How-to Create Green Apple Loops in
3 easy steps in Logic

If you’ve ever used Garageband or Logic you
will undoubtedly have encountered Apple Loops that can be time
stretched and transposed to fit into your songs. The Apple Loops format
has become one of the big players in the world of samples and loops.

It’s the format of choice in Apple’s Pro Apps and across home &
pro studios worldwide. The Loop Browser in Logic is a great way to
quickly find and sift through musical elements, preview loops and sound
effects and then add them to your project.

Apple Loops come in two flavors, blue and green. In this quick tip
we’re going to create our own Green Apple Loops in 3 easy steps.

Green Apple loops are like super-charged Blue Apple Loops. Both
types contain audio data but Green Apple Loops also contain a MIDI
region and channel strip settings…. so the possibilities in
manipulating them in any MIDI editor and their plugin settings are
endless!

Step 1. For this example
I’ve created a Software Instrument Track and placed a 2 bar MIDI region
created in Ultrabeat on that track with some plugin effects to taste.

Simply drag the region from the Arrange area into the Loop Browser (in
your Media Area).

Step 2. From the Add Regions to Apple Loops Library
window you can choose to give it a name and add some descriptors too.
Taking an extra 30 seconds now to describe your loop may save you a lot
of searching later!

Type: Select Loop for
musical or rhythmic loops or One-shot for a non-looping sound effect.

Scale: My loop is beat
based so I could select ‘Any’, ‘Good for Both’ or ‘Neither’.

Genre & Instrument
Descriptors: These will help you use the filter buttons in the
Loop Browser to narrow down your search for an Apple Loop that fits
your project.

When you’re done describing your loop to Logic click Done.

Step 3. A quick way to find
your own Apple Loops is to choose My Loops from the View menu in the
Loops Browser. Click on the All Filter button and your green apple loop
will be displayed.

You can now click on the loop to preview it at the current project’s
tempo, or change the project tempo to speed up or slow down the loop.
Dragging your green Apple Loop to a Software Instrument track will
create the MIDI region and insert all the effects and instruments used
to create your loop. Now that’ve created one loop you’ll be able to
access it from any project in Logic, Garageband or even Soundtrack Pro!

Rounik Sethi

Rounik is a fanatic about all things
Mac! He is an Apple Certified Trainer and over the last six years he
has trained teachers, corporate clients, musicians and individuals how
to use Apple’s creative software. He has recently become a Visiting
lecturer at Bath Spa University’s Teacher training programme,
facilitating workshops on using iLife and digital media tools in the
classroom.

If you’re looking for Rounik, most
likely you’ll find him on the macProVideo.com forums.
He enjoys his varied contributions to macProVideo as Forum
Administrator, Editor and Trainer and is excited about his new role as
a blog contributor.

Still need help check out our logic video
tutorials