LoFi sample loop trick by multiplying / dividing pitch

Elektron Gear Digitakt
#1

Intro

Lately I’ve been experimenting with more hiphop/triphop oriented sounds and after watching a documentary on the sp-1200 I got some ideas to experiment with on the digitakt. What especially got me fascinated was the lofi-sound when pitching down a beat-loop.
I like to keep perfect loops, so I can use the sample start value in increments of 7.5 to slice to 16ths afterwards. I found a way to create my own perfect loops with that lofi sound from my own drrumpatterns: here’s how:

The trick

  1. Make a nice drum pattern at tempo 140
  2. Resample the pattern and cut to a perfect loop
  3. Load the sampled loop in a new pattern, set tempo to 70, and pitch sample down to -12.00
  4. Apply compression, od and filter to taste
  5. Resample the pattern and cut to a perfect loop
  6. Load the sampled loop in a new pattern, set tempo to 105, and pitch sample up to 7.00
  7. Apply compression, od and filter to taste
  8. Resample the pattern and cut to a perfect loop

Logic behind the trick

Most of us know that pitching down an octave is effectively playing the sample at half speed,a perfect fifth down however is effectively playing at two thirds of the original bpm. Same for a perfect fifth up, thats 1,5 times the bpm

**Pitch** **BPM** **Fraction**

-24.00____ *0,25____ 1/4
-19.00 ___ *0.333___ 1/3
-12.00 ___ *0.5 ____ 1/2
-7.00 ____ *0.667___ 2/3
0.00 _____ *1
+7.00_____ *1.5
+12.00 ___ *2
+19.00____ *3
+24.00 ___ *4

How to cut a perfect loop

  • With sequencer stopped go to the sample menu
  • Select src intL+R
  • Set threshold at 10 or so and pres “yes” to arm
  • Press play on the sequencer
  • Just after you hear the first beat after the pattern repats hit “yes” to stop sampling and then stop the sequencer.
  • You now have a clear transient of the first beat after the repeat; put your endpoint of the sample just before that transient
  • Press yes to save the sample
13 Likes
#2

Cool

#3

What’s that documentary called by the way?

#4

Watched several youtube vidz I came across when searching for “e-mu sp-1200”…

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#5

my way is to resample the whole loop assign to a pad and pitch it up to +24 then resample that playing fast ,then assign it to a pad ,pitch down -24 then resample at normal pitch .add a bit of overdrive and your good…was trying this earlier today and found your thread just now.
this technique makes the sound duller and fatter ,and rolls a lot of high end off the hats

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#6

That´s probably a much easier way to achieve the same result… Thx!

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#7

Reviving this thread, I have used this technique recently with a melody that I recorded four octaves up at quadruple speed, then pitched down to bypass the 33 seconds time limit of the digitakt. I suppose it’s a pretty basic trick, but it works well so I just wanted to share.

3 Likes