Recently I've been practicing how to use loops. I called my exercise ++ "Fun With Loops" ++ .

++ HERE ++ is the isolated acoustic guitar track created using loops. (link no longer valid)

Once I created the guitar track, I used Audio Chord Wizard to figure out what I had done then found a style that matched. The project summary is below:

****** Song Summary *************
Title: Loops ACW Test
File:Loops ACW Test 04.SGU

Style is _CAIRPGS.STY
Key=G , Tempo 85, Length (m:s)=1:19
No intro. 24 bar chorus from bar 1 to bar 24. Repeat chorus x1
Song is saved with bar changes for Tempo,

MIDI SuperTracks in style: 2056:Piano, Rhythm CelticAir Ev 085
Piano Custom Synth is H-Q 001 01 Piano, Acoustic, Grand SampleTank.tgs

MIDI SuperTracks in style: 2058:Strings, Rhythm CelticAir Ev 085
Strings Custom Synth is Hi-Q 049 01 Strings, Ensemble, Chamber SampleTank.tgs

RealDrums CountryPopEv 16^03-SSCldHt, Snr Rd
RealTracks RT626 Harmonica, Background
RealTracks RT1759 Bass, Electric, Pop 16ths
Acoustic Guitar: Acidized loops from FreeCountryloops.com

2014 Band-in-a-Box
2014 RealBand
Cakewalk Music Creator 6

*******************

Hi Jim, yeah, working with loops can be fun specially with good quality ones, which these ones are, however, I think (IMHO)that the guitar loop gets lost a bit in the mix. The harmonica overpowers it and you can't hear the guitar very well. Maybe bring the harmonica more to the background which is where is supposed to be anyway. At least that's how I hear it at my end. Other than that, nice tune.

Mike B.

Jim,

Interesting. You did not say where you did the original guitar loop processing. My guess is not in BIAB? By itself it sounds good. The song is nicely done. I could see Mike's point about the guitar vs. the harp, but I think they are nixed as they should be. Listening closely to the guitar in the mix, it appears from about :25 - :40 the guitar is not quite in sync (the tiniest bit) with the RTs. I could be wrong on that, but I listened a couple of times and felt that each time.

The song would not play for me in Soundcloud - so I appreciate that you included the download capability (the guitar solo track did play there).

floyd

Good job on the loops and choice of style and real tracks. Everything comes together nicely. A bit reminiscent of listening to Wayne Raney on the Cincinnati AM radio station, WCKY back in the day. Without the static though!!

Nice picture on Soundcloud too.


Charlie

Interesting story on how it all came
together. Waaaaay more effort than
I'm willing to conjure up

J&B

Sweet music! That harmonica is beautiful. Gotta use that sometime! Take care, and Merry Xmas. Greg

Mike B,

I agree the guitar needs to come up and harmonica recede in the mix. The issue shows up more in the MP3 conversion than the original wav but, if I had done the mix right, conversion shouldn't change anything. Thanks for listening and your comments.

Cool and interesting song, Jim! Glad to see that some people are using the loops! That's on my bucket list too... if I can ever build enough momentum to start recording

Floyd,

Thank you for listening and your comments. The guitar loops were processed using the loop matrix view in Cakewalk's (Sonar) Music Creator 6.

There are a few places where the "band" and guitar timing diverge. I still have a ways to go in learning how to dial-in a tempo map. I thought it interesting that the loops are not so rigid. To me the loose tempo helps maintain that realistic feel.

Charlie,

Thanks for listening. That's a good harmonica RealTrack. While regenerating I came across some great sounding riffs but they didn't fit what I was wanting to hear. Definately will use it again.

Janice & Bud,

L o v e the Christmas avatar. Happy holidays!

Not as much effort into this one. More playing around, more fun, less effort!

Greg,

Thank for the comments. The harmonica is one of my favorite instruments and that RealTrack is a newly discovered favorite.

Merry Christmas!

