THE BEST LIVE LOOPING DEVICE

["Rick Walker" <looppool@cruzio.com>]

I've been actively using dedicated digital looping devices since 1995.

I own and use five different live looping hardware technologies:

the Line 6 DL-4

the Electrix Repeater

the Gibson EDP with loop IV software by Aurisis

the Looperlative

and now,  a KAOSS3 pad by Korg (which allows for midi synchronized looping 
and resampling of loops).



I also have hosted over 200 incredible live looping artists from 12 
countries at the annual Y2K series Live Looping Festivals and
seen or heard part or all of their sets
so I know a thing or two about what's out in the world

So,  it is  true that if I had to go to a desert Island with only one live 
looping device that I'd take my Looperlative with me.


However:

I've seen Andy Butler and Andre Lafosse do mind boggling work with their 
EDPs (that have a less
than impressive Apple IIC processor in them and are mono).

Genie blow my mind with a Line 6 DL-4 Delay Modeller (activated at times 
with his bare toes!!!!);

Bill Walker impress everyone with his work on an Electrix Repeater (and 
now, 
an LP-1)

I've seen Kid Beyond do amazing things with a laptop running Ableton's 
Live;

Jeff Kaiser and Krispen Hartung do ridiculously hip things with Max/MSP:

Matthias Grob and Per Boysen tear it up using Plogue Bidule and Mobius

Michael Klobuchar bend heads with a Boomerang

I don't even know what Stan Card or Ted Killian use...................they 
just fucking tear it up , live!!!

******************
So,  constant obsession and endless bickering  on this list over the years 
about 'what's the best live looping device'   always leaves
me bewildered.

It's no more a helpful discussion than asking,   "who's the best live 
looper".

These things are instruments and ,  in that sense.

The real question is:

How do we use our respective live looping devices creatively
and, even more importantly,

what's the music like that we create.

respectfully,  Rick Walker aka looppool