10 Creative Ways to Transform Loops - Part 2/2

Right-click a loop and choose 'convert harmony to new MIDI track' to extract underlying chords as a new MIDI clip from an audio sample.

• Use highlight scale and scale enabled to spot and delete notes that don't belong to the key (non-purple notes) • Apply 'fit to time range' feature to convert messy MIDI into simple, clean sustained chord progressions • Pull down high notes to adjust the voicing as needed

• Pitch chords up a few semitone to instantly change the feel • Invert chords to shift all notes upside down • Use reverse to change the order of chords

The transformed MIDI version sounds significantly different from the original audio sample, creating a refreshed musical foundation.

The arpeggiate transformation prints arpeggiated notes directly into the MIDI clip, allowing free editing of the notes unlike the standard arpeggiator MIDI effect.

• Breaks chords into rhythmic staccato bits • Yellow squares can be deselected to remove notes from the pattern • Blue squares emphasize certain notes • Gaps value controls how many times a chord plays before skipping • Part sets the number of parts for chop notes • Variation introduces randomness to note start times

These tools are perfect for creating bouncy syncopated piano rhythms characteristic of classic 1990s Chicago house tunes.

With just a few parameter tweaks, you can transform a basic chord loop into something completely different and unique.

Start with a vocal ad lib and pitch it down two semitones to match the project key, then verify it's in tune within the beat context.

• Disable the input filter and boost the diffusion network high end for an airy tail • Set dry/wet to 100% to hear only the reverb • Set decay time long, around 15 seconds • Bounce to audio, crop the reverb tail, and reverse it

Create an audio effect track with three chains: original pitch, plus five semitones, and minus seven semitones (full octave below the second chain) to create an ethereal chord-like vocal sweep.

• Pan original pitch and plus five chains to opposite sides for width • Add EQ to clean up low-end rumble • Sidechain the sweep to the kick using a low pass filter to create a pumping effect

Load a field recording and use ProQ4 with maximum Q setting and maximum gain boost on specific note frequencies (like all C notes) to make them resonate in the sound.

• Duplicate the first ProQ4 to fine-tune balance • Adjust percentage on the second EQ to balance resonances against the original field recording • For EQs without piano roll, manually input note frequencies using a frequency chart

Bounce the boosted field recording into a sampler, normalize it, then use very slow attack and long release settings to turn it into a playable pad for cinematic chords.

The field recording shifts along with the notes, moving up and down in pitch as you play, creating a raw and cinematic sound reminiscent of the Burial's Untrue album.

Granulator is a granular synthesizer that slices audio into tiny fragments of sound called grains, ranging from just a few milliseconds to several seconds long.

• Position dial sets the spot in the sample being read • Scan control moves the playhead forward automatically and indicates scanning speed relative to the sound's original pitch • Shape controls how each grain fades in and out, creating stuttery choppy effects • Variation randomizes each grain's starting point around the chosen position

Modulate parameters with the built-in LFO while recording, capturing multiple textures with both soft fade-in and sharp plucky grains to create dynamic variation for slicing later.

• Apply OTT multiband compression around 13% to clean up low mids • Tighten low end with EQ and boost around 2K for clarity • Use audio effect tracks with ping-pong delay and pitch shifter chains to add depth and dimension

Envelope followers capture the volume envelope of one sound and map it to control parameters in other devices, creating dynamic movement based on the source's dynamics.

• Map trumpet envelope follower to bass amp input gain to create distortion following trumpet peaks • Duplicate envelope followers to map to different parameters like presence and reverb • Use delay parameter to make modulation lag slightly behind the input signal

• Map envelope follower to chorus amount so louder notes increase chorus • Link to vibrato to make vibrato move with pluck volume • Map to delay dry/wet to add delay that increases as notes get louder

Envelope followers work for both aggressive dynamic transformations and laid-back ambient textures, making a static sound evolve into something continuously dynamic.