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Re: new EDP features (was: echoplex or jamman?)
Kim Flint wrote:
>
> we're gonna make you real happy in the near future.....;-)
>
I like to hear that! You know, you guys already are batting 1000 as far
as I'm concerned. It's hard to
describe how much pleasure I've derived over the past few year from
looping via the EDP. Many years
ago, I used an old TEAC 4 track for awhile but I gave up looping because
such "primitve" technology got
in the way. I find the EDP so incredibly easy to use, in comparison, that
it usually doesn't get in the
way of my creativity.
But enough of my effusions...since you brought up the future of the EDP,
I've been meaning to share
these thoughts:
How about a new additional unit, I'll call the "EDP Helper?" I'll try to
explain it's proposed features
without too much meandering.
1) The EDP is wonderful as a stand-alone unit. A pair of EDPs also works
very well for stereo. What I
want to do, however, is to use several in a synchronized fashion. The
paradigm here, probably due to my
history of tape machine usage, is to view multiple EDPs as tracks on a
multi-track recorder. Of course,
because of the nature of solid-state, digital recorders like the EDP,
you'd expect them to do things
tape recorders couldn't do. The "EDP Helper" would have many features
specifically designed to operate
multiple EDPs. These features would include manipulation of MIDI clock
timing, starting and stopping
loops (perhaps sequencing through the memories of an EDP, e.g., do {play
loop from MEM 1 twice, followed
by loop from MEM 2} ) and a user interface specifically designed for
multiple EDPs.
2) As a central control, the "EDP Helper" would also have MIDI sequencing
features (at a basic level) in
order to support changing parameters and operating modes of the EDPs.
Players would use the "EDP
Helper" instead of a full-featured sequencer to change, for example, the
number of beats/8ths for a
particular EDP. This sequencing feature, as well as other features, could
perhaps be optionally
controlled by a nifty GUI program on Mac or PC.
3) The display of the "EDP Helper" would supplement the EDP display. For
example, I could really use a
display that shows where I am in the loop. It could be as simple as a
"count-up" which is reset at the
loop start (similar to the regular EDP display when recording). The
player could select what kind of
information to display and which "slave" EDP would be the source.
4) The audio looping features of the "EDP Helper" would be light-weight
when compared to the EDP. For
example, when I use multiple EDPs in a synchronized fashion, I designate
one of them to function as the
"master" MIDI clock source. I play a simple pattern into the master, many
times just a shaker, clave,
or bass drum pattern. I don't need to do things like INSERT, NEXT LOOP,
and so forth. I use the
"master" EDP simply as the MIDI clock source. Most times, after I build
synchronized loops on other
EDPs, I fade out the master EDP for the duration of the piece.
Conversely, if somebody only had an "EDP
Helper", they could still do useful looping with it. This would expand
the market for an "EDP Helper"
beyond owners of multiple EDPs.
As described above, the "EDP Helper" would be very heavy on the control
and display features and light
on the audio feature. Perhaps, it could even be implemented totally in
software.
Your thoughts???
- Dennis Leas
--
dennis@mdbs.com