looping with Protools on the Mac

[Storypod@aol.com]

As an 'old school' looper in the late '70's (two spaced 4-track reel-to-
reels), it's surprised even me how hooked I've gotten on Protools in the 
last
year or so.  So much so, that I recently bit the big bullet and upgraded to
their PT24 system.  While we're not talking 'traditional' looping in the 
sense
of simple realtime looping (I'll never get rid of my EDP), these software
recorder/editors open up a whole new concept of looping, which I'm sure a 
lot
of you people are exploring.  You can grab a phrase (or a piece of a loop) 
and
simply paste copies of it back-to-back in endless, and completely editable
permutations.  With the multitrack capabilities, you can overlay more 
tracks
or loops.  While there isn't the 'instant gratification' of a dedicated
looping box, the flexibility and absolute control over the elements you're
using is addictive.  The prices of these software packages (especially for
PC's) is coming down all the time, they're getting to be a great value 
(since
they're really complete recording studios in a box).  My Protools 4.1 
software
and hardware combo (the Audiomedia 3 computer card with analog and dig. ins
and outs, and some cool fx software) was 'only' around $850 (I'm going to 
sell
my 6-month old pkg for about $500).  And I guess some of the PC pkgs (I'm a
dedicated Mac guy) are even cheaper.  Cool stuff...
Tim Story
(storypod@aol.com)