Re: Repeater vs Looperlative AND Repeater 2.01 upgrade

[Mark Sottilaro <sine@zerocrossing.net>]

Thanks Zoe!  Good info.  I hope all these features are implemented in  
the software version as it's too  late for me and hardware I think.

Mark

On Aug 21, 2007, at 9:47 AM, Zoe Keating wrote:

> hi folks,
>
> i've been floating here around the edges, too busy to reply but i  
> gotta chime in...
>
> LP-1 vs RPTR
>
> i really dislike these "what is better" discussions because to me  
> it like asking...what is better? a dog or a cat? ice cream or  
> chocolate cake? smoked herring or pickles?
> i've found that what is better depends on what you are doing, like  
> so many things in life....microphones for example!
> now, of course both devices are expensive and it is hard to explain  
> to the spouse that you're buying a $1000+ item just to try it. but,  
> that is kinda what i do. don't get me started on how many thousands  
> i've spent on amplification systems for the cello (and you can't  
> return custom installed pickups).
>
> here is my opinion though about the debate, if there is one...
>
> sound quality-wise the LP-1 wins hands down over the RPTR.
>
> i am a dedicated RPTR user and i know i got rid of my LP-1, but i  
> actually think that feature-wise, LP-1 is a superior box. you can  
> do more kinds of looping with it. its like a swiss army knife of  
> looping.
>
> as for why i got rid of it - right now i am focusing on a very  
> precise, specific kind of looping that is entirely midi sequenced  
> and the songs already composed. to do this i need a combination of  
> computer and hardware looper. both the RPTR and the LP-1 have  
> drawbacks for what i'm doing. i chose the RPTR in the end for 4  
> reasons. 1) i've invested 5 years in mastering it and feel  
> confident with it onstage. i'm even intimately familiar with how it  
> fails so when it does, little can throw me. 2) the interface of the  
> RPTR is nice and big and fisher-price-like. that makes it much  
> easier for me to see out of the corner of my eye (because of my  
> cello, i can't have gear in front or below me. i have it off to one  
> side) and 3) the midi implementation was more developed in the  
> RPTR. i couldn't use my LP-1 for a long time because it didn't have  
> the midi capabilities i needed. i think it does now, but i'm not  
> about to switch anymore. and 4) i want the $1000 to spend on  
> another experimental cello pickup system!
>
> now, about the RPTR upgrade....
>
> there are some great improvements in there. from what i heard, i am  
> the sole person in the universe having trouble with it,  because i  
> might be the sole person in the universe controlling two RPTRs with  
> sequences of midi commands from Ableton Live (anyone else out  
> there??). i find that hard to believe, but whatever.
>
> that said, there are some big improvements that i am really happy  
> with...and if you are not controlling your RPTRs with sequenced  
> midi commands, you will never notice the problems...
>
> - indication of muted track
> if a track is muted, the volume indicator flashes red at the top.  
> yay!!  sometimes midi triggering misses and i could not tell,  
> inbetween songs which tracks would still be muted as the next song  
> started. with the red indicator light, i can tell right away if a  
> mute did not get unmuted.
> also there is a new midi command that sends an "unmute all"  
> message. so i just send that as a matter of course in the batch of  
> commands at the beginning of every song.
>
> - reset "button"
> my midi sequencing can occasionally make the RPTR wig out. but both  
> my RPTRs have always wigged out every now and then (i'm not going  
> to describe this again. just search the archives if you really want  
> the details). in the past, the only remedy when it would get stuck  
> was to power down. now there is a snazzy midi command that you can  
> send, and it does a quick reset which clears the seizure.
>
> - sticky settings across power cycles!!!
> love this. if you setup pan settings in a song, they will stay that  
> way until you change them.
>
> - erase single track midi command
> previously you could only erase the whole loop via midi. now you  
> can erase each track individually via midi (yes, you could always  
> do it via the front panel. but that was effectively useless for me)
>
> - multiply by x
> you can send a midi command to multiply your loop x3 or x4 or x5 or  
> whatever. in the past, you could only multiply x2, so i used to  
> screw up songs all the time by accidentally sending the command the  
> wrong number of times and screwing up the math. now i just send one  
> simple command.
>
> ok...back to work with me.
>
> loop, zoe
>