Re: The EDP and the Looperlative

[Dustbunnies <mech@m3ch.net>]

On 1/3/11 12:20 AM, "andy butler" <akbutler@tiscali.co.uk> wrote:
> Dustbunnies wrote:
> 
>>   Now if
>> I can just get somebody to explain to me in plain English what 'Loop
>> Windowing' is, mebbe I can figure out how to get the LP1 to do that.  ;D
> 
> It's all to do with how the edp handles memory,
> in some ways very similar to the "Frippertronics" type thing
> where the whole performance is committed to tape.
> 
> Each time you do an overdub, the EDP moves forward through
> memory by a loop length.
> So, to "Undo" an overdub (or several) the playback point just
> moves back in memory.

If I understand you correctly, the basic architecture on the EDP doesn't
appear really so much different from that of the Wavetable synths of the
80's & early 90's (PPG, Korg Wavestation, Kawaii K1 etc.), with the most
notable exception being that those instruments' memories were hard-burned
into ROM rather than being freely writable (which I'm not trying to 
minimize
the importance of, BTW, so don't get me wrong here).

So each successive overdub actually results in a brand new recording of the
original material, re-recorded and merged with the new overdubbed material.
This new recording is then appended to the end of the memory stack.

If you were to graphically map out a memory dump of a recorded line
(original recording: OR, here) with two overdub sessions (OD1 & OD2), then
the memory map might look something like:

    [|-------OR-------||-----OR+OD1-----||---OR+OD1+OD2---|]

And now you just move the Start/End pointers so that a different section of
memory is playing, depending upon how many "layers"/sections have been
Undone.

Now, for Loop Windowing using the above example (if I'm reading correctly),
you'd multiply out to x3, then do something and Undo.  This would cause the
entire memory above to spool out from start to finish (first the OR 
section,
then OR+OD1, then OR+OD1+OD2).  Of course, x3 matches up nicely with what 
we
have above, so I'm assuming it gets more interesting if you don't have an
even multiple of the memory contents.

Before getting too far further, do I have that basic part correct?

> http://www.andybutler.com/mp3/backwater.mp3
> ...loop window opens at 2:00

(always really liked that particular track of yours, BTW.)

I'm gonna have to go back and listen a coupla more times, I think.  Or else
I'm just dim (which is a definite possibility) and don't know what to 
listen
for here.  I'll try again, though.
 
> I'm thinking "no way is he gonna do that on the LP1", but I hope you'll
> see that as a challenge.

Heh!  That's like the old joke: "I'll give you $100, if for the next 30
seconds you *don't* think about the color green".  And with both you & Rick
egging me on... Sheesh, I'm doomed.  ;)

I've already got an idea or two, but just want to make certain I've got the
process correct.  If the above example is true, then the basic memory
operation is simpler than I thought it was, and most of the creativity 
comes
out of finding different ways to "break" it.  That's always the fun part.

Thanks again for the help, Andy!!!  :)

        --m.