Re: RPTR issues

[Zoe Keating <cello@zoekeating.com>]

On Dec 14, 2005, at 12:55 AM, William Walker wrote:

> I suggest that your compression issue with the rptr may have as  
> much to do
> with the pickup you are using  as the rprtr itself. Sounds like  
> what you are
> describing is the performance characteristics of piezo pickups,  
> somewhat
> thin, compressed and one dimensional what kind of pickup are you  
> using? and
> does it have a proper buffer preamp between it and your rptr?

Thanks for the suggestions Bill..

Pre-RPTR I use 2 condenser mics (one of them designed especially for  
cello) and a DTAR preamp. I perform in Rasputina with the same mics  
(sans RPTR) and get really great sound from them!  You can hear the  
difference in quality in recordings from board mixes. The recording  
of outputs out the back of the Repeater is "flatter" and noisier than  
the recorded outputs from the preamp. Sometimes I wonder if it is  
just a bit depth thing, because the recorded output sounds different  
from the straight thru output.

>
>  the CFC click you refer to can be worked around my always  
> reformatting the
> card before recording directly to it. I discovered the click noise  
> came from
> a cfc card that had been rerecorded over a bunch a times, try  
> reformatting
> before performance and see if the tick goes away.

>
Someone from Electrix also suggested doing this.  So for the last  
year, I've made sure to use a reformatted CFC before every show. I  
have a hoarded a bag of blank, SimpleTech reformatted ones always  
ready to go! Someone else also suggested reloading the OS every now  
and then to combat "bit decay" (??), so I do that on a regular basis  
too.

>  regarding hiss and peaks, are you running the rptr in a parallel  
> effects
> loop with the input mute engaged?  you should be for optimal sound
>

Yes, I've tried this one but don't do it because the back LEFT input  
of the RPTR is very noisy (more ticking - forgot to mention this).   
It ticks loudly when only one input is engaged, it ticks quietly when  
both are engaged. Stephen said that the mod to fix output ticking  
would also fix the input problem? Both the RPTRs do this.

>  You have got to hit multiply on the down beat of a loop or else it  
> will do
> the slow down ramp up thing, I feel your pain, but I've gotten more  
> accurate
> and am having less problems.

Ah...now that is interesting. It happens to me mid-song. Often I  
record onto only a portion of a going loop (for example, record onto  
beats 4 and 5 of a 6 beat phrase, or just on and upbeat). For  
example, a loop is going, I'm playing a phrase on top and sample just  
a couple portions of that phrase mid-bar. So should I always record a  
full multiple of the original loop?  Also, shouldn't matter I guess,  
but I always start my loops on an upbeat (i.e. the AND of 4). Besides  
feeling more logical to me, then the beginning of the downbeat sounds  
natural. It's like the upswing/breath that a quartet takes or a  
conductor gives before starting a piece.

I still love those friendly blue boxes though and don't use anything  
else!! Sounds like I should focus on getting that mod done.

Thanks much Bill! Hope to see you at loopstock next year....yers, Z


>
> Hope that helps.
> Bill
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Zoe Keating [mailto:cello@zoekeating.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, December 13, 2005 11:01 PM
> To: Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com
> Subject: Re: Looperlative LP1 - sample rate
>
>
> The problems I've always had, on both my RPTRs:
>
> - Compression of the cello tone. It always sounds to me as though the
> upper layers of harmonics get "stripped" once it is recorded. The
> more layers I add, the more "squashed" and un-cello like it sounds.
> Sometime this is good and I like to play with it, but increasingly I
> want more control over my sound. What worked for small gallery shows
> is not working so well in large theaters.
>
> - Hiss vs Peaks. I've learnt a lot about impedence matching since
> starting with the Repeater, and I think I'm running the cleanest way
> possible. However, every way I've ever patched (and I am continually
> trying new routings to try to get a better sound) I am stymied by the
> hiss. The obvious solution, increasing the input, is dangerous
> because I run a serious risk of peaks (and the RPTR sounds horrible
> when distorted). The cello is a very dynamic instrument, I move
> quickly from light sounds to heavy ones and I don't like to overly
> compress  pre-RPTR.  I like to have a lot of headroom to work with. I
> find that I am so nervous in performance about possible peaks, that I
> "hold back" in my playing style and that limits me musically and
> expressively.
>
> - CFC ticking. A few of my pieces rely on long loops. During
> performance, I need to record them onto the CFC, rather than internal
> memory or I will quickly hit the memory limit. The CFC ticks and it
> ticks loudly and I find it embarassing and unprofessional. Stephen,
> from this list (who I had a lovely meeting with in Seattle last month
> where we talked all things RPTR) told me about someone in Seattle who
> can fix this. As soon as I get back from this tour, I intend to get
> that done.
>
> New audio problems that I expect are from age:
>
> - input knob crackles.
> - left output is lower in volume than the right.
>
> New software problem:
>
> - The RPTR gets "locked" and I cannot stop, play, record, or do
> anything, via midi or any amount of button pressing. Only way to get
> out of it is to power down.
>
> Old software problems that still bite me during performance (someone
> suggested this might be the FCB1010 causing my troubles. Possible. I
> have it on my task list to locate comparable midi controller that has
> he same wide, flat buttons as the FCB1010. I tried the Ground Control
> but I have problem using those little metal buttons while sitting at
> the cello) :
>
> - loops speed up when I hit multiply (occasionally)
> - stereo record becomes engaged on tracks 3 + 4 when I hit advance
> track (occasionally)
>
> Old interface problem that messes me up at least once per show:
>
> - lack of feedback as to what tracks are muted! only way to "reset"
> is to power down. Rather than risk a track being muted as I start the
> next song, I always power down between songs.
>
>   Fun!
>
>
> On Dec 13, 2005, at 10:07 PM, Travis Hartnett wrote:
>
>
>> By "various sound quality issues" do you mean that it's started to
>> malfunction, or that it always had these issues?
>>
>> TravisH
>>
>> On 12/13/05, Zoe Keating <cello@zoekeating.com> wrote:
>>
>>
>>> Wow. Exciting!!! I REALLY, REALLY hope it materializes. I love my
>>> Repeater and rely on it heavily, but it is just not holding up very
>>> well in public performance because of various sound quality issues.
>>> I'm ready for a replacement and have given up on waiting for my MK2
>>> to arrive.
>>>
>>>
>>>
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