Re: RC-50 Fade Out

[Bill Fox <billyfox@soundscapes.us>]

Kim Flint wrote:

> At 01:51 AM 2/18/2006, rob cathcart wrote:
>
>> What makes us think that the RC-50 will not fade loops out?
>
> The question is not whether it has the ability to "fade loops out". 
> The RC-50 does appear to have that function.
> The question is whether it has feedback control, which is far more 
> musically useful with looping. The RC-50 does not appear to have 
> feedback control, but we need somebody to try it to find out for sure.
> It is very clear that Roland so far has not understood the distinction 
> between the two.

Perhaps I'm a bit dense.  I totally understand the concept of feedback 
in the world of delay units.  Without feedback, a delay happens only 
once.  With feedback of less than unity gain, there are repeats that 
decay over time.  With feedback at unity gain, you have a delayed signal 
repeats forever... like a loop.  With feedback greater than unity gain, 
the volume builds up on each repetition.  But a loop, by any definition 
I know, doesn't need any feedback in order to, um, loop ad infintitum.  
Being the owner of only a Boss RC-20 and an Akai Headrush, what am I not 
understanding?  In the world of looping, what is the purpose of 
feedback?  A tape loop does not have feedback.  It is a length of tape 
that has been spliced into a loop and plays as long as you desire.  It 
will not change in volume over time.  Perhaps loopers such as EDP, etc. 
are different than the tape loop analogy and are closer to the delay 
concept, à la three head tape machines, analog and digital delays?  Thus 
making the looper appellation a slight (but not total) misnomer?

Cheers,

Bill