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Sound Reinforcement - Forums for Live Sound Professionals - Your Displayed Name Must Be Your Real Full Name To Post In The Live Sound Forums => LAB Lounge => Topic started by: Debbie Dunkley on July 06, 2014, 10:32:14 PM

Title: Suggestions for a looper.
Post by: Debbie Dunkley on July 06, 2014, 10:32:14 PM
A few of the local 4 piece bands are using loopers to get keyboard/synth sounds to use without using a keyboard player.
They work well if used sparingly - i.e. for piano intros etc.  There is just no money to be made round here and it keeps the body count down a little.
It would have to store the music piece of course. I already own the Voicelive 2 but it cannot store the information - everything has to be recorded each time it is turned on.

I'd run it from the board...Does anyone have any recommendations ?
Title: Re: Suggestions for a looper.
Post by: Bob Leonard on July 06, 2014, 10:39:58 PM
Debbie,
At your level it's not your job, or should it be your expense to supplement the bands backline UNLESS you're paid for it. It would have been a happy day if someone paid for the last $2K sound module I bought.
Title: Re: Suggestions for a looper.
Post by: Debbie Dunkley on July 06, 2014, 10:52:46 PM
Debbie,
At your level it's not your job, or should it be your expense to supplement the bands backline UNLESS you're paid for it. It would have been a happy day if someone paid for the last $2K sound module I bought.

Bless your heart Bob for caring !!! Thank you….

However, I have a bit more of a vested interest in this piece of equipment as it will be supplementing hubby's band. 4 musicians with a nice tight sound but 3 or 4 songs that although they play them really well, they could be made a whole lot better by introducing  some keyboard intro's. It would just be intros mainly as they do not want to go down that 'click track' road and they still want to sound as 'live' as possible!!!

And you know I LOVE this stuff !!

BTW…what was the sound module you bought???
Title: Re: Suggestions for a looper.
Post by: Jerome Malsack on July 07, 2014, 09:25:04 AM
Ed Sheeran  uses a looper on his pedal board to do his guitar in multiple layers. 

http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop-shop/6128719/ed-sheeran-new-im-a-mess-listen-song

Running a Midi keyboard utility on a laptop with output into a mixer would work well also. 

Something Like ???
http://www.noteworthysoftware.com/player/
Title: Re: Suggestions for a looper.
Post by: Debbie Dunkley on July 07, 2014, 10:39:11 AM
Ed Sheeran  uses a looper on his pedal board to do his guitar in multiple layers. 

http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop-shop/6128719/ed-sheeran-new-im-a-mess-listen-song

Running a Midi keyboard utility on a laptop with output into a mixer would work well also. 

Something Like ???
http://www.noteworthysoftware.com/player/

Thanks Jerome. Im trying to leave the macbook at home. I have taken it out and used GB for some music parts in the past but id rather leave it at home now. i figured the looper would fit the bill. It would need to be the recording type that stores the info - not the standard looper pedal that has to be 'fed' each time it is used.

I see one  listed by Electro-Harmonix but it is a bit pricey. I might have to spend that kind of money though to get what I need…..
Title: Re: Suggestions for a looper.
Post by: frank kayser on July 07, 2014, 11:25:35 AM
Debbie,
At your level it's not your job, or should it be your expense to supplement the bands backline UNLESS you're paid for it. It would have been a happy day if someone paid for the last $2K sound module I bought.


I agree Bob. That was my first reaction. Not a model for most.  Not a moneymaker. But Debbie and hubby benefit from this expenditure - and Debbie will be one VERY versatile and experienced soundperson when the BIG opportunity comes around.

'Till then, Go get 'em, Debbie!

frank



Title: Re: Suggestions for a looper.
Post by: Kevin Maxwell on July 07, 2014, 11:58:23 AM
How about a sampler like the Roland SP-404SX. http://www.rolandus.com/products/details/1038 I used to have an SP303 and sold it and upgraded to the SP-404SX. I use it to play back sound effects. If you edit the material you want to playback so there is no gap at the beginning it plays instantly. It will also play back 12 mono or 6 stereo pads at once or layered. This thing has a lot of capability but is very easy to use in my opinion. I load up the samples I need to use on SD card with my computer. The SP404 wav converter program makes it very easy. I don’t know if that is PC only or if there is also a Mac version.
Title: Re: Suggestions for a looper.
Post by: Debbie Dunkley on July 07, 2014, 12:37:40 PM

I agree Bob. That was my first reaction. Not a model for most.  Not a moneymaker. But Debbie and hubby benefit from this expenditure - and Debbie will be one VERY versatile and experienced soundperson when the BIG opportunity comes around.

