Re: Computers **(MSP)**

[Kim Flint <kflint@annihilist.com>]

At 11:10 PM -0700 7/18/98, Paolo Valladolid wrote:
>> At Looper's Delight, we're most interested in MAX's real-time recording 
>and
>> sample-playback capabilities.  I don't quite know where to start, but I
>> could EASILY replace my echoplex DP with a very simple MSP patch.  In
>
>
>The problem that I see with computer based looping, effects, synthesis,
>etc. is still the logistics of taking your instrument to a gig.  I 
>personally
>would be very reluctant to take my computer and 17 inch monitor to a gig.
>I don't think it would be a road-worthy setup and its too bulky.
>
>This is where a hardware-based looper such as the Echoplex is still
>superior.  It fits nicely in a rack and you don't have to bring a
>bulky CRT monitor to view your settings, etc.
>

The other thing that people seem to miss in these discussions of using
something like MSP on a computer to make your own looper is the interface
for the looper. Getting audio to loop is a very easy thing. Whether on a
computer or on separate hardware. Designing a musically intuitive interface
and feature set for a looper, when there is really not much precedent, is a
whole other thing. The devil is really in the details there.... Ironing out
every little subtle detail of what a musician might want something to do in
a given situation, and figuring out how they might have the easiest time
doing it can be maddening! To me, that's really the whole job.

With the echoplex, it probably took us only a couple of days to have it
looping audio once the hardware was made. It took about six years of
constant work to get the Loop interface and feature set right. If you talk
to the people who developed a lot of the good synths and effects processors
out there you would find a similar story. Getting it to do the most basic
function is deceptively easy. The interface and the interactions between
the features is always the hard, time-consuming part.

So beware, unless you're a nerd and doing the development and engineering
is really what you are interested in (which is what motivates us...:-),
trying to replace your whole studio with your own computer programming
could be a much bigger project than you think. All power to you if you want
to do it yourself, but if you are mostly interested in the musical result,
you may be better off getting something where all the interface development
is already done.

kim

______________________________________________________________________
Kim Flint                   | Looper's Delight
kflint@annihilist.com       | http://www.annihilist.com/loop/loop.html
http://www.annihilist.com/  | Loopers-Delight-request@annihilist.com