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Looper's Delight
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At 7:09 PM +0000 7/9/01, Brian Parker wrote: >I was just wondering if there are any djs on the list that are using >samplers to create loops on the fly during performances? It just did >look like many electronic artists were here from the profiles i read. >If you are a dj, what are you using for gear? I don't consider myself a DJ (nor would most DJs or their audience) but for a long time I have performed with a combination of playback media, live performers, and signal processors that include looping. The setup varies, but among my favorite processors are the Eventide H3000 and DSP4000, and the TC2290. All three of these devices can perform looping functions in either a regenerating delay mode or a sampling mode. One favorite hack with the H3000 is to control the playback parameters (start and end point, playback rate, pitch transposition) with faders. The H3000's Sampler can loop two voices independently, so I use eight faders. One particularly interesting thing is to move the end point earlier than the start point so that the sample plays backwards. The DSP4000 has a sampling function that can immediately play back in reverse, so I can capture a live sample and then play it back immediately either forward or in reverse. This is especially interesting with live voice, and I've done a lot of this with a story teller. I control the TC2290 with MIDI, and I am able to address all its parameters with system exclusive messages. One favorite looping hack is to control a pair of 2290s and to move the playback "window" forward and back in time. The two loops can be the same length but offset in time, or they can be of different lengths. For prerecorded playback I use CDs and cassette tapes (when I started doing this there weren't any CDs yet). On occasion I've used looping cassettes, but mostly I use regular cassette recordings of music ranging from assorted world music to classical to avant garde instrumental and electronic music (it's interesting to hear Satie and Nono superimposed). One of my cassette decks is a Tascam Porta One (I bought it in 1985). This is a cassette portastudio that runs at regular cassette speed, so you can play any normally recorded cassette. The interesting thing is that while "Side A" is playing back normally, "Side B" is playing back in reverse. The faders on the Porta One allow simple fading in and out of the tracks. I mix all this stuff with a Mackie 1604, and I've devised a patching system that allows me to audition signals before sending them into the main mix. The 1604 has four outputs, of which 3 and 4 are considered an Alternate or "Alt" pair. I use these outputs as my mail feed to the PA system. When I want to audition something with headphones I have that channel in normal mode, routed to outputs 1 and 2 (which aren't hooked up to anything but which feed into the headphones). Then when I want to send the signal to the main mix I punch in the "Alt" button for that channel. In recent years most of my performances have been with the band Cosmic Debris. I had signal feeds from all the other performers: voice, flute, keyboard, bass, percussion loops, and sometimes from two cassettes and a CD player. -- ______________________________________________________________ Richard Zvonar, PhD (818) 788-2202 http://www.zvonar.com http://RZCybernetics.com http://www.cybmotion.com/aliaszone http://www.live365.com/cgi-bin/directory.cgi?autostart=rz