is so
definitely be aware of that but if you
start doing some of these things if they
ever notice you can say hey that was a
starting point much like any other
preset or loop or anything like that and
we really made it custom to your song so
definitely try to make it fit your
aesthetic your sound and your actual
vision for the song but other than that
if you have any other ways that you like
to make loops feel like your own kind of
thing let us know in the comments below
I'm always looking for tips myself if
you like this video make sure you like
comment and subscribe if you want to
head over to make pop music calm and
check out the stuff we offer there
we would really appreciate it but that's
going to do it for this video and we
will see you guys next week with a
really really important announcement so
stay tuned but as for now much left make
pop music
I don't
I can't
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