Back to the glossary
SoftwarePhase 8#A

Auto Loop

Loop with a fixed number of beats — snapped to the beat grid by quantize.

Detailed explanation

An auto loop (rekordbox calls it Auto Beat Loop) is a loop with a preset number of beats. Click the Auto Beat Loop button and the current playback position becomes the loop in point; the loop then runs for the number of beats you selected. With quantize turned on, rekordbox pulls the points onto the nearest beat grid, so the loop starts on the beat without you having to hit the moment exactly. Loops with freely chosen boundaries are the Manual Loop instead, set with loop in and loop out.

Sources (1)
  • rekordbox Instruction Manual
    Primary sourceAlphaTheta Corporation·Manufacturer·2026-07-06·retrieved 04.08.2026

    Version 7.2.16, 265 pages, in English — full text in the archive. Menu paths and feature set can change with every update. ⚠️ A complete GERMAN edition of the 7.x manual does not exist — in German there is only a 30-page introduction to 7.2.14. Waiting for it was waiting for something that isn't there. Current software on 10.08.2026: 7.2.17 (30.07.2026).

In practice

The track has an eight-bar outro, but you need sixteen to get across cleanly. Instead of rushing you hit an eight-beat auto loop on the last clean section — the software cuts exactly on the beat grid and repeats seamlessly. Now you have as much time as you want. The only thing that matters is releasing the loop before the new track reaches its downbeat, otherwise you suddenly hear two structures fighting each other.

Assessment by the DJLearn editorial team — experience, not a sourced factual claim.

Explained in this phase

Phase 8: Hot Cues & Loops

View phase