Re: do any slave sync?

[Per Boysen <perboysen@gmail.com>]

On Tue, Mar 24, 2009 at 2:58 PM, L.Angulo <labaloops@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Do any of the current existing hardware loopers sync when being slaved?

No. If you mean sync in perfect timing. The Repeater came close
though, since it could time-stretch long loops to correct
synchronization instantly. Non time-stretching loopers (i.e. all
others) have to correct only the start point of every new loop round.

MTC (MIDI Time Clock) is also a much better protocol than MIDI Clock.
Every device that synchronizes by MIDI Clock does in essence play a
trying-to-catch-up game that is doomed to be lost because the slave
device can not detect that it is too early or too late when it has
already passed the erroneous point.

Ive used analog sync code to, as when striping tape with SMPTE and
having a device reading it and sending out a clock pulse. This worked
surprisingly well.

My strategy in both hardware and software based loopage is to run the
looper as the master to let the loops spin freely and then slave sync
effect devices as delays, tremolos and alike.

Best synchronization between two looping devices I have experienced is
the EDP's brother sync. Except for that I prefer to sync by ear rather
than technically, when playing together in en ensemble with other
looping musicians. Even in the studio, when recording, I prefer not to
technically sync my looper but rather start a loop in sync by ear and
play stuff as long as I stay on the beat (while recording it all to
the house recorder)

Greetings from Sweden

Per Boysen
www.boysen.se
www.perboysen.com