fdbk control/dt goes astray, again.....

[Hedewa7@aol.com]

all, 
please forgive my obvious penchant for vague & cloudy philosophising, 
here.....

steve@steve-lawson.co.uk writes:
>Yeah, Ideally you'll have both - I do like the idea of fading from one
>loop to the next - I've heard Eberhard Weber do this
>with an EDP - good effect.
yeah, yup:
btw: i brought eberhard his first 'looping' device' -a pcm42 just like 
mine, 
modified by gary hall (?bob sellon?)- way back in 1985 (?'84?).
we were in jan garbarek group, together, for a coupla years; ew liked my 
looping-contributions to that music, & wanted to explore that arena, for 
himself.....

>I create a similar effect by fading a loop by
>foot whilst looping with another box - ie. JamMan
>with loop gets faded by volume pedal, whilst stuff being played is being
>looped with DL4...
cool.

>I'd never argue for less control, though too many controls can lead to
>control being limited...
as more controls are offered on looping-instruments, we each seem to have 
the 
opportunity to more selectively choose which of those controls we *focus* 
upon.
and, as 'looping-as-an-instrument' is still in development ---(as are the 
products on offer ---indeed, it appears to me that, other than the EDP & 
the 
impending Repeater, it's still in its infancy, w/most looping-instruments 
still playing catch-up w/the old tape-loop/long-delay-line paradigm, and 
many 
players' useage of the technology hyper-focussed upon the 
'looper-as-playback-device')--- 
i'd currently hafta argue that there cannot be too many controls 
-especially, 
as regards expressivity- though i do believe that the interface w/a 
complex 
set of controls might possibly impede their (eventual) musical/virtuosic 
employ.....

>As GAry has quoted me saying,
>I'm not planning on adding anything new to my setup til I'm completely
>conversant with what I've got - I'd rather hear
>someone playing with an 8 second JamMan that they knew inside out, than
>looping clumsily with 14 EDPs or Repeaters all linked
>up, as I'm sure any of us would.
dig; i think i understand that noble sentiment.
but, i'd hope that the application, thereof, is not too broadly 
painted.....
(for myself, 'tis true that i'd mostly rather hear a musician capable of 
playing a piece of music that moves me w/just one note & simple 'gear', 
than 
any expressively-disconnected fleet-fingered 'virtuoso' w/racks and racks 
of 
unused-and-potentially-misunderstood electro-goo..... 
i do wonder why we musicians seem so often intent on finding & furthering 
these kindsa polarising concepts, all the time, though?)
would anyone, here, reject the exploratory addition of a new kinda 
bass/turntable/guitar/computer/etc to your kit, even if you had only a few 
specialised-but-irreplaceable uses for it?

and -again, sorry for what may be rhetorical:
how will ya *know* when yer 'completely conversant' w/whatall instruments 
you're currently using: when your useage of said instrument is 'fluid'? 
when 
your peers tell you that it's 'so'? when your imagination tires of mining 
the 
possibilities? when your musical education 'satisfies' you?

and, re: the presentation of someone 'looping clumsily w/14 EDP's or 
Repeaters':
it may be that that freak is gonna present something musically 
*phenomenal*, 
someday, eh?
the edges of any 'movement' are always in development/in motion, & there 
appear to be myriad consensually-acceptable criteria & agreements for 
'judgement';
maybe it's important to remember that for some folk it's better to sharpen 
the edges, than to codify & organise what's already been done..... i think 
it 
might be our responsibility -and, to our advantage- to encourage that 
activity, here in the looping-worlds..... and, i'd hold that it certainly 
is 
our responsibility to the world, as musicians.

>Once I've nailed the current set up, it'll be time for bigger boxes :o)
cool.
me, i just (somewhat reluctantly, & w/a hint of financial difficulty--- i 
have 2 kids in the american univer$ity $y$tem, y'all.....) bought another 
guitar -a different one, w/some potential for new/personal musical 
functionalities- even though i haven't mastered the other one, yet, and 
can't 
believe that i ever will.....
8-)
best,
dt / SPLaTTeRCeLL