help wanted -- technique tips, please

[gorton@umich.edu (Russell Gorton)]

This post is not about philosophy.

One of my MANY musical outlets is as utility man playing with the standard
power trio (drums bass strat).  This summer, my instruments of choice are a
Fender Rhodes model 73 piano and a Korean telecaster copy (affectionately
dubbed "telewanker".)

I would like to sync up a repeating sampled riff (from Rhodes or
telewanker), captured with an Echoplex DP, with the drummer.

So far, I've tried playing the riff, letting it loop on a monitor near the
drum kit, and seeing if he can follow along.  Things quickly get too loud
and we drift.

Then I tried using a momentary-switch pedal into the Beat sync jack, using
Mute-Multiply to "trigger" the loop start with the pedal.  Let drummer work
pedal.  This works, kinda, but there is ALWAYS a little delay between the
pedal kick and the start of the loop.  We've tried many ways to anticipate
this delay, record the loop differently, use a different make of pedal,
etc.  Very frustrating.

The question is: without MIDI clicks, how can a loop be synced into music
with live drums?  I'm looking for new APPROACHES to this problem
here...anyone?

Thanks...
--Russell Gorton

BTW: Travis Hartnett: you are obviously some guitar choade from Texas, the
state of sixty million guys who play Strat in crappy blues bar bands.  You
are in no position to make statements about the validity of keyboards as a
solo instrument, in rock or any other "style".  Just because Joe Bob
Billy's Stevie Ray Tribute Band (appearing live at the Spicy Iguana)
doesn't have some bespectacled wonk behind a stack of keyboard gear and
MIDI rack pieces, doesn't mean that guitars are just automatically WAY
better as solo instruments, etc.  Please remain in Texas, land of
endlessly-recycled electric blues played by sneering white guys.  We're all
happier that way.