Beat-matching imported loops

[macstatic]

I just found out that it's possible to add your own loops in Logic!
It's great that I can add loops of my own choosing, and so far I've edited the start/end sections, then set Logic to "Cycle" mode with the start/end matching the loop's start/end in order to beat-check the loop. But unlike the loops pre-installed from Apple I'm not able to beat-match my own loops with the rest of the song I'm working on. In other words: my own loops work in just the same tedious way we did it back in the hardware sampler days where we had to adjust the sequencer's BPM tempo to match that of the loop.

What am I doing wrong?

 

[Fabian90]

Hey,
the loops from Apple which automatically adjust to the BPM are probably "Apple Loops" which means that they can do that.
I guess you imported audio loop? Just regular audio files like .wav, .aiff, .mp3, .m4a etc? You have to use the Time & Pitch machine for that to change the tempo. Put the file into the project, save it with the option that it includes audio files within the project (some checkmark during saving) so that it won't alter the original file. Then use the Time & Pitch machine. Very good tool!

Using Logic's Time & Pitch Machine

Here's how to manipulate pitch and time in Logic Pro X.

www.soundonsound.com

 

[macstatic]

That's awesome! Yes, it's a piece of imported MP3 audio which I've trimmed to loop perfectly.
So the "Time & Pitch Machine" feature basically takes care of pitching the loop up or down in order to fit within the tempo of the project?
With that feature, do my loops become "Apple Loop" type loops, just like all the loops that come with Logic, or is this something else?
I've had a quick glance at the SOS article you linked to, but will re-read it when I get the time.

 

[Fabian90]

Yes, the pitch will be correct. But it won't be as an Apple loop. It will just be a normal audio loop with the bpm you wanted.

 

[macstatic]

That's more than good enough for me! I don't quite yet know what an "Apple Loop" is yet, but according to this page (I'll take a closer look when I get more time) it's much more than just an audio sample.

I'm sure it'll be more productive with my loops imported into Logic with the Time & Pitch Machine feature than the method I've used in the past (before DAWs) where I had to spend a fair bit of time sometimes either to adjust the sequencer's tempo or pitch up or down the hardware sampler's loop-sample in order to get it to match the song's tempo and sequenced drums/synced drum-machine etc.

PS: while on the subject of loops: a while back I purchased a sample pack library full of drum loops which came in both .WAV and .RX2 files. I believe the latter is the Steinberg Recycle (.REX) version 2 format if I'm not mistaken. We're talking several hundred loops here, so what would the most efficient way be to import them into Logic and which format should I go for? I did read somewhere that Logic takes Recycle files, but I never quite figured out how.

 

[Fabian90]

Hey,
yeah, Apple Loops are more than just audio files. Just be careful, Logic actually changes the file. So always work with a copy!
And try the different algorithms you can select. Some work better on drums, some better on vocals etc.

I read about Logic being able to use Rex files, too, but I don’t work with them. I got Spectrasonics‘ Stylus RMX. It’s amazing, offers loops you can change, chop up etc without artifacts. It looks a bit dated but I bought some addon loops and it’s one of my favorite tools. There are some reviews on YouTube about it. I think it can also import Rex files with a converter included, but never tried it.