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Author Topic:  Looping for Learning
Jim Eller


From:
Kodak, TN (Michigan transplant)
Post  Posted 5 Sep 2017 4:09 pm    
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What is the best device to use for practicing a section of a recording over and over again?

What can be used for computer mp3 files, YouTube, CD's and the like?

Thanks,
JimE
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Jim Cohen


From:
Philadelphia, PA
Post  Posted 5 Sep 2017 4:18 pm    
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I just record the clip into Audacity (free, downloadable software), select it and then use the Repeat function. Can make it repeat 10x, 20x, whatever. Can even slow it down first, then repeat the slower version.
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Tom Dillon


From:
La Mesa, California, USA
Post  Posted 6 Sep 2017 2:43 pm    
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I use Transcribe whenever I need to work something out from a recording. You can read all about it here:
https://www.seventhstring.com/

You can open any commonly used audio file and mark sections for repeat, slow them down, export audio, and many other functions. Very easy to use. You can even open video files and loop both audio and video sections.

I used Amazing Slow Downer for a long time before switching to Transcribe. They are pretty similar, but I found Transcribe way easer to work with.
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Tal Herbsman


From:
Wisconsin, USA
Post  Posted 6 Sep 2017 5:06 pm    
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Riffstation
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Jim Eller


From:
Kodak, TN (Michigan transplant)
Post  Posted 6 Sep 2017 5:39 pm    
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Tom,

How would you handle a YouTube video with Transcribe?

Could you expand on "I found Transcribe way easier to work with"? At 74 "easier" is a good thing.

I see Transcribe is $10 cheaper also.

Thanks, JimE
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Bill Moore


From:
Manchester, Michigan
Post  Posted 6 Sep 2017 6:58 pm    
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You can do a google search for "convert youtube videos to mp3 on line" you will find several web pages where you just enter the link for the video, it is converted on-line to an mp3, then you can download the mp3. Then use Audacity or some similar program to play the mp3.
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Jim Cohen


From:
Philadelphia, PA
Post  Posted 6 Sep 2017 7:03 pm    
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Bill Moore wrote:
You can do a google search for "convert youtube videos to mp3 on line" you will find several web pages where you just enter the link for the video, it is converted on-line to an mp3, then you can download the mp3. Then use Audacity or some similar program to play the mp3.

... or just play the YouTube on your computer and simultaneously record the audio with Audacity in the first place. Audacity will record whatever it 'hears' being played on your computer.
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Bryan Daste


From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
Post  Posted 6 Sep 2017 7:41 pm    
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Riffstation is great for this. It detects the tempo of the song and can loop just the bars you want.
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Don R Brown


From:
Rochester, New York, USA
Post  Posted 7 Sep 2017 5:40 am    
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Wow, did a search before starting another thread and this one is ALMOST what I was going to ask!

Just like the OP, I find that being able to listen to and play along with parts of a song is a great tool. When I have a YouTube video on my screen and right-click it, one of the options listed is "loop". But I can't seem to figure out what it does, and sure can't get it to replay a segment.

Does that "loop" feature somehow relate to what we are talking about here, or something else altogether? If "yes" how does it work?

Thanks!
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Steve Sycamore

 

From:
Sweden
Post  Posted 7 Sep 2017 6:21 am    
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Riffstation also allows you to location your instrument of choice in the stereo field and isolate it from everything else. It usually doesn't work completely because other instruments leak into that pan position. But it can greatly improve the separation of your desired instrument (or vocals).
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Larry Carlson


From:
My Computer
Post  Posted 7 Sep 2017 6:42 am    
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Jim Cohen wrote:
I just record the clip into Audacity (free, downloadable software), select it and then use the Repeat function. Can make it repeat 10x, 20x, whatever. Can even slow it down first, then repeat the slower version.



