Re: WHAT DON'T YOU LIKE ABOUT YOUR LOOPERS

[Mark Hamburg <mark_hamburg@baymoon.com>]

I have both a DL-4 and a Delay Pro and I essentially don't use them.  
I got the DL-4 to go with my little Tech21 Trademark 10, but I'm not  
doing that much playing with it. That said, I got them mostly for the  
delay models. The Delay Pro would probably be in my main rack taking  
the place of my DL8000R if it had a reasonable hold function or even  
a bypass option that kept the echos going until they faded out (a  
feature I believe the DL-4 has).

So, I'm using multiple EDPs...

The biggest problem with the EDP is that it is not only not stereo,  
it's mildly stereo hostile. The Jamman at least supports a stereo  
through even if the loop itself is mono. The EDP essentially forces  
one to use a mixer in a stereo rig. Okay. So, you can take a pair of  
EDPs and use them in stereo, but then features like threshold  
recording don't work.

I also find getting the levels right for the EDP to be a bit touchy.

I also discovered at Y2K7 that the EDP footswitch doesn't really like  
to be on a soft surface like carpet. I had repeated trouble with  
button taps not taking.

Historically, I've been frustrated that the EDP does not make it easy  
to copy into a loop if the loop isn't empty. Or at least it isn't as  
easy.

But at this point, the EDP is the only choice that's made me really  
happy. Maybe I would like the Looperlative, but I haven't played one.

The features I wish for...

* I want a way when using feedback with a loop to select between  
mixing in new material (overdub), mixing in silence (fade), and  
mixing in a base loop (defined somehow). On the EDP, I'll use Next  
Loop to go evolve a loop and then I'll use Next Loop to go back to my  
original. I'd like to be able to do the return gradually. Of course,  
unless I eventually put the feedback all the way down to 0%, I'll  
never quite make it back to the original.

* I wish that feedback on the EDP could degrade the sound rather than  
just fading it -- i.e., it needs to steal some filtering notions from  
the boxes modeling tape and analog delays.

Mark

P.S. Y2K7 rig...

Taylor T5
        --> Line6 Distortion Modeler
        --> Ibanez Weeping Demon Wah
        --> Morley Volume Pedal
        --> Tech21 SansAmp PSA 1.0
        --> Lexicon Vortex
        --> Korg DL8000R
        --> Mackie 1202 mixer

Mixer feeds to two EDPs. One used for the base loop and sending clock  
to everything else. The other mostly set to 0% feedback and used to  
get one repeat of the material. The EDPs, particularly the base loop,  
are then run through a Korg AM8000R to get some stereo imaging  
happening and to get weird stepped phaser stuff going. The final mix  
then went through a TC M300 reverb unit (with a digital feed to the  
DAT deck that conked out on me after 5 seconds).

Changes I'm looking to make:

* Replace the Distortion Modeler with analog effects. I'm leaning  
toward some of the Skreddy pedals right now, but I haven't figured  
out what to get to replace the Rocktave Divider model or the Jet  
Phaser model.

* The Morley volume pedal needs to be replaced with something smaller  
like an appropriate impedance Ernie Ball volume pedal. (I'm pretty  
sure that not coming straight out of the guitar I should be getting  
the low impedance pedal, but the high impedance pedal is the one  
that's easy to find.)

* I keep looking for a replacement for the Vortex that's MIDI  
friendly. Ideally, I'd do something that would replace both the  
Vortex and the DL8000R. I'm not using either of them for really weird  
purposes, but programs like Shimmer on the Vortex have an attractive  
warmth and complexity that a simple tremolo doesn't deliver.

I also think about shifting to a computer, but it's nice to have an  
excuse to get up away from the computer.