Re: Crisis!!!!!!

[Mike.Biffle@wj.com (Mike Biffle)]

Woehni laments...
TW: Hi friends , I`ve got a major crisis on my hands. I`m gonna come right 
out
and say it: I`ve begun to get doubts about looping.................and I 
need 
some reassuring.

MB: Hey Thomas... don't sell that looper yet! Your coming out of the 
honeymoon 
period! You'll get a second wind in a while. Be patient. Absolutely do not 
sell 
your looper.

The thing is , when I loop it doesn`t seem to go anywhere. I always get 
stuck in
the same tracks and the music sounds  like.........looping. Sometimes my 
Jamman
can feel like a limitation , rather than a new colour on my (somewhat 
limited)
canvas.

MB: Use the delay mode and make sure you lower the regen enough to force 
some 
change into your process. Use more ambiguous and ambient material to 
create the 
loop. Fade it and overdub... fade again and repeat. And last but not 
least. It's
only there to help you when you need it. Just freakin' bypass the sucker 
and 
blast!

TW: At this point I feel like taking a break from the whole looping world 
and 
just plug straight in. There is nothing wrong with this , of course , a 
clean 
sound is often the bast way to go. This is proven over and over again by 
players
who doesnt care about effects. So this doesnt worry me; I dont see it as a 
problem to want to plug straight in the amp.

MB: First of all... Don't call yourself a looper! It really frees you up 
to 
behave in other obsessive compulsive ways. 8-> (Blasphemy, I know, but...) 
You 
may want to still keep that looper in line and just not notice it quite as 
much.
Don't let it run the show. You can always reach over and turn the input or 
ouput
down. Run that sucker in parallel. It's much more versatile and 
controllable. 

A looper can also be a very serviceable short delay with good real time 
tap 
tempo. Use it as such for awhile. I used to use my JamMan for 1/8 triplet 
delays
in live bands all the time. The possibility is there to then re-tap and 
massively stretch your time waaayyyy out for radical solo potential or 
actual 
looped segments. Re-tap to shorter times to return to more "normal" 
activity.

TW: BUT:  It worries me that what started out like a dream with endless 
posibilities ended SO QUICKLY.  I had a ball with it ,  played in 
different 
musical situations and HAD FUN. And now it suddenly feels so alien. Like a 
third
arm or something. Have any of you gone through something similar??  If so 
, how 
did u get through it??

MB: Oh yeah... It comes around periodically. Just pick up an acoustic 
instrument
or use a different DSP or take a hike. The concepts are all still valid.

TW: I must add that I`m not the type of person that jump on everything and 
get 
bored with it after a short while. I`m usually quite patient and 
persistent.

I`ve had a very busy schedule for the last couple of months and worked very
hard. Now I`m starting to feel tired and I`m looking forward to the Easter
Holiday.  Maybe this is the answer? Maybe It`s just  fatigue  and my 
looping 
energy will return after the holiday???

I hope so.
Yours , Thomas w

MB: I've been in acoustic unplugged mode for most of the 3 years of my 
boy's 
life, cause it's so easy (and gratifying). I'm a lifestyle electric player 
though, so it always comes around again. 

At this point I have to set up my fairly large pile o' gear each time I 
play 
cause I still don't have a real room for it. I do this once a week right 
now, 
and that's not nearly enough. It would be easy to learn to hate my gear 
for 
this. But it sounds so good (mostly) and I know I'll get more time later 
etc... 
It's all perspective and you'll get yours back.

All the best Thom...
-Miko