RE: ZVEX Lofi and "what you don't like about your looper" thread

[Mech <mech@m3ch.net>]

At 11:28 PM +0000 1/3/08, max valentino wrote:
>
>I was wonderin' if any of you have had much exp. with the Zvex lo-fi 
>looper. I am quite intriqued with this as I really am looking for 
>something of a "loose cannon" looper; something which will not 
>produce pristine audio, and will, in fact, not behave in any 
>predictable or prescribed way (As most fx devices will).  I do 
>understand the limitations of the device...but actually find those 
>somewhat "embraceable".....
>I am looking for something that, as opposed to treating a loop with 
>fx, will somewhat mutate and mangle the audio which is being looped 
>(in my case, bass). For Ods and such I can alwys re-sample that into 
>another looping device.

Well, I know I'm one of at least a couple of people on this list who 
have a Lo-Fi Loop Junky.  And, despite my earlier pointing-out of its 
flaws, I really rather like it (remember: the topic is "what you 
*don't* like about your looper").  It's small, it's battery-operated, 
it's immediate, it's very 'what you see is what you get', and it'll 
fit in your pocket on the way to a gig.  The loops sit well with 
other material because of their restricted tonal range.  And the loop 
will stay stored inside it until cockroaches emerge from the vast 
nuclear wasteland.

That said, I have a hard time recommending it to you if you're going 
to use it for Bass.  The reason being that I don't believe it'll 
actually be lo-fi enough to really do what you want.

When I first got mine, I began using it on my 10-string Stick, 
specifically on the Bass side.  And I was having real problems with 
the Depth controls on the pitch warble.  Unless I dialed it up to 
100%, I couldn't hear any effect -- and even then I could barely tell 
any difference at all.  I even contacted Zachary Vex, believing that 
there must be something defective with my unit.  Zach replied back 
that you're actually not likely to hear the effect in any great 
amount unless you're playing in the pitch range above the 12th fret 
on a guitar.  It seems my unit was behaving as specced, it's just 
that the Loop Junky wasn't well suited for low-end content.

So, if you take away its chorusey, demented pitch-wobble it gives, 
you're really left mostly with a signal that's been cut off extremely 
at the high end, and bit at the low end too.  On Bass, I've found it 
sounds about the same as throwing a blanket over your cabinet, or 
dialing out all the treble and bass from your amp.  But at the Bass 
end, it seems to cease behaving in an "unpredictable" manner.

If that's the range of harmonic spectra you're going to be using it 
on, you could probably do just as well to spend only a little money 
on an EQ pedal, then just use your normal Looper, IMNSHO.  That'll 
save you about $400, I believe.

Of course, if you're using it on something different, please 
disregard this advice, because it can sound *really* cool on 
instruments/content pitched up in the higher ranges.  Be sure to try 
one out yourself before buying, though.  I'm not certain it's going 
to fit your needs as you've outlined them here.

        --m.
-- 
_____
"I want to keep you alive so there is always the possibility of 
murder... later"