Re: What shall I buy? EDP or Looperlative?

["Per Boysen" <perboysen@gmail.com>]

On Thu, Nov 27, 2008 at 12:54 PM, mark francombe <mark@markfrancombe.com> 
wrote:
>
>>  I'm just more comfortable
>> with using one track and cue up the loops on it to jump between them.
>
> Totally.. Im easily confused as to what did I put on what track (in 
>Mobius
> and Repeater) I still prefer the stay in one loop but jump to others
> paradigm.


I typically use a second, parallel loop (new track) in four particular
situations:


- if I want to slowly fade loops in or out while playing (done by foot
controlled track specific Fade-In-Or-Out scripts)

- if I plan to use varispeed to manipulate a drone loop to go through
improvised chord change vamps ("playing" that loops pitch by foot
pedals).

- if I want to make a loop of a different length for rhythmic variation

- if I loop with a special script for the Record button. This scripts
first records on track 1, then changes the speed of that loop and
moves on to track two to record and change the speed etc. After
playing four rounds I end up with four recorded loop of the same
original length, but now playing back at different lengths and at
different speed and pan settings. This kick-off can sound good but is
difficult to improvise freely with. Not a good all-round looping setup
but quite specialized.



>>
>> Yeah - I too used that looper routing more as "an effect box" than as
>> a "realt-time composing box". A fun trick was to send pitch changing
>> notes to the Repeater while overdubbing into it  ;-))  But I found
>> that easier to control with Augustus Loop hosted by Live 5 and later
>> by Mobius scripting.
>
> I actually find it pretty easy doing my way,  I actually have a dedicated
> hardware analog sequencer foe exactlt the effect you describe... not very
> useful often, and only good on Repeater at small increments due to the
> annoying slur that repeater has when pitching... (never understood why 
>that
> is, I never use cards to record onto, only storage, so im in memory no? 
>why
> the slur?)

That's because the Repeater needs some time off to work out the maths
for time-stretching the loops. The slew is the hardware method to deal
with it while horrible noise artifacts is the software method to deal
with it. If you think about it, no software that boasts Pitch Shift
with Time Stretching (SL, Mobius) can actually perform it with a clean
sound. This is why I chose to use varispeed instead; it's snappy and
sounds good. But then you have to relate to the loop length changing
with each pitch and find musical strategies to use it or cover up for
it.


>> And
>> vice versa - loopist's trap is rather to go too slowly and become
>> boring ;-))
>
> Phew.. doncha speak the truth my friend... tis the main difference 
>between
> my bedroom performances and my live performances (I hope), why... I 
>often go
> make a cup o char, leaving the loop, looping away in the background, now
> thats not only boring, but drives the girlfriend mad!


LOL! My sons close their doors and put on head phones when I leave a
loop on while tweaking levels or compressor settings for ten minutes
:-)  Can really be annoying for those around you that doesn't know
what micro aspect of the sound you are working on. I know this
phenomenon from years of studio work - neighboring businesses
threatening with the police and everything... Once I was recording a
Harley Davidson on the pavement outside the studio facility, using
loudness padded mic on a stand while the guy rushed the engines. I was
wearing headphones to cut out the loud engine noise, so I wasn't aware
of all the shouting people around the block, just focusing on the task
of sticking the mic up at the best angle and watching the VU meter to
input a good feed to the DAT. That recording came out useless never
the less, because the loud sound physically rocked all gear too hard.
The sound of mechanical parts rattling inside the mic sort of
distorted the recorded sound. We ended up snagging another HD
recording from a film scoring guy ;-)

-- 
Greetings from Sweden

Per Boysen
www.boysen.se (Swedish)
www.looproom.com (international)
www.myspace.com/perboysen
www.stockholm-athens.com