Re: query 'real time live looping'

[Travis Hartnett <travishartnett@gmail.com>]

Looping technique has two timing aspects: learning to define the start
and end points of the loop (tapping a foot at the desired point of the
downbeat while playing their instrument isn't a skill that all
musicians develop in the typical course of development) and actually
playing in time within that period while the loop is running (this
often comes a surprise to many musicians).   The musicians in a tight
trio have learned to monitor the other two musicians' playing and
adjust their own playing to sync with them without thinking about it. 
A band can be "tight" yet still have tempo fluctuations--everyone just
fluctuates together.

Once you've got a looper you've got to "tight" in the sense of all
following the loop.  If the drummer can sync to the loop while you're
soloing, then the bassist can follow the drummer (usually easier to
hear than the rhythm guitar track) and you can wail away on top.  If
the loop tempo breathes a bit because that's what the band was doing
when you recorded the loop, then everyone has to follow that while the
loop's in playback.  I may be making this sound harder than it'll be
in practice if your band is already pretty tight.

Some looping devices have "tempo adjust" features, where they take
your loop and stretch it to make it fit a tempo, but it sounds like
you don't want that.

TravisH


On 11/8/05, Rachel Goulding <rachel.goulding@connaught.plc.uk> wrote:
> okay thanks for suggestions ill look into them
>
> our band is impecably tight tho so if the latency/bad sync effect is not 
>a
> product fault and more a musician fault then i could still get the boss?
>
> but basically if your saying the looper is gonna be incharge of  timing 
>and
> it could be anything then i wouldnt wanna attempt it
>
> thanks
>
>