8 ways to assure your loops ALWAYS work

by Will on July 14, 2010

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For those of us that use loops frequently we know the majority of the problems and issues we have on stage with loops is in part due to us forgetting something ( a piece of gear, a setting in the software) and getting too overwhelmed or stressed to figure it out. Here’s a list of things to think about and review before Sunday morning to help assure your Loops always work!

Turn off your volume feedback/pops

Mac users… This is for you!  There is nothing worse then hearing the Mac feedback sound cranked through the house or in your in-ears. If you have the feedback sound activated and you turn up your computer during the service, it will be very noticeable and distracting. Please for the sake of our hearing and sanity turn your volume sound off!

Turn off your screensaver/disable spaces

This will annoying the heck out of you and possibly ruin your transitions if your screen dims at the wrong time.  If you’re a Mac user then you may want to turn spaces off as well, at some point your going too go to far in one corner and everything will go crazy!

Don’t forget your charger

Duh..I know but this is such an important part.  If you’re prone to forgetting it at home or you’ve got some extra cash laying around…buy another one.  It’s always something handy to have around.

Bring a stereo 1/8 to 1/4 cable

If you’re using an interface for loops make sure you’ve got an 1/8th to 1/4 inch cable incase something goes wrong with your interface.  If you’ve got the cable hanging around you’ll be able to quickly switch it out and roll on without any issues.

Make sure everything is done before Sunday

Don’t wait till Sunday to prepare your loops.  Even if you’re only triggering a few samples or clicks get them done far in advanced.  You’ve got way more important things to worry about then your loops working.

Practice triggering loops during the week

The same way that we practice guitar or piano, we’ve got to practice triggering loops.  Make sure you’re comfortable with the interface of your program and you’ve got your “moves” down.  What do you trigger for each song?  When do you trigger it?

Have a backup playback device

I know we all aren’t rolling in the dough, so I’m not suggesting we all go out and buy backup laptops.  But.. If loops are crucial to your sound and you’ve been practicing with them, what will happen when someone drops your computer 5 minutes before the service and your hardrive stops spinning? If one of your bandmates has a laptop and Live installed on it then send them your Live set before Sunday and have them bring it with them.  Don’t have a laptop? Load your tracks on an iPod or your iPhone as your backup plan.

Have a thumbdrive handy

Worse case scenario your computer is fried, your drummer forget his laptop and your phone is at home…have a thumbdrive available with your tracks loaded on it, or transfer them from a computer if it isn’t fried. If you can find a laptop you’ll atleast be able to open itunes and play the mp3′s out of the computer 

This may sound intense but if you want to ALWAYS be confident that you’ll ALWAYS have loops for your services then have a backup plan.  Rest assured at somepoint things WILL go wrong, there’s no escaping it.  The question is will you be prepared and have a backup plan in place when that time comes?

What tips do you have? What do you do to make sure your loops always work?

About the Author: Will Doggett is a guitarist, worship leader and wanna-be DJ based out of NC. He spends most of his time running and blogging for Loops in Worship, as well as creating custom loops. You can reach him by email at will@loopsinworship.com and find him on Twitter @willdoggett

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Tagged as: loops back up plan, transitioning your band to using loops, troubleshooting loops, using loops with a worship band

  • I actually use Spaces to manage Live and Reason. I use CMD+[Arrow key] to switch. And I switch often between the two during service.

    Also, screensavers can be distracting, which worship, of all places, is not a place to be distracted in. When our bass player told me how he couldn't help but watch it (I had had a really cool screensaver), that's when I realized I should turn it off during services.
  • Jacob,

    Good points. I had a friend that had a really great and funny screensaver that became a problem when it was broadcast on Live nationwide tv and someone snuck up to shut the computer screen... Very funny though!

    I actually use spaces as well and expose, but I know alot of people that have gotten into very hairy situations accidentally switching into another space, and not realizing it and not ending a loop on time etc.

    Good thoughts though!
  • Ahh that makes sense. I probably wouldn't use loops much if I didn't have the Launchpad. So when I load a session, I don't use Ableton much and launch/stop loops with that.
  • I agree if you can use a controller and not have your nose stuck in the computer it's much more enjoyable!
  • Lp
    Will, I also suggest creating backups and saving them "in the cloud." DropBox (getdropbox.com) is an amazing, full-featured cloud storage service that works seamlessly with Macs. In fact, it acts like a local folder... it's that simple to use (WARNING: because it behaves like a local folder, when you drag a file out of a DropBox folder and onto, say, your desktop, that file has literally been moved, not copied). So, #1, simplicity.

    Reason #2 - DropBox also has free iOS apps. Not only can you access them from the iOS devices, you can play media from within the app. It doesn't provide as much control as the built-in iTunes, but our team has used that media player in a pinch a few times.

    Reason #3 - It is very simple to create shared folders. Share the folder full of loops or other audio assets (or lyric sheets) with others in the group or the sound techs. If you get stopped by a train or do the Good Samaritan deed and stop to change the tire for the damsel in distress, the loops are accessible to your mates.
  • Lyndon,
    Great thoughts! Dropbox is such a great tool for collaboration, I haven't thought of it from the audio backup aspect. It's even more efficient then a thumb drive, and keeps everything in sync across all places. And you brought up a great point with streaming via the ios devices. Great..great thoughts!
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