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Re: Favorite VST Instruments?



On 8 apr 2006, at 04.05, loop.pool wrote:

> Why don't we take an informal poll and list what we think are our  
> very favorite plugins for processing loops

I'm not processing loops, but I loop my processed playing. I finally  
settled for this solutions because I find laptops not enough  
powerful, stable and controllable with regard to effect parameters. I  
also see a big difference in playing the effects as part of your  
instrument to be looped, comparing to first playing and then altering  
the sound. It just suits me better for live performance. So I run  
INSTRUMENTS --> FX BOX --> LAPTOP.

However, the effects I us in my box, a TC FireworX, are just the  
usual stuff. I combine effect chains (including feeback loops as part  
of the effect chain) as patches to call up for playing. I also layer  
differently processed sound by stepping through effect patches, while  
playing, and record loop layers colored by different effects. Here's  
the list (not a feature list, only the processing I tend to use):

- Expander, compressor, gate
- Distortion,
- Resonance filter, bandpass filter, phaser, resonant chord filter,
- Formant,
- Vocoder,
- Ring modulator, synth waveform generator,
- Pitch (harmonizer, dual or mono. Quadra achieved by linking two  
dual etc),
- Chorus (an effect use very rarely, I kind o dislike the sound of it)
- Flanger (sometimes applied to delayed signal, never to direct  
instrument sound),
- Delay (many kinds - stereo, multi tap, often tempo synced)
- Reverb,
- Pan,
- EQ (usually applied to wet effect signal to help defining the dry  
instrument tone)

This is the basic "universal audio processing tool kit" and I don't  
feel the need for more. Eventually with the exception for Pluggo Rye  
and SpeedShifter that has to be applied by software. If I work a  
recorded piece I like to use Logic, which has about the same set of  
effects built into the application code - so no other plug-ins are  
needed.

Generally I also tend to use less effects these days as I mangle  
sound directly by looping techniques. Working with a looper like  
Mobius makes it easy to experiment with complicated series of command  
actions, as you can sequence them in scripts, not having to to the  
actual high-speed-tap-dancing on the floor pedal controller ;-)  For  
example, I was looking for "drums" to use when looping, but never  
found a stable software solution because everything had to be run as  
plug-ins and that leads to the need of a host application, and I have  
found that Mobius suits me much better when run as a standalone  
looper. If Mobiuse had been an OS X applications I would have been  
able to just open software drum machine (like GURU or RMX) on the  
same laptop, but since Mobius is Windows XP dependent there can only  
be one application using the sound card drivers. Finally I just  
settled with making up drum beats with my voice, or other  
instruments, and loop that. An old technique I've been using for long  
with the EDP came in handy here: sing a hi-hat pattern in HalfSpead  
and it will sound like a crispy super fast and tight dance hall hi- 
hat when brought back to normal speed. etc, etc...  To achieve a cool  
machine-like static percussion effect I set up a couple of tempo  
synced gating patches in my effect box, so whatever noise I make it  
will arrive into the laptop as sliced up chunks on sixteen notes,  
triads or whatever. I also have a lot of Mobius scripts that go in  
and out of overdub mode in the same pattern as a hi-hat would play.  
That's a lot more fun than trying to adapt "a drum machine" that  
wasn't even designed for experimental looping in the first place.

The "granular synthesis" plug-in in Rick's list appears interesting.  
Can be used on a real-time audio stream? I've done some granular  
synthesis in MetaSynth, but only as a way of altering already  
recorded audio.

Greetings from Sweden

Per Boysen
www.boysen.se (Swedish)
www.looproom.com (international)
http://tinyurl.com/fauvm (podcast)