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At 3:35 AM -0700 8/11/98, Andreas Willers wrote: >Yo, I love hands-on analog control via knobs as well! And while the EDP >has >a lot of very clever features I find it's biggest disadvantage (correct me >if I'm wrong, I've never actually seen one) the lack of pitch control >(starting with that classic Les Paul 8va/8vb tape speed stuff). It's interesting that this pops up all the time, and I'd hazzard that this is another of those guitarist-centric things. (or a sound-designer centric thing....) It seems to come from a perspective of looping devices as sound effects or audio processors, as opposed to a type of audio recording device. Well, I think loopers like the echoplex, jamman, boomerang, etc. are NOT sound effects. Looking at these things to be sound effects is sort of missing the point completely. These devices are designed for recording audio and giving you easy ways to loop it and manipulate how and when it is played back. They are much more like samplers or hard disk recorders in that way, in this case with special features designed for real-time use. Those "clever features" on the echoplex that let you do this type of thing, ARE the echoplex. That's what it's purpose is. It wasn't designed to create weird noises itself, which is why it doesn't. It's job is to record them and reproduce them and give you ways to manipulate them in time, not impart any character of its own. There are often ways to abuse the features and get these loop devices to make interesting sound effects, but those are typically secondary to the real purpose of the device. (and indeed, most of these things people mention were actually "abuses" of features on old devices!) Citing something like the lack of a pitch-warping effect as the echoplex's "biggest disadvantage" is absurd, when that has absolutely nothing to do with the point of the device in the first place. It wasn't designed to be a sound effect, therefore it comes as no surprise that it isn't one. In fact, we frequently debate this during the design process. New features are constantly being forced to prove that they belong there and remain true to the nature and purpose of the device. Just because you could add something, doesn't always mean that you should! You might just end up with confused, tasteless mush. kim ______________________________________________________________________ Kim Flint | Looper's Delight kflint@annihilist.com | http://www.annihilist.com/loop/loop.html http://www.annihilist.com/ | Loopers-Delight-request@annihilist.com