Live looping

By the late 19th century, jazz and blues had heavily influenced popular music, encouraging musicians to experiment with rhythm, repetition, and musical improvisation.{{cite news|url=http://www.loopers-delight.com/history/Loophist.html|title=The Birth of Loop|last=Michael Peters|date=13 October 1996|access-date=5 July 2016}} With the advent of sound recording on gramophone record, invented in 1887 and first marketed in 1889, came the tape recorder and the development of pure electronic music.

On 1 October 1947, Bing Crosby became the first American musician to release music via tape broadcast. In 1953, Les Paul demonstrated live looping on the television show Omnibus.{{Citation |title=Les Paul & Mary Ford on "Omnibus" (1953) | date=2 April 2012 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCEmAgak9V8 |language=en |access-date=2022-04-16}}

In 1963, musician and performer Terry Riley released an early tape loop piece called “The Gift”, featuring the trumpet playing of Chet Baker. It was the first piece ever based on a tape delay/feedback system with two Revox tape recorders. (Riley used to call this system the Time Lag Accumulator.{{Cite web|url=https://www.loopstation.net/gb|title=Loop Station: Comparison & Test 2021}} This name did not catch on amongst other performing musicians.)

Digital delay systems in the 1980s were experimental and not intuitive, but the equipment's limitations inspired innovators of the technique to find creative applications.{{Cite web|url=http://www.livelooping.org/history_concepts/|title=History & Concepts|access-date=2016-07-06}}

Even by the early 1990s, when dedicated loop machines first went on sale, the term "live looping" had not yet been coined. The first dedicated loop device was the Paradis LOOP Delay.{{Cite web|url=http://www.livelooping.org/history_concepts/theory/growth-along-the-limitations-of-the-tools/|title=Growth due to limitations|access-date=2016-07-06}} The Paradis and other models had volatile memories, forcing composers to develop fresh loops live in front of their audiences — and thus, live looping came into existence.

Roland and DigiTech loop pedals entered the market in 2001, around the same time DJ mixing gained popularity. When the 2002 Repeater introduced real-time studio looping, looping devices became affordable enough for aspiring at-home composers to enjoy.

As laptops gained popularity in 2004, computer software began to emulate the 1990s effects of early looping devices.

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Live looping has become increasingly popular in recent history{{when|date=March 2018}} as it offers the ability for a single musician to create multiple layers to their live music, resulting in a sound close to that of a "full band" experience. Notable manufacturers of looping devices include Boss, DigiTech and TC Electronic.

In a 2012–13 poll of 1000 singers, 11% stated that they used live looping while 51% did not know what live looping was. Artists known for their use or advocacy of the technique include:{{div col|colwidth=17em}}

