On Wed, Jul 27, 2011 at 5:59 PM, Jon Forsyth
<jpf211@nyu.edu> wrote:
Hi everybody,
In case you didn't see my previous post, I'm a PhD student doing some
research involving live looping, and I'd like to get a sense of what
the looping community is interested in, what tools they use, their
approach to looping, etc. So, here some questions for anyone
interested in participating.
1) what aspects of looping do you enjoy the most?
The crazy yet cool random things that just happen,
2) what aspects of looping do you enjoy the least?
Learning curve on the loopers, especially the software ones. Rerouting all the little boxes I use to do different things. +1 for software in this regard.
3) what looping tools (including controllers) do you currently
use/have used in the past?
Jamman, RC20XL, DL4, DD20, Mobius, FCB1010 controller, Evolution U-Control. Occasionally I'll also use AudioMulch and a bunch of VSTs for processing.
4) what are the strengths of these tools?
Jamman and RC20 have LONG loops and lots of memory. Easy to use.
DD20 and DL4 - again easy to use, plus lots of cool delays.
Mobius - super configurable and flexible.
AudioMulch, again very configurable, and there are a pile of FX that I can insert into the chain.
5) what are the weaknesses of these tools?
Hadn't really thought about it.
6) do you modify a loop once it's been created? if so, how?
I run the loops through a ton of processing fx.
7) how much planning do you do for a particular performance?
Zero.
8) what form does this planning take? (do you write it down, keep it
in your head, etc)
See above.
9) at what level of detail do you plan? (melody, harmony, timbres,
dynamics, instrumental techniques, etc.)
See above.
10) describe your general approach to loop performance.
Turn everything on. Start pushing buttons til interesting sounds appear.
11) what would the ideal looping system look like? describe it in as
much detail as you can (and don't worry about practical concerns).
Since I use a lot of different loopers and delays and fx and synths and guitars, I'd like a nice switching system that didn't involve re-cabling everything. I have a patch-bay, but it's still a bit of a pain to switch stuff around.
I find Mobius nice to use because I can use a foot controller to turn on/off things, but also use a U-Control controller with sliders and knobs to change values.
12) any additional comments?
I'm not much of a die-hard software vs hardware guy. I use both or either, depends on my mood. I record everything into Reaper and sometimes mess with it there.
If for some reason you don't want your answers to be public, you can
send them directly to me.
Thanks!
Jon
There ya go.
