Deck controls
Loop roll
A loop roll repeats a short slice of the track — usually a beat or less — while the record keeps running underneath. Release it and playback continues from where it would have been, so nothing is lost.
In practice
Roll the last bar before a drop, halving the length as you go: 1 beat, then 1/2, then 1/4, released on the downbeat.
The reason it works is that each halving doubles the event rate without changing the tempo, so the room hears acceleration where the record has none. Keep it to the bar immediately before a landing point and release on the beat you were heading for — a roll released mid-bar leaves the arrangement hanging. Slip mode is what makes it safe: the track underneath never stops, so a roll held too long costs you nothing.
| Roll length | Seconds | What it reads as |
|---|---|---|
| 1 bar (4 beats) | 1.90 | A held phrase |
| 2 beats | 0.95 | A stumble |
| 1 beat | 0.48 | A build starting |
| 1/2 beat | 0.24 | Tension |
| 1/4 beat | 0.12 | A stutter |
Where these come from: Arithmetic off the 4/4 grid at 126 BPM — the median tempo across the 273,725 house, techno and trance tracks in our catalog — not a measurement of rolls. For what we can measure, see the arranged version of the same effect.
Why it matters
It is the cheapest tension device on the deck. Halving the roll length repeatedly turns a bar into a build without any of the arrangement being written that way, which is how a plain drum outro becomes an ending.
It is also the move most easily overused. A roll announces itself as an effect, so two per set reads as taste and ten reads as a nervous tic — the same trap the filter sweep sets.
Frequently asked
What is the difference between a loop and a loop roll?+
A loop moves you: release it and you are wherever the loop left you. A roll runs over the top with the track continuing underneath, so releasing it returns you to the arrangement as if nothing happened.
How long should a loop roll be?+
Start at a beat and halve. Anything longer than a bar stops sounding like an effect and starts sounding like you got stuck; a quarter-beat roll is a stutter and belongs in the last moment before a landing.
When should you use a loop roll?+
In the bar before a drop or a transition, released on the downbeat you are aiming at. It manufactures a build on a record that was not arranged with one.
Related terms
Slip mode
Slip mode keeps the track running silently underneath whatever you are doing to it. When you release a loop, a scratch or a reverse, playback jumps to where the record would have been if you had never touched it.
Performance pads
Performance pads are the grid of rubber buttons on a controller or player. Each pad mode reassigns the whole grid to a different job — hot cues, loop rolls, slicing, samples or beat jumps.
Riser
A riser is a sound that climbs in pitch or volume through a build-up, signalling that something is about to land. White noise, a filtered sweep or a rolling snare all do the job.
Phrase
A phrase is a block of bars a track is built from, usually 8, 16 or 32. Electronic music changes at phrase boundaries, so a mix that starts on one keeps both tracks structurally in step.
Explore: Beats-to-time calculator · BPM to milliseconds · Slip mode · All DJ terms