Notes For Apple Loops Developers

Notes for Apple Loops Developers
Apple Applications > Logic
2009-02-10
Apple Inc.
2009 Apple Inc.
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Contents
Chapter 1
Notes for Apple Loops Developers 7

About Apple Loops 7
Real and Software Instrument Apple Loops 7
Looping and Non-looping Apple Loops 8
Using the Apple Loops Utility 9
Optimizing Playback 11
Setting the File Type Tag 11
Setting the Number of Beats Tag 12
Setting the Key Tag 13
Setting the Time Signature Tag 14
Working with Transients 14
Optimizing Searching 15
About the Scale Type Tag 15
About the Time Signature Tag 16
About the Genre Tag 16
About the Instrument Tag 16
About Descriptor Tags 16
Other Metadata 17
About the Author, Copyright, and Comment Tags 17
About Collection and Theme 17
About File Information 18
Document Revision History 19
3
2009-02-10 | 2009 Apple Inc. All Rights Reserved.
CONTENTS
4
Figures
Chapter 1
Notes for Apple Loops Developers 7

Figure 1-1
Figure 1-2
Figure 1-3
Figure 1-4
Figure 1-5
Figure 1-6
Figure 1-7
Real Instrument Apple Loop in GarageBand 7

Real Instrument Apple Loop in Logic 7
Real Instrument Apple Loop in Soundtrack Pro 8
Software Instrument Apple Loop in GarageBand 8
Software Instrument Apple Loop in Logic Pro 8
Tags Pane 9
Transients Pane 10
5
FIGURES
6
CHAPTER 1
An Apple Loop is a unique type of audio file that offers several advantages for searching and playback
compared to standard audio files. Apple Loops are supported by the full range of Apple audio creation
applications: Logic Pro, Logic Express, Soundtrack Pro, and GarageBand.
This document provides information about Apple Loops for audio content developers who may have a large
collection of audio files they wish to convert to the Apple Loop format, or who are creating new Apple Loops
for distribution to others.
About Apple Loops

Apple Loops are AIFF format audio files that contain uncompressed PCM audio data. You can use them in
any audio application that supports AIFF files. Apple Loops can also contain additional information (metadata)
that Apple audio creation applications can use for various purposes, including searching and indexing, time
stretching, transposition, sound generation, and playback.
Apple Loops support two types of metadata: tags and transients. Certain tags combined with transients allow
an audio creation application to optimize playback. Other tags let the user of an audio creation application
run finely-targeted searches in a large loop library.
Real and Software Instrument Apple Loops

An Apple Loop can be a Real Instrument Apple Loop or a Software Instrument Apple Loop.
A Real Instrument Apple Loop (RIAL) contains uncompressed PCM audio data. It can also contain tags and
transients. When imported into a Apple audio creation application, a RIAL appears as a rectangle displaying
the audio waveform.
Figure 1-1
Real Instrument Apple Loop in GarageBand
Figure 1-2
Real Instrument Apple Loop in Logic
About Apple Loops

CHAPTER 1
Figure 1-3
Real Instrument Apple Loop in Soundtrack Pro
A Software Instrument Apple Loop (SIAL) contains the same information as a RIAL and, in addition, MIDI data
and software instrument and plug-in settings. When a SIAL is imported into GarageBand or Logic, the MIDI
information is added to a software instrument track and the instrument and effects plug-in settings are
loaded onto the channel strip for that track.
Figure 1-4
Software Instrument Apple Loop in GarageBand
Figure 1-5
Software Instrument Apple Loop in Logic Pro
When you import a SIAL into Soundtrack Pro, it appears as a RIAL. The application uses only the audio and
metadata and ignores the MIDI, instrument, and plug-in data. (You can also import a SIAL as a RIAL into Logic
or GarageBand to reduce the audio processing required for playback.)
Looping and Non-looping Apple Loops

