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Looper's Delight
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Neil Goldstein wrote: > > OTOH, The combination of (in my case JamMan) a loop device and audio > sequencer provide the best of both worlds, enabling for example, syncing >of > the loop device via midi (where midi sets the loop length simply through > defining a click or playing an instrumental groove; and/or capturing the > "acoustic" loop created in the device to the computer, for further audio > processing and adding midi tracks, or extracting a "groove" track from >your > playing to be applied to other tracks. Neil's observation pretty much sums up my idea of MIDI looping. I do a lot in the studio with the JamMan slaved to my sequencer and then capture the loops to tape or sampler. But there's more to it, I'm big on MIDI syncronized synth arpeggiation and rhythmic LFOs. I've got a Nord Lead synth which I can get up to 4 parts of syncronized rhythmic noises going, the key being the external MIDI clock source. In the studio I usually use the computer sequencer for a clock even if not sequencing. In performance, however, I do one of two things and sometimes use a MIDI patchbay to switch between the following. The first option is using the JamMAn as the master clock. The one disadvantage with that is that if you aren't in loop mode or in loop mode but have no loop going there is no clock transmitted and the synth is now lost. So the other option is a portable clock source- I use a MIDI solutions "pedal controller", a small $60 device that allows you to tap tempo and send MIDI clock. So I send that clock to both the JamMan and the synth and the two are as one. Let's say I start an arpeggiated pattern on the synth (synced to clock), I start recording a loop on the JamMan and what pops out is a perfectly timed replicate of the pattern. I can then use that as a backdrop for more syncronized synth patterns and noises. Concerning the Nord Lead synth in live performance (no sequencer), I use a little trick to accomplish what I geuss can be considered a particular type of MIDI looping. The Nord has four buttons for each of the available patches. If I play a patch (again I'm usually talking about arpeggiated patterns or rhythmic LFOs), hold down the sustain pedal and switch to another patch, the original patch is held permenantly until I switch back to it and give it a note off with the sustain pedal. This is an advatageous use of what is familiarly known as a MIDI stuck note (usually a very bad thing). So by strategic latching of the patches I can get a four part loop going all synced up with each other and with the JamMan. Then I move on to one of my non-MIDI analogue synths looped with the non-MIDI Vortex synced to the very innaccurate clock in my head. BOB.