a different approach to looping

queglay · Post by **queglay** » Thu Sep 27, 2007 1:03 pm

ok so im trying to figure out a different way of looping any of my instrument tracks. there are limitations with recording into empty clips, or using quatization-
because you have to decide how long your loop is going to be before you play it and if you fuck it up you have to delete it and start again (press more buttons=annoying).

what i want to do is be able to record audio or midi loops all the time in, lets say a 16 bar buffer. i then want to be able to hit a button at any time that will then play the last 1/2/4/8/16 bars (at the end of the next bar) in a loop.

this would mean i can jam freely, and when i think ive got something cool going, i can hit a button after the fact when i know i got it right. perfect loop! are there any cool tools/vsts or even a way to do it in live (i doubt it).

i may have to resort to max/msp to do it, but i thought id check here first...

Machinate · Post by **Machinate** » Thu Sep 27, 2007 3:30 pm

the audio part of the equation can be solved by simply using a looping plugin.

I like the "angstrolooper", very simple.

The midi part is a bit more tricky. Check out [seq~] in maxMSP, but you could also record midi into [coll], quantizing it on the fly.

beats me · Post by **beats me** » Thu Sep 27, 2007 5:57 pm

As far as I know this is only a problem when you create a clip ahead of time. When I don't create a clip and just hit the circle in one of the empty clips to start recording it keeps on recording until I hit stop. Then go back after the fact and set your loop length.

I only record MIDI tracks though so I don't know if it would work any different when recording live audio.

queglay · Post by **queglay** » Fri Sep 28, 2007 1:27 am

cool thanks. might try the angstrolooper out.

queglay · Post by **queglay** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 6:51 am

angstro looper isn't too bad. i hear a few glitches sometimes when i change timing modes. i think i could actually get away with using a standard delay vst. the built in live vst can't last for 16 bars, and doesn't have 100% feeback as an option (max 95). but if there are any particularly good ones out there, i could just drop it into a rack (one for each time signature) and turn the volume of the rack up and down. i think that would work fine. any simple delay plugins with a sync option you could recomend for that? i tried voxengo but i dont think they will work for this.

madlab · Post by **madlab** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 10:16 am

Augustus Loop could work for that if you want an infinite delay plug in with 100% FB.

queglay · Post by **queglay** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 12:46 pm

ill give it a shot. im on windows though. does ableton use au plugins?

beats me · Post by **beats me** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 1:42 pm

Ableton uses AU plugins but AU is a Mac only file type.

mike holiday · Post by **mike holiday** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 2:53 pm

beats me wrote:As far as I know this is only a problem when you create a clip ahead of time. When I don't create a clip and just hit the circle in one of the empty clips to start recording it keeps on recording until I hit stop. Then go back after the fact and set your loop length.

I only record MIDI tracks though so I don't know if it would work any different when recording live audio.

works with audio also..

actually you can't make a blank audio clip.. I wish you could (dummy clips)

but yeah

hit play on a blank clip, the clip starts recording, and will keep recording until you stop it. but instead of stopping the playing clip, you hit it's play button, and it starts looping.

queglay · Post by **queglay** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 11:10 pm

its not really appropriate because you have to set the loop length either before, or fiddle after with the mouse. i try to play my sets mouseless and screenless.

Machinate · Post by **Machinate** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 11:24 pm

no, you set the loop length by hitting play at the appropriate time...

dj superflat · Post by **dj superflat** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 11:33 pm

you could do something like this in mobius, by keeping feedback below 100%, then jacking it to 100% when you have something you want to keep. not sure if that would work with a delay with a long enough time, but might.

queglay · Post by **queglay** » Mon Oct 01, 2007 7:55 am

thats an idea. ill give it a shot. cheers

4am · Post by **4am** » Mon Oct 01, 2007 1:01 pm

i'm also wondering about how to live-loop things during my livesets.
my question:
woldn't be a better option to use an hardware looper?
like the digitec jamman looper or similar?

queglay · Post by **queglay** » Mon Oct 01, 2007 2:33 pm

hardware is a possibility, but i already have too much kit to carry. time to use the cpu a little more.