Hi all,
I’m a classical musician and new to the possibilities of digital production. I’m learning as I go and write music for orchestral instruments but want to be able to work in beats or loops into my compositions using the pads. Currently I create loops in my DAW but I know that I should be able to trigger these on the pads on my beautiful Arturia. But I can’t figure out how! Please help 
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This is a sample of my music so you can see the kind of things I’m working on https://on.soundcloud.com/no6ve2zK6MHJ2vuXA
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Hi @Wurligig ! Welcome to the forum!
What are you using? Cause the most common way to do beats and loops is on Ableton Live. here in this video yo can see how it works.
If you still can’t do what are you searching for…just write back 
See you around! Have a great day!
Thanks so much for this. I’ve had a look but I’m actually using Reaper. It might not be the DAW that I should stick with so happy to try Ableton of its better in the long run.
My main issue is that I don’t know how the sounds are assigned on principle. Would it be the same across most DAWs?
Where I’m at is:
- Creating a template in midi control centre
- Assigning this to a user
- Not sure how to assign sounds to each pad - it’s this part done in the DAW?
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Your welcome!
Ok I understand, Reaper is a good DAW but for the things your looking for I think Ableton is more accurate 
1.- Well in the midi control centre you can configure the user mode that you want, but for Ableton we have a DAW template or most of the DAW configuration already mapped with Ableton. So maybe this could work:
2.- To assign the template first you have to create one and save it with the name you want. Than you have to select where do you want to “Store To” and press that option.ç
- New Template
- Store To
3.- Yes, with Ableton you can work with the arrangment mode like in most DAW or with the clips mode. In this mode you can set loops or sounds in clips and then play it with the pads or assign it with MIDI map ( cmd+m on mac or ctrl+m on windows).
I hope this will help you! If you need more help just write back 
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Hi @Wurligig. Welcome.
An addition.
Yes it’s done in the DAW. The controller have no onboard sounds.
If you for example have a instrument with loops and single drum and effect sounds in your DAW, then that device usually is controller by one or more specified notes. A pad on your controller set to one of those notes will trigger the sound associated with that note in the instrument.
Depending on the instrument or whatever you use in your DAW, then pads might be set to another functionality like Control Channge, to for example control a a play/ stop button.
In Ableton you can control it’s clips functionality like @VFertorandez write. But i’m not sure that’s what you mean by loop, if you allready can do something in Reaper.