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Re: Looper developer looking for opinions on some interface questions



(Resending this without images, as I think the system might have dropped 
the message - been a few hours since I sent the original)


Right, so I've gone away and done some thinking, and I'm hoping to gauge 
your thoughts on this, if I may be so bold.

Firstly, about new loop length quantisation:

>> Please remember to offer odd numbers as well! Ableton's Looper only
>> Multiplies/Divides by 2 and that really sucks when you are used to
>> setting up poly rhythmic textures that matches 3 against 4.
> 
> Here here!  Also very limiting when trying to improvise song forms where 
>differing song sections have differing lengths that are not even 
>multiples of the first loop.  This limitation in Ableton has driven many 
>to use mobius rather than than the ableton looper.  
> 
> (and once you have scaled the learning curve of mobius, there really is 
>no going back.   Why climb a lesser mountain? 

My current plan is, Loopy will round new loops to whatever multiple's 
closest, be it 2, 4, 3, 5, or anything you can dream up.  If the new loop 
is shorter than the master loop, however, it currently limits to 
power-of-two fractions (half, quarter, etc), under the assumption that 
it's going to be harder to accurately time shorter lengths manually, so it 
makes some guesses to help you out.  

I'm thinking for more weird fractions, the below scheme with auto-punch 
might do the trick.

So, I need to devise a simple way to configure and trigger auto-punch - to 
quantize the punch out control events. (Unless advised otherwise, I'm 
thinking of limiting punch in - the count-in - to the beginning of the 
next master loop)

I sent the following to Daniel already, but I'm very interested in Per's 
opinion too, and anyone else who's out there.

I'm still pondering the options here - it's got to be something that gives 
easy access to a base setting (eg. 1x master loop) for beginners, but that 
provides the ability to indicate different durations, too, for more 
advanced users.

Perhaps what's needed is a basic default - 1 X the master loop, but then 
more advanced users can configure other lengths.

Something I've implemented already in Loopy is a radial menu system that 
you access by holding a track:

http://resources.atastypixel.com/PastedGraphic-2.png

And radial sliders, that you change by dragging your finger around the 
circle, like a knob:

http://resources.atastypixel.com/PastedGraphic-3.png
http://resources.atastypixel.com/PastedGraphic-4.png

Perhaps one setting could be "Auto end" (or something), which, when 
selected, gives you a slider to select multiples, or fractions of the main 
loop.   The interaction would be:

- Hold finger on track till menu appears
- Tap 'Auto end'
- Slide radial slider around to configure length (perhaps when it's below 
a certain threshold, like 1/2, it activates stutter mode, which will keep 
recording indefinitely, but stuttering on every 1/nth duration?)
- Tap to hide menu

Then, when you're ready:

- Tap with 2 fingers to do a count-in that starts at the beginning of the 
next master loop, and runs until the set duration's up.  

Or, to start recording straight away:

- Tap the center, then
- Tap the track again with 2 fingers to activate the auto-end.

Is that too hard?  I'll need to have a look to see how existing systems 
handle it, I think - particularly whether they present it as a setting you 
pre-configure, or some gesture/etc that lets you instantly select the 
length at the time you start recording.

Many thanks, again,
Michael