I found this interesting statement somewhere on the internet; "I thought using loops was cheating, so I programmed my own using samples. I then thought using samples was cheating, so I recorded real drums. I then thought that programming it was cheating, so I learned to play drums for real. I then thought using bought drums was cheating, so I learned to make my own. I then thought using premade skins was cheating, so I killed a goat and skinned it. I then thought that that was cheating too, so I grew my own goat from a baby goat. I also think that is cheating, but I’m not sure where to go from here. I haven’t made any music lately, with the goat farming and all."
Using some premade loops from a sample pack that 1243123412 people bought, is NOT the same thing as record digging, chopping and sampling. Yall gotta cut it out.
I don’t care I use loops & I create loops 💯 I play Keys,Bass,Guitar & drums but if I get inspired by a loop I’m gonna use it & play on top & around the loop to create my own vibe💯 Let ppl feel ppl feel how they feel just keep making music 🎶💯 20 ppl can use the same sample or loop and it won’t sound the same if you are creative💯
I personally am not into using loops, but I believe it is not cheating. If you chop up a loop it is more fun and can make it your own. All music is recycled pretty much you just throw your style onto it.
I use loops. I was late to discover that Music is what I wanna do. I Don’t have 10 years to learn how to play guitar, or become a expert piano player. I work with people who have that skill and We help eachother. I’m a beatmaker. I want to create feelings and emotions. I really don’t Care how, as Long as the Music moves you. I’m starting to pick up a guitar, But that is for myself and because I’m excited about the instrument. Not because I wanna sample myself. It shouldn’t really matter tbh. Music is Music, regardless of how it’s made
Love in the club was a loop from garage band and it went platinum. I feel that if you use a loop it can be like a collaborative effort if you put your own flavor to it. Everyone doesn't know music theory. Technology has changed things and people need to accept that.. I have been blessed to learn music theory but I don't knock the next person for expressing their self through music and creating their way.. 💯
Idk tbh. A lot of producers who get in the game end up knocking producers who use loops, but then when they make it they pay people to send them loops. Like biggest example is Southside. He says producers who use loops are trash and no talented, but literally 808 mafia the label are producer who send him loops and samples then he just adds preset drums and then BOOM. A lot of producers do the same thing idk why.
Use them but make them your own. Chop it up, switch the order, reverse it, distort it, filter it. Just make it unique. You were inspired in some way by the loop so it serves a purpose in your production.
If your goal is to produce amazing music fast, you should be using every resource you can. That includes samples, presets, loops, templates, etc! Loops can be a great source of inspiration, especially when you build your tracks around groovy riffs or melodies. Flipping samples to make them sound completely different is also another great way to use loops. All these tools have the ability to enhance your potential by presenting ideas you may not have thought about. That being said, you shouldn't be overly dependent on samples because that will end up limiting your creative abilities. Just like everything else, moderation is the way forward!
People need to realize that not everybody has parents who pay for guitar and piano lessons, not everybody has someone who can buy these instruments. You don’t know people’s back story you can’t assume everyone has the same privileges you do. So y’all producers who say producers who use loops are trash are ignorant.
Anything you add to the loop creates a new sound. Don’t be discouraged. The lyrics and additional music adds your signature to the entirety of the track.
This is one of the many fine distinctions between musician, composer, and/or producer. A composer generally writes music, such as melody and accompaniment. A musician generally *plays* said music, and a producer takes the **recorded performance** of the musician and assembles (aka "produces") a finished, final piece of music. So, even if you are using ONLY loops, you are a producer... Just maybe not a composer or musician (in this instance). ;)
I dont agree. Musician its the one making music, both composer, performer and producer are musicians in some way. Difference can be in academic knowledge, professionalism and all that
Loops is not really cheating but when you use a loop you wouldn't feel the vibe, you feel compared to you making your own loop And people should understand you are learning a lot if you are making your own loop 💯
Some producers aren't that skilled in the melody section lol. They have to take the easy way out. I'd feel more proud to know that I made the entire beat.
like deadmau5 said make your own loops put it into folder and when you make a song just choose from that folder the best ones, I got my own drum loops ready, and I play the guitar and make like 30 loops then choose from which I make my beats
Wren Mckay cool cool but how many people can play a guitar tho?.....how many people are opportune to even get instruments talk less of learn how to play them?...not every producer has the capital to get all those fancy instrument or learn.
