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Re: Echoplex, loop IV questions



At 04:29 PM 6/11/2003, Terry Blankenship wrote:
>I don't quite get what the difference between rounded
>and unrounded functions is.

Rounded is when something rounds off evenly to the next cycle point. For 
example, if you are doing a Multiply and press the Multiply button to 
finish at the mid point of the cycle. The Echoplex will round off to the 
next cycle point for you, so you have an integer number of cycles. 
Multiply, Insert, LoopCopy, and SyncRecord do this.

UnRounded is when such an operation is forced to finish immediately, 
without rounding off to the end of the current cycle. So for example, if 
you are doing a Multiply and you press Record in the middle of the cycle 
to 
end it, it will stop the Multiply immediately and redefine the loop length 
to that point. In this way you get non-integer multiples, which could be 
anything. 3.472x, .74x, whatever. This works with combinations like 
Multiply-Record, Insert-Record, LoopCopy-Record, SusMultiply, SusInsert, 
and the SusUnrounded midi commands.

The RoundMode parameter controls whether Overdub is going on or not during 
rounding, after you tapped the function to end. Normally while Multiplying 
or Inserting any sound coming in the input is Overdubbed into the new 
longer loop. When RoundMode is on, after you tap Multiply the second time 
to end the Overdubbing will continue while the Echoplex rounds off to the 
end of the cycle. When RoundMode is off, Overdub will be turned off during 
that time.

The RoundMode difference is subtle, but reflects different approaches to 
playing. For example, some people think very metrically and want to always 
have their overdubbed phrases fill the whole bar, however they often like 
the convenience of tapping Multiply early in the last cycle to end it so 
they don't have to focus on it. RoundMode=on works well for them. Others 
are more focused on feeling the melodies and don't pay any attention to 
the 
bars. They want to just tap Multiply as soon as they get an inspiration to 
add a longer melody and then tap it again whenever the melody is finished. 
They still want it to round off evenly, but they don't want anything they 
play after that to go into the loop. For them, RoundMode=off works well.



>I also don't quite get what quantize does on the
>echoplex. On a drum machine quantize will actually
>correct the timing of the things you play into the
>drum machine. Does the quantize function work the same
>way on the echoplex?

as others explained, Quantize corrects timing of the Echoplex functions, 
not what you play into the echoplex. It can be set to Loop, cycle, or 8th. 
8th is really whatever subdivision of the cycle is determined by the 
setting of the 8ths/cycle parameter.

>What is the difference between quantize and switch
>quantize?

SwitchQuantize is for quantizing loop switching.


>It seems that many functions (except record) will act
>as sus functions if you just hold them down. Is record
>the only function that doesn't become a sus function
>when you hold it down.

No. Undo has two variations for long and short press. Long undoes a whole 
pass of the loop, short undoes everything after the point it is pressed.

Long-Multiply becomes substitute. Long-Insert becomes Replace. These are 
shortcuts put into the interface to give it more flexibility with a small 
number of buttons. Usually new users don't bother with such things, and it 
takes some experience and practice with it before they might start 
becoming 
useful.

>I recorded in a studio once using a drum machine where
>we recorded a sync track (no drums, just sync code).
>Then I recorded the guitars, bass, keyboards, vocals,
>etc, then wen't back and programmed drum parts which
>locked in perfectly.
>
>I was wondering if the echoplex can send out some kind
>of sync data that you could record onto a track of an
>adat. That would allow you to then go back and sync up
>as many loops as you had tracks available on the ADAT.

it uses midi clock. it doesn't use smpte or midi time code or any other 
format. The echoplex also outputs note markers for 8th, cycle, and loop 
points that are useful to record into an audio sequencer, so you can 
visually see where the echoplex is.

kim


______________________________________________________________________
Kim Flint                     | Looper's Delight
kflint@loopers-delight.com    | http://www.loopers-delight.com