An Apple Loop can have one of two file types: Looping or Non-looping. You set the file type for a loop using
the Apple Loops Utility. See Setting the File Type Tag (page 11).
Loops that have musical content, especially repeatable musical patterns, are usually tagged as looping.
These loops contain the transients that an Apple audio creation application uses to match the tempo
and key of the loop to the project tempo and key during playback.
Loops with no musical content (including sound effects, background sounds, and spoken dialogue)
usually dont repeat and are tagged as non-looping. These loops do not contain transients and cannot
be repeated or "looped." But they can still contain metadata tags that can optimize searching in an audio
creation application. (A non-looping file is called a "one-shot" in GarageBand and Logic).
In general, Apple Loops tagged as looping are intended for music composition and arranging, while those
tagged as non-looping are intended to add one-time or intermittent sounds to soundtracks or other projects.
About Apple Loops

CHAPTER 1
Using the Apple Loops Utility

The Apple Loops Utility lets you create and edit audio file metadata (tags and transients). The Apple Loops
Utility User Manual describes the features of this program in detail. It is available from the Help menu of the
Apple Loops Utility. Please refer to this document for operational details.
You create and edit media tags for an audio file in the Tags pane of Apple Loops Utility. This pane is divided
into four sections. In three of the sections, you edit property tags, search tags, and descriptor tags. In the
fourth section, you can view read-only information about the file.
Figure 1-6
Tags Pane
You can add tags to AIFF or WAV format audio files. You can also add or edit tags to Apple Loops created
with Logic or GarageBand. (The Apple Loops Utility does not currently support editing Core Audio Format
files.)
Note: When you create an Apple Loop in GarageBand or Logic by dragging an audio file or MIDI region to
the loop browser, a dialog appears that lets you add basic tags. You can only edit these tags later when the
file is open in the Apple Loops Utility.
You add and edit transients for an audio file in the Transients pane of the Apple Loops Utility.

CHAPTER 1
Figure 1-7
Transients Pane
When you save a file after editing tags or transients, the file is saved as an Apple Loop in the AIFF format. A
WAV file is converted to an AIFF file with the same filename as the original WAV file .
Note that the Apple Loops Utility lets you modify the tags of many audio files at the same time. See the
section Tagging Multiple Files in the Apple Loops Utility User Manual.
10

CHAPTER 1
Optimizing Playback
Optimizing an audio file for playback includes two related operations in the Apple Loops Utility: correctly
setting certain Property tags and adding, deleting, and editing transient markers.
The relevant Property tags are:
File Type
Number of Beats
Key
Time Signature
Setting these tags appropriately and fine-tuning the transients in a loop can optimize the playback sound
in any Apple audio creation application (Logic Pro, Logic Express, GarageBand, or Soundtrack Pro).
Setting the File Type Tag

The File Type tag determines if an application treats a file as a looping or non-looping file. Looping files are
matched to the project tempo and key if the Key tag is set to a value other than None. Non-looping files
are not matched to the project tempo or key. (Untagged files added to a project are treated as non-looping.)
In most cases, you should tag files with musical passages featuring pitched musical instruments or voices or
with rhythmic patterns as Looping. You should usually tag files with non-rhythmic elements, such as single
drum beats or cymbal hits, sound effects, voiceovers and dialogue, or very long audio files, as Non-looping.
Optimizing Playback
11
CHAPTER 1
Setting the Number of Beats Tag

