Re: Ztar for looping

[Stephen <dakshah@yahoo.com>]

i have a customized mini-Z - You can see it at
www.starrlabs.com on the left hand side frame, and
there is a bigger picture of it (third photo down)
under 'ztars':'ztar,MiniZ, Compact MIDI Guitar
controllers.'

I use it with a Roland MC-80 hardware sequencer for
midi looping with moderately good results.  I have
synced up the EDP and the MC-80 through midi clock,
and just this morning got the HandSonic & the MC-80
synced....I hope this week to get all three singing in
unison.  

One inention I have for the EDP (not yet realized), in
addition to looping real-time audio, is to try to use
it as something of a temporary loop scratch pad to
make up for the limitations in the MC-80's &
HandSonic's real-time midi looping capabilities.  For
example, on the MC-80 you can define a loop region and
record up to 16 tracks, switching between tracks,
dropping in and out of record mode and are able to
mute & unmute tracks.  But you can't define a new loop
region while in record mode, so i fantasize about
dropping the looping audio to the EDP to keep things
going, stopping the sequencer & restarting with a
different loop region to start a separate 'movement'
so to speak.

Mapping the ztar pads to control the echoplex is an
interesting idea - I had not even thought of that.  I
had Harvey at Starrlabs put extra pads (along with a
few other controllers) on my baby, hoping to create a
zen drum / ztar hybrid, but the pads don't quite work
as expected/desired for finger drumming, so goodness
knows i've got enough extra pads to fiddle with.

Harvey had mentioned a while back to me about putting
a loop sequencer in the ztar firmware, but i've not
heard any updates on that.  His newest gizmo in alpha
release (based on the same ztar firmware, I believe)
is the EventStation he built for Kurzweil which
he claims is something like "MAX in a box", with 2
onboard sequencers & some looping capabilities -
details are a bit sketchy.

stephen


--- Michael LaMeyer <mlameyer@rcn.com> wrote:
> Nope, although I am planning to do the same thing! 
> It looks like it shouldn't be too much trouble to
> program some of the "drum" pads to send the proper
> sysex strings to the echoplex though.  That's my
> plan anyway.  Maybe even try to reduce the number of
> foot taps for some functions to one finger whap, if
> I can.
> 
> Ordered a Z2 from Harvey, still waiting, but has
> anyone already mentioned that there appears to be no
> Echoplexes being manufactured right now?  I just put
> my name on the waiting-list-from-hell at Alto.  They
> said manufacturing wouldn't rev back up until the
> fall.  Has anyone else confirmed this?
> 
> Mike
>   ----- Original Message ----- 
>   From: Gary Lehmann 
>   To: Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com 
>   Sent: Saturday, August 12, 2000 12:46 PM
>   Subject: Ztar for looping
> 
> 
>   Is anyone on this list using a Starr Labs
> controller to generate audio for looping purposes? 
> I would like to hear from any Ztar owners who
> incorporate looping in their performances--go ahead
> and contact me at relayonemanband@cts.com.  Thanks!
>   Gary
>   PS  No, I don't have this device myself, but am
> interested to see if anyone is controller a looping
> device from the unit in addition to using it to
> drive a synth.
> 


=====
Stephen

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