'Till then, Go get 'em, Debbie!


frank





YEAH….that's just what I was thinking  ;D
Title: Re: Suggestions for a looper.
Post by: Debbie Dunkley on July 07, 2014, 12:47:31 PM
How about a sampler like the Roland SP-404SX. http://www.rolandus.com/products/details/1038 I used to have an SP303 and sold it and upgraded to the SP-404SX. I use it to play back sound effects. If you edit the material you want to playback so there is no gap at the beginning it plays instantly. It will also play back 12 mono or 6 stereo pads at once or layered. This thing has a lot of capability but is very easy to use in my opinion. I load up the samples I need to use on SD card with my computer. The SP404 wav converter program makes it very easy. I don’t know if that is PC only or if there is also a Mac version.

I just watched a YouTube video on the SP-404SX. Great machine - just too much machine for my needs really. I could have a lot of fun with one though !!
Title: Re: Suggestions for a looper.
Post by: Debbie Dunkley on July 07, 2014, 12:50:50 PM
Jerome PM me and suggested simply using an iPod. Ironically, I had considered that but not seriously. It almost seems too easy….Am I over thinking this???
Title: Re: Suggestions for a looper.
Post by: Art Welter on July 07, 2014, 02:10:56 PM
Jerome PM me and suggested simply using an iPod. Ironically, I had considered that but not seriously. It almost seems too easy….Am I over thinking this???
Yes.
An iPod works fine (my musical partner and I use one frequently), the only issue I have heard of is tracks shifting from left to right, which can be a real problem if a click track is recorded on one track.
Title: Re: Suggestions for a looper.
Post by: Tommy Peel on July 07, 2014, 03:26:06 PM
Debbie, something like this: FL Studio  (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.imageline.FLM)might work. I'm sure there are similar apps for iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch though something like a Nexus 7 dedicated to the task might work well.

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Title: Re: Suggestions for a looper.
Post by: Ned Ward on July 07, 2014, 08:14:27 PM
Debbie - if it's not something you need to control, the Boss RC3 is stomp box sized and can import/export WAV files. That would be one of the simplest ones. Similar is the new TC Looper (the bigger one) that also has that feature.
Title: Re: Suggestions for a looper.
Post by: Rick Powell on July 07, 2014, 08:48:59 PM
We decided we needed something a little more robust than an Ipod or mp3 pocket player, although several people use them including some who could afford better. CD players are too prone to skipping from shock and vibration.

$200 got us this, with XLR outs.  Uses SD cards (the kind that digital cameras use) to load and store the tracks, which I create in my home studio and convert to mp3.  We use the left channel for click and the right channel for sample mix, with a little bleed into the click thru the drummer's headphones.  However you can't record directly into it, the samples must be offloaded from a USB to SD caddy.

American Audio Media Operator  http://www.adjaudio.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ItemNumber=1373&MainId=1&Category=23

For $200 you might consider this sampler also, which can also store song-length tracks on SD cards and trigger the sample from one of 16 pads (each one can have a different loop or song on it, and you can go to a different bank if you need more).  TRS outs, and samples in wav format.  Not sure if it's out yet (it's a brand new product), but the very similar 8-pad MPX8 is.  This one you can record directly into and store, as well as offload pre-made wav recordings via USB to SD caddy.

Akai MPX16  http://www.akaipro.com/tradeshows/messe2014
Title: Re: Suggestions for a looper.
Post by: Debbie Dunkley on July 07, 2014, 09:38:39 PM
Thanks everyone for your suggestions - I really appreciate you guys spending the time to help me out.  I'll continue to research - especially all the items mentioned here and I am sure I'll make a good decision based on what I've learned.  You are the best !!!  :)
Title: Re: Suggestions for a looper.
Post by: Cailen Waddell on July 08, 2014, 12:08:07 AM
A little unconventional, the qlab software for the Mac may work too, it's set up a little different but you can set up cues to start a track, vamp, devamp,  loop a certain number of times, etc.  Anyway the stereo version is still free I believe.


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Title: Re: Suggestions for a looper.
Post by: Tommy Peel on July 08, 2014, 01:06:49 AM
A little unconventional, the qlab software for the Mac may work too, it's set up a little different but you can set up cues to start a track, vamp, devamp,  loop a certain number of times, etc.  Anyway the stereo version is still free I believe.


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Stereo version is free. I used it last month for VBS at church; though I ended up buying a few days of the "basic audio" license so I could have more outputs into the churches x32. I could have done the mixing in Qlab and just sent stereo to the board but sending 6 or 8 channels out made my job easier.