User guide
Tracktion 4 Reference Manual
66
The Loops Mode
When the loops mode is active (Fig. 3.2.5), the quick nd panel can be
used to quickly access your loops libraries.
Loops are standard audio les that contain special information to help
automatically match them to the tempo and key of a song. In addition,
may loop les also contain category information, such as genre, and in-
strument type, that Tracktion can use to help you organize and navigate
your library.
To use the loop browser, start by selecting criteria to help narrow down
the list of available loops. For example, if you are looking for a percussive
loop to use as a back-beat or ll-in in your edit, you could start by selecting one, or both, of the percus-
sion and drums toggle buttons. This will immediately remove loops that are not percussive in nature,
such as bass-lines, or melody hooks.
Once you have selected the instrument type, you can select other de-
scriptive elds to further rene your search, such as genre, or style. The
list of available loops (Fig. 3.2.6) will update each time you toggle one
of the lter buttons. You can rene your search to lter on genre(s); in-
strumentation; key; and a group of descriptors, which allow you to select
amongst other things, the type of groove, and mood of the loop.
The descriptor categories are presented in pairs, such as acoustic and
electric. These pairs are naturally opposite, and as such, when one is
chosen, if the other is currently selected, it will be deactivated.
The three lter sections can all be collapsed by clicking the “-” icon to
the left of their name. Once clicked, the icon will change to a “+” symbol,
and clicking it again will re-expose that lter group.
In addition to the lters described above, you can also directly search
for a loop by entering its name, or a part of its name into the search box.
If auto-preview is enabled, you can preview one of the listed loops at
any time, by simply clicking on it. You can toggle auto-preview on or off
by clicking the auto-preview button at the bottom of the quick nd panel.
When auto-preview is off, loops can still be manually previewed by se-
lecting them and clicking the play button, also at the bottom of the quick
nd panel.
The preview level can be adjusted by a slider located to the right of the play and auto-preview but-
tons. This control allows you to adjust how loudly the previewed loops will be heard. Previewed les are
played on the default output.
The method for adding a loop to an edit is exactly the same as it is for adding material from the
browser, described on the previous page.
When a loop is previewed, Tracktion will attempt to match the tempo and key of the preview to the
current edit. If the edit contains tempo or key changes, the preview will perform according to the tempo
and key at the current playhead cursor position. If a loop does not have suitable tempo or key informa-
tion, Tracktion will simply preview it without any pitch or time-stretching.
For further information on working with loop clips, please consult Chapter Four.
Figure 3.2.5
Figure 3.2.6