Whether you're a master composer, amateur guitarist, or you have a passion for singing, you should definitely own a loop station if you have any urge to improve your ability or pursue a career in music.
Allow me to explain. (If you don't know what a loop station is, it's a sort of device that allows you to lay down overlapping tracks in real time.) Loop stations can be utilized by any musician on the planet that has a basic sense of rhythm. There are so many uses and personally, owning one of the best ones on the market has given me an insight to why they are so popular and why every musician should own one. I'll get straight to the point by listing my reasons to have one.
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1. Practice.
Every single musician needs practice. No doubt about that. It can take years to hone your craft. That being said, loop stations allow endless opportunities for practice. Are you a vocalist that hates to practice singing on your own? Create your own backing track in real time by layering some harmonies in the structure of a chord progression and sing with yourself instantly. No need to wait for the band or pull up a cheesy backing track. Maybe you're a guitarist. Make practicing your scales more fun by looping your own metronome sound, or loop the rhythm guitarist's part and practice your leads on top. Trust me, it's much more fun than playing to a boring metronome sound that you can't stand to listen to any longer than you have to.
2. Writing.
Coming up with a new song is nearly effortless when using a loop station. Plug in your mic/piano/guitar/bass and start messing around with some melodies or chord progressions. Hear something cool? Loop it and see what more you can add. Most hit songs have a core of about 3 tracks (give or take) stacked on top of each other. Drums, a bass (root notes) and some chords. You can loop all of these things within 15 seconds if you know what you're doing, using any single instrument, including just a mic and your voice. Stack multiple instruments on top and let your creativity flow freely. You'll freak out when you realize how incredibly easy this is. Seriously, you'll flip.
3. Live performances by solo artists.
If you're a solo artist, you'll soon find that a loop station is an absolutely invaluable tool for live performances. If you're sick of playing acoustic, with just a piano or guitar, you can change that instantly. No need to rely on other musicians to come gig with you. Simply loop some more parts on top of yourself. If you play guitar and sing, hook up a mic and your guitar to your loop station, lay down a drumbeat by tapping on your guitar or mic, beatboxing, etc. You've instantly made your sound much larger and more impressive. It's that simple. Get creative, and find some unique ways to incorporate your looping abilities. The possibilities are endless. Check out any of Ed Sheeran's live performances if you have any doubts.
Basically, if you're a musician, you need to go get one of these things.
They're incredibly useful, super affordable (most cost less than an average guitar) and you'll have some outright fun messing with one. Go check out some looping demos, and go try one for yourself!
