Re: Some of us never left

[John Pollock <johnpollock@delphi.com>]

In an earlier post, I wrote:

> > I don't know of anyone eager to return to the days of
> >twin reel-to-reels.

To which Jim Bailey replied, in part:

> Hey! I'm still doin' that street... [snip] ...I still like what happens 
>to the sounds sometimes, not to mention
> the little surprises that occasionally come out of nowhere... [snip] 
>...It's a bit like the
> difference between a Mellotron and a string synth, or sampler even. While
> both serve the same purpose, they sound considerably different (unless 
>it's
> a sample of a Mellotron :-]).
> 
> I don't want to sound like a ranter, or overly sensitive, but yes, there 
>are
> still some of us out there. 

Hey, my _only_ multitrack recorder is a Teac A-3340S!  I certainly
didn't intend to belittle _any_ technology or its users.  My point was
that without the efforts of Lexicon, Oberheim/Gibson, and Boomerang,
the only options available to would-be loopers would be expensive
(e.g., the TCE 2290), nearly impossible to obtain (EH 16-sec, Paradis
Loop Delay), or twin reel to reels-- the only financially practical
option for many of us.

I'm glad that Jim and others are continuing to explore the musical
possibilities of reel to reel tape.  I have a strong suspicion that many
"obsolete" technologies have a lot more to offer than has been
discovered so far.  My own labors in this particular trench involve the
Casio VZ synthesizers.  In addition to the implications of their
12-second delay capability (already noted on this list and my Web site),
the VZ's combination of modulation possibilities allows creation of
extremely long, subtly (or dramatically) changing sounds, containing
both repetitive and non-repetitive elements.  It's not looping, but
there are obvious similarities. 

John Pollock
mailto:johnpollock@delphi.com
http://people.delphi.com/johnpollock (Troubador Tech)