Looping
with Rhythmweb looping correspondent Rick
Walker
Rick's website LOOPPOOL.INFO
Listen to a few cuts from Rick Walker's "Translucent Dayglo Lime Green Plastic"
August 2004 - Some fascinating areas of rhythm related arts are still due to be covered here at rhythmweb, and electronica, computer based composition and looping all are prime candidates, SO, we feel fortunate that our friend Rick Walker has offered to help us get our looping page going..
We met Rick in 2001 at the inception of the Frame Drummer Group at Yahoo. He has tons of musical training and experience, and he is on the front edge of the electronic composition and looping scene, and very generous and personable to boot. As a matter of fact he will be doing a solo concert at the upcoming PAS Conference in November, 2004, and we hope to be there to see him work first hand..
He has kindly offered act as a Rhythmweb electronica/looping correspondent, and to write an article or two on the subject, but like many of our correspondents, he has a VERY busy work schedule, so it may be a while before our article is forthcoming.
I asked Rick how one would go into looping on a budget, what was out there in terms of tools and so on. His e-mail reply had enough good solid information in it that I feel I should go ahead and post it condensed here for starters..
Rick Walker on Getting Started Looping
"The good news is that the Line6 DL-4 delay modeller pedal is the cheapest looper on the market. (It's)the most intuitive and has the best fidelity of any looper out there ($250 at any reputable music store."
"The bad news is that it does not have midi sync and there are only three units that have this and two are out of print (the lexicon jamman and the electrix repeater) The third is the GIBSON Echoplex EDP."
"For what it is worth new EDPs go for a minimum of $800 plus taxes and you have to have either a $100 foot controller or better yet a $140 Behrnigner FCB 1010 foot midi controller. Used Repeaters are going for as high as $1200 USED! Jammans have been going for as much as $800 used.""Another option is to buy two DL-4s.............one for ambient looping (drones, etc.) or overdubs and one for your main rhythmic work. Both my brother and I have done numerous concerts using these simple and elegant machines. I have found that live looping so radically increases one's sense of delicate rhythm that I frequently play with groups that have synced midi loops and I play with them without it just by occasionally retriggering."
"If you are mostly just playing with your self, you can eschew the midi, depending on how sophisticated and how many other elements you want to bring in (midi keyboard sequencing, drum machines , et. al.), or you can just route these instruments into the DL 4s"
"You cannot erase a loop once it's in in these units, however. Only the EDP allows this option and has multiple levels of undo. Unfortunately it too is a bit hard to find.. It's a slice and dice machine from heaven though and very, very , very hip things can be done with it if you like unusual and electronic sounding percussion: jungle, et. al."
"You know, it occurs to me that this might even be a good topic for a first posting at Rhythm Web:
Buying my first looping machine and why I should as a multi percussionist."Rick Walker
note from Stu: We will be looking forward to anything you send, Rick, but thanks already for this solid advice. i hope we see you at PASIC..
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