For me I feel a little uneasy looking for samples when I do my beats. It feels I cheat myself out of growth sometimes. I do now feel a little better getting some inspiration and to get me out of my box so I can improve.
I'm using loops/samples as a learning tool so I can actually finish a beat, then when I have time, learn how these melodies or rhythms have been assembled. Its all about time and I suppose the level you are at and what your goals are.
I play bass, keys, and guitar but I have made whole songs using loops and I don't think it's cheating. Because it's possible that nobody else would have used those loops together and come up with the song.
I think you spoke on the topic well. I don't feel using samples is cheating, especially when you customize them by adding your choice of effects and modulations. They can help spark creativity in a producer.
I’m happy I bumped across this video in my new found hobby - fiddling with making music. I’m a retired granny and I spend time exploring interests and music is one of them. I’ve always quietly questioned how our present artists claim to make music on their laptops. When do they create theirs? Now I accept that times have evolved. Putting that project together using loops still requires skill and an ear for music. I get it. 🙏🏽
Nothing wrong with using loops....but what you do with that loop is most important. You can get super creative. The more you chop it, rearrange from the original, running different chops through different VST's/generators. You can get super creative with certain loops, rather than just throwing drums over an original unchopped loop.
@AssAssin Jumbo I use loops because when I ask to go to a studio nobody helps me so🤷 I can’t even play guitar or the piano and I don’t even have one so I use loops because I really like music… idek if I can put a song on Apple Music with loops
I agree, using loops is perfectly OK but you have to add stuff or change something to make them really your own. Like you said, I just don't have the time or patience to make every sound from scratch
Yes exactly. And all alike! Templates are often used the way loops are. So then producers are creating entire catalogues that sound like one style with one “sample” and different elements to make the compositions different from each other.
I’m from the old school of thought, You can use technology, just don’t let the technology use you. I learned to play all the main instruments Guitar, Bass, keys, Drums, and yes programming beats. If you use loops as the main ingredient that’s the difference between a beat-maker and a Musician Producer. Plug-ins, loops, samples, are great for ideas, but never sample loops only!
Thats all i do. I tried doing originals and my looping is better. It never sounds like the original. I always put the original loop in my intro kind of my way to give credit. I hope the original artist hear it and likes it. I build from loops regularly and im more productive that way
My thoughts are to use whatever gives you the inspiration.I keep getting new VSTs because looking at a new plugin gives me inspiration... sometimes I got to a different place. I also understand the time aspect as well and the reason why people use ghost writers and producers.
I know this an post however I just came across it... I wanted to add to the topic by saying your opinion is correct from my standpoint. just last night I decided to use loops to finish a project that I spent all day trying to finish but just couldn't, and at the last minute I dragged in some loops and finished the song in under 10 minutes and was able to turn the song in on time. I totally agree with loops being used for time purposes because It helped me save a project that I almost gave up on. Normally I don't use a lot of loops but its definitely a skill worth having in your arsenal
Before even listening to the video, here are my thoughts…loops aren’t bad until that’s all you have. Like anyone can match up 90bpm pianos with 90bpm drums and so forth and have a song. You’re not really a producer if that is ALL YOU DO…a few loops here and there are fine as long as at the end of it all, the bulk of the idea is really yours, not the guys that made the loops.
To be fair, like 90% of hip hop producers in the 80s/90s sampled the same like 3 drum breaks in every song... way more egregious than a modern producer using a couple drum loops here and there. I don't use them because I enjoy playing with samplers and drum machines, but I have no hard feelings for people that do use them.
A lot of hip hop in history have just sampled drums from jazz, blues and funk. One of the well known drum loops used is funky drummer. Loops have a place. I personally use loops/samples if I'm making a old style hip hip beat. Like nas, nwa etc. If I'm making trap I like to create my own melody and loops. Guess both have a place.
Same. I create my trap type beats from scratch, but I'll sometimes make a beat using a loop to take me from my comfort zone. That way I may create a more hip hop beat with the loops because I have to work with the tempo of the said loop. The beats that I make organically tend to be slower in tempo, so the loops take me from my normal routine!
