Re: Live Multitrack Laptop Looping Suggestions?!

[Gary Phillips <gary@friendlyspider.com>]

Chris....
There is software for the Mac & Win (I had to really hunt down the
Mac software, but I found it after Googling for a couple of hours)
that lets you read the smartmedia cards -you must have an
inexpensive card reader - and transfer standard AIFF (Mac) and
WAV (Win) into the format the BR532 wants and vice versa.....
You can select any of the virtual tracks to download or upload.
The BR532 also has optical digital outs....I found a good price
on a C02 optical to coax SPDIF box.  The BR532 records at
full 44.1 kHz ......  There is no indication that any compression
schemes are being used.......  in any case, it sounds very good !
The built-in effects are not stellar by any means....so I will generally
record clean..  using the internal effects in monitor mode only.
There is only one XLR mic input, so you can either use the guitar
input with a transformer for a second mic, or, better yet, use the
RCA line inputs with an external mixer.  I have a Behringer MX602A
which is a superb value given that it has 48v phantom....  but
it does not run on batteries.

There is rhythm track info stored on the smartmedia cards as well....
The BR532 comes with a bunch of preset patterns that you can
steal snippets off of and recreate your own patterns....it is not
as good as a programmable rhythm box...but it is much better
than a metronome click.  I'm checking into the Zoom MRT-3 to use
as a proigrammable rhythm box ....it is very compact, runs on batteries,
has velocity sensitive pads, and takes external MIDI control....and is
under $100....  Zoom is really giving new meaning to "bang for the buck".
--
gary
@friendlyspider.com

Chris Chovit wrote:

> Gary Phillips wrote:
>
> >You need to check out Ableton's Live....for Mac or PC.....
> >http://www.ableton.com/
> >I was going to pick up the Repeater...my current looping tool
> >is a JamMan.....  but I opted for software and the Roland BR532
> >portable digital 4 track.  I wanted something that was deadly quiet-
> >no hard drive noise, could run on batteries, and that I could transfer
> >tracks digitally into Live and Performer.  Plus it has 32 tracks if you
> >count the 8 virtual per 4 tracks.
>
> How do you get the data digitally from the BR532 to the computer?  Do you
> just transfer the smart media cards to a reader on your computer, or do 
>you
> use the MIDI ports?  What digital format is the music in?
>
> Thanks,
> Chris