Re: (affordable) stereo (live) looping?

["Cino" <CinoPolnesi@att.net>]

Dennis W. Leas wrote:
> Several years ago I bought a second EDP
> primarily because I wanted stereo looping.
> To my surprise, I hardly ever use the pair in
> stereo.  Typically, I find it much more useful to
> have two independent EDPs, sometimes synced
> and sometimes not.
>
> Perhaps it's just how and what I loop.  But, I'm
> curious, how many owners of multi-EDP set-ups
> actually use them in stereo?

I don't.  I'd been using the EDP for about 4 years, and 6 months ago got a
second unit.  I had no real desire to go to stereo, I was thinking more
along the lines of "If 1 EDP is this great and versatile, imagine what 2
would be like!"  Like you, I tend to use them both synced and unsynced.  I
tried the "stereo" option once (unintentionally) and my immediate thought
was "Wow, that's kind of a waste of one very powerful machine!"  Of course,
this is only my opinion.

My original intent was to send hand percussion to one unit and sync the
other for melodic instruments and drones.  But then I started mixing the
two, having contrasting melodic and rhythmic patterns in each unit.  I 
guess
this is sort of a "default stereo," since there is a distinct separation.

One of the things I've most enjoyed with this setup is placing  percussion
and melodic instruments in each of the two synced units, but setting them 
to
different time lengths.  For instance, I'll record a short loop on one, 
then
multiply and overdub to, say, 8 "measures."  Since the units are synced the
second unit will pick up the original loop length when I record a separate
pattern or instrument on it.  I'll then multiply this out to, say, 10
"measures."  This creates a very pleasant 'kaleidoscopic' shifting in
patterns as the two loops go in and out of phase while still maintaining 
the
same rhythmic basis.  Then to make things really interesting I will record 
a
melodic part into both units simultaneously.  As soon as the loops shift 
out
of phase, the melody will be heard in both left and right, but with a
built-in delay between left and right.  This sounds equally good in short
delays (1-2 seconds) and longer delay times (>10 seconds, etc.).  Another
really cool effect is that when the 2 shifting loops return to the place in
each loop where the "split" melody was originally recorded, it becomes 
"one"
again (undivided) and stays a single voice until the loops go out of phase
again.  Very cool stuff.  All of this works equally well with percussion on
its own (can build up some really exquisite polyrhythms) or melodic
instruments on their own.

BTW, Dennis -- I really enjoy your pieces on the CT-Percussion project!