Your right, I see loops as time savers or problem solutions. I cant count how many times there was a certain sound or vibe I was looking for and couldnt make or find it. So yeah loops are more of a time saver
What people don't realize is that it is Loops that keep a genre alive because in order to sound like a certain genre you have to get certain Loops because everybody is using the same 808 the same high hats the same kick selling packs and Loops that's how the genre stays in
I use to make beats in my iPhone, back in the day before I knew anything about music. So once I started taking it seriously I pretty much banned myself from using loops, just because I felt as if it was cheating. However; now I am so thankful for those days, because they made me become who I am now, and just mess around. Now I’m trying to get myself to know it’s not a sin to use a loop, but also at the same time, I need to stay creative and hardworking to get my vision into the sound.
No hiphop was founded off of samples, most of the best music contain samples and I believe its because back then everything that was recorded were live instrumentations vs the vsts and synth based music we listen to today
kAa FAa I've used those as well but I can only speak for myself. I usually combine multiple samples , add and instrument on top or chop up the sample to give it some spice. Then i'll do a comparison of the original sound to what I made
@@jloiben12 Right. Also samplers were cheaper than hiring bands for every song and allowed one person to produce entire albums if desired or necessary.
Here is a real scenario that posses issues: A tier 1 producer close to established artists says " I'm in the studio with ( Insert Artists ), SEND LOOPS ". Someone sends some seemingly dope loops and producer A uses 1 and places the beat on a top 10 album. Come to find out, the producer who sent him the loops got the loops from a beat collab with a different producer. The producer he did the collab with got the loops from a totally different collab he did with not just 1 but 2 other producers. One of the 2 other producers got the loops from an Internet Money loop kit which was a collab with Nick Mira and Taz Taylor. The tier 1 producer A ended up having to split his producer check with 9 other producers off of 1 person sending him loops.
Anyone who thinks using loops is “cheating” is either a straight up beginner and trynna start a argument or someone who is just unintelligent and unaware that majority or hits are collabs
If you find yourself inspired by a loop and can build a track around one then I don't see the problem. With that and everything else, however, moderation is key. If more than half of what is heard in the final product I feel we should take it upon ourselves to do better than that if our goal is to present an original work. If you're making a remix of sorts, however, and want your loops to be recognizable then that (being the whole point) is fine. My only beef is when minimal additions are made and the final product is advertised as an entirely original work. I've heard royalty free loops in submissions to your live streams that I also have access to, but were used in a way that I never would have thought of and added to the vibe rather than taking center stage as the entire work (if that makes sense). It truly is a sketchy topic, but I can see where each side is coming from in the debate. I, for one, have and will continue to use loops in moderation to keep my tracks feeling and sounding fresh unless terms against it are set before-hand, such as a challenge or contract. Great video, great topic... KEEP IT UP!!!
its all about the music at the end of the day ; sampling, creating from scratch by yourself or having a group of musicians in a session together creating for example what's the difference when Quincy jones had Midi programmers ,synthesizer programmers ,rhythm arrangers ,horn arrangers vocal arrangers, songwriters Etc he was sampling the best loops ,riffs or motifs they created and we got Thriller
personally, if the sample pack was free, you don't really have a say in it if it contained mostly loops. from what I've found if you're trying to be creative, loops sort of take away the creativity. but it can also help beginners create a beat and learn the daw.
There's something special about the old school art of sampling, digging through records, slicing em up and flipping it into something dope. Pulling a loop off of splice and throwing basic drums behind it just seems souless and lazy in comparison. And dont get it twisted, thats what a large % of these loop "producers" do.
Saying that it's cheating is like saying you can't have inspiration. Most people get their ideas from other ideas. It's just that someone hasn't done the time to gain the skill or technique for the production of the loop.
I’ ve been so confused whether or not I made the music i make bc non of the loops are mine 😂 but i make it in my own image. I crop some out, edit out the audio and change the filter in the sound. The only issue is that I don’t add anything else I only use loops 😅. I’m not a qualified artist or whatever I just like what I make with the help of soundtrap loops Thanks for this
I agree on its not cheating because loops and presets are the same too. As long as you build around it and chop it , etc. Just if the passions there make a fire 🔥 track! ✌️
Loops are great to get ideas and start a vibe. Some people enjoy playing instruments and synthesizing and others enjoy production. Loops unite the two into making great things. Nujabes achieved wonders through sampling, so it really comes down to what you can make using the sample. However, I also think just straight up using a loop without changing it in some way is kind of lame unless you made the loop. It's honestly not hard to acquire decent base sounds for no money. And at the end of the day, if a bunch of people use the same loop without changing it, their music simply won't stand out.
