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Make a musical Loop

Use a beat as the foundation and gradually layer the sampler, Bass, Melody and Chord. Add Mute and FX to turn a short Loop into a developing performance.

Start with a minimal setup

Begin with just three elements:

  1. A beat
  2. One or two sampler sounds
  3. One Bass note

Before adding more sounds, make a small number of sounds repeat in a satisfying way.

1. Choose the beat

Choose a built-in Pattern beat with a suitable feel.

Choose a beat

At first, try the original speed without fine adjustments to Tempo or Swing.

2. Layer the sampler

  1. Select the SAMPLER part
  2. Switch to REC mode
  3. Listen to one cycle of the beat
  4. Record just one sample sound into Rec
  5. Add another sound on the next cycle if needed

Record a performance into Rec

3. Add Bass

  1. Keep the Loop playing and switch to BASS
  2. Try pads in PLAY and find notes that fit
  3. Switch to REC and record just one or two notes

Bass gives the Loop a low-note foundation. Rather than filling every gap, use a few longer notes for a cohesive result.

4. Add Melody or Chord

Add one Melody or Chord part only if the Loop needs more.

  • MELODY: short phrases and fills
  • CHORD: harmonies that add atmosphere

KANTAN Sampler arranges notes using a shared Key / Scale, making it easier to stay in key even without music theory knowledge.

5. Develop the performance with Mute

Use Fn2 to Mute recorded parts and switch between a sparse arrangement and all parts playing.

Example:

  1. Beat only
  2. Beat + Bass
  3. All parts
  4. Mute the sampler for beat + Bass

6. Add FX

Finish with brief uses of Repeat, Filter or Delay.

Shape the sound with FX

Using FX just before a transition often makes the change clearer than leaving them on continuously.

7. Save the Project

Save a Project if you want to resume the same Loop later.

A Project saves the whole performance state: sampler, beat, Rec, Key / Scale, synth sounds, FX, Mixer and more.

Save a sample kit if you only want to reuse the sampler sound set in another performance.

Save Projects and sample kits Record the whole performance as WAV