A dedicated loopy pedal; and a simple way to move between song parts (chorus, verse, etc)
I've been using Loopy just a few weeks now so please correct me if I'm missing something. Two comments.
Loopy is serious competition with footpedals, but its DYI interface limits market. A bunch of looping buyers aren't go to the trouble of setting up the interface, and that's lost sales both of the software and of a piece of hardware I would buy in a minute if someone made it. I'd love to see softstep or someone make a dedicated loopy pedal, the bindings cleverly crafted for the most efficient least complicated interface with the software. When you buy an RC-300 the buttons are reliable and reliably labeled. Several current music apps cross-sell hardware, for audio interface or for example with Jamup Pro the Griffin footpedal. I don't know how large the loopy market is, but I'm sure it's larger if there were a plug and play pedal.
I'd also love to see bindings that turn off one range of loops while turning on another. That way you could jump between two collections of loops in the middle of a song, switching from verse to chorus and back again. If there were two or three such bindings, you could have a multi-part tune. If you overdub within single loops you can switch between them with existing bindings, but then you lose the ability to turn loops off and on within a part. Am I missing a way to do that? If not' it would be a great addition.
Loving loopy as is; wanting it to be all it could be.
Jeremy
Comments
This is a very interesting idea, Jeremy. I'm going to have a think about this
Your second suggestion is one that's been on our collective minds for quite a time (search this forum for loop groups or live sequencing!) - I've just not had time to act on it yet. But I dearly want to!
Michael,
One simple approach to a dedicated pedal is to get a skilled Loopy/Softstep user to write a dedicated softstep template and ask softstep to include it as an option the way they include a template for Abelton. Between that and some sticker template for physically labeling the pedal you'd be close to having a dedicated footpedal. Keith McMillan Softstep is local here in Berkeley where I live. I've met him. Very accessible guy. I'd be happy to help.
You do sound busy. I'm hoping Loopy is successful enough that it has become your main job. You've earned it in my opinion anyway.
Jeremy
Or maybe since it seems like the FCB is very popular, @Michael are you open to allowing people to write "binding patches" that maybe you can have a section on your forum for, where the creator of the patch can list out what the patch is set to, and all you have to do is load it in Loopy and all the FCB controls will be mapped to that.
This way people can share their ideas of ideal bindings, and the user will have bindings available without loosing the option to customize or change.
And maybe you could open up another sub-section for the other popular controllers, like bluetooth keyboards. Except keyboards are more difficult because everyone could be using different keys.
Oddly @Jeremy I'm also in Berkeley... But I'd say the majority of loopy users that actually worry about foot controllers are using the Behringer FCB1010.
There are a set of printable icons for different commands if you search the board, but the for better or worse of the matter is that no two people will want to use the board exactly the same way. You are correct that that variability is Loopy's "DIY-ness" and is it's strength and weakness...
The fact is that the program's main interface was really built to be tactile on the front of the ipad glass and not a controllable system via MIDI bindings - those programs, like Abelton Live, or Mobius, exist already and work just fine on laptops. Guitar controllers RC-500 and such, by the nature of their design are forcibly limited to 3/4 loops at best because there's only so much room on the floor to control it all. It's kind of happenstance that Loopy comes the closest to having the ability to control loops/samples in the realm of iOS.
The SoftStep can be programmed to address any of the Loopy midi bindings. No need for a dedicated pedal from Keith McMillen industries.
The plus vs FCB1010 is the usb out on SS, also light weight, very compact and unusually functional.
The trouble that i still see here, is the lack of proper bindings to do what most
( Boomerang, RC-300, etc.) hardware loopers can, in moving from verse-chorus-bridge in a seamless one button press manner, in both recording and play back modes.
As far as i know,(please tell me I'm wrong) the loopy will mute a track (not stop it) when moving to and from. This would indicate a need for tracks of same length.....unless the loopy wiki is not up to date in terms of bindings.
That does not allow what is needed to mimic the hardware loopers. I read the post on "verse-chorus-bridge HOLY GRAIL solved", and am not convinced!
Still don't own an iPad or Loopy ( would in a minute if...) so I'm talking from a blind spot............ Again, if I'm wrong in my above statements here, please advise!!
Respect,Otis
Wrong section posted, apologies.