• Juana Molina
• KRNFX
• Howie Day{{Cite web|url=http://howieday.com/about/|title=About {{!}} Howie Day|website=howieday.com|language=en-US|access-date=2017-12-03}}{{cite web |url=http://roundhillmusic.com/recordings/howie-day/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171204114614/http://roundhillmusic.com/recordings/howie-day/ |archive-date=2017-12-04 |title=Round Hill Music {{!}} Howie Day}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/howie-day-mn0000233147/biography|title=Howie Day {{!}} Biography & History {{!}} AllMusic|website=AllMusic|access-date=2017-12-03}}
• Keller Williams
• Boxwood{{cite web |url=https://indieethos.com/2015/04/02/boxwood-releases-2nd-ep/ |title=Boxwood, A One Man Wall of Sound Releases Sun Garden City EP Today |publisher=The Independent Ethos |author=Hans Morgenstern |date=2015-04-02 |access-date=2018-05-16}}{{cite web |url=http://www.musicobsessed.com/2012/05/local-spotlight-boxwood.html |title=Local Spotlight: Boxwood |publisher=South Florida Music Obsessed |author=Jose Martinez |date=2012-05-24 |access-date=2018-05-16}}{{cite web |url=http://www.browardpalmbeach.com/music/boxwood-celebrates-new-ep-at-candi-studios-6917168/ |title=Boxwood Celebrates New EP at CandI Studios |publisher=The Miami New Times |author=Hans Morgenstern |date=2015-03-26 |access-date=2018-05-16}}{{cite web |url=http://www.miaminewtimes.com/best-of/2010/bars-and-clubs/best-songwriter-6402417/ |title=Best of Miami, Best Songwriter: Boxwood |publisher=The Miami New Times |author=New Times |date=2015-03-26 |access-date=2018-05-16}}
• Ed Sheeran[http://loopermusic.com/blog/ed-sheeran-probably-the-most-currently-famous-person-to-use-a-looper Ed Sheeran]
• Mavka
• Dub FX{{cite news|url=http://dubfx.com|title=Dub Fx official site.|date=Dec 12, 2014|access-date=10 June 2015}}
• Battles
• Ambre McLean{{cite news|url=http://www.cashboxcanada.ca/node/5827/|title=Canada's Best Kept Secret, Ambre McLean!|date=Dec 12, 2014|access-date=10 June 2015}}
• Jacob Moon{{cite news|url=http://www.durhamregion.com/news-story/4372913-jacob-moon-shines-in-oshawa/|title=Jacob Moon shines in Oshawa|date=Feb 21, 2014|access-date=8 March 2014}}
• Amy X Neuburg
• Beardyman{{cite book|last1=TC-Helicon|last2=Barker|first2=Greg A.|last3=Alexander|first3=Kathy|title=The Ultimate Guide to Singing: Gigs, Sound, Money and Health|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d-WsAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA191|access-date=8 March 2014|date=2014-01-06|publisher=TC-Helicon|isbn=9780992034405|pages=191–}}
• Kimbra
• KT Tunstall{{cite book|last=Richardson|first=John|title=An Eye for Music: Popular Music and the Audiovisual Surreal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lh5Uoe8hX7sC&pg=PA246|access-date=8 March 2014|date=2012-01-26|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780195367362|pages=246–}}
• Kid Beyond{{cite book|last=Werner|first=Matt|title=Oakland in Popular Memory: Interviews with twelve cutting-edge artists from Oakland and beyond|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bABmVN3FEFMC&pg=PA70|access-date=8 March 2014|date=2012-05-15|publisher=Thought Publishing|isbn=9780982689844|pages=70–}}
• Tune-Yards{{cite web |url=http://www.thelmagazine.com/2011/05/tune-yards-live-looping-will-blow-your-mind/ |title=tUnE-yArDs Live-Looping Will Blow Your Mind |publisher=The L Magazine |author=Lauren Beck |date=2011-05-18 |access-date=2015-11-29}}
• David Torn
• Spirit Cool
• David Thomas Broughton
• Reggie Watts{{cite book|last1=Battino|first1=David|last2=Richards|first2=Kelli|title=The Art of Digital Music: 56 Visionary Artists & Insiders Reveal Their Creative Secrets|url=https://archive.org/details/artofdigitalmusi00davi|url-access=registration|access-date=8 March 2014|year=2005|publisher=Backbeat Books|isbn=9780879308308|pages=[https://archive.org/details/artofdigitalmusi00davi/page/106 106]–}}
• THePETEBOX
• French Kiwi Juice
• Rick Walker{{Cite web|url=https://m.soundcloud.com/rickwalker|title = Rick Walker}}
• David Ford
• Netta Barzilai{{cite web|url=http://escunited.com/2018/02/13/israel-netta-barzilai-wins-hakokhav-haba/|title=Israel: Netta Barzilai wins HaKokhav HaBa!|last=Tarbuck|first=Sean|date=February 13, 2018|website=escunited.com|access-date=February 25, 2018|quote=The performer wowed audiences and the judges in The Next Star with her unique uses of sampling, beatbox and live looping of her voice …}}
• Val Vigoda
• Jarle Bernhoft
• Marc Rebillet{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/stage/is-marc-rebillet-the-funniest-man-on-the-planet-right-now-1.3761456|title=Is Marc Rebillet the funniest man on the planet right now?|last=O'Reilly|first=Seamas|date=2019-01-22|newspaper=The Irish Times|language=en|access-date=2019-07-02}}
• Tash Sultana
• Theresa Andersson
• Sam Perry
• Bernhard Wagner
• Andre La Fosse{{Cite web |title=Andre LaFosse |url=http://altruistmusic.com/ |language=en-US}}
• Michael Peters{{cite web |url=https://veloopity.bandcamp.com/ |title = Music {{!}} Michael Peters}}
• Leander Reininghaus{{cite web |url=https://leanderreininghaus.bandcamp.com/ |title = Music {{!}} Leander Reininghaus}}
• Hideki Nakanishi (aka MANDOMAN){{Cite web|url=https://soundcloud.com/hideki-nakanishi-18926020|title=Mandoman}}
• Joel Gilardini{{cite web |url=https://joelgilardini.bandcamp.com/ |title = Music {{!}} Joel Gilardini}}
• Emmanuel Reveneau (aka Brain Integrative Project){{cite web |url=https://thelucidbrain.bandcamp.com/ |title = Music {{!}} The lucid brain integrative project}}
• SungBeats
• Fabio Anile{{cite web |url=https://eterogeneo.bandcamp.com/ |title = Fabio Anile}}
• Andrew Bird
• Masnada Lilian{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Le1QvRaTTZ8&list=PL0TvTVWcrYbtaVYsjpP9vy9gErugotb0M/ |title = Amalgames| website=YouTube | date=29 June 2022 }}

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• Loop (music)
• Live electronic music
• Delay (audio effect)

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.livelooping.org/ Live Looping tools and technique]
• [http://www.loopersdelight.com/loop.html Loopers delight]

Category:Music looping