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Re: Multiple Loopers



At 01:29 PM 4/21/98 -0400, Mark Kata wrote:
>Several members of Loopers-Delight use two or more loopers to create 
>music.
>
>I've tried using two loopers and an AB box to switch from one to the 
>other.
>However, as the density of the loops increases, it becomes more difficult
>for me to remember which looper I added a specific musical phrase.
>
>What techniques can you suggest for this?  And what techniques are
>especially useful when using multiple loopers?

I usually use different loopers for different purposes, so it's pretty 
clear
which one is doing what. 

for example, I've been experimenting a bit with this setup: I have 2
echoplexes in my guitar rack for stereo loops, which pretty much act like a
single unit. Another echoplex is on the aux send of a mixer that is
primarily devoted to percussion, returning to one of the mixer inputs. 
Other
inputs of the mixer are devoted to the multiple outs of drum machines. the
sequences from the drum machine are loops too, and by taking advantage of
the four outs I effectively have five different percussion loops on the
mixer inputs. (another input is for live percussion playing through drum
triggers, which I don't do much of since I'm still a pretty lousy
percussionist.) By controlling the aux mix I can grab different snippets of
percussion in the echoplex and muck around with things from there. I'll
probably add another echoplex to the mixer output for capturing the whole
thing, so that will be another loop. I usually set up the drum sequences so
that the outputs are consistent, ie out 1 = snare, out 2 = bass drums, out 
3
= hihats, etc, so that each channel has it's own purpose. It can still get
kinda complicated though.

So how to remember what is where? Here are some ideas I have, which might 
help:

- be consistent about what you put into different loopers, so it's easier 
to
remember what went where. Maybe one is for rhythmic things and another is
for droney ambient things, or divide up by instrument like I am. If you do
that it makes sense to use labels too.

- use a mixer so that you can briefly adjust a fader knob, hear what 
happens
and remind you. Or you could just subtly adjust output volumes on one 
device
or another and see if it's the one you want.

- use level meters so that you can "see" what's in each one. Some loop
devices will have a level LED of some sort to indicate loop audio. (like 
the
feedback LED on the echoplex). In a dense loop that might just be on all 
the
time, so it may or may not help.

- use a headphone monitor, with a different mix control than the amplified
sound. (like dj's do)

- just wing it, and pretend that the result was intentional.

hope this helps, I'd like to hear any other ideas people have. Or any ideas
of how a future loop device might make this sort of thing easier. Everybody
seems to want multiple loop capability in next generation loopers, but
that's the simple part. Figuring out a useful interface to control that is
the real challenge.

kim
_______________________________________________________
Kim Flint                       408-752-9284
Mpact Systems Engineering       kflint@chromatic.com
Chromatic Research              http://www.chromatic.com