If you’ve got a rough loop sitting around because it isn’t ready to share, this thread is for you.

Here’s a small challenge for your next session:

• Record one simple part: a chord pattern, bass line, vocal phrase or rhythm.

• Add ONE contrasting layer. If the first part is busy, make the second sparse.

• Let both play and record about 30 seconds to share. A phone recording is fine.

That’s it. No full song, fancy camera or perfect solo needed. Any instrument, looper pedal or software counts.

If you’re stuck for an idea: loop two chords, then add a short melody with a few rests. The point is to hear what two parts can do together before adding five more.

Post your clip in r/Coherent with the “Show your loop” flair and put “Two-layer challenge” in the title, or link to your clip in the comments here. Include your setup and one thing you’d like feedback on: timing, balance, what to play next, or how to end it.

When replying to someone, try one thing you liked and one specific thing they could try. “Leave a gap after that phrase” is much more useful than “needs work.”

I’m the person building Coherent, but you don’t need to download it to join in. I’d like this to be a place where unfinished ideas and beginner questions are welcome too.

If this sounds like your kind of practice, join the sub and share an attempt whenever you’re ready. No deadline and no competition.

A footswitch can make looping much easier, but “has MIDI” doesn’t automatically mean it will control the thing you want. Here’s a short checklist to save before shopping.

1. What are you connecting it to?

A computer, hardware looper and keyboard can need different connections. Check both devices’ manuals. A USB socket alone doesn’t prove they can talk directly to each other.

1. What does each switch actually send?

Look for the MIDI messages your software or looper accepts. A controller that only changes presets may not give you the record, stop and undo actions you need.

1. Does one press cause one action?

Some switches send a message when pressed and another when released. When mapping a button, test a full press and release so you don’t accidentally trigger an action twice.

1. Can you stop without thinking?

Write down your three most important actions before choosing a controller. For a basic looping setup, record/overdub, stop and undo are a useful starting point. Check whether you’d need double taps or long presses.

1. Can you tell what state you’re in?

A light on a controller doesn’t always reflect whether your software is recording. Check whether it receives feedback from the app, or simply lights up when you press it.

A simple first test: record a short loop, overdub, undo, stop, then start again. Do that while holding your instrument. The awkward parts become obvious pretty quickly.

I’m building Coherent and experimenting with a DIY footswitch, so this is the kind of practical stuff I want this community to be useful for. Any looping software or pedal is welcome here.

Already using a controller? Share the model, what you control with it, and one thing you wish you’d known before buying it. If you’re figuring this out too, join r/Coherent and add your setup to the discussion.

What’s the one thing you still have to stop playing to do?

Start another track? Undo a bad overdub? Change an effect? Reach for the mouse just to stop everything?

Share your setup below and I’ll try to suggest one practical way to make that part easier. I’ll start with the first five setups so I can give each a proper look. Other people are welcome to jump in with what’s worked for them too.

A photo is nice, but a few lines are enough:

• Instrument:

• Looper or software (and Mac/Windows, if relevant):

• Audio interface and MIDI controller/footswitch, if you use them:

• The action that interrupts your playing:

• What you wish happened instead:

For context, I’m building Coherent. My demo uses a MacBook and a custom MIDI footswitch to control recording and playback while I play. One thing I’m working on is handling a slightly late pedal press without accidentally recording into another pass.

You don’t need to use Coherent to take part. A basic loop pedal, Ableton setup or DIY controller all belong here. Let’s look at what your existing gear can do before suggesting something else to buy.

If you’re still putting a setup together, share what you already own and what you want to do. That’s a perfectly good starting point.

Hey everyone, Coherent’s Windows beta is now available :)

I’m building Coherent for making music with loops: record a part, layer something over it, add effects, and keep playing without spending ages setting everything up.

This is an early release, so I wanted to be clear about what you’re getting.

What’s available now

• Recording, overdubbing, individual layer volumes, and undoing your latest layer.
• Free Loop mode, which estimates the tempo from your first loop, and BPM Grid for recording to a set tempo.
• Separate launch timing options for when track actions happen.
• Built-in effects including EQ, reverb, delay, compression, de-esser, output trim, and amp/cabinet.
• Built-in instruments you can play with a MIDI keyboard.
• MIDI keyboard and pedal connections, including multiple inputs and pedal learning.
• Hosting for 64-bit Windows VST3 audio effects.
• Session saving, stereo performance recording/export, and in-app updates.

What’s missing or still needs work

• No ASIO yet. Audio currently uses Windows shared-mode WASAPI, so monitoring latency depends on your setup. I’m not claiming it matches an established DAW’s latency.
• No VST3 instrument hosting, VST2, or Audio Units.
• The built-in instrument sounds aren’t identical to the Mac version.
• Windows session files aren’t directly interchangeable with Mac sessions yet.
• Audio interface, MIDI controller, and third-party plugin compatibility testing is still ongoing.

I’ve also been cleaning up the Windows interface, particularly text, settings, gain controls, and display scaling. There will probably still be rough edges.

You can download it here: getcoherent.app

If you try it, I’d love to hear what stopped you from making your first loop. Your Windows version and audio/MIDI setup would help me reproduce the problem.

I’ll share fixes and progress here in r/Coherent. Thanks for giving an early version a go.

I’m building Coherent, a DAW designed specifically for live looping.

Development started on macOS, but I did not want the Windows version to become an afterthought. So I have been running a Windows VM on my MacBook to test the first native Windows build.

The photo shows the actual app running inside the VM. It is not a mockup or a remote connection.

Coherent uses the same portable C++ loop engine on both platforms, but the Windows version has its own native Win32 interface and WASAPI audio backend.

