How to Loop in Logic Pro for iPad [All File Types]

Logic [iPad] came out on the 23rd of May, 2023, and I’ve been messing around with it and cross-referencing with the manual ever since. Apple released an extensive user guide on their site but sometimes the instructions weren’t clear to me. Looping certain tracks is one example.

To loop audio, MIDI, or drummer regions in Logic Pro for iPad, highlight the region by clicking on it with your finger or Apple Pencil. Press ‘L’ on your keyboard to loop the region. Drag the region back to the desired area. For sub-tracks, reveal the main track first by pressing the arrow next to it.

How to Loop A Region in Logic Pro [iPad] The Fastest Way

How to Loop in Logic Pro for iPad & Import Files

It took me a moment to figure out why the guitar track was half the size of the other tracks, and why I couldn’t just loop it as I was doing with the other tracks, but we’ll talk about this in a minute.

The fastest way to loop a region in Logic [iPad] is to do what I already suggested in the bolded paragraph at the start of the article. I’ll show you a more in-depth and illustrated explanation of that very process now.

1) Select Your Audio, MIDI, or Drummer Track Region

In order to select your audio track, first ensure that you don’t have something like “Trim” selected instead of “Loop.” What happens when you try and select the region will change depending on which editing function you’ve selected.

Usually, just tapping on the region with your finger/pencil with Loop enabled will select the region without messing with it.

2) Press ‘L’ On Your Keyboard To Automatically Loop The Region

This is the same keyboard shortcut for both Logic Pro X and GarageBand, by the way. How intuitive to make the keyboard shortcut start with the same letter? You can also press and hold the Command key on your keyboard to bring up available shortcuts in the current workspace.

3) Drag The Region According To How Many Repetitions You Want

This is probably the easiest way, in my opinion. Although it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to reduce the size/length of the Logic [iPad] project that way it doesn’t go all the way back to the 113th bar like you can see in the image above.

Anyway, this is the best way. I’ll show you another one right now.

How to Manually Loop MIDI, Drummer, & Audio in Logic [iPad]

1) With Your Project Open, Press On The Loop Icon

2) Use Your Finger or Apple Pencil To Loop The Region

Every time you repeat a loop, there is a notch in the region which symbolizes that it has been repeated at least once. Extend the loop however many times you want according to the bars. The most common length is 4 bars which are 5 lines.

The same rules apply when you’ve cut a region in half or trimmed it in some way. The green part of the region (assuming you haven’t changed the colour), is the visible part of the region and only it will play when you listen back to your project.

2 Quick Tips for Looping in Logic Pro for iPad

Sometimes I find I’m unable to get it to loop because some part of the workspace is out of view, or I have to zoom in on the tracks. In these cases, you can do either of these things:

1) Zoom in On The Tracks And Then Loop It

If you’re not zoomed in enough, you won’t be able to grab onto the end of the region to loop it. Make sure you’ve done that first. To zoom in on the track, put your two fingers close on the iPad screen and spread your fingers apart on the desired region.

2) Just Press ‘L’ On Your Keyboard

Press ‘L’ on your keyboard to just loop it until the end of the project and then drag it back like I showed you earlier.

How to Loop Sub-Tracks & Hidden Tracks in Logic [iPad]

As I was saying earlier, this part took me a second to figure out. The reason is that if you take a look at the second image under heading number 2, you’ll notice the green MIDI track region of the amplifier is minimized or cut in half.

You can’t work with it like you normally would. I’ll show you how to fix that.

1) Press on the Loop Button At The Top Of The Interface

This is the first thing you want to do.

2) Expand the Sub-Track By Clicking The Collapsable Arrow

Essentially, this will expand the amplifier tracks into however many tracks it’s made out of, and then you’ll have the ability to work with the region. Pay attention to how the Never Ender Amp region is 50% of the size of the other ones.

3) Loop The Region By Dragging It According to the Number of Repeats

This is what caused me the most confusion. When you open up a guitar amplifier simulator in Logic Pro for iPad which is what I did, I noticed that it reduced the size of the region by 50%. It cut its thickness in half.

I was wondering what had happened. It turns out that the track had just been reduced to sub-tracks. With the “Never Ender” guitar setting, there is a right & left delay output so each delay goes onto separate tracks.

You’ll have to expand the sub-tracks first in order to loop the proper region like what I’ve shown above. As far as I know at the moment, this is how you’ll always have to loop your guitar tracks and other sub-stacks.

But what if you want to save your loops? I showed how to do this in my looping guide for GarageBand iOS and it really isn’t that different from GarageBand. I find it surprising that Logic for iPad doesn’t have a quick method to save loops as part of your sound library. But I digress. Let me show you how to do it.

How to Save Your Own Loop in Logic Pro for iPad

From what I understand currently, there is no way to quickly save a region or audio track as a loop to be inputted into your sound library.

So what you’ll have to do is export the desired region manually, create a separate folder on your device, and then access it via the Files App as shown in my guide to importing sounds.

You’ll probably have to create a separate folder for your samples and sounds at some point anyway, so it’s all good. I’ll walk you through this process right now.

1) With Your Project Open, Use the Mute/Solo Buttons to Isolate the Desired Region

2) Click On The Drop-Down Arrow On The Top-Left To Export

You’ll want to click on the “Export” button.

3) Choose the Uncompressed File and Then Select ‘Share’

After that, you’ll get the option to decide where to send your files.

4) Select “Save to Files” And Then Choose ‘Logic Pro for iPad’

5) Create A Separate Folder In ‘Logic Pro for iPad’ For Easy Access Later

6) Use the ‘Slide Over’ Function In The Files App To Drag the Saved Loop In Later

At the moment, I’m not entirely clear whether you can bring in your own samples and audio directly from the browser.

I think you may have to use the Files app to drag things in, but I haven’t figured everything out yet in Logic. I plan on doing a tutorial 3-4 times per week going forward, so come back to check out if there are any changes.

Other Articles You May Be Interested In

• How to Import Audio Into Logic Pro for iPad
• How to Loop in GarageBand [iOS]
• How to Import Audio into GarageBand [macOS/iOS]

Important Things to Note About Looping in Logic Pro for iPad

1) It’s Possible There Are Other Ways to Loop and Save Loops in Logic Pro for iPad

I mentioned earlier that Apple released a solid 900-page manual for Logic Pro for iPad. I recommend checking it out printing it and saving it on your device. That’s what I did. Here’s a link to it on the Apple website.