Live Looping signal chain

["Rainer Thelonius Balthasar Straschill" <rs@moinlabs.de>]

> 1.  When you guys do live looping on stage, where in the 
> signal chain do you place your looper?  I have a JamMan and 
> am wanting to incorporate it.
> 
> 2. For those of you that use 2 loopers, do you use a AB 
> switch and put the loopers on different paths or do you keep 
> them on the same signal route?

Hi Daniel,

first, let me ask: Digitech or Lexicon Jamman?

Then, the answers are three parts each, namely because there are setups A, 
B
and C.

A: computer-based (Ableton Live as host and kinda-MIDI-looper, Mobius as
looper)
B: big hardware setup (Repeater, D2, Eclipse, Korg KP2 and DL4 connected to
a mixer)
C: small hardware setup (including DD20, SMM w/Hazari and Korg KP3, 
although
I think about throwing out both).

1. I'm a firm believer in the concept that effects should be possible both
before and after the looper. Hence:
A: the two Mobius returns have access to all effect sends, as well as 
having
track inserts each (DJ EQ, Compressor, MadShifta). Of course, every effect
can be sent to the looper as well, for send effects I can also only loop 
the
dry signal (or only the effect signal)...
B: Repeater, DL4 and KP2 come in on main channels of the mixer, thus can be
sent anywhere. Some of the other effects sometimes used as loopers 
(Eclipse,
D2) are on aux returns, so I cannot effect or "reloop" them with full
flexibility.
C: It's instrument->Zoom G2.1u->Boss DD20->EH SMM w/Hazari->KP3->Mains. The
Zoom is a multi-effect, the KP3 has some looping capabilities, as well as
effects (which are placed post-looper), so you have effects both before and
after any looper. As I said, both the EH and the Korg are on the "to be
dropped" list to minimize complexity, so this may turn into a effects 
before
looper situation.

2.
A: Mobius is the only thing I use for looping here (well...mostly). With
that, it rather becomes a trick question, because I use its multiple and
independent tracks a lot, so it's more like using a mixer to route them.
B: each one in independent send/return or subgroup.
C: They're in the same signal path, although I have been experimenting with
using the DD20 (in one of its output modes) and a DL4 in a tricky
combination where you go instrument->DL4->DD20->Mains, but one out (the
effects out) of the DD20 and one in of the DL4 are connected with a volume
pedal in line to give me a meta feedback loop.

And, in reference to Per's post which just came in:
I dare to say my way of doing (1) is better, simply because it allows you 
to
do anything you'd like to do. It's like FWD vs RWD vs 4WD...with 4WD, 
you're
always set. But, like in the automotive example, "before and after" means
more weight...

        Rainer

Best,

        Rainer