Looping on a CDJ

There may not be an option on the CDJ you are looking at purchasing or have your beady little eye on. However if it does (like the CDJ1000MK2) then you will have at your fingertips the new world of looping.

This allows you to select a start point and end point of the loop, so you could loop vocals, beats or whatever else you like. You can pre-program loops or do them live as you are mixing. It offers the scope of looping a particular introductory beat for example that you may really like but it isn't long enough on the tune to get a decent mix going. You could set the loop up and get the beatmix it so the speed is the same as the tune currently playing. You would then re-cue and release the loop into the mix. You could mix until the first tune runs out and when it does so, you could cancel the loop and the new tune carries on playing. You've had a two minute mix on a beat that may only last 16 beats in real time. Super.

The CDJ1000 MK2 tutorial

Using the industry standard CDJ1000MKII is used as the example but it will be very similar for most models and manufacturers that have looping. The principles will be the same but the loop functions may be labelled slightly different.

Step 1

Ensure autocue is on and cue the track as normal. Press play to start track playing (normally in headphones) For practice just do it on one CDJ with no other TTs or CDJs playing so the one you are setting up is the only one being used. That way you don't have to be messing about with headphones and can monitor to your main speakers.

Step 2

When you want the loop to begin press the In/Real Time Cue button. You have to press it very accurately as it will pick up EXACTLY when you push the button. The more accurate you are here the less fiddling you'll have to do later.
You will notice the button has started to flash indicating the loop you are using has started.

Step 3

When you want the loop to end press the OUT/Real Time Cue button. Again accuracy is important. Once you've pressed it both IN and OUT buttons will be flashing yellow. You now know the loop is active. The loop you have set up will play continually over and over again. You will notice in the centre of the CDJ platter/jogwheel the red line going round and showing the start and end points of your loop. When it gets top to the end the red line leaps back to the start point.

Step 4

To cancel the loop just press RELOOP/EXIT. The CDJ will only continue to play the tune from the exact end point of the loop you were using when you press PLAY.

Chances are the loop you have done will need adjusting. Its very difficult to live-loop accurately and set up a loop first go every time. If you pull it off it sounds great. If not its horrendous.

Note: By "live looping" I mean doing this looping on the fly as you mix with no planning. Live looping is applied to the tune that is playing through your speakers, not setting it up in the headphones so no-one can hear it. This would be done to the tune that's playing to the dancefloor hence Live Looping.

My Timing Was Off And The Loop Needs Adjusting

Not quite a disaster and this can be fixed really easily. If you want to adjust the start point of the loop

1. Press the already flashing IN/REALTIME cue button.

2. Look to see where the red line on the display in the middle of the CDJ is, as this will show you the start point of your loop.

3. If you want the start time earlier gently turn the jog wheel anti-clockwise to the left (and vice versa if you want the loop to start later). You will notice the red marker moving as you turn the jog wheel with each play of the of the loop.

4. When you are happy it is now correct and you wish to set this as the new start point simply press IN/REALTIME CUE

To change the end point just do exactly as above but instead use the OUT/REALTIME button instead. A doddle.

Storing Loops

Remember I said earlier about that memory card in the Equipment Functions section? Well this is why you have it. Looping can be saved as you would save a word document or spreadsheet on a computer but this remembers all the information and stores it on the card. All that painstakingly fiddly action you've done perfecting that perfect looped beat is not only kept for as long as you want it but can be accessed at any time !! Blimey Guv'nor. Gets better doesn't it!

To store a finished loop press the MEMORY button. Yep its that easy.

Some Things to Remember about Storing Loops

1. A loop is Track specific - That loop will only work on that CD and that track.

2. More than one loop can be programmed per track per CD so you CAN store more than one loop per track.

3. For easy reference if you look at the Main display to the left of the running time etc. you will see how many tracks are on the CD. If it is underlined in ORANGE then this shows that one or more loop is accessible on that track number.

4. Use the < and > CALL buttons to move between pre programmed loops.

5. As long as you take your memory card with you and that CD your loops will work on any 1000MK2 just as if you were at home.

6. To delete a loop, select it using the < and > call buttons if that track has more than one loop. Press the DELETE button to remove it from existence.

Don't Be Limited by Four Beats In A Bar

Just because all dance music is written in a 4/4 time signature you don't have to use whole bars or multiples of four beats. You can loop a sample a crash noise or anything else you want. You could even sample a portion of an accapella, so it loops a spoken phrase for example.

We will look at this in the streamable applied example in a few pages time. Firstly we need to look at Hot Cueing........