Loopers - How to focus devices in rack chains?

[mojofunk]

Hi! I am really enjoying using looper, having gladly sold a Boss RC-50 to help buy a laptop etc. There is so much awesomeness in this program, I feel like a kid in a candy store (or a bull in a china shop?)! I don't hear too many folks talking about how they are managing multiple instances of looper, though.

I have an fcb1010 - what a pain in the ass to program, even with an editor. It didn't help that the Firestudio I am using for midi throughput doesn't play nice with multiple or merged devices - took me a while to figure that one out!

From what I have read it seems like one good way to have several separate loopers to work with is to rack 'em up . . . it works great, they can record different loop lengths, different instruments can be routed, all good. I use a single midi cc# set to different values to achieve loop selection. If I have the chain selector grid thingy open, and have checked auto in the rack, I can have the rather desirable effect of focusing on the chain that I have selected, which gives me visual indication of how long in bars the loop that is on that chain is. If I close the chain selector grid thingy it no longer focuses on the particular looper I wish to manipulate. Boo! Not that it is terrible to have the chain grid showing, but it does take up a lot of screen space and might obscure other stuff after the loopers, effects etc.

I realize that I could map a midi command that would do focusing, but as I am using cc's set to the same controller # I cannot map this to individual loopers.

There are so many cool things to be explored that I feel overwhelmed with sonic goodness, and I don't know how clear I have managed to be with this question, but I would be quite fascinated to hear how other loopers are dealing with these control issues, and anything else that they have discovered to be useful. Thanks very much - these forums rock!

[Jekblad]

what is the advantage to using CC's over sending midi notes from fcb?

if you send notes you can map it to the title bar of each looper as well as that loopers play button and your set. does that solve anything for you?

[mojofunk]

Thanks for replying!

Well, I would still use midi notes to control the looper transport functions, but it seemed like the only way to select the chain within the rack was to use cc's. It would be great if I could just select a particular looper and go, but without selecting the chain, no audio is passed to that chain and the looper within.

Now what would be really terrific is if it were somehow possible to have the FCB1010 pedals operate the functions within whatever looper was in focus - that way I could have the bottom row on the padal assigned to rec, overdub, play, etc, and the top row could choose between 5 different loopers. I don't do python coding, and I've have heard (and perhaps misunderstood) that those kinds of dynamic assignments can only be done with fancy code. Is there a way to obtain the "blue hand" for the FCB1010 that anyone is aware of?

Thanks again for your help!

[mojofunk]

Hmmm, upon further reflection, I suppose I see what you mean - I guess I was somehow thinking that there was a certain tidyness to having all the loopers in a rack, a cleaner gui etc, but now that you mention it what do I actually gain . . . nothing! And in fact I seem to need an additional button press. Hey, thanks man, I wish I wasn't at work cause I'm dying to go home and try a different setup! Work is such a distraction.

[Jekblad]

haha no probs man.

as far as instant mapping...
http://forum.ableton.com/viewtopic.php? ... ace+script

check that thread out. I don't know how the instant mapping function will treat the multi purpose button tho.

So once you have loopers on ur different channels, map a midi note to each track "arm" and to the title bar if it's respective looper. This will route sound, bring in focus and blue hand the proper looper.

i'm going to be thinking about this instant mapping script, but i totally suck at that sorta thing. either way, this could be pretty sweet as a looping set up.

[mojofunk]

Wow - fantastic! Thanks for that link. I am going to absolutely delve into that. If I have good success I'll share my experiences with all the loopers here, there seems to be lots of FCB1010 owners out there. You've definitely jumpstarted me Jekblad, I appreciate it a lot!

I have only but tasted the loopy goodness thus far - it'll be quite nice to stop with the configuring already, and get down to some music making! (Well, I guess I've always kinda liked geeking out on music gear also . . . although i have learned over the years to keep it to myself . . . perhaps thats why I dig this forum so much, it's full of like minded kooks!).

[Jekblad]

no prob dude. i use looper in a more toned done useful way, vs soundscape type stuff. check it here

www.oakleafmusic.com/gear

[mojofunk]

Yow! That smoked! You is a Funky man! I totally enjoyed that! I will check out your other site a bit when I get home tonight, as well.

Perhaps later tonight I'll set up a place to share the tune or two that I've created so far also, possibly a wee bit in the soundscape direction, but I am an oldschool funk, rock type player, and I am trying to avoid droney noodley self indulgence, y'know? It's a bit hard with the loops tho - they encourage relentlessness, so it's up to me to remember that I'd like to actually entertain people, not just bore them to death. Of course I do kinda like those 1950's musique concrete dudes who did wacky stuff like tuning radios randomly during their tunes, and chopped their reel to reel tapes up with razors and put them back together all helter skelter. I just know enough not to play that stuff when friends are over! In fact one thing I have figured out over the years is that the two most polarizing types of music - people either love it or hate it - are Jazz and Heavy Metal. And really what I'd love to do is Death Metal Jazz. It's no wonder I haven't quit my day job yet. No commercial potential! (Actually I play out with a fairly mainstream singer songwriter - mostly acoustic, and the ladies seem to dig it so I guess it aint death jazz).

Thanks again for sharing!

[peetdenny]

Hi,

Thanks a lot for this thread, it's been really useful.
I've got it working as described, but was wondering if there's an easy way of getting looper 1 to stop playing back when you select looper 2.

I assume that this is how you can switch from one section to the next and back again.
The way I currently have it set up, the loopers all overlay each other.

Cheers

Peet

[mojofunk]

Hi! Well, let's see . . . one thing for changing loops might be to use the cross fader, to switch between two loops. Or you could create dummy clips with volume automation - fade out or in for example (there is a preference somewhere that is something to the effect of "don't focus on clip launch" - that way your set stays focused where you were, not on the dummy clip when you fire it off). Or you could create a midi map to a key that mutes looper 1 and selects the title bar of looper 2 and vice versa. Good luck!

[revA]

i have a problem with focusing on device in racks if there are more than 9 tracks ins the set. i have made a set to show, it is 9 audio tracks with 2 returns, in each return is a rack with 4 devices, mapped to keys q,w,e,r and a,s,d,f. the mappings show up correctly in the mapping brwoser, but only 3 of them work. if i start out with an empty set that is: 1 audio track and the 2 returns with racks mapped, everything works fine, i add audiotracks and after audio track 9 the mappings stop working. i already send a bug report to support but after the autoreply haven't heard anything.
it would be great if someone could check this out, the set is here: http://www.mediafire.com/?mzzmwcyydyo

thanks
revA