This is exactly what I do.
For a free DAW Audacity is a pretty darn good one, fairly versatile and it for me it was easy to learn to use.
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Jonathan Shacklock


From:
London, UK
Post  Posted 7 Sep 2017 8:36 am    
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I spend way too much time in front of a screen for my day job. Practice time is a blessed escape so I use a Tascam GT-R1 trainer for looping, amp/fx modelling, pitch/speed shifting, guitar part cancelling, overdubbing ideas and recording gigs. Completely indispensable. They discontinued it but this is the same thing without the inbuilt mics. http://tascam.com/product/gb-10/
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Tom Dillon


From:
La Mesa, California, USA
Post  Posted 7 Sep 2017 6:19 pm    
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Jim Eller wrote:
Tom,

How would you handle a YouTube video with Transcribe?

Could you expand on "I found Transcribe way easier to work with"? At 74 "easier" is a good thing.

I see Transcribe is $10 cheaper also.

Thanks, JimE


Jim,
What I do for youtube videos is to download it on a windows PC with Freemake Video Downloader. It is free and pretty trivial to use. I recently switched to a mac and could not find anything that functions like Freemake.

Using Transcribe is as easy as this:
- Open an MP3 (or other audio or video format) with Transcribedirectly. It does not work with CDs directly. You's have to make an MP3 or other audio file first.
- It opens a window with an audio waveform and familiar transport keys (play, stop, etc)
- The waveform of the audio usually makes it easy to see drum beats and other audio cues.
- It has sliders for volume and speed (easy to slow down)
- You can move the key up or down. So if your MP3 song is in A and your band plays it in Bb, just move it up a half step and start learning your parts.
- To loop, you can hit an A/B button to start and end a section, or just select a region and it will loop. You can grab either end of the loop to make it longer or shorter.
- You can hit the "m" key while the audio plays to insert markers. Sometimes I do this to mark the downbeats.
- When you save, the loop, speed, markers, key are all saved.

All this is also possible with Amazing Slow Downer and similar programs, but I've found Transcribe easier to use.

I would recommend that you try the programs suggested in this thread and decide for yourself which seems easiest to use. Transcribe gives you 30 days free, if I remember.

Tom
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Jim Eller


From:
Kodak, TN (Michigan transplant)
Post  Posted 10 Sep 2017 7:34 am    
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Thanks for the details Tom. That helps.

One more question about Transcribe. I use two different laptops so can this be loaded on both machines or do I need to purchase two copies? JimE
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Tom Dillon


From:
La Mesa, California, USA
Post  Posted 10 Sep 2017 3:08 pm    
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Jim Eller wrote:
Thanks for the details Tom. That helps.

One more question about Transcribe. I use two different laptops so can this be loaded on both machines or do I need to purchase two copies? JimE


If both are macs or both are windows, then you can run it on both. I recently switched from a Windows PC to a mac, and had to buy a new license to run it on the new machine. The Transcribe website I listed in my earlier post has the details about why they do this.
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Godfrey Arthur

 

From:
3rd Rock
Post  Posted 23 Sep 2017 3:11 am    
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Don R Brown wrote:
one of the options listed is "loop". But I can't seem to figure out what it does, and sure can't get it to replay a segment.

Does that "loop" feature somehow relate to what we are talking about here, or something else altogether? If "yes" how does it work?

Thanks!


Don the loop on Youtube is to play the entire clip over again so you don't have to keep clicking replay. It won't loop a short segment of the clip though it's for the entire video.

So far Audacity is the cheap choice, does not involve hardware and is quite powerful for being a free recorder. As Jim mentioned you can loop, change the tempo, the pitch to slow down parts just by highligting the segment and choosing from the drop down menus of EFFECT. To loop just press shift on your keyboard and the green play transport arrow turns into loop. Highlight any or all parts of the song and it will repeat till you run out of electricity.



Audacity screen shot


Loop icon after pressing shift on your keyboard, then click the play button after highlighting the part of the song you want to loop.





Quote:
What can be used for computer mp3 files, YouTube, CD's and the like?


You can purchase lowcost software to download and convert Youtube like ALLMYTUBE by Wondershare.

You can then convert the files to different video and audio type files including Mp3. Your computer will need to have a CD player to access any CD music.




https://www.wondershare.com/pro/allmytube-video-downloader.html
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