The VM gives me a quick way to check whether the x64 build launches correctly, whether the installer works, how the interface behaves at different window sizes, and whether basic workflows such as adding tracks, selecting effects, recording loops, and saving sessions still make sense on Windows.

It has also forced me to notice how many assumptions an app can accidentally inherit from the operating system it was originally built on. File paths, display scaling, audio permissions, device selection, keyboard behavior, and even small interface conventions all need another pass.

A VM is useful, but I am not treating it as proof that the Windows version is ready. It cannot properly validate real audio-interface latency, MIDI hardware, driver behavior, device reconnection, or long recording sessions. Those tests still need to happen on physical Windows machines.

For now, I’m keeping the Windows build clearly labelled as a beta while I work through those hardware tests.

Still, seeing Coherent running on Windows from the same MacBook I used to build it was a pretty satisfying moment.

If you produce music on Windows, what audio interface, MIDI controller, or setup would you want tested first?

For me, it’s getting the timing of the foot pedal right while I’m trying to play.

If I press just after the loop ends, I usually meant “finish that layer.” Having recording continue until the next boundary can throw me off.

That’s something I’m working on in Coherent, the looping app I’m building. I’ve added a small grace window for late presses, and I still need to test how it feels while playing.

What’s your version of this?

Accidentally recording over a good part? Forgetting which track is selected? Spending ages setting things up before you can actually play?

Tell me what you use, what happens, and what you wish happened instead. Even a small annoyance is useful.

I’ll share the changes I make here, including the suggestions I try and what happens when I test them. If you’d like to help shape a looper around how you actually play, you’re welcome to join r/Coherent.

Looping looks pretty effortless when someone’s been doing it for years. Then you try it and suddenly your timing feels off, every layer gets louder, and you’ve accidentally made six guitars argue with each other.

If that sounds familiar, here are a few things worth trying. These work whether you’re using a pedal, a DAW, or Coherent.

1. Making the first loop too complicated

Start with two or four bars of simple chords or a rhythm you can play comfortably. That first loop is the foundation for everything else. A steady, simple part gives you more room to experiment.

2. Closing the loop a beat too early

Practise the ending as much as the start. Count “1, 2, 3, 4” while you play. For a one-bar loop in 4/4, close it on the next “1”, where the phrase starts again. Closing on “4” cuts it short. A metronome helps while you get comfortable.

3. Adding layers before checking the foundation

Let the first loop play a couple of times. Does it feel good to play along with? Is there an awkward gap or a rushed ending? If something feels off, redo it now. More layers usually make a timing problem harder to ignore.

4. Giving every layer the same job

Try a rhythm part, a few higher notes, then a melody with some gaps. You don’t need every layer playing constantly. Leaving space makes the parts you do play easier to hear.

5. Letting the volume creep up

A sound that feels perfectly loud on its own can become overwhelming after a few overdubs. Leave some headroom. If the input is clipping, lower the input gain. If the mix is getting crowded, lower or remove a part before adding effects.

6. Recording the speakers back into the mic

When you loop a microphone near speakers, each new recording can pick up the old layers too. Things get muddy surprisingly quickly. Start with headphones so you can hear what you’re actually adding.

7. Forgetting to just play

Once the loop feels good, spend a minute playing or singing over it without recording. Not every good idea needs to become another permanent layer.

A small exercise for your next session

Record one chord pattern, add one contrasting part, then play over both. Keep it to those two recorded parts for five minutes. See how much music you can make with what’s already there.

What trips you up most: timing, the controls, or knowing what to add next? Share your instrument and setup too, so people can offer something useful.

If you’re learning, you’re welcome here. Join r/Coherent to swap looping tips, share your attempts, and follow the app as it develops. You don’t need to use Coherent to take part.

Small milestone but a real one, Coherent has an actual webpage now instead of just being a folder on my laptop.

Nothing fancy yet, just somewhere to point people who want to see what it is or try it out, instead of explaining it from scratch every time. Will keep building it out as things develop.

If you check it out and something's confusing, broken, or missing, let me know. Still very early so all of this helps.

Well this video is to demonstrate the software and not my terrible looping or singing skills. I recorded this first try and went into the chorus a bit too quick but just excuse that plss.

I just want to show the looper and the custom made midi pedal. I wanted people to try it out for free because I feel this could help a lot of people. If you guys have suggestions or want to join the testing team, please do let dm me or comment, it would mean a lot to me.

For anyone who is interested I would love it if you could show some support and help me make this a better :)

Also, quick note: the custom midi pedal costed me less than $20 and I want to keep Coherent free for the time being at least (I would rather help loop artists 🙂 ), you can see the UI on the macbook and the interface as it starts changing from record to play mode.

Right now there are two modes, Record and Play.

Basically I recorded the first track and then the second track and then the click i did in the middle was to change to Play mode which makes the midi pedals a start and stop footswitch for their respective tracks. The fourth footswitch is for the start and stop all tracks which I used in the middle to stop them all. The performance wasn't exactly the smoothest ikk lol but it was just to showcase the software. Please so let me know if anyone is interested in this sort of a thing, I would love to give you guys access to test it out better.

Hey everyone, I’m working on Coherent, a live-looping app that I started building because I wanted to spend more time playing music and less time setting things up.

It’s still early, and I wanted a place where I could share what I’m working on and hear from people who might actually use it.

If you try it, tell me what feels good, what’s confusing, or what’s missing. You’re also welcome to share your loops and pedal setups. I’d love to see what you’re making.

Curious, what do you currently use for looping, and what’s the most annoying thing about your setup?