Drum loops are prerecorded drum tracks which seamlessly transition to repeat themselves without the listener’s knowledge. They’re the backbone of countless mixes, particularly in genres like rap and hip-hop. They’re so easy to plug and play in your next mix to knock out a lot of the work for you which is why a lot of producers of all levels ask the question: is using loops cheating?
Is Using Loops Cheating?
With regards to whether or not is using loops cheating, this might come down to your definition of the word.
When you use loops, you’re generally using someone else’s work with or without permission to save yourself a lot of time.
Whether you consider or others consider it cheating or not, the truth is not only do loops save time, but they enhance your mix, or at least they’re meant to.
I’m referring to enhancements on a composition as well as a production/mix level, both of which loops contribute to your mix.
On a composition level, even I myself admit that despite my efforts, I’m not great at coming up with beats or drum tracks for my own songs and I’m no drummer. Loops can add a level of complexity to your mix that you might not be able to create on your own or, in the case of midi drum loops, can give you a jumping off point which you can adjust to taste.
On a mixing level, using loops means you don’t have to spend nearly as much time getting your drums sounding good because most of the production is already done for you.
As I always say, the drums are the backbone of your entire mix, so the better they sound, the more the rest of your mix will benefit.
This allows you to focus on other elements of your mix in the centerpiece that is oftentimes the vocal, another solo, or the bedrock which is the rest of the rhythm section of the song.
One last thing to bear in mind with regards to whether or not using loops is cheating, keep in mind that loops are far from the only thing which most of us take and repackage in our mixes.
Many of us use preset sounds for synthesizers or other instruments by way of virtual instruments. Many of us also use preset configurations for guitar or bass tones, etc.
With regards to this website, I even recommend that you apply the settings which I regularly cover in all kinds of efforts and processing to make the various instruments in your mix sound better.
I’m constantly referencing my free EQ cheat sheet and free compression cheat sheet where I share visual guides for EQing and compressing every practical instrument or vocal in your mix to save you a lot of time without sacrificing results.
You could argue incorporating any of this is cheating, and it’s a slippery slope to the point where you can argue every mix is based on and influenced by another mix on some level by way of reference tracks.
On the other end of the spectrum, people are using AI to create entire songs from the ground up with no musical or production talent beyond entering something into a prompt, but I think we can argue that that argument is a bridge too far.
Without a doubt there are lots of purests out there who will turn their noses up at you for taking any shortcut or acknowledging any weakness in your mix, but the only thing which matters in the end are results, and loops can go a long way in improving your mix on multiple levels.