Pat,

Glad you checked out my latest effort. I've enjoyed hearing your collaborations and am looking forward to hearing your singular work.

Loops offer an entirely different perspective for discovering music. I was excited to complete a composition using some.

Hi Jim,

This sounds really nice, but must have been quite some work though.
We will definitely check out FreeCountryLoops.com

Rob and Anne-Marie

Rob and Anne-Marie,

Thanks for listening. My efforts pale in comparison to your songs and video productions. I am still in the beginning stage where much is still hit or miss.

Every so often I will actually create something similar to what I envisioned or that pleases me. When that happens, it's magical.

Very nice song. It is amazing the journey a song can take in its creation. Then end result being a well crafted song.. Well done..

Hi Scott,

Thanks for listening. I listened to a few of your tracks and enjoy how you let your guitars set the mood. You have a good number of compositions. I like how each seems to follow it's own path. Enjoyable listening.

I can see myself increasingly using loops. They seem to inspire me.

Jim, I also have been working a bit with loops. It is just another great way to use BiaB. The harmonica works well in this. I enjoyed it. Tom

Thanks for listening Tom!

Though they've been available for use in BiaB & RB for years I had not found any loop content I really wanted to try. I finally found some and was pleasently surprised at the ease of use.

After putting everything together, my interest switched from the looped guitar track to the harmonica RealTracks. That harmonica RealTracks still has a bunch of sweet sounds waiting to be used.

Hi Jim,

That was a terrific listen! You've got my round of applause

I have no experience with loops and you've inspired me to start being a bit more adventurous with my music. Thank you for that!

In one of your above posts, I read that compression is affecting your volume balances. That got me curious. Did you upload a compressed file to Soundcloud or the WAV? I always upload a WAV file and then let Soundcloud do the compressing.

Hope you have a great 2015!
Noel

Noel,

Past uploads were MP3s. That will change now that I understand wav files are accepted.

Jim your combination of Super MIDI tracks and loops is very good.

I used to use loops and in fact have lot of old Acid loops. Maybe it is time to revisit them.

Jim,


A couple of years ago, I used to upload mp3s too. The problem with that was that my songs got compressed twice - once by me and once by Soundcloud (at that point in time, Soundcloud used to process and compress every file irrespective of whether or not it was already compressed). The double compression created volume issues and audio artifact issues for me. When I discovered that I could upload uncompressed WAV files, that helped a lot. I hope it helps your files, too.

All the best,
Noel

Jim,

I enjoyed that and know how much work must have gone into that production as I have played with loops in the past nut not with such a beautiful end result.

Thanks for the link to FreeCountryloops.com, I shall have a look at that site later.

Good stuff

Alyn

Hi Jim,

what a nice exercise. Your workflow is interesting.
I like that harmonica. It's a pity the song is so short.
Enjoyable listen.
Are you a relative of Charlie?
I wish you a Happy New Year.

Guenter

Mario,
Super MIDI Tracks are great! They offer the realism of a live performance, sound quality dependent on instrument choice and editing. The ideal would be to have a super MIDI Track companion for each RealTrack.
I don't know yet if I'm a big fan of loops. "Fun With Loops" was a fun learning experience however loops have some serious tempo, time signature and chord constraints. Press the envelopes too much and artifacts quickly become apparent. I'm sure there will specific instances loops will be the best choice for me.

Noel,
I appreciate your advice. It should make for better SoundCloud uploads.

Alyn,
I am very impressed with FreeCountryLoops.com. They have country influenced loops for many instruments as well as loop tutorials and songwriting guides. They solicit feedback and listen. I've even read positive comments about Band-in-a-Box in the blog a few times!
Thanks for the beautiful results comment. Absolutely made my day!

Guenter,
I'm still trying to figure out a workflow. I didn't realize until after I compiled the loops I should have kept notes of what I used and where so I let the Audio Chord Wizard figure it out.
Yes, Charlie, c_fogle,is my brother but ... SHHH! Don't tell anyone, okay?!