Re: The Feedback Machine story

["Collins" <collinsclan@sprintmail.com>]

David,
I would like to know if you happen to know a fellow named Jeff Stayton? He
does a feedbacked guitar piece in his "Fear of Open Spaces" cassette. The
sound is amazing, and i would like to know if perhaps he got that off of
you.
I would also like to know if i could get a schematic of what you are
speaking of? For I am also a guitar manipulator who is studying at the time
the possibilities of prepared guitar.
I would appreciate any info you can get my way. By the way, thanks for 
being
on this list of proud Loopers.
Jeff Collins
collinsclan@sprintmail.com

-----Original Message-----
From: David Myers <dmgraph@bway.net>
To: Loopers-Delight@annihilist.com <Loopers-Delight@annihilist.com>
Date: Monday, July 27, 1998 5:04 PM
Subject: The Feedback Machine story


>Hey there, loopers.  Got a bit long-winded in an email reply concerning my
>noisemaking, and thought it might be of interest to some of you....
>
>>Hi!
>> Have you been recording any works recently using the various feedback
>>machines? I am interested in exploring such
>>"guided chaos" music...have you published any device construction
>>tips/theories?
>
>
>Hello John.  Thanks for the interest; I'm curious to know how you found 
>me.
>After a hiatus of about five years, I have indeed begun to record some new
>Feedback Music.  Very far from having new material ready for release,
>though I am about done with new sound material to send to Asmus Tietchens
>for his use in a third collaborative project.
>
>There was an article I wrote for Chris Cutler's "Quarterly" many years 
>ago,
>later reprinted in Experimental Musical Instruments.  The article is still
>available in ReR Quarterly Vol. 2 No.3, from ReR Recommended, 79 Beulah
>Road, Thornton Heath, Surrey, CR7 8JG, UK.  An LP and book is 11.00 pounds
>sterling.  Their newest catalog is an absolute must if you have any
>interest in this sort of music.  Unfortunately I myself do not have a copy
>of the article  (just like me--man, do I burn them bridges sometimes!).
>
>Anyway, the essence of the "Feedback Machines" is simple enough.  Back
>when, I used four delay units (mostly Digitech 7.6 sec "Time Machines")
>which were sent to four mixer channels.  Each channel had four effects 
>send
>buses, each of which fed one delay input; my mixer was custom built, but 
>it
>needn't be.  I call it a "Feedback Matrix":
>
>     0-----0-----0-----X----> send 4 to DDL 4 input
>     I          I         I          I
>     I          I         I          I
>     0-----0-----X-----0----> send 3 to DDL 3 input
>     I          I         I          I
>     I          I         I          I
>     0-----X-----0-----0----> send 2 to DDL 2 input
>     I          I         I          I
>     I          I         I          I
>     X-----0-----0-----0----> send 1 to DDL 1 input
>     I          I         I          I
>  DDL1   DDL2    DDL3   DDL4
>
>The "0"s are effect send knobs; the "X"s are too, but they show knobs that
>control a DDL's feeding back into itself.  Get it?  You want DDLs or other
>effects units which have a lot of manual control--i.e., knobs.  Lexicon
>LXPs are cool if you have one or more MRCs to get fader control of the
>parameters.  Having at least one delay capable of 4-plus seconds and some
>sort of "hold" function is really valuable, to trap the feedback as either
>static or evolving loops.
>
>So, the whole setup is "played" as an instrument.  The trick is mostly in
>inventing and learning your own techniques; have the effects units and
>mixer as close to each other as possible, and start twisting knobs!  At 
>the
>moment, I've built a 6X6 matrix and use 2 Lexicon Vortexes (great for this
>application!), a Reflex, the new MPX-100, and a few pedal effects.  More
>knobs would be better, but with the 6X6 grid and "variation" knobs on the
>units, there's a real wealth of territory to explore.  I suggest picking 
>up
>two or three old DDLs like Deltalab Effectrons or the Digitechs; pretty
>cheap nowadays.  The biggest hangup may be getting a mixer with more than
>two effects sends, though you can do pretty much with even two.  I've
>always built my simple mixers based on Craig Anderton's ancient book
>"Electronic Projects For Musicians".  But a commercial mixer has its
>advantages, like EQ on each channel.  You'll find EQ in the loops is 
>really
>useful; I use a PAIA (Anderton)-designed parametric.  Great unit!  Anyway,
>if you're in the green, a used Mackie 1604 would be cool, at about $500;
>four sends (kind of six, actually) fill the bill nicely.
>
>Hope this helps.  Check out the article if you can.  Let me know what
>develops?  Computer stuff is cool, but I swear by this kind of approach
>because it really "lives", and there's nothing like direct and immediate
>control of yer sounds....
>
>Regards, DM
>
>
>