I wouldn't use loops if I had a bass and a drum. Sasly, I only have a guitar. In my opinion, loops can help, just like taking the same recording and using it every time the chorus comes up, but I have to agree that loops will never do as much for you as a real instrument will. I've almost abandoned loops completely, and switched to synthesizers. Not keyboard ones, the ones where you basically write the notes down and it plays them for you. I like them because they let me write my own songs and then bring them to life.
I personally write my songs in a tab editor called 'Tuxguitar.' Think Guitar Pro without the RSE and some of the effects working. I then export every track as a MIDI and then import them into Magix and use the appropriate synthesizer.
Sometimes I just use some weird synthesizers, like Robota, a drum thing that allows the use of 4 parts on a weird thing where you basically click what 1/16 note you want in 4 bar editor, or Drum and Bass, basically a hybrid of a mutant drum thing that you have a bunch of blocks for the drums where you select what pattern/sound to play, along with the background pattern that always plays, and a filter/volume thing that allows the volume to change throughout the beat or a filter to effect the drum, and a bass not thing that you pick which note plays where and if it's natural, flat, or sharp.
Woah... This was supposed to be a short comment... Anyways, what do you think of synthesizers?
AlxEllis
Well software such as Ejay and others as long as you buy the software you are allowed to use them and claim the mix you make as your own it says so in the back of the box and on the license in the software
DonaldFletcher (Updated )
I know dude. Thanks for commenting by the way. The point I was making wasn't on legality. I'm speaking on the assumption that everyone is going as much by the book as we are. The drum samples I use all the time were purchased under the same sort of license.
So of course we're allowed to use loops. My main point is that so many artists on here are falling short because they're restricting themselves to using loops and loops alone, fresh right off the CD or download, and thus selling themselves short by limiting their creative potential. As a result many tracks can sound boring, uninteresting, or ear-bleedingly repetitive.
The latter is especially true in the more electronic genres like ours, where a hard bass or similar forceful effect used like a hammer on the same part of the stereo is going to be like Chinese water torture of the ear. Something as simple as panning to the effect or periodically adjusting the EQ eliminates this problem, and most of the time when you're using loops this can be a little difficult and, if nothing else, a lot less clean than rearranging samples of a single beat. But even with loops minor adjustments work wonders.
Hope that clears things up!
Cheers,
DEF