Re: What I'd love from a next-generation looper

[Joe Cavaleri <cavaleri@simi-valley.ate.slb.com>]

                Hi Len,

        For problem #1. you might want to investigate the Dimention Beam.
        It's a infrared controller -- hope other loopers can fill in the
        details..


        Problem #2. I believe that there are several units on the market
        that are able to achieve this effect. ie. Eventide Harmonizer ect.
        Unfortunately I have the opposite problem.  I want a unit that will
        enable me to change both the speed/pitch of my loops.

                                        joe


At 09:35 AM 3/19/98 -0500, you wrote:
>I love my Echoplex and use it extensively as a compositional tool. I also
>use it for live performance, for mostly improvised music. Of course, there
>are some things that you just can't get from a looper that you get playing
>with other living breathing musicians. It may be technically impossibile 
>to
>get them from a looping rig, but I'd be interested to hear from the
>experts. Also, I'd be interested to hear how other musicians deal with
>these limitations of currently available gear for looping:
>
>1) I hate volume pedals as a mechanism for controlling feedback and/or
>output level. This is because I feel better (and therefore play better) if
>I am free to move. Standing and using a volume pedal puts me off balance.
>(True, this is not strictly a looping problem, but it is much more
>important when your "backup band" is a loop as opposed to good, responsive
>musicians who know how to use dynamics.) Are there any alternatives to
>volume pedals, either currently available or that anyone can envision? 
>
>Here's a thought (probably crazy, but at least I could control it and 
>still
>have good balance): what about a series of footswitches that would allow
>you with one press to select a given volume? Maybe 7 or 8 switches all in 
>a
>row and with a single press you select a new volume. Also, it would be
>great to have the option to either make the change immediate or to have it
>take place over time (e.g., a Crescendo/Decrescendo mode parameter with
>possible values immediate, short, long?). Heck, can I do something like
>this now with a midi pedal?
>
>2) I'd love to be able to change the tempo of my loop without changing
>pitch. This is something that is a staple of music from many cultures
>(e.g., Indian classical music, much African music): get a groove going and
>gradually speed it up, building the intensity. You can do it with live
>musicians, but I don't know how to do it with a looped material. Any
>thoughts on how to achieve this? Or is this a technical impossibility?
>
>I look forward to hearing your ideas.
>
>Thanks,
>Len
>
>
>