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Looper's Delight
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At 7:42 PM +0200 5/30/07, Nathan van Heynsbergen wrote:
>
>I am really so curious about this, plus maybe we could inspire eachother!
>so; From, through and to what does your audiosignal go?
Glergh! This is going to get a bit convoluted.
My setup has gotten more and more modular over time, with the idea
being that anything should be able to be used alongside or instead of
(just about) anything else.
With that in mind, let's start at the end and work backwards.
For recording, I've just gotten an E-mu/Ensoniq PARIS HD recording
system (which isn't yet set up). Otherwise, I've just been using a
Gemini iKey USB Dongle for scratch stuff, or else recording tracks
internally within my laptop(s).
HARDWARE LOOPING RACK:
Looperlative LP-1
Alesis Akira Multi-FX in LP-1 Aux 1
Korg KAOSS KP-3 Multi-FX in LP-1 Aux 2
Alesis ZoneMix 6 Mixer
(The LP-1 is dedicated on the ZoneMix's "A" bus send.
The LP-1 Main output &
its Aux outs -- via the Akira and KAOSS Pad -- are each
brought back into their
own individual mixer channel. The "B" bus is the Mains
out. This allows me to
route any input channel to the LP-1, Mains, or both at
the flip of a switch.)
SOFTWARE LOOPING RACK:
Macbook Core2Duo 2Ghz
Ableton Live 6.x (primarily routing and hosting)
Reaktor 5.x
Plogue Bidule 0.9x
Various VST/AU Synths and Effects
Looping: XFade Loopsynth, Musolomo, Augustus Loop
Edirol FA-66 Firewire Audio Interface
OPTIONAL INPUT SECTION:
Art DPS II Digital Tube Preamp (S/PDIF to FA-66)
Art TCS Tube Compressor (sidechained to DPS II)
The two Looping Racks can be used either individually, or as a single
unit by strapping I/O between the ZoneMix6 and the FA-66's extra ins
& outs (essentially using the Hardware Rack as a send effect). Also,
I'm using the S/PDIF out on the FA-66 to drive a pair of digital
headphones for monitoring a cue mix.
WORKING INSTRUMENT "SETUPS":
VOCAL/WIND RACK:
Blue 8-Ball and MXL Mics
Presonus Eureka Mic/Instrument Pre-amp
Yamaha WX-11 MIDI Wind Controller
Yamaha VL-70m Physical Modelling Synth (w/ Patchman Banks)
Novation A-Station Synth (for vocoding)
MIDIMAN Mini-Mixer
TC Helicon Voiceworks Pitch/Harmony Shifter
Boss VF-1 Effect Unit
MIDI GUITAR RACK:
Yamaha G-10 MIDI Guitar & G10C Controller
E-mu Morpheus Synth
(2x) Line 6 Echo Pros (run dual mono) in Morpheus' Aux 1
Alesis Bitrman in Morpheus' Aux 2
CHAPMAN STICKS (usually plugged direct into laptop Optional
Input Section):
12-string Maple with ACTV-2 and Roland GK-3 Pickups
10-string Alto Tarara with PASV-4 Pickup
10-string Polycarbonate with Stickup Pickup (currently
AWOL)
GUITARS (run through VG and/or Pedalboard, see below):
Fender '80's Japanese Tele w/ dual EMG humbuckers
Line 6 Variax 300 with Roland GK-3 Pickup (also AWOL)
FRANKENGUITAR (run through Pedalboard, see below):
Vox Tempest XII 12-string electric, since converted
into an Electric Oud
(de-fretted, tuned to 11-string DGADGC with dual
string courses)
with additional Roland GK-3 Pickup
ZENDRUM:
Roland R8-m w/additional cards (Jazz, Mallet, SFX)
Korg EMX-1 (sometimes used separately)
ROLAND VG-8 (also often incorporates Pedalboard into its Aux loop):
output feeds directly into:
Electrix Filter Queen Filter, then...
Eowave Space Bug Delay
PEDALBOARD (signal path is in this order):
Radial LoopBone Pedalboard Controller with...
Loop A:
LastGasp Art Labs "88" Distortion
Alesis Akira Multi-FX
Loop B:
Catalinbread Silver Kiss Overdrive/Boost
Roland WP-20g
Boss PS-3 Pitch Shift (splits A & B outs to...)
Whirlwind Selector A/B/Y (selects between
harmonies)
Alesis Volume Pedal
Vox Tonelab SE Amp Modeller
Lightfoot Labs Goatkeeper Tremelo
Yamaha MagicStomp MkII
MIDI CONTROL (currently daisy-chained):
Casio GZ-5 Super-Mini MIDI Keyboard (used for sending MIDI Notes
to FX)
Digitech PMC-10 MIDI Foot controller
Evolution X-Session or Faderfox LV-1 Fader Boxes
As I said, this is basically a modular system. Each one of the
current Working Instrument Setups listed above does its own thing
within its rack, but eventually presents only a single set of stereo
audio outputs. That means that each Setup can be thought of as a
block which is plugged in or out of the Looping Racks as the need
arises. One morning I might be using the Wind Rack, but that
afternoon feel like switching to the Frankenguitar and VG-8 with the
Pedalboard.
Several years ago, my studio partner and I tried wiring everything we
had into a single integrated unit, where anything could be automated
and routed into anything else at the flip of a switch. We ended up
with a modern equivalent of Tonto's Exploding Head Band, and it took
up an entire freaking wall. Well, it was really cool to spend
evenings sitting around in the dark -- drinking and watching all the
pretty lights blink as the mixes repeated over and over -- but it
really wasn't as functional and inspiring as we'd hoped. Instead, we
spent more time maintaining and integrating new gear into the "mass"
than we ever did actually making music.
This approach seems to work better, in that I can concentrate
engineering time in building the Setups, then pull them each in and
out as I need them. Composition time is merely a matter of picking
an instrument, then plugging in its "block" and playing.
--m.
--
_____
"I want to keep you alive so there is always the possibility of
murder... later"