The Number of Beats tag controls how an application matches the tempo of a loop to the project tempo
during playback. The value of the tag reflects the number of beats the musical phrase recorded in the loop
contains, based on the beat value set in the Time Signature tag.
When you open a loop in Apple Loops Utility for the first time, the utility sets a default value for the number
of beats, based on the length of the file. Apple Loops Utility sets a default value for the number of beats
using the following two assumptions:
The number of beats in the loop is a power of 2 (for example, 2,4, 8, 16, 32, or 64).
The tempo of the loop is between 75 and 150 bpm (beats per minute).
In most cases, using these assumptions results in the correct value being set for the number of beats. However,
if the number of beats recorded in the file is not a power of 2, or if the tempo is outside the 75150 bpm
range, the default setting for the number of beats will likely be incorrect. You should change the value for
the Number of Beats tag in the Apple Loops Utility.
To determine if the default number of beats is correct:
Play the loop against a straight 4/4 drum track in the same tempo. If the two files sound out of sync, it
usually means that the number of beats is not a power of 2. If this is the case, count the number of beats
against the drum track to determine the correct value.
If the tempo of the loop is outside the default tempo range, the loop plays in sync with the beat, but
either at half the tempo (if it is recorded at a tempo slower than 75 bpm) or at double the tempo (if it is
recorded at a tempo faster than 150 bpm). If the loop's tempo is faster than 150 bpm, set the number
of beats to double the default value. If the loop's tempo is slower than 75 bpm, set the number of beats
to half the default value.
Because there is a direct relationship between the tempo of a loop and the number of beats it contains,
changing the value of the Number of Beats tag causes the tempo value shown in the File Info area to change.
For example, consider a 4/4 loop recorded at a tempo of 160 bpm. If the loop is four measures long, Apple
Loops Utility incorrectly sets the value for Number of Beats to 8, as though the loop were two measures long
rather than four. If you add the loop to a project with a 120 bpm project tempo, it sounds too fast (and
actually plays back at 240 bpm). If you change the value of the Number of Beats tag to 16 (the correct value,
since 4 measures times 4 beats per measure equals 16 beats) the loop plays at the correct tempo.
Sometimes users may set drum patterns or other loops to play back at half or double their original tempo
for an interesting musical effect. However, the Number of Beats tag should always reflect the original tempo
at which the loop was recorded. Knowing the original tempo, advanced users can adjust to the tempo of a
loop to achieve the sound they want in a particular situation.
12
Optimizing Playback
CHAPTER 1
Setting the Key Tag

The Key tag controls how an application matches the key (or pitch) of a loop to the project key during
playback. When a loop is added to a project, the application matches the key of the loop, as set in the Key
tag, to the project key, transposing the loop by the required number of semitones (half steps) between the
two keys. The loop is transposed either up or down, whichever direction requires the smallest number of
semitones. For example, if the project key is A, and a given loop has the Key tag set to F#/Gb, Soundtrack
Pro transposes the loop up by three semitones, not down by nine semitones (although either would put the
loop in the project key).
You should set the Key tag to the root note (tonic) of the loop. Most loops featuring musical instruments
(other than drums and percussion) are recorded in a definite key, and the root note or chord is often
emphasized in the loop. In some cases, the root may be ambiguous or the loop may contain a musical passage
with no clear root. In these cases, set the Key tag to the most prominent note or chord in the loop.
For example, a piano loop might contain only the V (dominant) chord of a progression but not the I (tonic
or root) chord. In this case, set the key to the root of the V chord. If a loop contains both the IV and V chords
of a progression, determine which of the two chords is more prominent or emphasized in the loop. If the
loop is part of a set of loops that are meant to be used together, set the Key tag to the root note even if some
loops emphasize other chords or notes, so that the loops will play in the same key when used together.
How Applications Match Loops to the Project Key

Apple audio creation applications use a combination of transposition and tempo stretching to match loops
to the project key. They perform pitch transposition by playing back the samples of a loop faster (to raise
the pitch) or slower (to lower the pitch). This is the same technique used to transpose samples in
wavetable-based synthesizers and other electronic instruments. Because this technique changes the tempo
of the loop, applications use time stretching or time compressing algorithms to match the changed tempo
to the current project tempo.
Using this type of pitch transposition can cause formant shifting, which can sometimes create audible
distortion in the loop during playback. This distortion is much more noticeable with sampled acoustic
instruments than with electronically generated sounds. Formant shifting changes the tone color (or "timbre")
of a loop at different points during playback, and can be audible as a "warbling" sound as the tempo at which
the file is played back increases and decreases.
When loops meant to be played in sequence have different values set in the Key tag, the amount of formant
shifting is different for each loop, causing the tone color of each loop to sound different from the others.
This means the loops do not sound consistent when played in sequence.
Other types of loops for which setting the correct Key tag value can create unusual situations include loops
that have a key change, and loops not recorded in a definite key. For loops involving a key change, set the
Key tag to the key that applies to the largest part of the loop. Listen to the loop and determine which key
applies to most of the loop. For loops without a definite keysuch as those with chromatic melodies or with
slides, falls, or stabs that do not begin or end on a definite pitchdetermine whether a particular key is most
appropriate for the loop (for instance, if the loops are part of a series that includes loops with a definite key).
If no key seems more appropriate than another, set the Key tag to None.
Optimizing Playback
13
CHAPTER 1
Setting the Time Signature Tag

