Re: Posted song: fretless guitar whipping up chords by looping

["Per Boysen" <perboysen@gmail.com>]

On Jan 29, 2008 11:52 PM, Doug Cox <uncledig@gmail.com> wrote:
> love this technique.  i've been doing this a lot with Mobius in the past 
>few
> months.
>
> Per, were you using the track-specific rate shift values that can be 
>stored
> with the setup, or were you sending specific notes to the tracks from 
>your
> FCB?


Hi Doug,

I'm using track-specific values that are implied by nine scripts.
Each script address all four tracks directly to set them at different
rates to imply a certain chord. I have nine such scripts assigned to
nine foot pedals - moog pedal style for "playing".  But at the same
time each pedal button ALSO rate-shifts the selected track (which I
guess is the technique you are mentioning?). So the system is open for
combining traditional "pad loop rate shifting" with this more refined
"percolating" model. Or you could use the the four rate-shifting for
only percussive material. Then the "moog pedal style" playing will not
form chords but rather create poly rhythmic variations.

I've been using this spontaneously for years with Mobius, but not
cared about setting it up in a "playable" way until now. Even though
you can do some fun stuff it will also bring some limitation into an
improvisational session. To make it jam-able with a group I therefor
wrote the  script so that if the selected track is in Reset Mode the
script will immediately delete the four percolating tracks and start
recording whatever you play into four new loops on those four tracks.
The idea is of course that when you do this you will make sure you
catch up with the group's tempo (the classical head ace for group
improvising loopers that doesn't like to sync up through the
machines). If the selected track is not in Reset Mode (as when you're
up and looping away) the script only works as a normal Overdub pedal.
So you go:

1. First kick: Record.
2. Second kick: Record, NextTrack, Create new loop of the same length
and change Rate and Overdub and Track Output Level (see below). Then
this is repeated for track 3 and 4, while you're playing. After track
four is filled up and rate-shifted the script creates a new,
non-recording, loop at track five and parks you there to proceed in
any way you want.

I wrote above that the scripts are also adjusting the output levels of
the percolating loop's tracks. For example, if you go into one chord
that uses Rate +16 on track 2 this high, loud and quite fast loop
needs to be compensated with lower track volume in order to not ruin
the orchestrated balance between the 4+ loops.

-- 
Greetings from Sweden

Per Boysen
www.boysen.se (Swedish)
www.looproom.com (international)