10 Minutes to Make a Loop

With a storm rumbling outside of the studio, Oliver is excited to get right into making music on Episode 17 of ’10 Minutes to Make a Loop’. The Wheel of Destiny has F Minor in store for us today, and The Balls of Fate can clearly hear the rain pouring, too, as they select a cosy 66 beats per minute for the tempo. After fumbling around getting used to the key on the piano, Oliver is ready to start composing the loop. He cycles throu...

It’s episode 16 and it’s time for night mode! Recording far later than usual, Oliver is ready to break some creative blockers and prove that it’s not all about the view out the studio window. He’s put some coloured lights out for ambiance and is ready to make some music. The Wheel of Destiny stirs up a memory of jams gone by with the selection of C# minor. Was it a friend or foe? Only time will tell, 10 minutes to be specific. The ...

The Wheel of Destiny is in tune with the cloudy weather outside the studio window today by selecting D Minor, but what are The Balls of Fate up to asking for 121 beats per minute? To find out, Oliver starts twinkling around using a piano sound before beginning the search for a nice synthesizer sound which emerges not too soon after. He starts things off in a simple way, mentioning that sometimes all you need is two chords to get th...

The Wheel of Destiny is putting random to the test by serving up C# Minor on Episode 14 of ’10 Minutes to Make a Loop.’ After a quick monologue about his desire to put his most authentic self and music out there and about choosing fun over perfection in the studio, Oliver is ready for a tempo consultation. The Balls of Fate select 111 beats per minute for this episode, and immediately begs the question “is three ones a good sign?” ...

Fate has a slow, ambient loop in store on Episode 13 of ‘10 Minutes to Make a Loop’ as The Balls of Fate choose 69 beats per minute. There’s a slight race against time and catching the sunset so Oliver jumps right in following The Wheel of Destiny’s request of D# Major. He starts with a piano sound using the Akai MPK249 and eventually figures out roughly where the notes in the key all are. After cycling through a few different keyb...

The Balls of Fate are ready to get the energy amped up with a whopping 128 BPM tempo on Episode 12 of ‘10 Minutes to Make a Loop.’ Oliver starts with a synth sound in F# Major (although probably more accurately, in D# Minor) that has an ambient, atmospheric side and an arpeggiator side. By using the tone wheel he plays a simple melody on the Akai MPK249 that alternates between both sides. It’s then over to the bass synth to lay dow...

It’s a cloudy day at the studio and Oliver’s ready to get mellow on Episode 11 of ’10 Minutes to Make a Loop.’ The Balls of Fate are apparently aligned with the weather, too, and queue up 72 beats per minute for this loop. Oliver starts the jam off with what he claims is “the worst percussioning he’s ever percussioned” before quickly redeeming himself at the keyboard in D# Minor. After shouting out his glitches, he lays down a warm...

Double digits! Another ’10 Minutes to Make a Loop’ milestone and Oliver is ready to get heavy. He starts things off by noodling around on the piano to figure his way around B Major before laying down a foundation of percussion at 114 BPM. After figuring out a soothing, ambient synth chord progression he decides to change the mood up and switches to a Rhodes sound. Suddenly things take a jazzy turn, it feels as though the lights com...

On Episode 9, we’re amazingly back in D Major and somehow only a single BPM off from the last jam at 77 BPM. Rather than veering into the relative minor, though, Oliver aims to stay in major this time. He starts off playing some chords with a warm pad sound before adding a drum part. As per usual, recording a huge bass synth sound really ties the room together. After experimenting with a few higher frequency sounds, Oliver decides ...

We’re back in the studio for Episode 8 of ’10 Minutes to Make a Loop’ and the universe has D Major at 78 BPM in store for us. Oliver fumbles over some percussion in the beginning but eventually lays down a rhythmic foundation. He then attempts to lay down an acoustic drum beat, but quickly abandons ship and switches to an electronic beat instead. Things start to come to life with a walking bass line and a dipping 808 adds even more...

It’s time to get weird! On this episode of ’10 Minutes to Make a Loop’, we’re in A Major at 74 BPM. Oliver has a little bit a struggle finding a melody to start things off with, so he lays down a drone to establish the feeling of the key first. Then it’s time to piece together a drum part with a slight swing. The loop comes to life with the addition of a synth sound gently glitching throughout. Battling through a few more technical...

Will the guitar work? It better had, it was tested before recording started! Back with Episode 6, Oliver is ready to test the guitar out in the new ’10 Minutes to Make a Loop’ studio. The Wheel of Destiny chooses G Major so seemingly the Guitar Gods are on side since the relative minor, E Minor, is so favourable among guitarists. After consulting The Balls of Fate, Oliver lays down a couple of percussion parts to establish the 92 B...

Welcome to the studio - to the new studio! The first episode of ’10 Minutes to Make a Loop’ in the new space, what a momentous occasion. Though faced with technical difficulties from the move, Oliver still manages to cook up a heaping serving of jam in F# Major at 94 BPM. After the debut of The Wheel of Destiny and The Balls of Fate to pick our random key and tempo, he starts the jam off with some warm organ chords. He experiments ...

The last episode of ’10 Minutes to Make a Loop’ in this studio! Oliver starts off playing piano to find his way around F Minor and quickly stumbles upon a part that can work at 90 BPM. An accompanying bass part is then added before a second bass synth is added for some swelling movement. Oliver stumbles and fumbles over the drum part for a while before adding a simple piano melody - only to then change the drums again! Will he regr...

On the third episode of ’10 Minutes to Make a Loop’ we’re in G# Major at 115 BPM. Oliver starts things off with some shakers to hold the tempo, then plays piano to figure out where exactly G# Major is. Once settled, he finds a pad sound that he likes and lays down an ambient foundation. After a moment to pause and think, he picks up the guitar for a melody that surprises even him and then quickly adds a simple, lower layer. This st...

On Episode 2, the first installment of the new and improved ’10 Minutes to Make a Loop’, we give the new format and production a whirl. After trying to defy the Tempo Gods and evade a slow jam, Oliver gets started with a simple Rhodes part in F# Major at 77 BPM. A few technical difficulties emerge with his foot pedal that challenge him to an impromptu river dancing contest, but eventually a drum part is laid down. The jam comes ali...

Where it all began! The original idea years before the 2nd episode and beyond. Please note that this is the pilot episode and here just for historic purposes! I recorded this episode and then took a couple of years to upgrade production quality before properly starting the series.

On the pilot episode, we discover if Oliver remembers to go back to the reverse piano thing and whether or not he can come up with a guitar riff that ...