A Time Signature tag includes two pieces of information: the number of beats in each measure (the upper
number in the time signature) and the note length used for each beat (the lower number).
Apple audio creation applications use the number of beats in a measure to display the measure and beat
positions in the Beat ruler, but this value does not affect playback. However, the note length of a beat can
affect playback. By default, Soundtrack Pro assumes that the beat value is 4, and that each quarter note gets
a beat. GarageBand and Logic also assume the beat value is 4 if no other information is available. If you use
a loop with a beat value of 8 (the other available beat value) rather than 4, the loop plays back at the wrong
tempo. You need to set the Time Signature tag to correctly indicate the beat value.
Working with Transients

Transients are spikes of high energy in a sound file. Transient markers are metadata in an Apple Loop that
indicate the presence of a transient. Two controls in Apple Loops Utility determine the default placement of
transient markers in a loop: the Transient Division pop-up menu and the Sensitivity slider. (For information
on using these features, see "Working With Transients" in the Apple Loops Utility User Manual.)
When you open an audio file in the utility for the first time, the Transient Division pop-up menu is set to 1/16
notes, and the Sensitivity slider is set to a minimum value. In many cases, you can find the optimal placement
of transient markers by adjusting these controls, without needing to add or adjust individual markers.
In general, an effective technique for improving playback is to refine the placement of transient markers by
listening to the loop at its original tempo and pitch. Then listen at a different tempo and key see how the
change in tempo affects playback. Repeat this procedure as you add and adjust markers to work towards
optimum playback.
Note: The default placement of transient markers may not be accurate in certain loops, for example, in loops
whose musical content is highly distorted or whose beat is not clear in the recorded musical passage. The
distortion can obscure the position of transients in the loop. In this case, you must add and adjust transient
markers individually.
As you work with transient markers, keep the following guidelines in mind:
14
Add a transient marker wherever a transient exists in the audio recorded in the file. In most cases, this
means a marker should be placed at the beginning of every note, and at the end of every note except
when the note decays quickly (for example, with drum beats and other short percussion sounds).
Where the loop contains sustained notes or chords, add transient markers so that there is no period of
time greater than a quarter note without a marker. During playback, applications speed up or slow down
the tempo of a loop in areas where no transient markers exists. Adding transient markers to sustained
notes and chords improves the sound of the loop by ensuring that these parts of the loop play back at
the loop's original tempo.
Add a transient marker at points of musical significance other than the beginning and end of notes. For
example, if the loop includes a pitch bend or a glissando, place markers at the beginning and end of the
pitch bend.
Optimizing Playback
CHAPTER 1
Use the fewest number of transient markers necessary to conform to these guidelines. The audio
processing an application performs to match a loop's tempo and key can introduce distortion at the
transition points between transient markerswhere the tempo is unchangedand the areas between
transient markerswhere the tempo is altered.
To determine that transient markers are placed accurately in a loop, listen to the loop as you view the
file's waveform in the Transients pane. Observe the placement of transient markers in the waveform
display and make sure a marker exists at each peak in the waveform as well as at the points recommended
in these guidelines.
Optimizing Searching
Each Apple audio creation application provides an interface that allows users to search for loops using
keywords for genre, instrument, mood, and other descriptors. Users can also perform text searches for loops
with matching filenames.
In GarageBand and Logic, this interface is called the Loop Browser; in Soundtrack Pro, it is the Search tab.
In GarageBand, users who have installed one or more Jam Packs or third-party loop libraries can choose
to show only certain loops in the Loop Browser. They can choose to show only the loops included with
GarageBand, only those from a particular Jam Pack or third-party library, only user-created loops, or all
loops.
In Soundtrack Pro, users can use the file path as well as the filename when performing text searches.
The Search field in the Search tab narrows search results to files for which the filename or file path that
contain the matching text. Because Search uses the file path as well as the filename, the organization
of loop libraries, particularly folder names, is important. As you organize loops into folders, keep in mind
that the folder names can be used for searching. (The Search functions in Logic and GarageBand use
only the file's name, not the path.)
The following tags are relevant for user searches:
Scale Type
Time Signature
Genre
Instrument
Descriptors
About the Scale Type Tag

