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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 (link no longer valid)Once I created the guitar track, I used Audio Chord Wizard to figure out what I had done then found a style that matched.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 *******************
Last edited by Andrew - PG Music; 09/26/17 12:59 PM.
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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.
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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
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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
BIAB 2025:RB 2025, Latest builds: Dell Optiplex 7040 Desktop; Windows-10-64 bit, Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz CPU and 16 GB Ram Memory.
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Interesting story on how it all came together. Waaaaay more effort than I'm willing to conjure up  J&B
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos
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Sweet music! That harmonica is beautiful. Gotta use that sometime! Take care, and Merry Xmas. Greg
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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! 
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Greg,
Thank for the comments. The harmonica is one of my favorite instruments and that RealTrack is a newly discovered favorite.
Merry Christmas!
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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.
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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
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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.
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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..
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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