@oscarecroe - I do have an iPad, Loopy HD and an FCB1010. And yes, it requires extra footwork or sending multiple MIDI commands, especially if the chorus/verse are not the same length. A little creative use of the Restart session binding can get you there (manual dexterity and good timing required;-), although Toggle session pause and restart might also fit into a method ( haven't investigated that avenue, only in theory). Have you cast you votes on the Facebook poll?
Has anyone used a Voodoo Labs GCP? It can send multiple CC's at a time.
Hello new and first post so apologies if this is covered elsewhere and I didn't find it.
Re: the verse chorus verse issue. My understanding is that hitting restart is one way to get to the start of a verse or chorus loop (if one is 12 bars long and the other is 8 and they'll keep going out of sync) but the problem is that if you don't hit restart right on time you'll be out of time. Would it possible to get a "locked restart" or a "from the top" function that, just like restart, restarted all the loops but kept everything in sync with the metronome. So if you hit "locked restart" 1/4 bar to early it will start from the top in 1/4 of a bar or if you hit it 1/4 of a bar too late it would restart and start playing 1/4 of a bar into everything.
Re: dedicated loopy pedal. I have built a couple of dedicated pedals out of old PC keyboards for two different windows programs. These were used to trigger parts of two different computer programs. One had 4 buttons and the other had 19. I am planing to get hold of a bluetooth keyboard open it up and make a pedal for loopy. I'm not sure how many switches (keys I will use). None the less to build it all I'll need is some very basic soldering and the ability to make or find a box. I'm happy to put together a how to post (probably after Xmas) to show how I do this. Then others can copy and use the principals to create pedal board with anywhere from 1 to 40 switches on it. The upside of turning a bluetooth keyboard into a pedal is I don't need a midi interface, the down side is that loopy hd always needs to be on top.
Thanks :-)
I use a combination of a tech 21 midi moose foot controller, a korg nanopad2 and the ipad screen to get the control I need for a performance.
The foot pedal has 5 switches + 2 for bank up and down. I use the first as toggle record, the second as toggle pause/restart and the next three as toggle mute for the top 3 tracks on my screen. The next bank contains the same first two switch functiona but the next 3 switches toggle mute for my second row of loops. And the next bank takes me to the third row of loops. From my original bank if i go to the previous one i've set it up for select next track, select previous track, multiply, divide and clear loop.
I've set up the korg nanopad's 16 pads as record, toggle pause/restart, select next track, previous track, multiply, divide, mute/unmute for each of the 9 loops and clear. Jumping up three banks on the nanopad takes me to a reset button ( at the end of a song ).
I use the iPad screen to adjust volumes, panning, bounce parts onto each other and to see what's going on. Also to punch myself in when i've switched to drums.
I practiced with this setup for a few months and I played a gig as well. Loopy crashed once at rehearsal.That's it. Just the one time.
So I sold my RC-50.
But now my iPad 2 is all sluggish. And I hear iOS7 and audio aren't the best of work buddies.
Anyone running Loopy on iOS7 on an iPad and not pulling their hair out?
I play guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, trumpet and sing improv songs besides material I've written over the course
of my lifetime. With my current setup of loopy I can pretty much play a whole bunch of songs. I try not to complicate my life with too many 3 section songs in my set because really, who needs that stress? I play in several other bands and I leave songs like that for those bands.
But songs with A and B sections become pretty easy to pull off with practice.
At the end of the day, it's all about putting in a compelling performance. People have seen all sorts of amazing musicians play all sorts of amazing instruments fantastically, loopers as well.
What they'll go home remembering is how you entertained them.
Heart, soul and rehearsal and you can make anything work.
Hi,
I've just made up a good system with a Novation Launchkey Keyboard.
I mainly play guitar so I attached a single amp channel pedal to the "sustain" input of the Launchkey and then configured the MIDI binding for recording. I also use Jamup Pro for guitar effects and amp sim as input in Audiobus with Loopy HD as the output. Perfect for me!!
I'm a new user and since there isn't a manual on the loopy site I'm looking for information about how you do control MIDI bindings and functions in loopy. Thanks for pointing me the right way in advance.
@Rjreardon - Use the built-in Help to get you started. Also start a new topic that matches, others may find your question(s) and the answers useful too (if they can find them;-)
Main Menu > Help > (under Topics) MIDI
all MIDI bindings are done through Learning (Add binding - select binding - it waits for you to send the MIDI command you want bound from you midi controller).
More questions, bring 'em on.