What is a loop in music?

In music, a loop is a 1-, 2-, 4- or 8-bar phrase of audio or MIDI that repeats end to start without a gap, forming a groove or backing. Veena turns loops into songs, free in your browser: drop yours in or ask CoProducer for one, and it builds what comes next.

What is a loop in music, in seconds?

A loop's length is set in bars, so its duration depends on tempo. In 4/4, seconds = bars × 4 × 60 ÷ BPM.

That's why an audio loop recorded at 90 BPM drifts out of time in a 120 BPM song until it's time-stretched, while a MIDI loop simply plays its notes at the new tempo.

What makes a loop seamless

• It starts and ends exactly on the downbeat, so bar 5 follows bar 4 without a hiccup.
• The last beat leaves room for tails: a reverb chopped at the seam sounds like a glitch.
• The phrase leads back toward its first chord or hit, so the repeat feels inevitable.

Loop or loop region?

DAWs use the word twice. A loop is musical material. The loop region is a stretch of the timeline that playback repeats while you work, handy for writing a verse or mixing a chorus on repeat.

From loop to song in Veena

Drag in a loop of your own, or ask CoProducer for one: Veena's curated library alone holds 11,336 loops. Imported loops are read at the right tempo, and the first clip you import sets the project tempo. Then ask for the rest, such as "turn this into a 64-bar track with a breakdown at bar 33". CoProducer spreads the loop across the span on the bar lines, brings layers in and pulls them out, and hands you a song instead of 8 bars on repeat. To hear one section over and over, drag across the ruler and press Loop.

Go deeper with how to build a track from one loop, what arrangement in music is and what BPM is. Making beats? Start in the free online beat maker, or build on your loop in Veena.