Loops and Grooves-the Musician's Guide To Groove Machines and Loop Sequencers by Todd Souvignier is a long-awaited book for musicians who would like to get into loop-based music by have no idea where to jump in and get started. Souvignier starts you out with a firm foundation rooted in history with a complete breakdown of everything about loops including definitions, patterns, problems, loop slicing and dicing, tempo grids or just guessing tempos, and transient detection--and this is just the preface and first chapter!

Souvignier goes on to give synthesizer and sampler basics and discusses the whole sample licensing issue and sound library usage. Next sequencing and drum machines are tackled to introduce the real "meat" of this book: Groove machines and the loop-based software programs now so popular.

We found Loops and Grooves a great reference source when evaluating WHICH machine or software to invest money and time to climb the obligatory learning curve. All the most worthwhile systems and software are featured. Machines include: Roland's MC-505 and SP-500, Korg's Electribe S ES-1, and Yamaha's SU200 and RS7000 boxes. Software products outlined are: Propellerhead's Reason and Rebirth, Sonic Foundry's Acid, Ableton's Live, and Image-Line's FruityLoops.

Comparing and contrasting different ways to make loop-based music would be enough but the book devotes the longest chapter called "Using Looping Software" to teach how to maximize this process by demystifying the technically challenging aspects of loop editing and manipulation. Processes like cutting, normalizing, import/export .wav or. aiff files, drum and groove replacement are all well covered.

Selling for $19.95, Loops and Grooves comes with a mix-media CD with 28 audio tracks and session files with loop audio files that run in Live, Reason and Rebirth. Hal Leonard is at 414-774-3630. Order this product by calling 800-637-2852 or visit www.musicdispatch.com.


Loops and Grooves