TC-Helicon VL3X, Reference Manual

Page: 143 / 196

The Looper
VL3X – Reference manual (updated 2015-07-16) 140
Loop import
Creating loops inside your device is awesome –
but sometimes it’s great to be able to import a
loop from another source. We’ve added the abil-
ity to import .WAV files, assign them to a specific
Loop Slot and Track and we even guess the tem-
po of the loop you’re bringing in!
To start, you’ll need to have a loop ready to im-
port.
There are some considerations for the formatting
and length of your loop:
►
This device accepts .WAV files in a variety of
formats: (16 bit/44.1 kHz, 24 bit/44.1 kHz, 16
bit/48 kHz, 24 bit/48 kHz).
►
24 bit / 48 kHz is the optimal format and will
result in the fastest import time.
►
Import of MP3, AAX, FLAC and other formats
is
not supported.
►
All imported loops must be in 4/4 time.
►
If you are using a DAW to create your loops,
check for “Trail Length” or an equivalent pa-
rameter in the render settings for your pro-
gram. You need to set that amount to zero! If
you don’t, the output file could have a small
“pad” of blank space automatically added,
which will throw off the tempo guessing fea-
ture and loop “tightness”.
►
For example, in Reaper, you will find this pa-
rameter in Options > Preferences > Rendering
under “Trail length when Rendering project or
stems, or Freezing Tracks”.
►
The bar length (the number of 4 beat bars
in the loop) of all imported loops has to be
a power of two in order for tempo-guessing
and syncing to work correctly. Acceptable bar
lengths are 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128 and so on.
►
You can use unequal bar-length loops, as long
as you adhere to the rule above. A 2 bar and
a 32 bar loop will work when imported to dif-
ferent tracks.
Where do I get loops?
Well, you can make them yourself in your DAW
(recording software), or you can search the web
for free or paid downloadable loops.
A decent free loop resource is Looperman:
looperman.com/
The loops on Looperman are user-created, so
they vary in quality, but generally they loop well,
which is key.
Wherever you create or obtain your loops, make
sure that the start and end points are “tight” to
the beats. If you have empty space at the begin-
ning or end, audio won’t loop correctly. Having
empty space at the start or end of your loop is
essentially equivalent to creating a loop in the
device and not pressing the buttons on time.