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Loop the Loop

If you want to customize music even more completely, loop-based composition may be for you. The basic idea is simple: compose original music yourself by manipulating repeating segments of music (called "loops" because their analog ancestors were lengths of recording tape with head and tail spliced together to make a circle that could be replayed endlessly). ACID from Sony (purchased from Sonic Foundry) is the oldest and most popular software suite for loop-based composition, but there are several other products as well, such as Fruity Loops, Adobe Audition or Bitheadz.

Working horizontally (on a timeline), you pick a starting track, often some sort of rhythm instrument, and lay down one or more sequences of repeated loops. Then you lay down a second layer on the next track on the timeline, perhaps a bass line. You continue this process with additional layers and instruments until you've achieved the desired effect.

This sounds crude until you recall that loop-based software can access literally tens of thousands of different loops, performed by professional musicians on real instruments (as opposed to synthesized equivalents). Selected, combined and enhanced with ingenuity, these components will yield music that sounds sophisticated and completely original.

The good and bad news about loop composition is the same: it involves creating actual melodies and arrangements. If you have musical talent and at least some experience, you can achieve results that are remarkably fine and personally gratifying. On the other hand, if you compose just by randomly noodling around, you may never get satisfactory results.

Talented or not, you'll spend a good chunk of time on each piece. Imagine building a 30-second, multi-layer video montage, manipulating tempo and color, adding effects and compositing 3D moving titles. Creating a sophisticated loop-based composition can be similarly time-consuming.

In the Final Analysis

As we promised, each type of music has its place. If a specific piece of music is important, it may be worth renting the rights to it. If you specialize in a certain genre of video, a good library of buyout music may be the fastest way to achieve a professional sound. If you produce a variety of styles of programs, then customizable tracks from SmartSound offer great versatility and lightning speed. If you have the time and the talent, nothing is more creatively satisfying than layering up loop-based music.

Well actually, one thing is more satisfying. But if you could compose, arrange, perform and record your own original music, you wouldn't need these other solutions anyway.

Music Creation Software Manufacturer Listing

This is a sampling of companies that produce music creation software. It is not a complete listing.

CD Music and Sound Effect Libraries Manufacturers Listing

This is a sampling of companies that produce music and/or sound effect libraries. This is not a complete listing.

Jim Stinson | January 2004

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