Reference Guide

Working with loops and Groove Clips

Working with Groove Clip audio

Creating and editing Groove Clips

Any audio clip can be converted to a Groove clip. Groove clips contain tempo, beat, and pitch

information which SONAR uses to stretch and transpose the clips to match the project. Most Groove

clips are loop-enabled, meaning that you can use the mouse to drag clip repetitions in the Track

view. Groove clips can be either loop-enabled or not, although they usually are. When a Groove clip

is loop-enabled, its edges appear beveled. It is sometimes desirable to create clips that follow the

project’s tempo and key, but are not intended to loop. The following is a list of the attributes

contained in a Groove clip:

• Beats in clip. The number of quarter notes in a clip. A four measure clip in 4/4 time should have

16 beats. When you enable looping for a clip, SONAR calculates the number of beats in the clip

using an algorithm. This calculation is very often accurate, but in some cases, for instance when

the clip has a very slow or very fast tempo or if the clip has an unusual number of beats, then the

number of beats in a clip may have to be edited manually in the Beats in clip field.

• Original tempo. The original tempo of the recording. SONAR uses the original tempo to adjust

to your project’s tempo. The original tempo must be specified for stretching clips.

• Reference note. The original key of the recorded clip. SONAR uses the Reference note when it

transposes Groove clips to match your project’s pitch.

These attributes can be edited in the Loop Construction view. For more information about the Loop

Construction view, see “Loop Construction view” on page 1767.

To set the number of beats in a Groove Clip

When you open a clip in the Loop Construction view, SONAR determines the number of beats in the

clip. In some cases the beat value may not be correct. The beats in clip value can only be changed if

the clip is loop enabled.

Do the following to change value in the Beats in clip field.

• Click the Plus or Minus button to the right of the Beats in clip field until the correct value is

displayed.

To change the Loop Construction view Time ruler display

You can display the Loop Construction view Time Ruler in measures or in samples. To toggle

between the two modes, double click the Time Ruler.

Note: When you loop-enable a clip, SONAR calculates the original tempo of the clip, and unless

the clip’s length is in exact beat or measure increments, the original tempo that SONAR

calculates may vary from the recorded tempo. These fluctuations are usually quite small and do

not affect the quality of the Groove clip you create.