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Re: freedom, syncing and quantization



oh, Kim again... I had no idea you did all this (apart form testing :-)...
can we hear a result on some CD project or so?

Thanks
Matthias

>At 05:15 PM 1/15/98 -0300, Matthias Grob wrote:
>
>>Does anyone use the Quantize feature of the Plex? (I understood there is 
>a
>>equivalent on the JamMan with a name I do not remember)
>>I guess Q level it mainly interesting to work in planned "organized" 
>music,
>>where you treat bars and measures.
>
>I use the quantize function a lot these days. Originally I liked it 
>because
>it helped me execute functions more accurately while playing guitar. I 
>don't
>play guitar with loops so much these days (or much at all actually), I'm
>following some muse into more percussively oriented electronic dance 
>music.
>It's organized in the sense that you are often concerned about 
>maintaining a
>beat and keeping things aligned according to measure and section, which
>means a heavy use of midi clock for syncing. In my case the planned aspect
>mostly ends there, as I'm experimenting with taking a more improvised
>approach to it rather than sequencing every last millisecond. But I still
>want to keep the tempo and beat steady, and not have those things fly out 
>of
>my control.
>
>For this, quantized loop functions are great. It's very easy to record
>things played in real time and get a loop sync'd with the sequence and
>aligned with the first beat of the pattern. Since I'm also manipulating 
>the
>mixer or effects parameters, or triggering drum samples or something, it's
>incredibly handy to be able to press the record or multiply or whatever
>function when it is convenient, and know that it is going to come in 
>exactly
>when it is supposed to. I can finish the function in the same way, by
>pressing when it is convenient, and the plex ends the function quantized 
>to
>the end of the sequenced patterns. I can then go about manipulating this
>loop, effecting it, mixing it in and out, generally terrorizing it, but
>keeping it in time the way I want.
>
>As an example, I have the loopers on aux sends of the mixer, synced to 
>midi
>clock from a sequencer. I like to take a loop of the drums and reverse it,
>mixing the reverse in and out with the original. First I start the 
>sequence
>and then record a loop of its output, which is very convenient because
>everything is sync'd and quantized to the first beat of the pattern. I 
>just
>hit record any time, and it starts at the right moment. I hit it again 
>when
>I've got as much as I want, and it waits to end of the measure to end for
>me. Easy! The two are sync'd, aligned, running along next to each other.
>Then I hit reverse on the echoplex. The quantizing waits to the end of the
>measure before reversing the loop. So now the reversed drums are going,
>still sync'd to the original and aligned to the measures. Then I go nuts
>with the faders, bringing reversed drum hits in and out, using quick
>crossfades between the two, or whatever, creating a new pattern of reverse
>and forward drums.
>
>I might then use multiply to add some real-time playing to the loop, put 
>it
>back forwards, and mix between the new loop and the old pattern. Or change
>patterns, or whatever. I'll use NextLoop to record several different loops
>like this, and it's all quantized and in time with the clock and lined up
>with other echoplexes and the sequencer. I can do quantized switches 
>between
>all the loops, while mostly concentrating on the mixer, effects, and
>playing, and it all stays in time where I want it. There's tons of
>possibilities, and I'm only just beginning to explore it with a rather
>rudimentary setup. Without quantize I would never be able to execute the
>loop functions perfectly enough to keep it all together. With quantize 
>it's
>a snap, and I can concentrate on doing other things while the looper does
>it's job on it's own.
>
>As a more advanced technique, I also like to set the echoplexes to time
>signatures different from the sequence and each other. Then I capture the
>drum pattern from the sequencer in different time signatures, and run it
>next to the original. So I might have the original in 4/4 and the loop in
>13/8. Running them next to each other gives a constantly shifting rhythm
>pattern that can be very interesting. By controlling the mix you can 
>easily
>change which one dominates, effectively morphing from one time signature 
>to
>another. Quantize is again a life saver here, because I can execute loop
>functions without the beat getting out of whack. What's also interesting 
>is
>the quantize point changes against the original sequence. It's still in
>time, just at a different beat each time through. So you can keep things
>evolving.
>
>so anyway, I'm a quantizing fan!
>
>now back to the boring work....
>
>kim
>________________________________________________________
>Kim Flint                     408-752-9284
>Mpact System Engineering       kflint@chromatic.com
>Chromatic Research             http://www.chromatic.com