I think the better you are as a musician and a creator,the less you may need loops.At the same time,it doesn't mean you can't use them.Some of the best music producers and musicians may find inspiration from a loop or sample.It's all about how the creator builds off the loop or sample.On the other hand,I think if you use one loop all the time and you just add drums,that might be a little boring or lazy for creating projects depending. Even with that said,there are and have been music producers who've made their careers using a simple loop or sample with drums and they were able to be creative with few elements to a track to make hits.
Busy Works Beatsssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss - thank you very much. You are an inspiration, great person - who seems so down to earth. Your advice is so helpful. Loops have moulded the shape of music production since the first samplers came out. Just checked this info and was surprised .... (The first commercially available sampling synthesizer was the Computer Music Melodian by Harry Mendell (1976), while the first polyphonic digital sampling synthesizer was the Australian-produced Fairlight CMI, first available in 1979.)... I was thinking Roland SP . I was introduced to production on Roland MC 303,505 Groovebox Sequencer . Then went to D.A.W's. Mostly write original compositions from scratch. But as Busy said . it helps with time for work flow and brings a vibe to a track with ease. Keep Creating and Expressing through Audio. Don't be afraid to be Original and authentic, that is what makes pioneers .. Much Peace from Australia .
So experiment on your own free time,,,, And have a catalog of sounds and loops ready for Studio Time,,,,And go from there,.... And no it's not cheating,,,, This has been a formula for decades....
Loops are by no means cheating especially if your adding your own counter melodies on top. It does not mean your a bad producer it means your using your resources. 2 minds are better than 1
This is King Coe Da Coldest, and I just want to comment on the question of whether loops is cheating or not. I agree that it is a time saver. It's not what you do, but how you do it. Choosing the right loops and assembling the right elements together is an art form in itself. Not everybody can do that. Use loops. Make it from scratch. It doesn't matter. Just make great music. That's what all of the presets, samples, and loops are there for. Just have fun putting together good music.
Well from my stand point I'm a musician, bass and drums but I no longer have the time it takes to find the wright people to play with ie. Want to create and play,same goals and what not ,I found making music through the DAW just as creative it's still music but you will always need others to join you to make your project better and using loops is part of that same procedure as finding other musicians to help create the newness ,origin sound to make it yours
The goal should be to make the greatest music. Hip hop was built SAMPLING other peoples music. Taking loops from parts of other songs and making it your own. What difference does it make if we dig through some crates for some samples from vinyls vs going through splice to look for a loop. This is the modern day version of crate digging for the internet age
I always treat loops like a sample. Barely ever use it in its original form. I stretch it, chop it up, and use different parts of the loop to create something. A listener doesn't care, but just using a loop and putting a drum pattern on isn't helping you as a beatmaker/producer.
I think its interesting on one front it's a LONG LIST of people selling and marketing loop packs but once people buy them they go "oh using loops is cheating " 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔
Short answer: No! Long answer: Some would argue it stiffens your creativity. Restricting you to a particular rhythm, melody, degree and even genre. But that's false. Creativity isn't bringing totally new into existence. It can be taking something old and adding new ideas to it to make it yours. Who says you have to make a track according to the loop. You could half time, filter and distort. Bounce to midi file and then work will the notes even rehamonize and change the rhythm. If loops do stiffens your creativity then your problems are beyond us. 😹😹😹
Sometimes, i use loops just to be inspired for chords and melodies. Sampling is about cheating a lot of times. Meek Mill's producer (Nick Papz) sampled the famous Cheb Khaled's song for uptown 2 in a very subtle way. I'm not familiar with sampling but i don't know what he did to make this version "incognito".
They're not cheating bcuz hip hop was built on sampling loops, it's the same difference. BUT...you gotta do more then just looping a loop and putting drums on it. You gotta still arrange and build out a track with more elements.
artist don't even have that time to be waiting for you they just want to get on with it so it will be smart to make the beat before allowing the artist vibe on it because they don't have that time to wait it f up their vibe i rap sometimes and i know
The audience pick up on you enjoying yourself. You can hear when the artist is having fun, so use what inspires you and gets your blood pumping. If it's samples? Sick. If it's a live band? Great. What ever gets you going.
