Re: Live Looping without "organic" instruments.. is it live looping, "MUSIC" inside (regarding a recent debate)

[Matt Davignon <mattdavignon@gmail.com>]

If your question was "is it 'live'?" then the answer is definitely yes. You are building something in real-time in front of the audience. 

About 10 years ago my live performances used ONLY pre-recorded loops. That is - loops of field recordings recorded onto cassette tape. The performance would be how I mixed those together, using portable cassette players. That was my "instrument". There was never any question for me as to whether it was live. 

The only things that are grey areas for me are: 

--Laptop Computer sets: Most of the people I know who use computers for live sets are actually are playing the computer as an instrument, but there are plenty who simply play audio files. Some play audio files and do live volume and fx control. 

--Drum Machines / Backing Tracks / Pre-recorded Loops: 
It'd be silly of me to say all drum machines are bad, but it is a turn off for me if a live performance includes one or more "canned" elements that do not get manipulated in real-time. I'd rather hear someone play solo guitar than hear someone play solo guitar over a pre-recorded backing track. At my venue, we call that "karaoke", even if there's no singing involved. 


-- 
Matt Davignon
mattdavignon@gmail.com
www.ribosomemusic.com
Podcast! http://ribosomematt.podomatic.com
Rigs! http://www.youtube.com/user/ribosomematt

Anders Bergdahl <anders_e_bergdahl@hotmail.com> was all:

Hmm interesting Matt, some thoughts.. i imagined that the issue would be "live" since i do not play an instrument.. BUT if you listen to Jan Bang live with Jon Hassel for example he is triggering and manipulating samples live. 

MAtt said: "I would call that "Live Sequencing", which would be different but similar to live looping. The difference would be that in live looping, the "loop" is an actual audio signal, where in "live sequencing", the actual loop is a set of trigger instructions. "

 BUT there are not always a set of trigger instructions, some times i manipulate the lenght of the sample as it plays, and the playback speed, pitch, envelope, effects (i can also recordthese manipulations live and the it would not really be "programming")

And in this example i run the "vocal" track into a delay with 100% feedback and rather long feedback.. viola LOOPING :-) or... 

My main point is that playing a sampler is not very different from playing an synth, and keeping a sequence interesting is very much like developing the loop with inserts, overdubs and so forth. But with the sequencer/sampler it could be adjusting pitch a a sequencer step OR doing it for all steps while it plays..

And no i have no need to call what I do anything, most times i play guitar into the sampler where i sometimes just loop it while adding new tracks which could also loop, and resample and loop that. OR I could slice a loop and trigger slices at sequencer steps... now that is pretty much LOOPING, or... :-)