CUSTOMISING LOOPS

Modify presets and sample pack sounds like a pro

“I started with a preset and then tweaked it to fit.” It's a quote we've heard in countless Producer

Masterclass videos and artist interviews, yet the cardinal sin of using presets is still frowned upon. It's always a mildly disappointing moment when you discover that your favourite riff of all time was created from a stock synth patch or loop – but does that devalue said track's catchiness or emotional impact? And does the listener even care where the original sound came from?

The professional producer – by which we mean the type that finishes singles, EPs and albums – knows that creative preset-surfing and loop reworking can often generate the most inspiring combination of sounds, and ultimately propel a track through to completion. And the word to note here is

combination. A piece of music isn't just a single sound; it's something that becomes more than the sum of its parts. Who cares where the initial sound came from? It's the end product that matters! Plus, two producers would never combine the same two presets in the same way.

What's more, surfing through patches doesn't mean you're incapable of synthesising sounds or programming beats from scratch. There are always situations where the immediacy and time-saving workflow of scanning through ready-made sounds will gratify the musical and compositional side of your brain, and help you come up with awesome combinations of sounds that can be shaped and merged to form something great. The true skill lies in your ability to rework sounds into something uniquely yours – which is what we're going to explore in this very feature.

Plus, you can follow along using any premade sample or synth preset… even your own! Our tutorials will provide the inspirational spark you need to finally dig into your preprepared sample libraries, sounds from abandoned projects and synth patches you've built up over the years.