Yeah its all about how you modify it to show your vision if you go down that route. I mostly use one shots but time to time will chop up a loop and give it new life.
Hey, can you show us how to make a beat like the songs EARL and PIGEONS from Earl Sweatshirt? It uses samples, but I don't know how to slow down, or use the effects Tyler have used. And if possible, use stock plugins.
I honestly believe using loops are time savers. I mean if you have the ability to come up with a beat from Scratch quickly, then more props too you. Using loops shouldn’t be labeled as cheating, like you said some people know how to create beats from scratch, but when your making a beat and money is on the table and top artists are getting bored you might wanna have a couple back up plan’s. A through z preferably.
Well, loops helped me with making normal drums. I used to download some loop and create my own drums, like, get the feel of it, how it works, but I've done much more progress when I started creating my own melodies through trial and error.
I dig chopping and looping stuff but I do understand that expanding your mind and creativity takes constructing and experimenting with things and such…the stuff that Earth Wind and Fire…Barry white..issac Hayes…u2…Sade”s band…the roots and soo many more was like magic can’t believe all that came from their minds…just my take ☮️
Art is subjective it's how you make it like cooking some folks just put the ingredients together heat it up and boom some take two different amounts of ingredients and make something completely different like sauce it's all different
Game, I have been producing for over 20 years and honestly you would have to be a master musician & engineer to do everything. However I get what he is saying, but we have to be honest as producers and just admit we can't do everything. It's a shame that nowadays you have to be the sound designer, producer & recording, mixing & mastering engineer. Now I don't know about a lot of guys, but I don't like being responsible for every aspect of a project. It just doesn't leave space for positive creativity as you will get tired of dealing with the whole process. Also I found over the years that the best help that I have gotten was from either a well made sample or preset. IMHO!!!
HipHop was founded apon the idea of sampling/looping. Now what would give these producers the idea that sampling/looping is wrong when they are in the same business that was founded upon that same idea?? people need to read and learn about the history that made Hiphop what it is today. Sampling is okay. just as you BWB said, it depends on how you use them. it would be okay either way, but the person doing it might not feel creative enough, depending on the techniques involved.
From the listener side, I just wanna hear the illest beat possible, period. And some of the illest beats I've ever heard were just simple loops (see Daringer's production on "Stovetops" off Don't Get Scared Now EP).... but from the production side, I can see how using loops could get boring and not really give a producer a sense of accomplishment
If you are a PRODUCER, no. Producers bring in orchestras, pianists, guitarists, drummers etc etc to make music all the time. Everyone doesn't have access to that so loops fill that role. And if you're doing hip hop/rap... It was invented by DJs looping records.
I am new on the scene of using fL and I purposefully did not buy the full complete FL. I just wanted barebones so I can mix match other components with my d.a.w. In alot of ways what FL does well is it gives many options to what to do with a sample loop. From what I knew was just to take a sound out of a loop. Was never much interest in the whole loop could be manipulated up to 80% different. For it be your creation u only need to change 33.3% of a loop just like a photo image. U change dat much u got a original composition. And more modern people these dazes wanna be looked at being an artist.
At the end of the day if the track is trash it doesn’t matter what was used to create it! Same thing the other way, if it slaps, who cares how you made it. Regardless of your method, you have to have some sort of skill to coordinate the sounds your using. Weather that’s playing them yourself, sampling or using loops.
I don’t think it’s cheating I think it helps for people who are starting out making music, it gets bad when ur just using the loops and both not knowing to make loops yourself and just relying on the loops to make songs but if you know how to make a loop then it’s maybe being lazy but if you like the loop and modify it in a certain way then there’s nothing wrong with that
Its funny that using addictive drums never felt like cheating... and I think that not many guitar, rock, indie etc etc players and music makers do not see those drums as cheating... maybe because the drums are not the main part of the song.. although if you hear a mega fast metal drum rythem going, its pretty dominant... I think music is music, if you use loops to create something other than just the loop then you are creating... look at how many songs oasis used parts from and how big they because, .. your own spin on a sample I think is fine... even though I myself find myself thinking its not my music when I go through a look sample pack...
