Two lesser-known looping tools (gear alert)

[<Dpcoffin@aol.com>]

Given my basically non-defensible resistance to buying a EDPro (needing 
two 
for stereo, and being pretty much satisfied with under 10-sec loops, has a 
lot to do with it...), I've been exploring some less-than-typical looping 
gear: Korg's new DL8000 delay and a Pioneer CDJ-500 CD player. My 
impressions so far:

DL8000: This piece is quite a serious little delay line marred by a 
non-standard, and not-different-for-any-good reason interface (unless you 
need to see delay times from across the room), and a minimal manual. As a 
hands-free looper, it needs some add-on pedals, but once fitted out with a 
stereo volume pedal to control audio input to the delay and an expression 
pedal to control feedback, it'll quite elegantly do up to 4 seconds of 
true 
stereo looping or 10 sec of mono (I patched it to the main outs of my 
primary mixer, so I can send it whatever's happening on any channel with a 
few button presses). Additional foot pedals (or front-panel buttons) can 
add
bypass, hold, and tap tempo (which will allow you to define loop length, at
least in mono). Virtually any parameter can be adjusted with the expression
pedal, but you can only tweek a few delay parameters a very small amount
without introducing soon-quite-boring squeals and shreiks. It does a bunch 
of
other stuff like flanging and chorus, and has some neat preset rhythmic 
delay
taps, EQs and 
audio-triggering modes, but I haven't explored these much, since looping 
is 
what I wanted it for. Programming it is not a picnic, as the interface is 
hard to get the hang of (or enjoy once you do), and the manual doesn't 
help 
with any application hints, but for $440 (pedals extra!), it was worth it 
for stereo, IMHO.

CDJ-500: As I was ordering a Phillips 870 CD-R at the time (a VERY wise 
move, at least for me--digital is IT!), the idea of being able to 
seamlessly 
loop anything on a CD up to 10 MINUTES long in stereo with 1/75th of a 
sec. 
accuracy for setting in and out points (and tempo control of +/- 10% with 
or 
without pitch shift), was pretty irresistable, so I decided on impulse 
(have 
windfall, will buy gear!) to throw this Pioneer into the shopping cart. 
I'm 
not sure it's been a totally justified impulse ($600), but it's certainly 
an 
interesting addition, when you've got your own sounds on CDs hanging 
around. 
The whole logic of a pro-DJ player took me some getting used to (pause is 
audible as the machine loops the current cue point--not an attractive 
sound, 
IMHO; etc..), there's no digital out (BOO!) or way to control it with 
footswitches, but patch this into a bank of fx and it's a really 
intriguing 
way to re-experience and re-tool your own output...let alone anyone else's.