Re: New Akai delay pedal

["b.knox" <b.knox@latrobe.edu.au>]

Simon wrote:

> That would be $259US, the Akaipro web site is in the US, and the NAMM 
>show
> is as well.

hee hee.. i realised this after i looked at the second site there.. i saw 
the
first site with the juicy picture and got a "headrush" so to speak. i guess
they'll retail here at about $500-600... erg

> I've been lurking here for a while trying to get some information about 
>old
> tape echos like the Roland RE201/301 and the Maestro Echoplexes, but 
>havn't
> had much luck. I need some information on what model Echoplexes to look 
>for!
>

can't really help you there... i've seen a couple of ye-olde roland tape 
deals
around second hand shops etc, but they always seem overpriced (to me 
anyway)... i
think music box in melbourne has one at the moment... i dont know if they 
would
ship to canberra though...

http://www.musicbox.com.au

(ignore the always outdated stock list)


>
> My interest in them has been mainly for effects in recording my ever
> growing collection of synths/drum machines and for use when recording 
>demos
> etc for friends, but I think I might try this looping/improvisation stuff
> when I track one down or get something new like this Akai pedal.
>
> How do you use the loopers in a live situation? do you start with a beat 
>or
> something, and set the looper to the length of the beat so it loops in
> time, then layer other sounds over the top of that loop?

i very rarely start with a rhythm... just a length or phrase... it's almost
impossible to syncronise a non-midi looper (which it looks like the akai 
is) to a
beat--it'll drift after a few repititions depending on how long the loop 
is etc...
i guess you could do the sync thing with an edp (if you want to fork out 
aus$3000)

live my stuff is usually non-rhythmic.... lots of layers... just a guitar 
with
tons of effects... if a rhythm emerges and it works, then cool.. if not, 
then
cool... i find that starting from a fairly short loop is usually best for 
the
"emerging rhythm" phenomenon... letting the loop dictate the beat can be 
killer..
but if your rhythm is "set" with a drum machine or whatever you'll 
eventually have
to think of the loop as being independent-- which can be just as killer.

as they say, you'll never know till you try... (trying to buy a looper in 
oz is
another story though.. maybe this akai thing will be the only one 
reasonably
available here)

>
> What other effects and things do you do with the looper, when using it in
> this sort of live lopping situation?
>

just about anything i can get my hands on or around or up... hmmm having 
dreams of
pumping those four tape echo outputs into a digitech quad-4 ... which by 
the way
seems to have a nice little 5sec looper lurking in it... the manual is 
online(!)
at

http://www.digitech.com/quad/index.htm

anyone spare a few grand?

brad