What decides the loop length?

The first take does, and it is the only one whose length is free. Every later layer is padded with silence or trimmed to match that length before it is mixed in, which is what keeps a slightly short or long second take in time rather than shifting the whole loop.

Why does the panel warn about the mix peak?

Because layers are summed, so several healthy takes can add up to a level that clips. The readout reports the combined peak, and when it crosses the ceiling the panel says the mix will clip on playback and suggests lowering the input next time. Keeping each layer modest is the way to build up several without running out of room.

Can I remove one layer and keep the rest?

No. The takes are mixed into a single summed performance, and there is no per layer control afterwards. The available options are to download what you have, or to clear everything and start again, which is why it is worth getting the base loop right before layering much over it.

How long can a single take run?

It stops itself at roughly four loop lengths once a loop exists, or at sixty seconds for the first take. The limit is a safety net for a forgotten recording rather than a musical constraint, and it scales with the loop so a longer loop permits a longer overdub.

Why does the next layer sound like it has my previous take in it?

Because monitoring through speakers means the microphone hears the playback along with your performance. The audio path is shared between playback and capture, so headphones are the fix. Recording the next layer without monitoring at all avoids the bleed but makes timing harder.

Loop Recorder

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Loop Recorder builds a performance up layer by layer, using the first take to set the loop length and mixing later takes into it. Each layer plays back in sync while the next is recorded over the top.

What is Loop Recorder?

Record a base loop, press play to hear it while you record the next layer, and repeat. Every take after the first is fitted to the loop length and mixed in, and the result can be downloaded as a single WAV.

The controls and the rules they follow:

A record control that reads Record base loop for the first take and Record layer plus its number afterwards.
A play control that loops the current mix, and continues running while you record over it.
A stop playback control, and a download control that produces the mixed loop as a WAV.
A clear all control that discards every take and resets the loop length.
A status line naming the loop length in seconds, noting that take one set it and how many takes exist so far.
A mix readout reporting the combined peak, with a warning when the mix is loud enough to clip on playback.

Take one defines the loop, because it is the only take whose length is unconstrained. Every later layer is padded with silence if it is shorter or trimmed if it is longer, then summed with the others, which is what makes a slightly late second take land in time with the first rather than shifting everything. Playback runs through an audio context with the mixed buffer set to loop, so you hear the accumulated performance while recording the next part over it. Each channel is checked for a combined peak above the ceiling, and when it exceeds it the panel warns that the mix will clip on playback and suggests lowering the input for the next take. That warning exists because layers are summed, so a stack of individually sensible takes drifts upwards until the sum runs out of room. A safety stop ends any take after roughly four loop lengths, or sixty seconds for the first one, so a forgotten take cannot run indefinitely. The download is a 16-bit WAV of the summed mix.

Where a looper ends and other tools begin:

Only the microphone input is captured, so an external instrument needs to reach it through a microphone or a mixed feed.
The mix is destructive in the sense that layers are summed; there is no way to remove one layer and keep the rest.
Every layer shares the loop length, so a part that needs a different length cannot be added.
There is no undo, no metering while recording and no per layer volume control.
Playback and recording use the same audio path, so monitoring a layer through the computer speakers can bleed into the next take.
The first take's length is fixed at capture, so a loop that is slightly the wrong length has to be rebuilt from scratch.

Use it for the classic layering workflow: a rhythm part first, then harmony, then a counter line, each recorded while the previous ones play. Keep the input modest, watch the mix peak readout as layers accumulate, and download the result before adding more takes than the summed level can bear. Each pass after the first is an overdub on the layer beneath it, which means the earlier performances are always present underneath, so the order you record in decides what you can hear while playing the next part.

How to use Loop Recorder

Record the base loop, which sets the length every later layer will be fitted to.
Press play so the loop runs, then record the next layer over it in time.
Repeat as needed, watching the mix peak readout so accumulating layers do not clip.
Download the combined mix as a WAV, or clear all and start again with a better base length.

When to use Loop Recorder vs related tools

Loop Recorder is for building a part up in layers in one sitting, which is a performance workflow rather than an editing one. Audio Loop Maker turns an existing recording into a seamless loop instead of capturing one, and Metronome keeps the timing honest while the base take is recorded. Once a mix exists, Audio Trimmer tidies it, and Click Track Generator is the alternative way to hold tempo for the first layer.

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