Re: Sampler as Looper

[improv@peak.org (Dave Trenkel)]

At 11:42 AM 1/30/97, A.S.P. wrote:
>One question I have is: Are there any samplers that will work as real time
>loopers?  To me it seems to be a perfect approach - you've got stereo
>analog to digital conversion, you've got expandable RAM, storage, multiple
>outs, plus you can use standard MIDI events to trigger/sequence stuff.
>
I've used a Korg DSM-1 extensively as a (sort of) live (sort of) looping
device. The Korg is an ancient 12-bit sampler, with about a minute of total
audio memory. I think my techniques will work with just about any sampler
that responds to MIDI system exclusive commands, I haven't tried this with
any other samplers though. Trust me, this isn't very pretty or easy, and if
something like the JamMan had been available when I started, I would have
never done this.

I use it for live performances where I am sampling/looping/processing
sounds made by other musicians. I've programmed a system exclusive control
setup for the sampler, both from a computer using opcode's MAX, and from a
Peavey PC1600 (I got tired of carrying the computer to gigs, and was able
to get about 80% of it's functions from the Peavey). Before the gig, I set
up a series of empty looped samples in the sampler, usually in lengths of
4, 2, 1 and 1/2 seconds, to fill the entire memory of the sampler. I also
set up a collection of performance patches that apply different filters and
modulation to the samples, and assign the samples to different midi
channels (the korg will respond to up to 4 channels at once). At the gig, I
get audio leads from the other the other musician(s) and hook it up to the
Korg's audio in. During the performance, I'll have the other players
improvise for a few minutes, while I put the sampler into re-sample mode,
and grab their audio. using re-sample mode keeps all the preset looping
points and key assignments. After a minute or 2, I've filled up the memory
of the sampler and start playing the samples back from a keyboard or the
PC1600. This can work really well, one performance with a percussionist
playing congas came out especially well. The loop lengths are kind of
arbitrary, so it doesn't really work for tight rhthyms, but for the kind of
textural free improv I'm involved in, it offers some great possibilities.

Since I got the JamMan and Vortex, I'm using the sampler much less for
this, but it does have some advantages over a dedicated looper. Firstly,
it's polyphonic: I can have 16 simultaneous voices of loops over 4 midi
channels. Also, you can apply pitch modulation to the loops, and set up
polyrhythms based on the key intervals (a fifth creates a 3/2 polyrhythm,
for example). And, if I remember to stick a blank disc in the sampler, I
can save the loops for future use (I usually forget, though). But it's not
at all intuitive, it took several weeks of tinkering with hexadecimal code
to get this system to work. The user interface on the DSM-1 is not at all
geared to this kind of stuff, and having to remember all the technical
stuff while you're playing is a pain. It can be done though.

>There were some updates to the later Ensoniq samplers that gave you new
>effects - wouldn't it be possible to turn an ASR10 into a real time
>looper?
>
I've never used an ensoniq sampler very deeply, but the fact that you could
re-write the operating system if you wanted always intrigued me. The fact
that almost nobody did it implies that it's not a trivial task though.

While I'm sort of on the subject, does anyone else on the list play in
situation where they're looping the sound of other musicians live? It can
make for some very interesting performances, and I feel it's a completely
different esthetic from the usual plugging a guitar into a JamMan and
looping your own noodlings, though I do plenty of that also.

________________________________________________________
Dave Trenkel, NEW EMAIL ADDRESS: improv@peak.org
self promotional web-site: http://www.peak.org/~improv/
"A squid eating dough in a polyethelene bag is fast
and bulbous, got me?"
                                     -Captain Beefheart
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