With Audition open to the Multitrack View, right-click on the time ruler (below the tracks) and select Display Time Format > Bars and Beats (Figure 1). This makes it easier to see measure breaks and to assemble your score.

Select File > Import, and navigate to a Loopology content file folder (in my case: Thick&Easy_Drums). In the lower right corner of the Import dialog box, note that the Auto Play checkbox is selected (Figure 2).

Click on several files, listening for those that suit you. In the case of drums, you might want a drum riff to start the piece, two or three basic drum loops for the middle, a couple of variations for transitional measures and something to close the piece. You can Ctrl+click on any number of selections, and click Open to add them to your multitrack session.

one of the basic drum loops, dragging it to the left until its in-point snaps to the out-point of the first drum loop.

Hover your cursor over the right edge of the second drum loop (note that it changes to a double-arrow icon), and drag it right to add three more measures (Figure 3). As you drag the loop, note the vertical, dotted white line that marks each new measure within the clip and the solid gray vertical line that runs from top to bottom of the multitrack panel.

Drag a transitional drum loop to Track 1, extend it for an additional measure, add four measures of a different basic drum pattern (perhaps this time selecting one with added cymbal hits), then add another two-measure transitional loop and a single-measure finishing loop. You now have a 14-measure drum track.

Adding a bass line is a bit more complex, because now you need to keep the composition's key signature and chord changes in mind. Select File > Import, navigate to a Loopology bass guitar content folder (in my case: Amped_Vintage_Bass) and select several loops in keys that match the chord progression you're using. You might come up empty-handed for some notes. Not to worry. You can transpose (change the root note of) any Loopology loop.

Drag an opening bass lick to Track 2, right-click and drag it so its in-point snaps to the edit point between the first and second measures in Track 1 above it. A gray line appears when you have aligned the clip (Figure 4).

To change the key of this or any other loop, right-click on the clip, select Loop Properties and change the Transpose Pitch number (Figure 5). In my case, I wanted to change the root note from a D to a C, so I transposed down two half-steps (D to C# to C). This is a powerful feature for Audition. Changing pitch does not affect the loop's timbre (audio quality).

Adding more bass loops now becomes a matter of your own personal preference. You might want to have a repeating pattern - I-IV-I-IV - for a while or you might want to continue on the same root note while you are changing the rhythm. Listen for bass runs that can take you from one pitch to another, and use them in the measures where you use the transitional drum loops.

If you can't find a bass riff that neatly finishes your piece, you can apply a gradual or quick fade to that or any other loop. Click on the volume line at the top of the clip to add a keyframe, and then drag down the end point (Figure 6). You can add another keyframe to make that fade happen more abruptly.

Play your composition by pressing the Home key to take the current time indicator to the beginning of the piece, then press the spacebar (or click the Play button) to play. If you want to change the tempo, simply type in a new value (beats per minute) in the Session Properties section in the bottom right corner of the Multitrack panel. Audition changes tempo without changing pitch or timbre. Any additional loops you add to the project will automatically adjust their tempo to match the changed session tempo.

Now you need to track down rhythm and lead guitar loops. I worked with Double_Vintage_Brit_Guitar and the Brit_Stack_Drop_D_Guitar. I couldn't find any loops that I wanted to serve as song finishing riffs, so, rather than applying a fade, I used single chords from Loopology OneShots collections.

Once you complete your production, you can control volume levels within the track (instead of only within each clip). Drag down the bottom of a track header to display the Track Automation Mode option (it should be in the default Read mode). Click the triangle to the left of that Automation Mode button (Figure 7) to display the volume line. Click the line to add a keyframe, and drag the volume line to suit your needs.

Follow the same steps to adjust track panning, except click the Param button and select Pan/Output Pan (an orange panning line will appear - adjust it just as you did for volume). In general, it's best to leave the bass and drums centered. Bass frequencies are not directional, and the drums are recorded in stereo and usually have a wide sound already.

To create an audio file of your finished project, select Edit > Mixdown To New File > Master Output In Session (Stereo). That will display the waveform of your file in Audition's Edit view. There you can add effects like reverb, then save the file by selecting File > Save As, selecting from one of the 20 audio formats supported by Audition and clicking Save.

This audio file is yours to use as you please (except for selling it as a music loop). Bottom line: you created a unique, professional-sounding musical composition in a few minutes.

Jeff Sengstack is a video producer and junior college computer science instructor. For this tutorial, he received assistance from Loopology producer Jason Levine; Cool Edit's original product manager and now Adobe Production Premium product manager, Hart Shafer; and Audition product manager, Lawson Hancock.

Click here to view the tutorial video for Using Loops to Create Original Music.