Using Loops to Produce Unique Sounds

One of the things I love about sound loops, it the ability to change them. To take a guitar loop, and make it into the base of my beat. To take a vocal loop and distort it into a glitch element.

Now if you didn't understand any of that, A sound loop is a piece of audio. It can be a drum beat, a guitar riff, dripping water, tools being used and anything else you can imagine. You use them to make songs. Mainly electronica styles. Glitch is a style of electronica based on weird machine noises. Think video game in a blender.

If you're more interested in instrument based music, this really isn't a good article for you.

There are lots of ways to change loops. Altering pitch, using the equalization to change the focus of the sound, effects and more. The only limits on what can be achieved are the ones on your imagination. Take a Drum loop and put it through a distortion effect, try the settings, you never know what it'll sound like!

Try running the same piece of sound through a bunch of different effects. Try combination's of effects. I will only insist on one thing. Use a compression effect. Compressor software limits the level of volume a track can go past. Since some effects, and combination's of effects can produce ear splitting sounds, always use compression when experimenting with warping loops!

A fun trick I've used is to import a movie to my production software. I get rid of the video and run the audio through various effects till I get something I like. You end up with over an hour of bizarre and distorted sounds to play with. Best of all since the sounds maintain the ups and downs of a movie soundtrack; without sounding anything like one, what you get is always unique. It can be cool when a bit of sound drifts through, that you can tell is voices, but cant make any of it out.

The key to getting your own collection of unique and amazing sounds, is to play and experiment. there's always a cool new effect someones put up for free, always new things to explore.

My name is Ryan and My love in life is music. Listening to it, making it and exploring it. Music really is my drive in life. I create acidhedz.com to help people learn to make their own music, and to showcase my own. I would like to share my love of music and the joy that come with creating your own, with everyone. Over time the site has expanded to include resources for bands looking to promote their music -