| Remember the cowbell loops you auditioned in the last lesson? Well, it's time to select the cowbell track to use in the song 2-1 Eyewitness Starting. 1. | Click the Loop Browser button or press Cmd-L to open the Loop Browser.
| 2. | Click the Column View button in the lower-left corner to list the loops in Column view. (If you haven't changed anything since the previous lesson, your Loop Browser will already be in Column view.)
| 3. | Select By Instruments > Cowbell > Cowbell to see the three cowbell loops in the results list.
 In the last lesson, you auditioned all three cowbell loops with the end of the song. Now that we are ready to add the loop, it's a good idea to audition them again. Consider this the callback auditionit's time to narrow it down to one.
How do you decide which one works best? Trust your instincts. Our rhythmic instincts go way back to the original rock musicwhen cavemen pounded rocks and sticks together to communicate.
| 4. | Click the Cycle button in your transport controls to open the cycle region.
 Your yellow cycle region should still be set for the end of the song. If you happened to erase it, click in the Cycle Region Ruler and drag your mouse to create a new cycle region.
 | 5. | Press the spacebar to start playback of your cycle region in the Timeline.
| 6. | Click the first cowbell loopCowbell Groove 01to audition it with the song.
| 7. | Press the spacebar to stop all playback.
What do your instincts tell you? Mine say it's a little busy. It overpowers the bass track, and gets annoying after a few measures. Next!
| 8. | Press the spacebar again to play the cycle region.
| 9. | Click the World Agogo 01 cowbell loop to audition it with the song.
| 10. | Press the spacebar to stop playback.
Well? What do you think? I think this one has a nice groove that fits well with the rest of the tracks. I'd say it's a keeper, but to be fair, you should listen to the last one, just in case.
| 11. | Repeat the previous steps to audition the World Agogo 02 loop. Stop playback when you finish.
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So, what's your verdict on this loop? It's not bad, but it doesn't fit the groove of the song. You could use it and it wouldn't sound awful (neither would cavemen banging rocks), but that doesn't mean you should settle for mediocre and put it in this song. Remember, just because something doesn't sound bad doesn't mean it sounds good. Trust your instincts to figure out what to use and what not to use. If you're undecided, that may mean it isn't really helping the song, so leave it out. One last thing about selecting loops. If a loop doesn't fit a particular song, it might still be perfect for another song. That's why you have at least a thousand loops from which to choose. There you have it. Let's add the World Agogo 01 loop to the Timeline. |
