Mixing & Performance

Loop Roll

A momentary loop that repeats a short slice of a track for a stutter effect, then returns to where the track would be.

A loop roll, or beat roll, temporarily loops a small slice of audio while the track keeps running underneath, so when you release it you jump back to real time. It creates a stutter or build effect.

Why it matters

Loop rolls are a fast way to add tension or extend a moment in a transition without losing your place in the track.

Related terms

Quantize

More in Mixing & Performance

Beatgrid Waveform Quantize Hot Cue Memory Cue Slip Mode Pitch Fader Pitch Bend

Frequently asked questions

A loop roll repeats a short slice of audio for as long as you hold the button, then snaps back to wherever the track would have been if it had kept playing normally. A regular loop keeps repeating until you manually exit it. Loop roll is a performance effect; a standard loop is a structural tool.

Loop rolls are commonly used to create build tension or a stutter effect just before a drop, or to fill a gap while transitioning between tracks. Short loop rolls of 1/8 or 1/16 beat create a chopped stutter sound, while longer rolls of one or two bars create a sustained hold effect.

Yes. Loop roll depends on the beatgrid to determine the slice boundaries. With quantize enabled and an accurate grid, the roll locks tightly to the beat and exits cleanly. Without quantize, the loop start and end can land off-grid and the return point may be slightly out of time.

Hey, it's Ben Modigell 👋

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I DJ and produce as so I so — downtempo, minimal, dub house, tech house, and techno (releases on Spotify and SoundCloud, links above). Everything I write here comes from my own gigs, studio sessions, and library cleanups: the rules I follow, the failure modes I've actually hit, and the workflow I use when nobody's watching. If a technique didn't earn its place in my own sets, it doesn't make it into a tutorial.

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