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Re: Exploring new Loooperlative features



At 2:07 PM +0200 5/12/09, Sjaak wrote:
>
>I have just started to use the aux outputs of the LP1. What I'm 
>going to try is to program a switch on my MFC which fires the follow 
>commands:
>
>1) LP1 => Half speed
>2) LP1 => Assign to AUX 1
>3) Mainstage or Bidule => Activate Pitchshifter

That oughta work!  :)

>I haven't tried the following, but since we have two AUX outputs so 
>if you combine the new LP1 functions (3rd, 4th ,5th etc) with a 
>pitchsifter, I'm curious if you could create usuable three-note 
>chords.

Ah, now there are a couple of things worth thinking about if you're 
trying to get a three-note chord:

First, depending upon your shifter, you may be able to do this simply 
by routing to a single pitch transposition device.  I'm using an 
Alesis Akira, for instance, and it will let me output two entirely 
different transposed voices.  I route out Aux 1 to the Akira, then 
use MIDI CC's to control the interval of the two harmonies.  The 
Akira's Mix knob controls the balance between the transposed voices 
and the original signal, resulting in quick-&-dirty triads.  I know 
other devices will do (at least) two harmony voices, so you may be 
able to do what you want with a very simple setup.

Second, if you're going to try this with single-harmony transposers 
on both Aux Outs, you're going to have to add some commands in there 
to copy or bounce tracks.  IIRC, an LP1 track can only access a 
single output.  I put in a feature request a while back to change 
that (wishlist item #19, also details at: 
http://www.looperlative.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=88&p=2485#p2485 
) but I don't think there's been any progress yet.  To output the 
same track through all three Outs (Main, Aux 1, & Aux 2) you have to 
copy the original track over to two more tracks.  You then need to 
set Track 1 to Main, Track 2 to Aux 1, and Track 3 to Aux 2.

Of course, with a Mix control on either of the pitch shifters, you 
can bleed the original signal through and possibly save on one track. 
This overall methodology does start to eat tracks, though, so be 
aware and plan ahead.

>I have also been experimenting by copying a loop to a new track and 
>play it half speed. If you do this with percussion or drums, you get 
>a nice syncopation effect.

Sweet.  I used to do that with our samplers years ago (old Emu 
Emax's, SCI 2000-series's, etc., etc., etc.; kinda dating myself 
here, i guess).  I lost many an evening just standing there in the 
dark watching the lights blink and listening to the parts play 
against each other.

One other thing that helps with this time stretch gimmick is if you 
think of the LP1's transposition ability as the "Time" control, and 
the shifter as the "Pitch" control.  I've gotten plenty of ideas by 
considering the LP1's transpositions solely as the ability to stretch 
the time of a loop between 1/4x and 4x it's original speed; then 
viewing the shifter as what ultimately determines the loop's pitch.

For instance, copy a melody track and drop it to half-speed -- just 
as you did with the drums above.  However, now set the pitch shifter 
to only +7 semitones.  Now, you have the second melody track moving 
and half the speed of the original, and playing a harmony that is a 
perfect fourth lower than the original track.

Add a bit of MIDI control, and you can control the harmony in real 
time: perhaps shifting it to a fifth, an octave or a third below 
during the middle of the loop.  Or add a sequence to control the 
harmonies.  Bill Walker used to do some really way-out stuff like 
this on his Repeater, and his stuff was just frickin' beautiful!

Lots of neat combinations there.  Good luck!  ;)

        --m.
-- 
_____
"when you think your dreams are shattered, it's time to dream new dreams"