Re: Echoplex Digital Pro Documentation Whining

[Kim Flint <kflint@loopers-delight.com>]

At 12:41 PM 9/5/2001, PaulPokr@aol.com wrote:
>Secondly, I feel that there needs to be some sort of user’s guide 
>that provides examples of how to use the EDP in a cookbook manner. There 
>are snippets of this type of info in the Looper’s Delight archive 
>gleaned from the board’s messages but a more comprehensive grouping 
>of examples would be beneficial.

be sure to check out the Looper's Delight Echoplex pages. there is some 
good "user guide" information there:
http://www.loopers-delight.com/tools/echoplex/echoplex.html

There have been many, many good posts made to the list as well. If you do 
searches for a few keywords you are interested in, you will probably find 
them. (like echoplex;multiply for example.)  I'll try to search some good 
posts out, compile them together, and put it up there on the site so you 
don't have to search for them in the archives as much.

But also, this list is here for people to learn from each other. So if 
there is something you want to learn about, just ask!


>Gibson/Trace-Elliot fortunately has reintroduced the EDP some time ago. I 
>don’t know what their sales figures are like but the device has 
>some 
>serious competition in the Electrix Repeater.

I think the EDP and the Repeater only compete in the minds of people who 
really don't understand either device. Depending on what you are doing 
with 
looping, one or the other is the obvious choice. But neither one of them 
is 
a replacement for the other.

this has been real obvious lately on this list, where a lot of people have 
bought the Repeater clearly thinking it was something different from what 
it is. (the point Andre was trying to make and getting flamed for.)  Those 
people then put up feature wish lists for the Repeater that make it 
evident 
what the really wanted was an Echoplex! If they had bought an EDP, they 
would have the features they want. The things the Repeater excels at don't 
appear to even be of interest to some of them, or are secondary.

So why didn't they get an EDP? Probably this is also a case of poor 
documentation also. The echoplex could use some clearer explanations of 
what it does and the types of uses it excels at. That is rather lacking on 
the Echoplex page of Looper's Delight right now, so I'll try to add more.

A good feature comparison chart is needed too. We have one that compares 
the Echoplex and the JamMan, but that was more relevant a few years ago. 
I'm planning to try to create something like this, and if anybody who owns 
both devices wants to help a bit I would appreciate it.


>The lack of more thorough EDP documentation strikes me as a severe 
>drawback to the EDP.

I sort of agree, and that is why I've put so much information about it on 
the LD site.

But I also think people with this complaint are often still looking at 
loopers the way they look at a multi-effect box. Where a small instruction 
book tells you everything you need, and you just set it the way you want 
and go. But loopers are not passive devices like that. They are 
instruments 
that you play. You study them and learn them and practice with them and 
integrate it into your music as you would any instrument. You should not 
be 
surprised that it takes some time to become really good at using it.

Think about it. When you buy a guitar, does it come with a book that gets 
you playing like Eddie Van Halen in one hour? of course not. It comes with 
a little piece of paper telling you how to set up the bridge. Learning to 
play it is something that you do, by finding others to teach you, copying 
what others do, sitting there with it for hours trying to figure it out, 
practicing.

Many users have developed different techniques for how they use these 
looper instruments in their music. We have people here who are experts in 
the Echoplex and other devices, many of whom use these loopers in 
completely different ways. They've put time into developing these 
instruments and the techniques around them beyond what even the inventors 
originally thought of. Why not seek them out to teach you what they know? 
They will be better instructors than anybody working for any manufacturer, 
just as the best guitarists and guitar teachers are not employees of 
Gibson 
and Fender!

And likewise, to the people out there who are skilled loopers, share your 
knowledge more! Be a teacher for others. Looping is a new enough thing 
that 
the idea of a looping teacher is kind of strange, but why not?  People 
spend a lot of time here discussing minutiae of different devices and 
their 
feature sets, but how about more instruction on how you use those devices?


>Also, there’s been talk off and on about a video tutorial for the 
>EDP. I think the device warrants this kind of learning tool.
>
>Gibson/Trace-Elliot must have invested a not insignificant sum when they 
>setup the manufacturing environment for the EDP. Maybe they should 
>consider allocating sufficient funds to address the documentation/user 
>training shortcomings of the EDP.

Certainly they should. I guess the point I'm making is, it doesn't have to 
be them! There is a perfect opportunity here for some enterprising looper 
to develop their own course of study in looping. It could be a video, or 
an 
online class, whatever. Clearly the students are here waiting!

kim



______________________________________________________________________
Kim Flint                     | Looper's Delight
kflint@loopers-delight.com    | http://www.loopers-delight.com