AETHERPHON, global theremin family

Hi!

This topic is a good one and has had me scratching my head for a few  
days since reading about this issue on TW.  I own an RC50 loop station  
and it has two modes of looping, namely "Overdub" and "Replace".

In "Overdub" mode, as the loop repeats one can overdub -- that is add  
the live material to the loop.  The RC50 apparently has a pretty good  
algorithm for keeping the old material from "fading" into the mix --  
my hunch is that the RC50 averages the sound rather than mixes it  
algebraically.  The point is that "Overdub" mode keeps each pass of  
the loop indefinately.

In "Replace" mode, the loop repeats and you are replacing the contents  
of the loop with new material while the old material plays.  Yes, this  
is a little "weird":  You play material on the track, the material  
plays back while you record along with the track, then the new  
material plays back on the next pass -- that is, only the most  
recently recorded track is repeated.

The difficulty is to have a loop that works similar to the old  
echoplex tape loop where a track becomes successively softer on each  
iteration of the loop.  This is accomplished by mixing a portion of  
the looper's output to the looper's input.

Since the RC-50 has a built-in mixer, you could accomplish the "fading  
track" as follows:  (this example for a mono loop)

1) patch the Theremin's output to the looper's instrument input (the  
input has its own input level so you should be able to back it off if  
need be)

2) Assign the loop track's output to both the main and sub output busses.

3) Connect a patch cord from the sub output to the line input.

4) Adjust the line input level -- a the higher the level, the longer  
it takes for the track to fade out.

Note that this method takes you out of the digital domain, so you will  
get analog loop artifacts (noise buildup, etc) which may or may not be  
a problem depending on the effect you want.

Of course, with a small external mixer, one could get into more  
elaborate schemes with ping-pongs and effects in the echo loop.

Even with a simple loop station, the key to a track fading out with  
each pass is feedback -- that is, you take part of the output signal  
and mix it back into the input.

I, too want the option of successively fading loops, and this solution  
should work.  Anyway, I worked out this solution while sitting at my  
desk (day job) and I'm looking forward to running home and playing  
around with this.

-- Kevin


Quoting Oscar <oscar@...>:

>  Hi people!
>
> AS I am asking everywhere else, I am looking for any pedal/group of pedals
> to achieve the effect of "constant decaying layers" Pamelia uses. I know She
> uses a DL4, but there must be better choices at the market.
>
> TO explain what I am looking for, look this video of the violinist Ed
> Alleyne Johnson:
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fHOwTp0gXs
>
> Anyone here knows any delay/looper unit able to make this effect?
> I mean, with enough seconds ver loop to play a melody and harmonize it.
>
> Thanks guys!
>
> Óscar
>
>
>
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