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Looper's Delight
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I think Kim makes a point that is probably "right on" for a vast majority of
most people into looping in a lot of ways:
"if that is all the functions they need and they just want to dabble in
looping a bit, then they are right. They would be happy with the DL4 and
that is what they should buy. Why should they start out with the high-end
product? As they learn more about looping they may start wanting a higher
end product with more features. Then the price of an echoplex might be worth
it to them."
How many people here on the list bought the EDP as their first looper,
without first being introduced to it through some other looper first
(boomerang, DL4, Jam Man, etc)? I could be overgeneralizing here, but it
seems like most of the posts I've read from people state that they started
looping on something else first . . .
At least some portion of us started looping in the early 90s, right? And
what would we have probably started with--the Jam Man right? Over time, some
of us moved to the EDP, either directly from the Jam Man or maybe through
some others (boomerang) or to the Repeater.
That's true for me, who started on the Jam Man, then got 2 for stereo, then
finally, after nearly 10 years, moved to 2 Echoplexes (and now a Repeater,
too). And I know it's true for Mark S, because I've talked to him about it.
He was a Jam Man guy who moved to Repeater.
The point is . . . I think Kim is correct in what he is saying about the
"market share" for the EDP. It's not really meant to be your first looper.
It's something you "grow into" once you start on other machines. If you find
those machines too limiting or you don't like the quirks of the some of them
(like some people feel about Repeater, for example), or if you're like me
and decided you wanted to make some changes to your overall approach to
looping, then you move in to the EDP.
Sure, I can agree with a lot of people that maybe the EDP is a bit
pricey--hell, I bought two brand new, so I know what it means to pay for
them--but it really is the best tool on the market right now in terms of
full function, real time looping.
I think it really has to come down to a question for the user--do you truly
need the EDP to make your art, or will your (insert looper here) suffice?
And if it doesn't suffice, and you really do want to make your art using
it--can you live without something else? Do you need three sound effects
processors or could you get by with 2? Do you need 2 synths or synth
modules, or is 1 enough?
I just recently went through all this--I had to make some real tough
choices--I've updated most of my gear over the last 3 months and did almost
all of it (except buying the echoplexes) buying gear through Ebay used.
And so I decided to look hard at everything I had accumulated since I began
playing at 13 and went with the credo "what can I live without--what is
truly at the core of what I need to make music?" It took me a few months to
decide, and then I went for it.
And I traded a whole bunch of gear that I got over a 15 year period
basically--I sold stuff and managed to stay within the range of what I
brought in from sales to buy new equipment, which is why I'm saying I traded
it.
But it took me doing that soul searching to make it all make sense. And for
me, that's how it all finally came together. In terms of my musical life,
that's how I was able to determine my priorities.
I guess what I am trying to say is--if you want it to be so--if you want
that EDP or 2 EDPs, you can do it. You just have to decide if it truly is
vitally important to you or not.
And I'm not just saying this all to be a "Kim" cheerleader or anything. I
was offended by his comments about poor people, too. But, as Rick said, we
all have to learn to get along and respect each other, even if we disagree.
Otherwise, why be on this list?
But when the man is right, well, I respect him enough to say so.
Just some thoughts,
the other David :)