RE: MIDI looping (again)

[<dennis@mail.worldserver.com>]

> I'm trying to narrow my wish list for a
> MIDI looper in the hope that
> something will actually meet these
> needs/desires...

I can make you something like this with the Looper Construction Kit but it
would require a computer and Kyma system of course.

(1), (2) and (3) are no problem.  I can't easily give you overdubbing but I
can give you a good replacement (so that's (4) and (5)).  I can give you
multiply, too, without overdubbing (6).  Multiple loops (7) is no problem.

I haven't played around on a SP-808 much so I'm uncertain as to how their
phrase playback works.

Probably the trickest issue is a good control surface.  The key, as you
state, is good visual feedback.  What kind of visual feedback would you
like?

Kyma has a Virtual Control Surface on the computer screen where you can
create various visual feedback elements.  (I use "fill buttons" a lot to
simulate LEDs.  They change color with their state (ON/OFF).)  You could 
try
out different types of visual feedback indicators, then use some of the DIY
MIDI kits to make it in hardware.  Ideally, the indicators would clamp like
a meter bridge to an existing footpedal like the FCB-1010 forming one unit.

Food for thought...

Dennis Leas
-----------
dennis@mail.worldserver.com



-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Hamburg [mailto:mark_hamburg@baymoon.com]
Sent: Saturday, June 07, 2003 12:54 PM
To: Looper's Delight
Subject: MIDI looping (again)


I'm trying to narrow my wish list for a MIDI looper in the hope that
something will actually meet these needs/desires...

1. I want multiple independent loops or phrases.

2. I want to arm a record on a loop and have it wait for me to press a key
to start recording. I want to stop recording by hitting a button. The idea
is, prep the device, play the loop, and then tell it to start looping by
hitting another button.

3. I want it to exhibit EDP-like smarts or better with respect to
quantization. In other words, I should be able to optionally quantize the
loop length to a tempo but that shouldn't affect when exactly it starts and
ends just how far apart they are. I also want to be able to generate tempo
from loop length.

4. I would like to be able to overdub, but I might trade overdubbing for
more easily accessible loops.

5. If I can overdub I want to be able to erase notes.

6. If I can overdub, I'd like to be able to multiply.

7. I want to play multiple loops at once more or less like a phrase 
sampler.
>From a performance standpoint Roland's RPS function on their grooveboxes 
>and
the phrase playback on the SP-808 is a good model but neither is
particularly good for spontaneous phrase creation.

Is there anything out there that can do this? If not and the answer is that
I have to use a computer and Max, is there a particularly good control
surface to use for this sort of task? I'd like something where I can 
provide
visual feedback on the control surface so that I don't have to look at the
computer screen to see what's going on.

Mark