Apple Logic EXS24 Looping Tutorial
Ever wanted to make a looped sample in Logic? Some sample libraries don’t come with ‘hard’ sample loops programmed into their audio files - so how do you get the EXS24 to play a seamless loop so that the synth pad sounds natural?
You can download the sampler instrument used in this tutorial here: http://bit.ly/2jHfAEe
There are loads of sample libraries out there, and some don’t come with loop points built into the samples themselves - this can be really annoying if you want to play sustained notes - luckily the EXS24 has shandy cross fade function that’ll help you create seamless loops in your synth pads in no time.
First off, either sample a pad from your favourite synth, or open a pad sounds you like from a sample library.
Launch Logic and open an instance of the EXS24 sampler.
Hit ‘Edit’ on the right hand side of the EXS24 from panel.
This will bring up the EXS Instrument Editor screen.
Drag and drop your selected synth pad sample into the window. This will automatically create a new zone for your sample.
If you know the key of your sample - most sample libraries are key-labelled with their root key, enter this into the ‘pitch’ section of the editor.
It’s a good idea to save you instrument now, you can do this quickly by pressing the red ‘X’ icon on the top of the editor screen, or by using the editors Menu - Instrument - Save As function.
Now to create our loop points! to create a natural sounding loop easily you’ll need to open your sample in an audio editor, we’ve used Adobe Audition, however a free option such as Audacity is just as good.
Take a look at your sample and select a portion of the sample that looks suitable for looping - we’d recommend staying away from the very start, and very end of the sample. Making sure that your audio editor’s time functions are set to ‘samples’, make a note of the start and end points of your selection.
Now return to your EXS24 instrument and hit ‘Edit’ again. From the ‘View’ menu select ‘Zone: Loop’.
Next enter the sample positions that you chose in your audio editor software, don’t worry, it’s easy to change these! some experimentation may be necessary, sampling can be a dark art!
We want to cross-fade our loop, so that it sounds natural. in our example we’ve selected the ‘E. Pwr’ option to create an exponential fade, however experiment with both settings to get the results you like the sound of best.
Save your EXS24 instrument and let’s add some basic synth pad envelope settings!
We’ve added plenty of attack and release to ENV2 - the EXS’s amp envelope, to create an oozing synth pad texture. A great trick here is to use the EXS24’s Unison function along with some ‘Random’ to thicken your sound and create more movement in your sampled sounds.
Download the EXS24 Instrument here: http://bit.ly/2jHfAEe