Music uses a variety of scale types. The main scale types are the major and minor scale. Musical phrases in
the same key (that is, with the same root note), but using different scale types, may not sound appropriate
together. For example, a loop with a bass line in the key of C and another loop with a guitar chord progression
also in the key of C, may not work together if the bass loop uses the C major scale and the guitar loop uses
the C minor scale.
15
CHAPTER 1
The Scale Type tag identifies which scale type the music recorded in the loop uses. The choices are Major,
Minor, Good for Both, and Neither. Logic, GarageBand, and Soundtrack Pro users can restrict their search
results to loops using a particular scale type.
Some loops contain music that uses neither the major nor the minor scale. For loops containing passages
that can work in either scalesuch as pentatonic scales, IV (tonic-dominant) bass lines, power chords, and
passages which do not contain the third of the I chordset the Scale Type to Good for Both. For percussion
loops, loops containing atonal melodies, and loops with music based on another scale or mode, set the Scale
Type to Neither.
The Scale Type tag serves only to identify files when searching. It has no effect on the sound of the loop.
Changing a Scale Type tag does not change the actual scale in the music recorded in the loop.
About the Time Signature Tag

A Time Signature tag includes two pieces of information: the number of beats in each measure (the upper
number in the time signature) and the note length used for each beat (the lower number).
Apple audio creation applications use the number of beats in a measure to display the measure and beat
positions in the Beat ruler. As well, users of audio creation applications can search for loops with a particular
time signature.
About the Genre Tag

The Genre tag defines the type or style of music recorded in the loop.
The searchable list of musical genres is general and is not meant to be all-inclusive. It provides a workable
set of musical categories that covers most cases. The list is not editable.
About the Instrument Tag

A two-column list lets you specify the Instrument tag for a loop. The left column contains instrument categories.
The right column displays particular instruments in the selected category.
About Descriptor Tags

Descriptor tags are keywords that define the mood or feeling, or other characteristics of the music in a loop.
Descriptor tags are an important aid for users searching for a particular type of loop, so take care to specify
them appropriately.
In the Descriptors area of the Tags pane, each pair of descriptor keywords has three buttons. The left button
selects the left word in the pair; the right button selects the right word; and the the middle button (the
default setting) selects neither keyword.
16
CHAPTER 1
Other Metadata
Some tags are not relevant to user searches, but do provide information of interest to audio content developers.
About the Author, Copyright, and Comment Tags

The Author and Copyright tags provide content developers with a place to identify the author of the file and
the copyright information for the file. This information appears in the appear in the Metadata area of the
Details tab when a file is selected and in the Metadata area of the Project tab when a file is opened in the
Audio File Editor.
The Comment field provides content developers with a place to include additional text comments about the
audio file. Comments appear in Soundtrack Pro in the Description field in the Metadata area of the Details
tab when a file is selected and in the Description field in the Metadata area of the Project tab when a file is
opened in the Audio File Editor. Comments also appear when you open the file in the Apple Loops Utility.
Comments dont appear in other applications.
About Collection and Theme

The Collection and Theme tags let you specify information you can use to search through your own loop
libraries with the Apple Loops Utility. Currently, this metadata is not available for searching from any of the
Apple audio creation applications.
You can use the Collection tag to specify collections such as Funk Pack or Mood Pack.
You can use the Theme tag to specify themes such as Wedding or Party.
Other Metadata
17
CHAPTER 1
About File Information

The File Info section of the Tags pane in the Apple Loops Utility displays a variety of information about an
audio file. (This information is read only and cannot be edited.)
Kind: The file format, which can be either AIFF or WAV.
Length: The length of the file in seconds.
Date Modified: The most recent date when the file was modified.
Bit depth: The number of bits in each recorded audio sample.
Sample Rate: The original sample rate at which the file was recorded.
Channels: The number of audio channels the file contains, either Mono or Stereo.
Tempo: The original tempo at which the file was recorded.
File Location: The file path
If you modify a loop (for example if you shorten it, resample it at a different sample rate, or convert it to a
different file type), the new information appears the next time you open the loop in the Apple Loops Utility.
18
Other Metadata
REVISION HISTORY
Document Revision History
This table describes the changes to Notes for Apple Loops Developers.
Date
Notes
2009-02-10
Initial release of document. This version based on the 2005 document "About
Apple Loops."
19
REVISION HISTORY
Document Revision History
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