Arranging Clips

Adapted from Will Kuhn, Ethan Hein - Electronic Music School

Before you begin

Follow Working with loops in REAPER to set up your project, fit loops with Option-drag, and glue edited clips into reusable phrases. Keep the guide open while you work.

Technical Goals

Understand transport and track controls in the DAW.
Use Looperman to find clips and place them onto tracks.
Add, delete, and move clips on the timeline across multiple tracks.

Creative Goals

Gain exposure to part layering and basic arranging.
Begin mixing parts by adjusting volume levels.
Learn about structuring a composition using eight-bar phrases.

Requirements

The composition should be 32 measures long.
Use 4- and 8-measure phrases, with at least one phrase having a variation.
Create a composition using at least 7 tracks.
Name each track with a descriptive title (e.g., “Kick Drum,” “Synth Lead”).
Only use audio clips (no MIDI).
Use WAV files only.
Avoid using full song loops; instead, use single instrument loops.

Use Looperman to source loops and focus on learning Reaper’s features. The quality of the composition is secondary to mastering the software. Ensure that none of your tracks or the master channel is clipping. Mix your track volumes so that all loops are clear and distinct.

Submit a rendered WAV file and a zipped Reaper project folder containing the loops used.

A note on loop licensing

Looperman’s terms let you edit, remix, and build the loops into your own music, commercial or not, with no payment or credit required. Two limits are worth knowing. You can’t re-share the loops themselves anywhere, on their own or in a pack. And acapellas follow different rules: they’re licensed for non-commercial use unless the uploader grants more, so read the terms on an acapella’s page before you build a track around one.

Not every loop site is this generous. Whenever you download from a new source, find its license first. We’ll look at sampling and copyright more deeply in Project 4.

Submission Instructions

Rendered WAV file: Export your composition as a WAV file (File -> Render -> Select WAV format).
Consolidated Reaper project:
- Go to File -> Save Project As…
- Check “Create subdirectory for project” and “Copy all media into project directory.”
- Save the project.
- Zip the entire project folder.
Submit both the WAV file and the zipped Reaper project folder to D2L.

Grading Rubric (40 points total)

Criterion	Exemplary	Proficient	Developing	Emerging	Points
Phrase Structure (8 pts)	32 measures built from 4 and 8 measure phrases; at least one phrase returns with a change you can hear	32 measures with phrase boundaries mostly clear; the variation is present but hard to hear	Length is close to 32 measures, or phrases run together without clear boundaries	Length is well off, or the piece repeats with no phrase structure	/8
Track Layering (7 pts)	Seven or more tracks, each a single instrument loop filling a role no other track fills	Seven tracks present; one or two duplicate a role already covered	Fewer than seven tracks, or a full song loop carries the arrangement	Three or fewer tracks, or one loop repeated	/7
Balance (8 pts)	Every loop stays audible from start to finish; no part masks another	Balance holds for most of the piece; one or two parts compete briefly	Several parts are buried or dominate; faders largely untouched	All tracks sit at default levels	/8
Gain Staging (7 pts)	No clipping on any track or the master; the master peaks with headroom to spare	Master stays clean; one or two tracks peak above 0 dB	Master clips occasionally	Master clips throughout	/7
Session Organization (5 pts)	Every track carries a name that says what is on it	Most tracks named; a few left as defaults	About half the tracks named	Tracks left as Track 1, Track 2	/5
File Submission (5 pts)	Rendered WAV and a consolidated project folder with all media, zipped as specified	Both present; naming or folder structure differs from the instructions	One file missing, or media not copied into the project folder	Neither file usable	/5

Total: ___ / 40

Control of the software matters more here than the composition. A simple arrangement that is organized, balanced, and free of clipping scores higher than an ambitious one that is not.

Example Video

Here’s a video of me working on a version of the project: