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Loop

A loop is a section of audio or MIDI designed to repeat smoothly.

Level relevance: introduced at Nat 3; tagged for every later level where the same concept remains useful.

Explanation

A loop is a repeated piece of musical material, such as a drum groove, bass pattern, or synth figure. Loops are useful for building arrangements quickly, but they still need musical development so the final result does not become repetitive. Tight timing and clean edit points are important if a loop is meant to cycle without gaps or clicks.

Topics

ArrangementSamplingSequencing
Curriculum statussupporting vocabulary
Review statusdraft

Related terms

Sampling

Sampling is the use of recorded sound as musical material in a new context.

View term

Tempo

Tempo is the speed of the music, usually measured in beats per minute.

View term

Editing

Editing is the process of changing recorded or sequenced material to improve timing, structure, or clarity.

View term

Quantisation

Quantisation moves notes or events closer to a timing grid to make a performance tighter.

View term