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f your about to start using loops, you could not have picked a better time to start. There are more resources, content and training available now then ever before. One of the scariest things people face when starting to use loops is figuring out where to get loops from. Most people think they are going to have to create all their loops on their own. They don’t feel confident in their own abilities, and therefore are hesitant in starting to use loops.
The great thing is there are alot of great resources around that you can get loop content from. In this article we will highlight a few of those resources for getting loops. We’ll also touch on some free loop resources for content. Lets dig into where to get loops…
1) Pre-Made Content
If your new to loops your not going to want to spend alot of time upfront having to create content. Here are two websites that have tons of Content that you can use for your loops.
Interactive Worship Live-They provide “Interactive Backing Tracks” for Ableton Live. The tracks don’t only provide you with “loop content” but also the full band original master tracks. This is great, and extremely useful when your looking to supplement the sound of your band with tracked instruments. Also, if you want to solo out and slow down a guitar part for your guitar players to work on you can take Lincoln Brewster’s solo and send it to your players to work on. ($50)
Praise Charts-Besides providing tons of charts to use with your band (orchestra, horn section, choir, vocal teams etc..) they also provide “Click Tracks” and “Rhythm tracks”. Click tracks are basic loops that follow the arrangement of the charts you can purchase. They work well to supplement your band. They include some basic rhythmic elements and a few keyboard parts. They are mono loops (Click L, Loop R) and you can use them in Itunes or on an Ipod or run them off your laptop and your favorite Recording Program.
Their Rhythm Tracks are built to serve smaller churches without a band. They include Drums, and bass and the same basic elements included in Click Tracks. If you lead worship from the keys or Acoustic Guitar, they provide you with a “backing band” to fill out your sound. ($3.95)
2) Free Loop Resources
If your still “testing the waters” with loops, this is a great way to go. You can try out some different loops for free and see if it works with your band, and in your setting without alot of commitment (Time or Money). Here are a few of the ones we’ve collected..
Sacred Loops-The original “free loop” sharing resource for Worship Leaders. They’ve got tons of great loop files for Reason and Ableton. They are a great place to start!
Loop Community-One of the newer sites out there, but already lots of great user submitted content available.
Looping Worship- A new site that provides User Submitted Loops. They use a rating system to rate both”Playability” and “Creativity”. It provides you a good idea of what your getting before you download the loop.
The Great Promise- Dale Baker is a drummer based out of North Carolina. He’s played with more people then we can mention here (we did an interview with Him on the blog here ). He uses this site to post free loops, primarily of recordings of Himself. They are always really unique and very percussive. If your looking for some great percussion loops this is a great place to look.
Sample Swap-A site with over 5.5 gigs of free content that you can use. You have to sort through lots of samples to find what you want but there are some real hidden jewels posted there. Plus.. how often do you get access to 5.5 gigs worth of free content! Its worth checking out.
Free Sound Project-Lots of free content similar to Sample Swap. They don’t just have loops, but lots of noises, foley, sound effects, that you can use in your video creation as well. Lots of cool stuff here.
ccMixter- A site that provides samples and a cappellas under a creative commons license. There is some good content here. Just search around and see what you can find!
Togeo Studios-A Site that has lots of free Ableton Live samples and Sounds. You can find some good synth patches as a good starting point.
Anchordown Band-A now defunct band, but they still offer some loops they’ve made on their site for free. (Thanks to Steve for the Tip on this Resource!)
3) Make your own loops
Although making your own loops may not be “getting loops” its still worth mentioning. It allows you to create loops that fit your bands needs (instrumentation, arrangement, etc). It may take a bit of time investment up front, but it will pay off in the end. Here are a few resources to help you with some tools as you create.
Loops in Worship- It would be difficult for us to talk about creating your own loops without mentioning two of our own products, Foundations and Elements. We promise to not make this an infomercial but, we feel like they are two of the best resources out for creating your own loops. Foundations provides you with click tracks that you can use in Live, Garageband, or Logic. They are all sub dividable and we provide you with two click sounds. Elements are sample collections specifically made for Worship music. They work at any tempo, in almost any song, and almost any Recording Software. Check them out! ($10, $30)
Spectrasonics Sample Libraries-They offer some of the best sample libraries on the planet. ”Metamorphosis” is at the heart of just about every commercial and movie soundtrack everywhere! ($99+)
Reason-If your really into creating your own loops, then Reason is an absolute must. Its like having a virtual rack full of great synths, effects, and drum machines. Definitely worth it. ($299)
What other tools to you use to create loops? What sites do you get samples and content from? Let us know and we’ll add it to this post!
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