How do loopers play with pickup measures?

[uyotg]

 

I'm in the market for a looper. Seen plenty of demos, but none of them ever demo any phrases that use pickup measures (anacruses, if you want to get technical).

 

Actually, I've never even touched a looper, so I don't know how they work well enough to figure out on my own. Do you simply have to start recording on an offbeat, and replay and stop on an offbeat? How would you overdub something on that that doesn't use a pickup measure? Is this what, for example, the "Free" mode on the Boomerang is for? Or are there loopers that count the time signature for you and automatically figure it out based on that, without needing to start on a downbeat?

[tronus]

On my Boss RC2, if you tap in the temp before you hit the record footswitch, it will give you a 4 count after you press the footswitch to record your loop. The record light kicks on after that 4 count. This also kicks on the quantizing so that when you finish your loop and press the switch again, it ensures it's in time.

[sparkfriction]

whats the question?

 

 

...depends on the looper. with the Digitech Jamman (stereo) you can record loops "free" and/or to taped rhythm w/ click... i guess you can loop longer overdubs as the main loop with the rang III... but not with the digitech. the first loop sets the length.

[uyotg]

 

whats the question? ...depends on the looper. with the Digitech Jamman (stereo) you can record loops "free" and/or to taped rhythm w/ click... i guess you can loop longer overdubs as the main loop with the rang III... but not with the digitech. the first loop sets the length.

 

 

Good question. What is the question? I was rambling, not sure what to ask, but with tronus' reply I think I know how to word this better...

 

Do loopers differentiate whether they start recording on the downbeat or not? And how does it play with when you want to overdub on that phrase?

For example, tronus' Boss RC2 gives four beats until it starts recording. Presumably that's a 4-beat measure, and it starts recording on the downbeat. What if the phrase starts one and a half beats before that, and ends one and a half beats before the next downbeat? And, now, what if I want to overdub something on that phrase that actually does start on the downbeat?

 

I'm sure you could "offset" your recording, playing, and stopping, but that would be like keeping track of two different beats. Do loopers have a more elegant way of handling that? For example, quantizing two different phrases with different start and end times on the same loop?

[sparkfriction]

gotcha

 

but i think thats impossible with a loop/phrase sampler Or it is just to tricky for my brain, but i dont see any way to do this... a loop starts and replys at the first beat. i dont see any way to calculate loops with off/down-beat. you can maybe use 2 loops (storage banks) and swiotch between at the right moment... confusing

[fly135]

When not using quantize mode, the looper doesn't know anything about beats. It starts when you press the switch and ends when you press the switch. After the initial recording the loop length is set. Then overdubs can be put anywhere in the loop. When using quantize the loop starts and ends on the beat, but the loop is stretched to fit the beat. Also some loopers can record for a fixed number of measures so that it automatically ends on the beat with no stretching.

[tronus]

So you want one loop to start on the and of 3 (or something like that) while the next overdub starts on the downbeat of 1? You'd have to hit record... let it start the 1st measure... come in on the and of 3... play that all the way around back to the and of 3... stop... let that start to loop. Then hit overdub and start the next layer on the downbeat of 1.

 

EDIT: after typing all that... you might have better luck recording the layer that you want to start on the downbeat of 1... then go back and come in on the and of 3 for that "offset" layer.

[uyotg]

So it's a very manual, involved process. Seems like it would be tough, but maybe it's easy in practice the way you guys described it. Anyway, you'd lose the true form of the phrase, or lose quantizing, or lose something, like your sanity trying to keep track of all the different phrases with different starts and ends.

 

Sounds fun, though. I'll give it a shot. I hear the Pigtronix Infinity Looper is finally coming out soon.

[tronus]

Haha.. yea, it seems like it could get tricky. It might not be too bad though. Just be aware of where you are in the measures... tap your foot and count aloud. You'd be practicing music and looping at the same time! I wonder if you could throw salsa lessons in there?

[macadood]

lol.

 

why not just record the loop starting on the 1 beat, and then at the end of the loop include the pickup measure part and time it so that after your pickup it falls right back onto beat 1

 

i've had to deal with stuff like this kind of too, not necessarily pickup measures per se, but just loops taht start on off beats and weird things kind of.

 

easiest thing to do is just play it a few times and without stopping then hit record on the 1 beat and keep playing. if that makes any sense. or even helps you

[brokenfixed]

easiest thing to do is just play it a few times and without stopping then hit record on the 1 beat and keep playing. if that makes any sense. or even helps you

 

Yeah this is sorta what I do usually. Play the first, loop the second and third and punch out, then let the 4th play from the looper while I'm switching up a couple pedals, and come in with a delayed lead at the start of the next set.

 

They take a little practice but you can get fluent with them pretty quickly. I love the 2 track capability on the RC-30 for writing leads and harmonies and getting a feel for how arrangements will work on certain parts. Record a rhythm part on track 1 and switch to track to to lay down something different and switch back and forth.