Re: The Silence is Deafening

[armatronix <armatronix@charter.net>]

While you wait, I'll share my favorite Loop4 feature so far: SyncRecord.

SyncRecord is a record mode which is active when Sync=In and 
Quantize=Off.  If you're like me, you always use the EDP synced to an 
outside MIDI source.  In Loop3, in order for your Loops to be in sync with 
the drum machine(s), you have to keep Quantize=On, in which case recording 
will only start at the StartPoint.  This can cause difficulties if you 
have 
a pickup note before the one, or if you lose track of the one altogether, 
as I often do.  Of course, you can redefine your start point, but that may 
interfere with the Mating Dance.

With SyncRecord, recording starts immediately upon pressing the Record 
button and rounds to the next cycle upon releasing it.  If you wish to 
have 
your loop unsynced (with Sync=In), you can press Overdub while in the 
Reset 
state, and sync will be ignored for the next Record.  The EDP must receive 
one full measure of sync to figure out the cycle time, after which it 
displays that time on the screen.  If you press Record before that 
happens, 
you won't be in sync.

That reminds me of another cool pair of additions, Quantize=Loop and 
Quantize=8th.  In Loop3, you have Quantize=Off or Quantize=On, in which 
case your button presses sync to your cycle length.  Now, Quantize=Loop 
quantizes button presses to the length of the entire loop (i.e. multiple 
cycles), while Quantize=8th quantizes to the nearest 8th note.

That's all for now.  Believe me, even though I already have the new 
software, I can't wait for it to be released either.  I'm looking forward 
to some other list members getting their feet wet, so that we can have 
some 
discussion and try to figure out what all of these new features actually 
do, and how to use them!  The beta test guys must either be sworn to 
silence or else they just have everything figured out already ;), because 
I 
notice that they're keeping tight-lipped.

In case anybody in the know is still reading this:  Are presets the proper 
way to drop in and out of quantize?  I notice that there are no DirectMIDI 
commands listed for quantize settings.  Now that I've programmed the 
PMC-10 
to perform the basic functions, and I'm really digging the unquantized SUS 
functions, I realize that I'd like for HalfSpeed and Reverse to remain 
quantized.  I haven't figured out how to store and recall presets yet, but 
it seems like you could possibly add a preset call to a button press to 
control the quantization of a given function; for example, to have an 8th 
note Replace or a cycle-length Insert. ???

-Hans Lindauer


At 20:57 29/05/2002, you wrote:
>Not being overly cautious, let me be the first to point out the obvious 
>wait
>for the other shoe to drop with regard to the Echoplex Upgrade.  It's 
>been a
>while since the first batch was distributed to those who were in 
>attendance
>at the Pre-Release Showcase--over a month by my reckoning.  Heck, it was
>over a month ago that Kim predicted the Loop IV software would be ready to
>ship in a week.
>Hey, don't get me wrong--I can be as patient as the next manual-lovin'
>technophile.  Actually, this IS me being patient (if still tweaked that I
>couldn't be at Loopstock OR the Oakland party).  I am simply giving voice 
>to
>the (obviously) silent majority who are waiting to see what years of hard
>work will mean to EDP owners.
>In the meantime, any San Diego loopers out there?  I'm in the 92064 area--
>Gary