Re: Software Loopers and Hardware Loopers

["mark francombe" <mark@markfrancombe.com>]

I think Kris has made an interesting point here, and one that I have thought about myself when wrestling with the notion of swapping from hard to software. My music has been very heavily changed by specific pieces of kit, the echoplex being the most pointed. (it was like a sex pistols moment for me, changed my whole way of playing forever). However, Im not sure that Software always leads one to experimentalism. There is not doubt that the sheer AMOUNT of options availble to one as a laptop musicain, is simply staggering, and one that I personally HAVE found overwhelming. For a few years after a bad accident I used only laptop to produce music, and although much of it WAS experimental, I DID keep coming back to songs, structure and arrangments. But I never felt that this music was EVER really finished, because I had to hear that mix with a new plugin or maybe backwards, or or or or... Just the other day a piece of mine ended up on a program segue here on Norwegian TV, and when it took me till the end of the slot before I went... "Wait a minute!!! THAT ME!" I dont even rcognise my own track!

With hardware, which I still prefer, I work with that one piece of kit, till it is part of me, like a guitar.. I know everything it does and can tame it, and use it for my own evil, and experimental ends!!! If Im feeling sad, I may play a whimsical sad tune, if Im feeling weird, Ill be weird, same gear, different mood.

I am blown away by the posililities of Mobius, and playing with it occasionally, but I feel more conceptual, Like Im thinking what I want to do, then trying to write some code, testing it, playing for a bit, then back to analysis, and more programming... less "hands-on" and already Im getting the feeling that Ill never master it...

As a for instance, as an Art Director by day, I have recently given up actually DOING the work, rather tell the young and eager designers and directors in my charge what to do... You see Photoshop 5 I knew... well... but with Adobe bringing out new versions every 5 minutes, I cant keep up!! CS3.... FORGET IT!!!

As far as the festival was concerned... I guess it was just a fluke... wish I had been there, IŽd of shown those namby pamby tunester looper kids what us old noisy fucks can do with hardware!!!

M

On Mon, Nov 3, 2008 at 5:45 AM, Krispen Hartung <info@krispenhartung.com> wrote:

> kris.....does one need to use a laptop to be "avant-garde"?.....hmmmmmm.....michael

 

I hope not, otherwise I'd be saying that I wasn't playing avant-garde back when I was using only hardware. Jeeesh. :)    I wasn't suggesting that using the laptop was a necessary condition to be avant-garde, only that it was one of many possible sufficient conditions.  I am just exploring a a possible coorelation for the last several festivals in light of Rick's comments.

 

K-

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