>Step by step

Creating custom drum loops with choice processing

1 First, isolate a short shuffle or hi-hat segment within a groove. I’m starting with a house loop from this issue’s Mode Audio CM Collection. You don’t have to stick to ‘regular’ loop lengths: my section is a beat and a half long, which creates interesting polyrhythms when looped under a four-to-the-floor kick.

2 One of my favourite tools for loop-shaping is a transient designer. I’m using Audiority’s TS-1 CM to clamp down on the loop’s sustain and force up the attack, tightening the overall loop and removing the loop’s ambience. As a handy side effect, this plugin is also adding characterful tape-style saturation.

3 Audio Assault’s Defacer is a quirky (and free) bitcrushing plugin that’s perfect for crunchy loop-mangling. Here, I’m using digital distortion to add body, induce grit and tame excess harshness. Always try mixing the effect in parallel – as I’ve done here – to achieve a smoother, ‘3D’ effect.

4 Now you can go to town with creative transformation. I love multieffects such as Subsonic Labs’ Wolfram CM, as they put several processing possibilities within the same interface. I’m using the plugin’s Pitch and Phase knobs to transpose and phase the loop. Again, mix the effects in parallel for subtlety.

5 Next, I’m placing iZotope’s free Vinyl plugin at the start of the plugin chain, with its Warp Depth set to around 50%. This emulates the pitch warbling of a vinyl record, warping the signal’s pitch slightly and adding subtle rhythmic inconsistency.

6 Automate a few plugin parameters to apply custom sweeps and changes on a micro level, or use level automation to create rhythmic ducking, gating and movement. Now render the loop at each stage of processing to archive your creations for future use. Rinse and repeat to build up a bespoke loop library.