Re: New "Virtual Repeater" Software Announced...

[Jeffrey Larson <jeff@zonemobius.com>]

 > Under Windows you would be able to run Mobius as a VST plug-in inside
 > the VRP host. That would give you all the EDP power plus the few
 > strong points added by the Repeater.

The main feature that sets the Repeater apart from other hardware/ 
software
devices is its "time stretching" ability, or as discussed in another
thread the ability to do ritardondo and accelerando without changing
the pitch.  Technically this is a combination of a "rate shift" where
you change the speed of the loop loop plus a compensating pitch shift
where you bring the rate adjusted loop back to its original pitch.

The problem with putting another looper inside the VPR is that
anything that changes the playback rate can only be applied to a loop
recorded in the VPR.  You won't magically get time stretch of a
loop recorded in the other looper.

The VST routing in the VPR is unclear but I would bet that you can
patch a VST as a "track insert" at the input or the output to a
VPR track.  This is similar to what you would do in Bidule patching
in a reverb before or after the hosted looper.

If you want to use Mobius for example to build up a loop with EDP-style
functions, the VPR isn't actually playing anything, it is just
being a host and routing the Mobius output to the audio device.

You can't apply time stretch to the output of a plugin in real time,
the plugin output first has to be recorded into a static VPR loop,
then the VPR can time stretch that loop.

Here's an example.  Suppose Mobius is playing a loop.  If you were to
somehow apply a 1/2 speed time stretch the VPR would only be sending
things to the audio device at 1/2 the rate that Mobius is sending.
Mobius doesn't know anything about this and keeps sending at its normal
rate.  If mobius sends 1 second of audio it takes 2 seconds for the
VPR to play this, meanwhile Mobius keeps sending more audio.
The VPR would have to have have an infinitely large buffer to save
the Mobius output until it is finally ready to play it.

Another example, Mobius is playing a loop and the VPR is set to speed
up the loop by 2.  Mobius sends 1 second of audio but the VPR is
done playing that in 1/2 second.  The VPR needs more but Mobius
isn't ready to send yet, you will get a gap in the VPR output.

This can only work if you use the VPR like Ableton Live, hosting
Mobius on one track and letting it be in complete control over
what is playing.  Then on a different track record directly into
the VPR without Mobius and use the time stretching features on that.

Or, you could build up a loop in Mobius and record a section
of that into a VPR loop, similar to bounce recording.  Then
stop Mobius and start time stretching the VPR loop.

To combine time stretch with real-time loop manipulation
like overdub, SUSInsert, Retrigger, etc.  both functions
have to be done in the same looper.

Jeff